MOC New Coach for the Kotanga Tramway

[Locomotive Annie]

A 10015 MOT green coach that I'd purchased off Bricklink arrived yesterday so I put it together which I really enjoyed doing as I haven't touched any of my Lego for the past month due to being ill. After putting the green coach together the Lego itch was well and truly wanting to be scratched again so I started to think about coaches for the Kotanga Tramway which is based on several of the private and local body operated tramways that operated here in New Zealand.

Starting with the MOT coach design as a basis I worked towards trying to capture the appearance of the older NZGR steam era coaches with their closely spaced small windows (7026bc01). This type of coach was known as a 'Gumdigger' as they were commonly used on the trains that transported the Kauri gum diggers into the gum fields of the northern part of New Zealand. In later NZGR service the window spacing was altered as the close spaced windows tended to weaken the coach body, but I decided to leave mine in unaltered condition. As I worked I also decided to build a coach that had been converted in the Kotanga Tramway workshops to be a useful car-van type coach and those red 3644 doors were spot on for the non-standard converted appearance I was after..

The jury is still out on the roof and I'm still making up my mind whether to convert it from 6 wide to 8 wide or not, but overall I'm reasonably happy with the result.

Please forgive the awful photo, this is the best one of several attempts.

The green 10015 coach will fit in with the Kotanga Tramway just fine as it follows the basic appearance of the Wellington & Manawatu Railway coaches that were later absorbed into NZGR service even if it is a bit of a shortie. I've already modded the ends of the clerestory roof (Ooooo shocking!) and I may do a little more to it yet.

Edited February 7, 2013 by Fugazi

[Locomotive Annie]

I've done some further work on the red car-van and now it's much more like I want it to be.

The roof is much better in grey and the change in profile is an improvement too. Changed out the thick and heavy end verandah posts for something better and put brake wheels at both ends. The final touch was the ventilators above the windows. I'm not sure what I'll do about the oil lamp casings on the roof just as yet, but they will be going back once I sort out how to fix them. It's on the list to build another coach of this type, but without the van conversion. I'll need to order some more of those old 7026bc01 windows though.

The end of the goods van you can see in the picture belongs to an item of rolling stock I'm having a love-hate relationship with and it's highly likely it will be pulled apart and rebuilt yet again as I'm far from happy with it.

Not content to leave things there I decided to try some mods on the green 10015 coach. Green is a colour that I don't have all that much of, though in the end I managed to scratch together enough bricks to mod one coach side and alter the clerestory roof. The verandah end posts were changed as well, but I couldn't find another two black ones so brown will have to do for now. Once I find some more three spoke steering wheels I'll add brake wheels to this coach as well.

[medib]

nice job... L.A.

I would consider it a "small" combine.

It is really cute.

[Locomotive Annie]

nice job... L.A.

I would consider it a "small" combine.

It is really cute.

Thanks medib :)

New Zealand Railways coined the name 'car vans' for this type of conversion on older coaches. Mostly they were used on suburban trains, but yes they could be considered to be a form of combine.

[zephyr1934]

Although the change is ever so slight, the roof on the green passenger car looks so much better that way.

[Locomotive Annie]

Although the change is ever so slight, the roof on the green passenger car looks so much better that way.

Yes that's very true and I'm glad I made the change to the roof because it's so much better. Actually this MOT 10015 coach has a few more detail mods than just the roof and if I was to need another example of posh varnish for the Kotanga Tramway I would just buy in the windows and the doors from Bricklink and build the rest from the contents of my brick storage boxes. It's very nice having the original set box and instruction sheet, but for a second coach I don't fancy paying set prices again if I don't have to.

Some further building has been done and the tramway now has a late 19th Century 4 wheel guards van, - though in somewhat modified condition as is usual with anything purchased second hand from the government railways.

Since passenger trains on the Kotanga Tramway will be mixed trains it was necessary to devise a standard design of goods van and after about four goes at it I finally ended up with something I liked. The information plate on the solebar is just a placeholder btw until I make something more appropriate.

I need to build at least two more of these, only I'll need to order some extra bits from Bricklink before I can do that as I've run out.

[zephyr1934]

it was necessary to devise a standard design of goods van and after about four goes at it I finally ended up with something I liked. The information plate on the solebar is just a placeholder btw until I make something more appropriate.

I need to build at least two more of these, only I'll need to order some extra bits from Bricklink before I can do that as I've run out.

It looks like you are either using 1x1x5 bricks or 1x2x5 bricks for the walls. If you use 1x1x5 and twist them ever so slightly you can get a nice wood siding effect, e.g., as on p26 of Railbricks 5.

[Locomotive Annie]

Thanks for that tip Zephyr. I had a small amount of 1x2x5 and 1x1x5 bricks left over from a Brick wargaming project I'd done a while ago (this girl don't war no more) and after trying out a number of ways to try and build a goods van I finally decided to make use of them. I used the 1x2x5 bricks on the ends because I didn't have enough 1x1x5s to complete the goods van. I'll get some more of these bricks when I put in next months Bricklink order as I'd like to have two more of these goods vans.