Fireside Fishkinds
George Dent spent most of January hibernating, with a few wagon projects for company.
The wild North Pennine winters can be tough and, although I undertake most of my modelling endeavours ‘off-site’ these days, I do tend to stock up on potential projects for home, just in case I can’t bring myself to venture out into the sleet, snow and ice. Having picked up a few Cambrian wagon kits at last year’s Warley show, I was prompted to make a start on building them by the arrival of the EFE Rail ‘Sea Urchins’, as reviewed on page 96 of this issue. At this point, I’ll issue a spoiler alert: the undertakings featured here reveal my misgivings with the ‘Sea Urchin’ chassis. Indeed, a replacement underframe has been trialled using Cambrian kit parts.
Replacing the chassis was tricky, but my first attempt has worked out well enough, adding greater finesse and convincing me to repeat the process on other similar wagons. The real ‘Sea Urchin’ fleet was created by rebuilding existing wagons, over several years.
Accordingly, there were many differences between batches and EFE Rail’s model depicts a batch converted from SPA steel carriers, but others were created during BR days, so there are plenty of permutations to keep me busy. Useful wagons for those of us with an interest in modern engineers’ stock, their long wheelbase and low sides adding welcome variety to a rake of shorter, stockier MHA and MFA opens.
As well as playing around with a ‘Sea Urchin’, I’ve also built a ‘Sea Horse’, purely from a Cambrian kit. These are ostensibly similar but, having been converted from OCA wagons in the late 1980s, there are distinct differences. With assembly/conversion almost complete, painting will follow, although I’ll have to venture into my workshop in town before spraying anything smelly. Will that be sufficient motivation to leave the fireside?!
Step 1: The chassis below the EFE Rail ‘Sea Urchins’, created originally for the FTG/DJ Models SPA steel open wagons, has a few limitations. So I experimented by creating a replacement. First step was to cut away the floor, using the moulded side and end panels as a guide. It took many passes with the blade to cut through the thick plastic.
Step 2: Once the waste was cut away, the edges were tidied with a few gentle strokes of a flat file.
Step 3: A Cambrian SPA kit was used as a donor, providing the floor and chassis components. The floor was installed first, using plenty of liquid poly cement to create a secure bond.
Step 4: Checks were made to ensure the floor was aligned correctly. Even though Cambrian offer a full ‘Sea Urchin’ kit, it depicts a different body style to the EFE Rail model.
Step 5: The fit of the replacement floor was made as snug as possible, but a little filler was needed here and there, as well as a thin styrene shim at one end.
Step 6: With the new floor secure, the kit components could be installed. The sprung, self-centring axle units help the wagon negotiate tight curves, although I’ve cut away the tension lock coupler mounts. The inner headstocks have been reinforced with styrene strip, prior to installation of sprung drawhooks and scale Instanter couplings. There’s still some way to go, but the improvement is tangible already.