What George used

COUPLINGS

◆◆ Smiths LP1 three-link couplings, eight-pack, unassembled Price: £7.00 Availability: Peter’s Spares Tel: 01642 909794

Web: www.petersspares.com

TOOLS

◆◆ Drill and bits

◆◆ Scalpel and spare blades

◆◆ Trimming knife and blades

◆◆ Regular and round-nose pliers

◆◆ Files

◆◆ Miniature screwdriver

◆◆ Junior hacksaw

1

Gently remove the wheels and prise out the NEM coupling mounts before unscrewing the two small screws from the underframe. This will allow the body to be lifted away. Carefully remove the metal weight, and take care if it has been glued in place.

2

I used a 2mm drill bit to cut a series of holes in the chassis floor, describing a square pattern behind each the bufferbeam. A power drill would make faster work of this job, although a low speed should be used to avoid melting the plastic.

3

Remove the bulk of the waste material with a fresh blade in a trimming knife. The chassis plastic may be tough, so take care not to slip with the knife. Open out to 10mm square apertures with a file, retaining the screw mounting towers.

4

Tidy up the inner faces of the bufferbeams with a flat needle file before fixing a scrap of plastic strip with strong poly cement. This will add extra strength to the bufferbeam, allowing it to resist the tension in the spring. Leave to cure overnight.

5

Cut away the moulded drawhook and drill a pair of holes which can be cut into a vertical slot with a fresh scalpel blade. File the edges of the etched brass drawhook to remove any ridges before test-fitting it into the slot.

6

The hook needs to slide freely within the slot without being sloppy. Trim away more plastic with the knife if necessary. The couplings will need to be assembled with round-nose pliers, closing up the links carefully to maintain their shape.

7

Push the hook into the slot while threading the spring over the shaft as it emerges into the aperture. Compress the spring with one hand and push the split pin into the hole with tweezers. This stage can get a little fiddly if the aperture is too small.

8

Trim the metal weight with a hacksaw before re-fitting it and reassembling the wagon. Check that the hooks, springs and split pins can move unhindered. There shouldn’t be any need to touch up the paintwork.

10

The mini shunter’s hook is then used to pick up the coupling links from one wagon and place them over the drawhook of the adjacent vehicle. The gap between wagons is exaggerated here for photographic purposes.

11

The appearance of scale couplings is hard to beat. Uncoupling is a reverse of the previous step. The wagons will need to ‘buffer up’, to ensure enough slack in the links to permit unhooking, just like in real life.

9

A coupling tool can be improvised. I use a length of steel guitar string (or any stiff wire will do), with the end bent to a hook shape and glued into an old pen. A miniature torch is a handy alternative, making it easier to see what you’re doing.