1895 Horse-Drawn Hearse Wagon by Kevin - FINISHED - Model Trailways - 1/12 - Completed July 2021

[Kevin]

good morning everyone

 

and now for something different

 

BRIEF HISTORY 

 

Originally, the wooden or metal framework over the coffin was called a hearse. It was decorated with numerous spikes to hold burning candles. Sometime in the 17th century, people started using the word to refer to not only the construction above the coffin, but to the vehicle that carried the casket to the grave. Early hearses were hand-drawn. As time went on, families started to choose rural cemeteries instead of traditional church grounds. Caskets had to be transported greater distances. People wanted to go out in style and ordered elaborately decorated coffins in exotic woods. The hearses became fancier and heavier. They needed horsepower, not manpower. The first American horse-drawn hearses date back to the mid nineteenth century. A typical horse-drawn hearse of that period cost about $1,500.

 

KIT FEATURES 

Historically accurate, highly detailed model 

Laser cut basswood parts 

Basswood wheel rims & spokes 

Cast Britannia metal axles & shafts 

Machine turned aluminium wheel hubs 

Photo-etched brass ornamentation 

5 sheets of detailed plans 

48-page illustrated instruction manual Instructions & prototype model by Ken Foran 

MODEL SPECIFICATIONS 

 Length: 13” Height: 8” Width: 5” Scale: 1:12

[yvesvidal]

That is so funny.... I was looking at the Micro-Mark catalog yesterday and came to the page where that kit is described. I was wondering, who could have fun building a Hearse Wagon with the miniature coffin inside from 1895.... The answer came today !!!! Kevin !!! LOL

 

Yves

[Kevin]

54 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

That is so funny.... I was looking at the Micro-Mark catalog yesterday and came to the page where that kit is described. I was wondering, who could have fun building a Hearse Wagon with the miniature coffin inside from 1895.... The answer came today !!!! Kevin !!! LOL

 

Yves

lol well that spooky, dead spooky at that 

[reklein]

Sooner or later everyone gets a ride.

 

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Kevin said:

lol well that spooky, dead spooky at that 

I checked Micro Mark as well and almost dropped the hammer on it myself....

Edited July 20, 2021 by Egilman

[Kevin]

good evening everyone

 

some of you may have seen a recent post wrt to a 1/12 Tudor mansion that the wife found thinking i had thrown it out 10+ years ago

 

to cut a story short a couple of hours discussions about what to do with it then perused

thoughts of putting in a display case then turned into a diorama idea, which in turn made me look for a royal mail British horse drawn carriage, which i have ordered, however i saw this and it arrived first

 

this is the box contents, looks quite good value for the money, off Amazon, actually it was 1/2 the price of Cornwall Model Boats and fleabay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Britannia white metal, will need cleaning up a bit 

 

 

 

 

5 sheets of plans all 1/1 at 1/12 scale

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by Kevin

[Kevin]

the floor has push out in which rollers are put in at a later date

all the side panels are laminated by gluing one panel over another, the outer side is rebated to take the windows

 

4 sides and 2 end panel door/windows

 

these inners bars will support the after wheels

me faithful boi, struggling with the warm temperatures

making up the driver position

first full coat of primer, everything will now be sanded, filler if any, then reprimed

[Canute]

very nice. You're moving right along.

[Kevin]

14 minutes ago, Canute said:

very nice. You're moving right along.

it goes together very well,

[gjdale]

I see that this kit is another Ken Foran design, so I expect it will be a good one. Nice start.

[Kevin]

9 hours ago, gjdale said:

I see that this kit is another Ken Foran design, so I expect it will be a good one. Nice start.

Good morning Grant, tell the truth, i had never heard of him, just looked at some of his wonderful work

[gjdale]

He’s also a member of this forum Kevin - goes by the screen name “Xken”. He also designed the Allerton Steam Pumper kit I’m just starting. You’ll see some similarities in design principles between the two.

[Kevin]

good evening everyone

 

warm here in the UK at present, and we aint used to it, so not much done to the build, the carriage has had a top coat, i will fine sand again and do again

 

the wheels are made up but nothing is glued, so i will strip them down again and do a much better clean up job on them, they can then be filed to shape to get realistic looking spokes

 

 

[Ian_Grant]

Interesting!  Someone has a log for an old west stagecoach I was looking at and wondering whether to buy. I did go the trouble of looking for 1/12 scale horses - which do exist. Your hearse would look great hitched to a Breyer 1/12 Fairfax, and you'd have the additional challenge of making the tack from scratch........

[Kevin]

17 minutes ago, Ian_Grant said:

Interesting!  Someone has a log for an old west stagecoach I was looking at and wondering whether to buy. I did go the trouble of looking for 1/12 scale horses - which do exist. Your hearse would look great hitched to a Breyer 1/12 Fairfax, and you'd have the additional challenge of making the tack from scratch........

