GWR Toad : Peco O Gauge kit build

Well with some time off whilst between jobs, I thought I'd have a crack at piecing together this old Peco GWR Toad 16T Brake Van kit...

One thing I did notice between this kit and the Parkside kits is the lack of detail, notably brake rigging and such. And yes you are right, I'm not going to add the extra details...

So, what's in the box ?

Fairly clear and concise instructions, but you do need to wear your magnifier visor to read the fine print ! A bag of parts containing the chassis rails, W irons, axle boxes, floor, van sides and end walls, roof and some other smaller details like steps and brake handle. A separate bag in this bag contains all the buffers and couplings. A another completely separate bag contains the wheels and bearings.

The instructions are pretty straight forward and the following images and text explains how it goes together...

Attach chassis rails to underside of floor. While that sets up, glue the running boards to the lower side chassis.

Attach the steps to the running boards/side chassis rails.

Attach the W irons to the running boards/side chassis rails. There are two types of W irons in the kit and you'd have to be a complete fool to mix them up !

Whilst all that sets up and cures, fit the brake shoes to the chassis rails. There are two types of brake shoes, one set to attach as shown in the photo below and the other set fit to the compensated axle mounting.

As that all sets up, the next job is to build the compensated axle mounting. This is made up of nine individual parts.

I chose to fit the brake shoes first, followed along with the W irons.

Once all set, it is mounted to the chassis by locating and gluing the bearing to the chassis/floor first. Allow this to set hard before fitting the axle mount, which has pivot points on it. Slide the axle mount in then fit the opposite bearing and glue the bearing to the floor (not the pivot).

The axle mount should be able to freely move/swing.

I then added the bearings to all four axle boxes and fit the wheels to the compensated end first. With the side chassis rails/W irons etc all cured up, I then fit these to the chassis/floor, locating the second axle in place at the same time.

I gave this some time to cure before turning the wagon onto its wheels. It rolls very smoothly !

Now I know this is all good, I started on the walls of the van. I first fitted one side wall. This is easy to fit as there are grooves in the section of timber floor where the gate sits. Using this as a guide made for easy fitting.

I then added the rear wall to make sure all was square before the glue had set firm.

I followed this with the opposite side wall and also the internal verandah end wall.

This is as far as I have come with this kit in less than two hours. It is a rather enjoyable kit to piece together. Clearly you can see that Peco had thought about the build process when designing this.

My next step will to paint the floor before proceeding with the end wall and tool box. The inside shall be painted too at this stage.

If anyone has an idea on the colour scheme of the interior, I'd like to hear from you.

Ok, that's it for now, back soon...!

Cheers, Gary.

 

This morning I worked on the wood grain finish to the floor and gave the interior a rough coat of white.

I applied the same technique I used on my open wagons. I painted the timber seat (?) using the same technique and also painted the sand boxes. Once this was dry, I glued the lower wall section and bench/sand box shelf in place.

White interior... I had seen pics where the bottom 1/3 of the walls was painted the same as the exterior. I decided to paint the whole lot white as you won't really be able to see inside.

I gave this some time to dry before I drilled the body work so I could fit the handrails. I can tell you that bending wire up to exact measurements isn't my idea of fun. I think I'll invest in one of those wire bending jigs sooner than latter !

It is always difficult to straighten the wire Peco supply, but I do know that Gormo produced a video on wire straightening. Rather than use Gormo's idea, I just persisted with the wire I had.

Once the wiring was all fixed in place, I added the lamp brackets on the wagon sides and ends. Following this, I gave the van a coat of dark grey. As I couldn't get any Humbrol (rail colour) acrylic dark grey, I opted for a Citadel paint, 'Eshin Grey'. This is a reasonable match to the prototype livery.

Instead of painting the chassis the same colour grey as the body, I decided on a weathered black, or more so Hobby Colour 'Tire Black'. I know that the prototype has a grey chassis, but then I have also seen photos of vans with a black chassis... The Juries out on this ! Then again, Rule #1 plays here !!

After the body had dried, I applied the hand brake tower and lever, the sanding lever and long sand lever (?) besides door, under the roof. These parts were pre-painted to save some time.

The two photos above also show the handrails on the van side painted. This was painted with a fine flat brush. Where I did get a little white paint on the body, I just touched up with a dab of grey. The two photos below show the roof on as a test fit.

I am thinking about applying a sheet of tissue paper over the roof to represent tar paper.

One thing I would recommend to anyone building a plastic van like this is to not fit the small steps under the guards gates to the chassis rails. I found that I had bent the plastic to a point of removal, whilst adding the handrails. Keep the steps to last prior to painting the chassis.

Tomorrow morning I will add the buffers, couplers, decals, roof and guards gates. The gates need to be trimmed done to fit the opening and also a few hand rails added. Soon then she will be ready for service !

Cheers for now,

Gary.

 

It is a very simple effect using 5 x paint colours and a black wash. I mostly use Citadel paints, but you can use any manufacturers. The colours I chose are :
Zamesi Desert
Tyrant Skull
Mournfang Brown
Administratum Grey
Black - any black will do !

The wash is simply a little black mixed with water.

Method :
1. As the floor boards already show wood grain, no need to add any. If you wanted to add grain, either use a sharp scalpel or some very course sand paper and drag across the boards in the direction they run, giving a grain line effect. Dust this off.

2. Paint the boards with the Zamesi Gold. Follow this up by introducing the a little Tyrant Skull to selected boards. On other boards, introduce a little Mournfang Brown. Allow this to dry some, but not 100% and then lightly dry brush the Adminisratum Grey into selected boards, very lightly !

3. Once this has completely dried, mix up a little wash and apply to the boards. Allow this to flow into the grooves. Give this time to completely dry.

4. Dry brush a little black into areas you want wear and tear from foot traffic etc. You can mix a little grey into this to lighten it up.

Job done.

For further reading how I used this effect on open wagons, see here : https://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/weathering-an-o-gauge-open-wagon.4261/

Cheers, Gary.

 

I have just searched the net for images of the roof for the brake van and found an image of an AA3, which my model is and I noted that there are no gutters on the wagon roof...

Both these photos is courtesy of 'GWR Goods Brake Vans by Russ Eliott. (http://www.gwr.org.uk/nobrakes.html)

Does anyone know what year the roof gutter was introduced, as this photo of the Ferndale van shows an AA3 with the gutter...

I'll will leave the gutter on as I do not wish to do any damage to the roof, even though I'll be adding a felt/tar paper roof...

Cheers, Gary.

 

You are welcome Wrenn.

Cheers, Gary.

 

I decided to cover the roof in tissue paper to give it that canvas/tar paper look. I don't think I'll paint it, only weather it as the paper is nowhere near as white as the original roof. Before fitting the roof, I dropped the glazing in place. I cheated here and just glued the clear sheet directly over the opening rather than cut it down to a smaller size to fit the frame. From viewing distance, you cannot tell..., but now you know, it may stand out !

I manage to get the three links together and the buffers on Monday/Tuesday. I do like the way Peco have designed their sprung buffers and draw hook, it simply works !

I must say that the instructions are a little hit and miss when it comes to adding the buffers. Unfortunately I managed to get glue onto on one of the buffer shafts, which has locked it short... Maybe a strong hand and pliers I can remedy this...

Once the buffers and three links were added, I painted the buffers the same 'tyre black' as the chassis.

I still have to add the guards gates as these need cutting/filing down to fit the opening. I may even leave one gate in the partially open position. Also the steps need to go back on too.

Cheers, Gary.