009 Articulated Rail Cars & Truck

Updated 2020

These models are no longer printed and have been replaced by the Atkinson Walker Railcars which I show in a later post. See links below of further details.

https://modelengineworks.blogspot.com/2018/11/009-atkinson-walker-rail-cars.html

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/model-engine-works?section=009+Railcars&s=0

Following on from my Donegal Irish railcar I thought it would be good to complete the set and develop the Clogher Valley’s own railcar unit No 1. Again this is a version for 009 gauge based on the original but shorter to suit track curves of around 230 mm (9”) radius.

I quickly came to the conclusion when developing this railcar that the tractor “No 2 unit” was a must also, they both share the same cab and chassis frame, and it had to be easier to work on the truck body for the tractor unit at the same time as the railcar. 

To get this model to work it was necessary to split it into multiple parts. This meant that 4 pieces would build the cab tractor unit, with the wagon body is in one and the railcar body in 4 sections. Also this gave the options of using different plastics to form the parts, which worked out better for detail and cost. It also added the possibility to use bits for scratch building other models, such as the Donegal rail car No 10. 

When prototyping this model I used mainly strong white flexible polished (SWFP) on the truck “No 2 unit” to see what the details printed were like. This is also the most economical printing method. The railcar I printed in a combination of strong white flexible polished (SWFP) and Frosted ultra-detail (FUD). To make use of the different properties each plastic has to offer.  The detail on both turned out well, see the lists of parts shown at the end of this post.

C-1 Cab Roof a or b (see list of parts at end of post)

The CVR version needs no alteration, to add the headlamp to the Donegal No 10 version, there is a pilot hole on the inside centre front of the roof. Use a 1.2mm bit and drill right through from the back. The lamp is fitted from the front on the spur used to fix it to the radiator on the CVR version. This will need to be glued in place.

To give the lens some sparkle I added a small 2mm clear rhinestone to the front of the lamp. The bracket was then painted in a gun metal finish, a mix of Humbrol Matt black 33 and silver 56.

A is the configuration used on the CVR units, or B place the lamp on the front of the cab roof, as the CDRJC railcar No 10.

A                                             B

C-2 Cab Body (see list of parts at end of post)
This is a simple one piece design which has three locating holes in the bottom to fit the corresponding pins on the C-4 chassis frame, the detail looks good printed in both (SWFP) and (FUD). There are locating holes for the C-3 radiator and the C-1 roof which are printed separately to the cab.  

C-3 Radiator a or b (see list of parts at end of post)
The radiator was originally designed just to suit the Clogher valley units only, but following constructive comments on the NGRMO forum I thought it worth making it suitable for the Donegal No 10 version as well. This revised version starts off with a flat plate under the radiator, with a hole for the NEM coupling pocket and slot to take a white metal vacuum pipe. The cowcatcher for the Clogher valley units is a detachable print on the front which if used has the mounting spurs trimmed off and the cowcatcher is located using a rectangular block at the rear which sockets into the hole left for the NEM pocket. There are holes on the cowcatcher for the lamp mounting brackets and the starting handle. The lamp is also printed on the back of the radiator - this is cut off and the raking spur removed. It is also intended for use on the Donegal No 10 version, see notes on C-1 cab roof. 

For the CVR version a pilot hole is formed in the back of the radiator itself and this is drilled out to take the lamp spur. The lamp bracket has a pilot hole to be drilled out to take the 0.45 mm brass wire, and this is used to form the mounting bracket. (You may fine this a very fiddly job). The 0.45 mm wire is also used to make the starting handle. I have tried to use pictures to show these details in a more graphic manner, see below.

                                       Front lamps (part of radiator print)

C-4 Chassis Frame (see list of parts at end of post)
The difficult bit to work out was how to connect the chassis to the cab, wagon and railcar bodies. The conventional way of fitting the Kato 11-104 chassis, a rectangular shaped hole in a flat plate, worked out to be too wide for the articulated railcar body. The solution was to form a frame that sat over the chassis; it would hook over the front part of the chassis, with a frame over the top to carry the cab, railcar body pivot or the wagon body and clipped onto the back of the chassis with a cradle. 

This does mean cutting and adjusting the front section of the Kato chassis, but the result fits in better. 

It was necessary to make an adjustable pivot plate on the frame behind the cab; this was to allow the Railcar body sufficient clearance on tight curves. By doing this and making the rear bogie on the railcar body pivot, I hope it would give the finished model smoother running on curves and the ability to pull some wagons.

