Commission: 1/12 rolling stock in progress...

I was approached by a fellow large scale modeller who I've shared emails and correspondence with over the years to produce a coach and flat wagon for his 1/12 scale garden railway...

1/12 scale is 1" to 1', and commonly known as 'Dolls house scale' - it also means 32mm track is 15" gauge (so popular with Heywood enthusiasts) and 45mm approximates 18". This project started with sketches and illustrations over the style of coach to design, and this went through several iterations before CAD work began.

The coaches were designed in 3D CAD to check sizes and allow the customer to print out side and end elevations at full size to check with other stock. At this stage the commission was extended to provide a pair of coaches, obviously taking advantage of the design work already completed. The coaches were laser cut in MDF and have been mated with Slaters wheels and Talisman 7/8ths castings for axle boxes and couplings (as well as other details not fitted yet). The coaches went together well, and the roof has been covered with tissue to represent canvas. After smoothing and filling the first coach was sprayed with red-primer to show the finish - and it's looking very promising so far...

This shows the roof finish achieved... the body lifts off the chassis in one piece, allowing access to the interior that will feature a stove and plush bench seating.

As well as the coaches I have also produced a small flat wagon very much inspired by those at Eaton Hall, this uses Talisman axle boxes that are lovely and sprung. The deck has since had rivets added to represent the rounded bolt heads holding the deck down. The deck itself is individual planks of styrene hand carved individually, the rest of the wagon is laser cut MDF.

I'll share more of these as they progress, and if you'd like me to design and build you a custom model in any gauge or scale then please do get in touch. More soon...