GLEN VALLAY TRAMWAY TOOL VAN NO. 2 by Wayne Slaughter
Box vans are easy to scratch-build right? All apart from the roof, as Wayne Slaughter explains.
The Idlenot Light Railway Preservation Society proudly announces the presentation of tool van No.2 to the railway’s operating department. The tool van was rebuilt from the remains of Glyn Valley Tramway box van No.2, discovered some years ago in a farmer’s yard deep in the Welsh countryside. After decades of service as a chicken coop, most of the remains were quite unusable, but the lads in the workshop were able to construct what must be considered a replica from that heap of rotted timbers and rusted ironwork using only a few old picture postcards as a guide. They claim there are some original parts in the rebuilt van. You would be hard-pressed to know which as the workmanship is done in the traditional manner and, I might add, in a superb fashion. Congratulations to these intrepid volunteers!
This 7/8” modeling project was started as an interlude after constructing a GVT guards van for a neighboring restored railway line. The original idea was to march right into a second copy of the guards van for the Idlenot, but I wanted to tackle something a little different first. Flipping through the pages of Bernard Rockett’s Glyn Valley Goods plan book, right after the guards van, there are plans for the GVT box vans, similar in size and shape but different in detail. The box van is scratch-built except for the running gear, couplings and a few detail bits.
The frame is constructed from basswood timbers topped by a floor of 22 gauge steel. Sides and ends are built from individual basswood planks. All of the ironwork strapping is constructed from styrene. The innumerable square bolt heads are diced from 1/16” square styrene and dropped onto the side braces in a puddle of MEK.
Much of the remaining detail, the door latches, the brake gear, etc. is constructed from brass and steel. Sierra Valley Enterprises spoked wheel sets are running in their sprung axle guards. They sit a little proud but are a close representation of the GVT equipment. Accucraft 16mm scale chopper couplings – standard on the Idlenot – complete the car.
After several failed attempts, a decent approach to the roof was uncovered with much help and consultation with the boys over at the workshops of the nearby Isle of Shoals
Tramway, and my good wife!
First, with much planing and sanding, a block of balsa was shaped to the roof contour. Since this roof was to be permanent, the balsa block was simply glued into place.
Next, a sheet of 1/16” aircraft ply, cut a little oversized, was bonded to the balsa with carpenters glue. How was it bent to shape? I remembered a passage in D.A. Boreham’s classic, Narrow Gauge Railway Modeling, where he described mounting a roof on a coach. The illustration is almost self-explanatory. The wagon is propped over two bits of wood with the sides aligned with the edges of the boards and then heavily weighted. Next morning you have a perfectly formed roof. All it needs is careful trimming to the proper overhang.
For the finish surface, I was looking for a tarred canvas effect. I settled for some cotton material from an old sheet. The most important step is to iron it – it must be wrinkle-free.
How to bond it to the roof? Shellac! I covered the ply with a thick coat of shellac and then carefully draped the cotton cloth over the wet goop. It helps to cut a diagonal slit in the cloth at each corner so it drapes nicely. When that dried, I applied several more top coats of shellac. The final step was to trim the now stiff cloth with a single edge razor blade right to the edge of the ply. A few coats of variegated blacks and greys give the roof the look of tarred canvas.
The final step was, of course, paint and finish. The GVT cars were painted in what was described as a “holly green”. Actually, there are several descriptions of that colour, but the paint faded to blue and that gives a good clue as to the shade of green.
I settled for Humbrol Acrylic 163 Dark Green with some Humbrol 3 Brunswick Green mixed in to punch it up. I was aiming for the shade of green on the rebuilt GVT coaches over at the Talyllyn Railway.
Since this is a freshly shopped vehicle, I brush-painted it straight up with only a little weathering. The running gear was given a coat of rusty brown and then attacked with washes of blacks and darkened rust. A final dry brushing of dark rust was applied to the door latches and the many bolt heads.
The lettering is reminiscent of the Talyllyn Railway volunteer-built tool van, which itself is lettered in a style reminiscent of the Cambrian Railways, pre-1922. Mine is not quite that fancy. Its hand-painted with white enamel. Okay, I lied. I cut stencils for the IDL RWY and sprayed them white but the edges just weren’t crisp enough. I came back with a thin outline in black ink to clean up the edges and fix the line weights. It also gives a little snap to the lettering. But it’s not intended to be shadowing, as such. You shouldn’t really see it. The No 2 really was hand-painted – I couldn’t cut stencils that small and curvy.
A little more dusting and rusting, not much, and a final coat of matte spray completed the car. Hurray! It’s going to earn its living hauling tools and supplies out to the upcoming track work projects. ■