bartley

The Luggage Rack (completed)
 
This has taken me a while to complete due to several distractions (including my tax!)
 
So, the cover for the luggage rack (which actually obscures most the good work done earlier) 
 
Forming the cover starts with cutting a piece of black Nappa approximately 155 X 120 mm
 

Staps are then attached to these with 5 mm nails
 

Finally some strengthening bars are added
 

 
The buckles were made from 0.5 mm brass wire and then a small piece od f Nappa folded over these so that they could be glued to the back of the straps
 
 
 
 
This final cover was then folded over the frame constructed in the previous step
 

A few bits and pieces such as the blinds became detached during the construction of the luggage raxk so once they are repaired I can proceed with the roof rack
 
 
John

The Luggage Rack.
 
I actually began construction of this some time ago but needed to wait for some more black nappa in order complete the task.  This  is quite a complex item The first task is to create the luggage rack itself.  This is then covered with brown leather which would have protected the luggage from dust and stones etc. 
 
First the base frame  on which the luggage rested  is constructed from 2 X 4 mm and 3X 1.5 mm walnut battens:

This is then covered with brown nappa:
 

Now another framework is constructed on the rear of the cabin (presumably to protect the rear wall from damage if heavy items moved during the journey}. This is constructed from 1.5 X 3 mm Sapelly battens.  For vertical battens are glued to the rear wall and then five horizontal battens are nailed to these.

 
The frame of the luggage rack will rest on the 4 X 4 mm beam  which see under this frame.  The base frame is supported by two 3 X 1mm brass straps:
 

Mucjh of this good work will in fact be obscured by the leather cover which come next.  First the sides are covered with a triangular piece of leather.  A triangular piece of brass wire is glued to a square piece of nappa which is folded over and glued to form the triangluar shape:
 

Staps are then attached to two of the sides using brass nails:
 

These straps are wrapped around the brass supports and the lower luggage frame:
 

I found this part quite tricky since the leather needs to be cut to fit the gap quite precisely otherwise unsightly creases will appear.  The next stage is to make a leather cover which is fixed over the rear of the luggage rack.
 
Work on this item continues.
 
John
                
 

Completion of the Drivers Box
 
You may remember sometime ago I fabricated the railings for the Drivers box. 
 

However, these proved difficult to install until the roof was in place.  Now that tat is done this section has been now been completed
 

 
and the seats installed
 

 
This completes this area and fabricating the luyggage rack is next.
 
 
John

Construction of the roof
 
The roof template is a shaped piece of 3mm basswood which is veneered on the inside with 0.6 mm mahogany

The top side is covered with 1.5 X3 mm walnut strip and 0.6 X 2mm basswood in alternate rows. 

 
This arrangement presumably provided some traction for moving about on the roof.  In fact in some cases extra passengeerd rode on the roof top:
 

Finally the roof is attached to the cabin
 

 
John

A few more Details - A bit of shade and a bit of light
 
1. Blinds
 
These are made by stating with a 45 x 90 mm sheet of artificial leather

these are then rolled up around a brass rod and secured with  2mm strips of the same material
 

2. securing the doors
 
The door bolts are fabricated by first mounting small saddles on a block of walnut, securing them to the  sides and then sliding a small piee of brass rod through them.
 
 

3.  Lamps for traveling at night
 
lamps are made in two parts and then the small windows supplied are glued inside
 

4. Mailbags
 
Companies such as Wells - Fargo in America and Cobb and Co. in Australia negotiated quite lucrative contracts to deliver mail. In fact this this led to a considerable improvement in the turn around time for mail delivery.
 
The two mailbags are made  by wrapping the artificial leather around a brass frame
 

The straps are made from 2 mm strips of the same materials and buckles are simulated with small brass rod
 

It was a rough ride in these coaches in spite of what the operators claimed some some hand holds were provided:
 

 
Once all of these items are attached the cabin  now looks like this:
 

 
Once I am satisfied that the interior is complete it will be time to attach the roof.
 
John
 
 
 
 
 
 

Seating arrangements
 
The seats and the backrests are upholstered in the usual way.
Foam fillers are glued to a ply backing board of the appropriate size. Brown artificial leather is then folded over this arrangement and glued to the ply backboard.  The seats themselves are left plain and the backrests are buttoned in a similar way to the door padding.