Lol just what i want to do

[Kevin]

8 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Interesting!  Someone has a log for an old west stagecoach I was looking at and wondering whether to buy. I did go the trouble of looking for 1/12 scale horses - which do exist. Your hearse would look great hitched to a Breyer 1/12 Fairfax, and you'd have the additional challenge of making the tack from scratch........

im yet to find something that looks realistic, horse/pony

[Kevin]

good evening everyone

 

build continues

interior

the rollers are 19mm long and wooden dowel is provided for that purpose, but i had some right dia plastic tubing, easier to cut, primed and sprayed with Ford antique gold rattle can paint

 

 

the coffin rails are white metal stations with brass tubing slotted in-between, also in the kit

rear wheel suspension was also made up, nothing of the metal bits has taken long to clean up

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Kevin

[popeye the sailor]

Wow Kevin.......your progress on the Hearse looks super!   when I first started reading,  the first thing I thought of was Dracula   ......you know......Egor at the reigns.....   are you gonna gussie up the pine box?

 

I have two wagons.......I have the Budweiser Clydesdale wagon and the Lindberg stage coach.  both came with horses and figures.   I'm sure you could find horses for yours.   great job so far  

[Kevin]

thank you Dennis, dont quite know how its going to be presented yet, the wife is contemplating turning one of her dolls houses (shop fronted), into a wagons for hire then i could just park it outside , i have another one arrive today 

 

[popeye the sailor]

The Concord Stage Coach Gallery-The Overland Trail--10/04/01

 

Tombstone Times - The Stagecoaches - Their Origin and Place in History by Larry Noyes

 

here's a couple of articles I dug up in my research.   I started to do a little on the stage coach,  but I wanted to do something with mahogany,  so I tabled it till I figured it out.  also thinking of subbing in some leather and cloth window sashes.   the Lindberg model is over 30 inches long with the horses

here are the Clydesdales

articles I've read on these two models {the lindberg especially}  stated that the horses were really hard to assemble.....poor fit.  I didn't think so....not with the proper clamps    gotta clean them up and paint them.

 

now your making me wish I bought wood ones     the Bud wagon is rare though.   I've seen it before but never got a chance to pull the trigger on one.

    got one before I boarded the long black train   

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work Kevin  - so much detail in those suspension units.

 

OC.

[yvesvidal]

Nice touch with the rollers for the coffin....

 

Yves

[reklein]

Nice work on the Hearse Kevin. Its a little unusual for these to be modeled but nonetheless they are quite common in the museums that deal with carriages and old cars at least across the the west. Cardston AB has a world class carriage museum. If Canada ever opens up I would recommend you visit there. Its close to GLacier park in the US anad the Waterton park and Banff in Canada. I'd recommend the Breyer horse too. They aren't quite so wild looking as the Lindberg ones. You want something quiet and dignified for a person's last ride.

[popeye the sailor]

it's a wild west subject Bill........they are portrayed in motion.  I think Sjors had some horses made for the model he built some time ago.  you could check with him to find where he got them.  they are an interesting subject though,  as some were very ornate.......lots of gold trim and lanterns

[Kevin]

thanks for the comments guys, im not 100% convinced of any nags i have seen yet

 

i have done a bit more on the build today, will update tomorrow, it might have cooled down by then, rain is forecast, my computer room is unbearable during this warm weather

 

[Kevin]

good evening everyone

 

doors

 

there was one one hinge supplied instead of 4, replacements come from the states, so i raided the wife dolls house spare parts found 4 and fitted, both doors open

just handle to fit

 

glazing

a simple job, but rather than paint the glazing strips black i did them antique gold, it looks ok

the very thin plastic film was protected in a p[plastic envelope, but for some reason it is marked by the outline of the photo etch decoration which was also in a plastic envelope - spooky,  i did to clean it off somehow

 

seat

wasnt happy about just painting it brown, so i covered it in leatherette, then put a piping around it to hide the white edges, this them made it to wide for the kit supplied back rest so made one out of brass

 

front suspension ongoing

 

decoration is now on, just needs tidying up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by Kevin

[Old Collingwood]

That is looking Super mate  - all that bling really stands out.

 

OC.

[gjdale]

This is certainly coming together quickly Kevin - looking good.

[Kevin]

Good morning everyone

 

this little project is quickly coming to an end

the front suspension was made up along with the 5th wheel (steering head), primed and gloss black top coat

 

everything apart from the wheels is now finished and ready to be attached

my next post will be in a couple days with the final reveal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Kevin

[yvesvidal]

Very sweet. Precise and beautiful assembly, Kevin.

 

Yves