The pivot plate is printed under the frame on spurs. This is cut off its spurs and added to a groove in the top of the frame. The further back you place this will allow the articulated railcar body to work on tighter curves, but leaves a bigger gap between the railcar and the cab, so this will allow the two to be finely adjusted to suit individual modellers needs before final fixing. Like a lot of things it is a compromise between looks and functionality. 

A small amount of weight added to the cab and over the rear bogie on the railcar body will help keep the model on the tracks with good electrical contact. I have left the roof on both the cab and railcar body’s loose to allow for easy access when fitting the glazing, interior seats and adding people to the interior if required.

W-1 Wagon Body (see list of parts at end of post)

This is a very simple part, designed to locate on the chassis frame directly behind the cab. There is no need to fit the pivot block to the chassis frame if building the wagon version of the No 2 Unit. I would pre-finished the wagon body before fixing in place which makes it much easier. It is good to add a small amount of weight to this before fitting. This can be added in the two recesses between the base of the wagon and under frame. The NEM coupling pocket is the only additional item to be prepared and fitted to the truck body. 

R-1 Railcar Roof (a or b see list of parts at end of post)

The roof is printed with a ladder and luggage frame attached on spurs which are easily cut off at the roof level , leaving a plain roof suiting the Clogher Valley railcar. On the underside of the roof are 6 rings used as guides to drill holes in the roof to refit the luggage frame, using the spurs that attached it to the roof to locate it again. There are 2 small holes in the back of this for the ladder and a further 2 holes in the back of the railcar body to locate the bottom of the ladder. These would be filled if building the Clogher Valley version.

R-2 Railcar Interior (see list of parts at end of post)

I had this printed in Strong Black and flexible, which only leaves the seat backs to paint. These were painted using Humbrol No 73 matt burgundy on the backs, with a touch of Humbrol No 56 silver used on the upper edges. Passengers can be added if required before fitting to the railcar body. I found the interesting tip on the NGRMO forum, of using HO scale figures to give more of a spacious impression to the interior, works very well. See Simon Cox’s workbench article http://ngrm-online.com/forums/index.php?/topic/15571-simon-coxs-workbench/page-2

R-3 Railcar Body (see list of parts at end of post)

I had the body printed in both strong white flexible polished (SWFP) and Frosted ultra-detail (FUD). The level of detail remained quite good in the (SWFP). The base of the railcar body does needs the angular edges smoothing off so there is nothing for the bogie to catch on. A pocket has been formed for an 8BA nut to be located in above the mounting for the bogie, which may need cleaning out a bit on the (SWFP) body as the powder residue gets trapped in small spaces. It is then just a case of dropping the nut into the socket and a small spot of glue will hold this in place. I prefinished the railcar body, roof and interior before adding the glazing and assembling. Adding a small amount of weight centrally to the railcar sides and over the pivot helps with smooth running of the unit. If building the Donegal No 10 version a vacuum pipe will need to be added to the rear right hand back panel. I used Vale of Rheidol Vacuum & Steam Heating Pipes. The short pipes from Parkside Dundas part No Ref DP03 seem to look the part on this model.

R-4 Railcar Bogie (see list of parts at end of post)

I had the bogie printed in Strong Black and flexible as this offered a good finish and strength. Being black already saved on painting. The flexible nature of the material allowed for fitting the wheels without breakage. The axle’s pockets were polished smooth with a pointed flat bit; this was ground to match the cone shape formed on the inside of the axle boxes. I kept gently working the drill on each cone and then trying the wheel until I achieved smooth and free running. This has the effect of polishing the cone rather than drilling it out more. 

A pilot hole is formed in the bogie, this act as a guide for the clearance hole needed for an 8 BA cheese head machine screw used as a pivot. An 8 BA nut is located in a socket at the bottom of the coach body. The NEM coupling pocket can be attached to the rear of the bogie where a rectangular hole is formed to accept this. When fitted, file smooth any protruding material from the NEM coupling as this will catch on the lower part of the coach body.

When assembling the bogie to the body of the coach a washer of thin Plasticard 0.25mm needs to give the right gap between the bogie and body work for free movement. 

Coupling pockets

I have designed the rear railcar bogie and the truck body to be fitted with Peco GR-103 Coupling pockets. These are best glued together hole first, then cut off the larger top horizontal section. This will allow you to pass the vertical middle section through the hole in the bogie or truck under frame, and glue in place. 

Unit glazing

When considering glazing for these units I noticed that I would have to fold one of the pieces at the front cab window. The clear plastic window used on product packaging looked to be a good option as some of this is actually folded. I found a version on some packaging at 0.25 mm which cut well and folded neatly. Contact adhesive was used to fix this in place. I did notice on the R-2 Railcar Interior that the width needed reducing by 1mm on each side to allow for the glazing material thickness, and this was easily done, as the S.B&F is simply cut with a sharp modelling knife.