 
 

These main seats are mounted on a bracket attached to the interior side wall and the back rests were glued to the front and back interior walls.

 
The support for the middle row of seats is made from a flat platform and six supports. These are veneered on both sides with sapelly sheeting:
 


The padding for the three seats in the middle row are made in a similar way to the above.
 

 
These were in fact removable but I have glued mine in to stop them moving about.
 
Here is  a shot of the completed interior:
 
 

John
 
 
 
 

Handrails for Coachman's Box
 
These are made from 2 mm brass rod.  The parts making up the rails were soldered together with silver solder. I  made a simple jig to make sure that the handrails on each side were identical as near as possible. r:

 
The padding for the side armrests was made from black nappa cloth
 

 
The rails were painted black and then treated with weathering powder to make them look more like metal.  This effect is quite subtle and might to show well in the photograph.  However I think it is effective. the top rail is just black paint and the bottom one is weathered
 

The padding is slipped over the middle rail and the final effect is shown below:
 

 
These will now be attached to the roof of the box along with the seats for the coachman.
 
John
 
 

Cabin Doors
 
These are constructed in much the same way as the cabin itself.  First, 2X 5 mm basswood battens are laid down and sanded to fit the shape of the cabin. Then 1 X 5 mm Sapelly planks are glued to the outward facing side and a simpler set of plank to the internal side:
 

 
Window frames  and side frames are then added once again in a similar way to the cabin itself, starting with 1.5 X 12mm walnut strip:
 

The padding for the inside of the door Involves first gluing foam pieces to  board and then upholstering this with brown nappa cloth. A buttoned effect can then be created by nailing a paper pattern to the upholstered surface:
 

 

The final effect looks like this:
 

This is then glued to the inside of the door:
 

 
The doors turned out to be quite a tight fit into the cabin and  quite a bit of sanding was required so that hey could move more freely
 

 
John

Coachman's Seat and Box:
 
For some reason this is translated in the instructions as "winch"!  Strictly speaking I should be constructing the doors next but I am waiting for some more timber for these so I decided to start on this coachman's box.  This is quite an elaborate unit.
 
It starts with two curved panels, a bottom and a back piece:
 


 
 
The panels are veneered on both sides with 0.6 X 30 mm Mahogany:
 

 
The initial assembly after veneering looks like this:
 

The curved bottom is also veneered:
 
 
two internal and two external panels are then covered with black napa and then attached to the sides of the box:
 

Sternthening battens made from 1.5 X 3 mm mahogany are attached to the curved bottom:
 

 
two side pieces are then constructed from veneered panels with 3 X 1.5 mm walnut capping pieces:
 

After attaching these and constructing a foot board from 1.5 X 3 mm mahogany strip, the box at this stage looks like this:
There is more to do on this unit but this will be attended to in the next sesion.
 
John
 
 
 
 

Cabin Decorations and Window Molding
 
The cabin decorations are curved embellishments made from 2 X 2 mm mahogany strip.  These were bent using a similar process to that for the cabin edging in the previous post. 

 
They were shaped to fit and then glued to the cabin walls with CA.
 
The window molding (referred to in the instructions as moulds!) is simply an extra 1.5 X 1.5 mm  strip glued on top of the original window frames. I guess this  does give a crisper edge.  It seems to make the frames protrude a long way but it would only be 25 mm at full scale so it is probably about right.  Here is the final result:
 

 
John

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

The Luggage Rack (completed)
 
This has taken me a while to complete due to several distractions (including my tax!)
 
So, the cover for the luggage rack (which actually obscures most the good work done earlier) 
 
Forming the cover starts with cutting a piece of black Nappa approximately 155 X 120 mm
 

Staps are then attached to these with 5 mm nails
 

Finally some strengthening bars are added
 

 
The buckles were made from 0.5 mm brass wire and then a small piece od f Nappa folded over these so that they could be glued to the back of the straps
 
 
 
 
This final cover was then folded over the frame constructed in the previous step
 

A few bits and pieces such as the blinds became detached during the construction of the luggage raxk so once they are repaired I can proceed with the roof rack
 
