HOW TO... IMPROVE A COLES CRANE

Many of the vehicles we use on our layouts are made from die-cast metal and have the potential for detailing and converting. I have such a vehicle on my scrapyard diorama, ‘Woodmores’. It’s a Coles Crane, but looking at photographs of the real thing, I realised that mine, despite weathering, was too pristine for its environment. Many seemed to operate without the side panels in place so that the internal workings were visible, or the panels were in place but had become dented and warped.

At the same time, I also had sufficient parts left over from other builds to make a rail-mounted variant. This vehicle would be useful for an industrial layout. The bogies I used were leftover from a Lima torpedo slag wagon, but any wagon bogies would do. I have not tried to model any Coles prototype here, but have instead gone for a generic design. The derrick on the rail-mounted variant isn’t ideal and if I did the project again, I would source another or scratchbuild a new one.

Many of the techniques used here can be