Mountain Goat Waggon & Carriage Works.

[Mountain Goat]

The H chassis design. Just realized I don't have details of the H chassis design on this thread. I will add some more photos in a bit. Need to transfer some photos from my other tablet. The H chassis is the one in the middle...

[Mountain Goat]

Here are examples of my H pattern chassis design with various bodies. The great thing is that nem pocket tension lock couplings can be glued in place inbetween the frame if desired, or the bufferbeam can be extended (Deepened) if one wants to use drawing pin couplings.
Just to add. The wood for the chassis is wooden dowel. Sometimes dowel maybe a bit thick and need planeing down a little (Or sanding or whichever method you choose to thin it!) The main planking for the wagons could either be lollypop sticks or coffee sturers depending on the thickness one needs.

[alexjhill1987]

Thanks mr goat, they look cool, and Id say pretty easy to make.
I have some spare balsa that might do?

[Mountain Goat]

Possibly, but balsa may make the waggons a little light. You may need to add some plasticine or something if using balsa. It will work though.

[Mountain Goat]

The making of nameplates for the locomotives was done via using aluminium fizzy drinks cans cut to a similar thickness of the labelling tape, and carefully fed through the labelling printing device. The outside ridge of the nameplate was scribed by hand from the underside. It may take a few attempts to get a successful result. The nameplates were then painted in the desired colour and the top surface of the writing carefully scribed off to reveal the metal through the paint. The completed plates are then glued to the locomotive.

[Mountain Goat]

Simple wagons made from rusty tin mounted onto old Triang metal bogies used as chassis. I retained the Triang axles and slid on old Romford 12.5 metal wheels instead. This needed thin cuts of plastic drinks straw to act as spacers inbetween the wheels and the bogie framework. Wooden bufferbeams were glued in place eiter end and the body was glued on top. Then drawing pin type central buffer couplings were added with the usual buffer neck collars made from cuts of thin plastic straw that came from spray oil cans (E.g. WD40, GT85 etc). The drop loop part of the coupling was made from a paperclip and held onto the waggon with a hinge made from half one of those tiny wire clothes fastners, but wire will do the same job. A cheap and relatively straightforward project and one can use the old triang wheels should one not be able to get modern wheel replacements. If you are changing the wheels you will need to buy 10.5mm or similar size metal wheels and I suggest to keep the Triang axles. (Actually keep the old Triang wheels as if you don't want them, I can use them as I can turn them down to make them run better....

[Mountain Goat]

And here is a very easy and simple waggon project though I will eventually upgrade the wheels and fit bufferbeams to convert to drawing pin buffer couplings. (Drawing pin = thumb tacks for USA modellers). I found some discarded mesh that had a fine grid pattern to it. I simply bent and cut it into a suitable box size and using wire, fixed it to old Triang cast metal chassis. I then found a large single sheet of mesh can be purchased from places like farmers CO-OPs and places like that, so I later made some more which look new (See the difference between the left waggon and the right waggon).
For a possible wheel conversion, I suggest keeping the origional axles and sliding on some modern etal 12.5mm wheels which should match the size of the old Triang wheels. One will also need to cut some spacers frommplastic drinks straw or similar to fit between the outer edges of the wheels and the chassis frame. It is a bit of a fiddle to get the wheels and spacers slid onto the axles and onto the waggon, as theres a proceedure to do it (As the axle has to slide through from the outside). You will get the gist of it if you change them.

[Mountain Goat]

And here is a waggon project that is a little more difficult to make. (Probably why so far I have only made one of them! ). About 15-20 years ago I was at a model railaay exhibition where I came across a quantity of secondhand wheels. They were small diameter wheels which I believe have come from USA H0 wagons where I assume a modeller had purchased metal wheels to use instead. These wheels are about 9 or 10mm in diameter. These were ideal for this project. I made the frame by curving some Peco code 100 rail around a very small bottle which was the right size. I made two suitable U shapes. These were cut to size and soldered together. Then I formed more rail to make the upright parts of the frame. I used more rail offcuts and drilled holes and then opened the holes up with a V shaped type of milling bit I have with my minidrill set which is ideal for the pin point axle ends. These short rails which hold the wheels on were glued in place rather then soldered as I was concerned that soldering next to a joint on the frame that I had previously soldered may unsolder the previous joint as I didn't have different temprature solders to use.
The bucket was made from rusty tin. (Though I have painted it I expect to one day see the rust show through the paint). To acdept the drop bars of the central buffer coupljngs used on other waggons I added a little upright bit at either end of the frame made from squashing a loop of wire so it almost forms a single piece. All this does is provide a thing for the drop down loop of another waggon to couple to. The frame itself acts as a buffer against the drawing pin buffer of another vehicle, which was not added when the photographs were taken or not visible. (The drawing pin couplings are suitably large enough as buffers go so one can be flexible in regards to buffer height as the drop loop can be raised over the buffer of an opposite vehicle and there is a reasonable leeyway to play with ad it still negotiates tight curves and has close coupling as part of its qualities. I have about 2mm play in height as to where I drill a suitable hole to mount these buffers onto the bufferbeams of my stock which is quite useful).

[Mountain Goat]

A couple of days ago I decided to do a little bit more work on the layout. This involved making holes so I can add a little ddepth to the scenery in places to avoid the "Flat board" look. I now have roughly what I want removed before I start to add to the boards. Adding depth will be done with care so the legs won't collide with the dropped scenery when they are folded up.

[footplate1947]

It is all looking good and coming together NG. Real railway modelling I reckon. That end frame piece has bit of woodworm....