Modelling the KF/KW Car Transporter Wagons
For modellers of South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia, I echo Scott Fitzgerald in the ‘Comment’ of AMRM issue 353 April 2022. Hopefully, this article will encourage others to research and model wagons for transport of Ford, GM-H and other brands of motor cars and trucks and write articles to provide interstate continuations of this article!
5. Framework for (i) Car Bodies (ii) Truck Cabs – i.e. for both Option (a) and Option (b)
Car bodies and truck cabs
In the absence of the actual Ford diagrams and variances within different models of car bodies carried, the frameworks below have been designed to accommodate HO models of Fairlane 500/ Custom 300, Customline/Mainline, Falcon 1960 XK Sedan & Falcon 1962 XL Wagon and cabs of the Ford F100 and Thames Trader trucks.
Note: For other brands/types of cars, the positioning and dimensions of the framework below may have to be changed, but not for the main frame sides and frame cross braces.
From styrene cut the following styrene for top and bottom frames.
Main frame sides
Rear upright posts:
Front upright post
Frame cross braces
Cement the above pieces together as per Diagrams 4 to 8 as applicable.
A simple jig will make these a lot easier. Cement the respective front and rear upright posts onto the cross braces placing them on the inside edges i.e. facing the inside of the Frames, see Photos 31 and 32 showing the completed frameworks on an empty wagon respectively. Do not glue the car bodies to the frames but set aside until later.
6. Preparation of the motor car bodies
If car bodies other than those below are to be used, the following can be varied where necessary.
Also, the parts discarded can be used for a car wreckers' yard on one's model railway!
(a) Fairlane 500 & Custom 300 sedans by Classic Metal Works from USA
The Fairlane 500s and Custom 300s were transported from Geelong to Broadmeadows as completed.
Bodies, but without the chassis. Firstly, remove the chassis entirely and discard. Next, remove and discard the rear bumper bar and fill the small rectangular slot in the boot by supergluing a 0.75mm