 Unit painting

As usual I have prepared the Shapeways Frosted Ultra detail (FUD), getting rid of the waxy residue before paint is added. I tackle this by washing in white spirits and then a good wash in hot soapy water. It is best to dry it off in a warm place overnight, then apply 2 or 3 thin coats of primer.

The strong white flexible polished (SWFP) is fine with a good primer applied. Use the first coat to size the surface which can then be burnished with a blunt wood spatula or similar tool to smooth it off. A further 2 or 3 thin coats of primer will build up a good surface for painting.

The strong black flexible (SBF) used on the bogie, railcar interior and chassis frame was left un-painted and looked fine.

Starting with the Clogher Valley railcar No 1, the original was painted brown with a white roof. “CLOGHER VALLEY RAILWAY” was lettered between the waist mouldings on each side in shaded gold block capitals. Below the title was “No1”.

For my version I used Humbrol paint to make a shade of brown that had a touch of burgundy added. This was a mix of Matt 83 brown and smaller proportion matt 73 burgundy, making what could be described as a dirty crimson lake colour. The white for the roof had a majority Matt 34 white and a tiny bit of Light grey Matt 147 to take the edge off. I used Waterslide decals from Fox Transfers, Gold 1 mm letters to form the “CLOGHER VALLEY RAILWAY” which fitted between the waist moulding well, and 2 mm for the No 1 below. The radiator was a mix of Matt black 33 and silver 56 in different proportion lighter for the frame and darker in the centre, the cowcatcher was in Matt black 33. A final coat of satin varnish was applied over all the painted surfaces.

The second was Clogher Valley No 2 Unit or, as it was called, “The Unit”. This was finished in a grey livery, with a white roof. The original was plain grey to start with, and later had “CLOGHER VALLEY RAILWAY” lettered on the wagon body with “No 2” below.

I made some changes to my version, the grey primer was used as the body colour with a coat of satin varnish applied, while the roof had the same mix of matt 34 white and a tiny bit of Light grey Matt 147 like the railcar, again with the satin varnish applied. This time I used white ModelMaster 1.4 mm Waterslide decals to form a simple “CVR” with “No2” below on the wagon body. The radiator was a mix of Matt black 33 and silver 56 in different proportion for the frame and the centre, the cowcatcher and wagon under frame was in Matt black 33.

Finally the County Donegal No 10 railcar version, was finished in red lower panelling, using Humbrol matt 153 red mixed with a smaller proportion of Revell R331 crimson. The cream upper section round the windows and bonnet is a mixture of matt 154 yellow and Mat 34 matt white, with the grey roof being a mix of Mat 106 matt grey and matt white 34. A fine black Staedtler Lumocolor permanent marker was used to do the lining on the waist mouldings.The Donegal crest was found on the internet and printed on an ink jet satin photo paper to the size required, then I used a hole punch to cut these out. The back of the paper was removed carefully with a craft knife leaving only the shiny surface paper. This was fixed with super glue direct to the red paint work. The No 10 Waterslide decals used on each side of the cab are “Old Time” Talyllyn coach numbers in gold and black. The radiator was a mix of Matt black 33 and silver 56 in different proportion for the frame and the centre. This was also used on the rear ladder and vacuum pipes, the hose of which was finished in matt grey 147. A final coat of satin varnish was applied over all the painted surfaces.

List of Truck parts

C-1  Cab Roof a or b - strong white flexible polished

C-2  Cab Body - Frosted ultra-detail

C-3  Radiator a or b – Frosted ultra-detail

C-4  Chassis Frame - strong Black flexible

W-1  Wagon Body - Frosted ultra-detail or strong white flexible polished

List of Railcar parts

C-1  Cad Roof a or b - strong white flexible polished

C-2  Cad Body - Frosted ultra-detail

C-3  Radiator a or b - Frosted ultra-detail

C-4  Chassis Frame - strong Black flexible

R-1 Railcar Roof a or b - Frosted ultra-detail or strong white flexible polished

R-2  Railcar Interior - strong Black flexible

R-3  Railcar Body - Frosted ultra-detail

R-4  Railcar - strong Black flexible

Other items needed

Kato 11-104 Chassis

6 mm x 9mm gauge wheels

Peco NEM couplings & pockets

6 mm 8 BA machine screw & nut bogie pivot

Clear plasticard sheet for glazing 0.25 mm

White metal Vacuum pips By Parkside Dundas ref part No Ref DP03 

If you would like to obtain a copy of the 3D parts they are available at. https://www.shapeways.com/shops/model-engine-works