Ian Lindsay Models NSWGR FR Carriage

Here's something a bit different. As you may have noticed, most of what I run is vintage Hornby Dublo three rail, with the occasional whitemetal locomotive kit with some Trix Twin and some Tri-ang stock converted to run on three rail for a bit of added variety.

Some while back, I got my hands on two Lima NSWGR C38 class pacifics (one green, one black) and converted them to three rail. I have been coupling them to Dublo stock when I run them which is, I suppose, asking a bit much of a Lima locomotive but, at least with my layout being 8' x 4', anything more than four coaches generally looks too much.

I have thought, from time to time, that the C38s would look better with something a bit more appropriate behind them, so last week I bought two Ian Lindsay kits of FR carriages. Something tells me this might take me a while (especially as I really need to get two more of them or something similar) but I did make a start yesterday on cleaning them up prior to assembly. The kits do not include bogies or couplings and, to keep everything compatible. I am using Dublo bogies. Dublo coach bogies, being 00 and not H0 are too big to fit, but I did find that the bogies used on Dublo bogie bolster wagons and well wagons are the right size. They are a different type of bogie (plate bogies maybe, I don't know their name) but when you run vintage equipment, you have to make some compromises. I will have to remove about 2.. from the bogie mounts on the carriage's chassis though, as the carriage sits a bit high on theses bogies.

Here are a few photos:

 

Still some work to do, but here's the progress so far: