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GWR TOAD Diagram AA7 

Short Wheelbase Brake Van 

Prototype. 

Twelve of these short wheelbase vans were built in 1898 originally for 

working in the London area and stationed at Acton. They were 9 foot wheelbase and 
16 foot over headstocks. It can only be assumed that space for headshunts and 
sidings was at such a premium in the Metropolis that such a short brake van was 
required to fit into them. A situation that is familiar to many of us on are own layouts. 
These vans lasted into British Railways days. 

 

Kit. 

Construction is very straightforward, but there is a lot of push-out rivet detail, 

which can take some time to form. A pre-rolled brass roof is provided, as is straight 
brass wire for handrails. The fit of all parts is very good. 

 

Wheels, 

3’1”, 8 Spoke (7121) are required to complete, Available from Slater’s, 

Temple Road, Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, DE4 3PG, Telephone 01629 583993.

 

 

Connoisseur Models, 33 Grampian Road, Penfields, 

Stourbridge, DY8 4UE, Telephone 01384 371418 

Summary of Contents for GWR TOAD Diagram AA7

Page 1: ... fit into them A situation that is familiar to many of us on are own layouts These vans lasted into British Railways days Kit Construction is very straightforward but there is a lot of push out rivet detail which can take some time to form A pre rolled brass roof is provided as is straight brass wire for handrails The fit of all parts is very good Wheels 3 1 8 Spoke 7121 are required to complete A...

Page 2: ...nutes before wiping excess off to give a bit almost as good as new A smaller Antex 25 Watt iron with a 3 2mm screwdriver bit is very useful for small assemblies and detail work such as handrails but will have insufficient heat reserve for main assembly work The Antex has a plated iron bit after a little use with 145 solder a grey oxide appears on the bit that will prevent you from picking up the s...

Page 3: ...d or a pointed scalpel blade on a block of softwood Remove tags and burrs with a fine file Three dimensional parts are formed by folding On an etched brass kit the fold lines are normally half etched on the inside of the fold You ll be able to fold most parts using smooth jawed pliers For longer parts folding bars are desirable Other useful tools include a bench vice a good pair of tweezers a set ...

Page 4: ... body sides and ends Buffer beams solebars and below black White lettering on black patches and number preceded by W Note that lettering position varied in BR days and also a number of vans had operating diagrams or restricted user information lettered onto the body side so check photos Transfers for lettering are available from the Historical Model Railway Society 8 Gilpin Green Harpenden Herts A...

Page 5: ...his is best achieved with a rivet forming tool Alternatively you can use a scriber with the point rounded off slightly on an oil stone Place the part face down onto a block of softwood and firmly press the point of the scriber down into the half etched hole Work your way along the row of rivets You may find that this distorts the parts So gently correct this by bending back with finger and thumb p...

Page 6: ...e amount of pressure required to make the fold 2 Fold through 90 degrees the bottom edge of the sides parts 1 and then solder into place the inside detail of the veranda doors parts 2 Fold through 90 degrees the corner plates on the cabin end part 3 and the van ends parts 4 and 5 also fold the bottom edges of the buffer beams Fit a door handle made from 0 7mm brass wire and then solder the cabin e...

Page 7: ...m up the lamp irons parts 13 and reinforce the folds with 60 40 solder Fit the lamp irons to the body sides and ends noting that there are etched marks to help with positioning Fit the cabin sandbox operating lever part 14 into the slot in the cabin end Ensure sufficient clearance for solebar File if necessary 4 Emboss rivet heads on the solebars parts 15 and then fold the edges through 90 degrees...

Page 8: ... footboards Now is also a good time to open up with a tapered reamer the holes in the buffer beam to accept the cast buffers 6 Fit axle guards and wheel sets My casting technology is not very sophisticated and I never seem to be able to cast axle guards cleanly so clean out any flash between the W irons with a sharp pointed scalpel blade Drill out to 2 6mm diameter the hole to take the brass axle ...

Page 9: ... on the inside of the curve any expansion should still maintain an even curve Then blend into the roof with a fibreglass brush Drill hole in roof for cast chimney and fit part 20 over hole Then fit cast chimney from underside If you don t want to glue the roof into place using Evostick after painting this glue joint can be split with a knife blade if you ever need to get inside the van You may wis...

Page 10: ... the link parallel with long nosed pliers held in the other hand Once you have six even shaped closed links you can open each one slightly and thread three together 21 22 23 BRAKEGEAR 8 Emboss the two bolt heads and then laminate the brake blocks parts 22 to the brake hangers blocks parts 21 making up four left hand and four right hand ones Solder the base of these into the slots in the underside ...

Page 11: ...ush on the palette slightly varying the tones of the paint This seems to totally change the texture of the paint and the way it goes on and covers on the model Make a floor from the quality card that the etch was packed onto and glue inside the cabin with Evostick I prefer a card floor as this helps to deaden the rattling empty box noise that you can get when the wagon is running on a layout For g...

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Page 14: ...nt thing is that you can clamp the part along its entire length with the etched fold line just above the front bar Then clamp the bars in the jaws of your vice a couple of 1 G clamps are also useful for long folds and laying a steel rule at the back of the part to help transfer the pressure from your fingers evenly pull forward to make the fold Once the fold is close to 90 you can finish by pressi...

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