Scratchbuilding a NSWGR VHO Passenger Brake Van Part 2
The Guard’s Doors
We are almost ready to take our four side sections and join them to form two completed sides. Before we can do this, however, we need to prepare the centre guard’s doors. Measure the width of these two doors and file them down until you get a measurement of 10mm in width both top and bottom.
If you are using recycled doors from a donor Lima carriage, or from a set of commercially available sides, these doors may still have a tiny ‘dot’ on each side, leftover as part of the residual ‘belt rail’. Gently use your scalpel to remove these and lightly sand back these surfaces. While the moulded-on handrails are quite adequate as they are, you will also need to remove them if you wish to replace them; otherwise, leave them as-is.
Cut two sections of Evergreen No.144 (0.040" x 0.080") at 15mm. Glue these strips to the top of the doors, ensuring the front edge of the strip is level with the front of the top. Next, cut four sections of Evergreen No.124 (0.020" x 0.080") at 25mm; these are to be glued onto each side of the door with the tops butted up hard against the previously applied No.144 section, the front edge level with the front edge of the door roundels and any excess protruding from the bottom of the door. When dry, trim away the excess from these strips and file/sand smooth, checking the door measurements to ensure a uniform width of 11mm.
Finishing the Sides
Take a ‘left’ side section (the edge to be fixed to the guard’s door should be on the right-hand side when viewed front on) and check the width of the whole section is completely uniform and square. With the top edge of the side section and the guard’s door pressed up against a steel rule, check the mating surfaces are both perfectly flush with no gaps. Apply glue to the left-hand edge of the guard’s door and mount to the side section while using the rule to ensure the tops are level.
While the glue is