 
John

Preparing the Front Panels for Planking
 
This is an interesting process. In order to produce a concave or domed contour on the front and back of the cabin both surfaces are covered in 5 mm battens.  These are much like the ribs on a ship and are eventually faired to produce the curved shape to support the planking.Some of the steps are shown below:
 
Battening around widows and doors:
 

 
Horizontal battens on the top and sides of the front panel
 
 

 
Full  battening of the left side of the front panel
 

 
The completed battening:
 

 
The instructions suggest fairing the battens with course sand paper.  I started the process with a small Luthier's plane and finished off with sandpaper:
 

 
The completed fairing job is hard to photograph.  In the photo below you can see the general effect but the perspective makes it looks as if there are bumps and hollows.  In fact the curve goes very smoothly from about 5mm near the top of the door to virtually zero at the outside edges.
 

 
The horizontal planking which comes next will accentuated the domed shape.
 
By the way thanks for all the "likes" it is very encouraging.
 
John
 
 
 

Roof Railings.
 
Back to modelling after an extended holiday.
 
The front part of the railing was constructed as for the drivers cabin using 2mm Brass rod, bent to shape and silver soldered together using a jig to ensure uniformity

The rear part of the railing was constructed from 1,5 mm brass rod and 1-hole stanchions again silver soldered together:
 

As the construction proceded the framework was tested out on the roof and holes drilled in appropriate places to take the vertical stanchions:
 

The assembly was painted black.  My standard method for brass is to use an etch primer and a topcoat of Humbrol Matt Black.

The final assembly looked like this:
 

Finally the whole assembly was attached to the roof and secured with a few drops of CA to the in the holes:
 

 The next step will be to attach the cabin to the chassis.  I have already prepared the brackets for this step since the cabin needs to be inverted and this could damage the roof rack once it is in place.
 
John
 
 
 

The Luggage Rack (completed)
 
This has taken me a while to complete due to several distractions (including my tax!)
 
So, the cover for the luggage rack (which actually obscures most the good work done earlier) 
 
Forming the cover starts with cutting a piece of black Nappa approximately 155 X 120 mm
 

Staps are then attached to these with 5 mm nails
 

Finally some strengthening bars are added
 

 
The buckles were made from 0.5 mm brass wire and then a small piece od f Nappa folded over these so that they could be glued to the back of the straps
 
 
 
 
This final cover was then folded over the frame constructed in the previous step
 

A few bits and pieces such as the blinds became detached during the construction of the luggage raxk so once they are repaired I can proceed with the roof rack
 
 
John

A few more Details - A bit of shade and a bit of light
 
1. Blinds
 
These are made by stating with a 45 x 90 mm sheet of artificial leather

these are then rolled up around a brass rod and secured with  2mm strips of the same material
 

2. securing the doors
 
The door bolts are fabricated by first mounting small saddles on a block of walnut, securing them to the  sides and then sliding a small piee of brass rod through them.
 
 

3.  Lamps for traveling at night
 
lamps are made in two parts and then the small windows supplied are glued inside
 

4. Mailbags
 
Companies such as Wells - Fargo in America and Cobb and Co. in Australia negotiated quite lucrative contracts to deliver mail. In fact this this led to a considerable improvement in the turn around time for mail delivery.
 
The two mailbags are made  by wrapping the artificial leather around a brass frame
 

The straps are made from 2 mm strips of the same materials and buckles are simulated with small brass rod
 

It was a rough ride in these coaches in spite of what the operators claimed some some hand holds were provided:
 

 
Once all of these items are attached the cabin  now looks like this:
 

 
Once I am satisfied that the interior is complete it will be time to attach the roof.
 
John
 
 
 
 
 
 

Seating arrangements
 
The seats and the backrests are upholstered in the usual way.
Foam fillers are glued to a ply backing board of the appropriate size. Brown artificial leather is then folded over this arrangement and glued to the ply backboard.  The seats themselves are left plain and the backrests are buttoned in a similar way to the door padding.

 
 

These main seats are mounted on a bracket attached to the interior side wall and the back rests were glued to the front and back interior walls.

 
The support for the middle row of seats is made from a flat platform and six supports. These are veneered on both sides with sapelly sheeting:
 


The padding for the three seats in the middle row are made in a similar way to the above.
 

 
These were in fact removable but I have glued mine in to stop them moving about.
 
Here is  a shot of the completed interior:
 
 

John