This is a very simple and quick coal wagon that I found one day when out walking. It doesn't consist of much and should be quite easy for even the novice to build.
Firstly measure out all your wood and cut to length. You will need...
- Chassis (1/4" square) : 2 x 57mm, 2 x 64mm
- Floor (7mm wide strip wood) : 7 x 61
- Back (7mm wide strip wood) : 4 x 53
- Door (7mm wide strip wood) : 4 x 52
- Sides (7mm wide strip wood) : 8 x 64
- Rim (7mm wide strip wood, cut to be about 2mm high): 2 x 56, 1 x 53
Next cut your brass to suit...
- Corner brackets (4mm L section) : 2 x 32
- Strapping on door (2.5mm strip) : 2 x 32, 2 x 64, 4 x 12
- Door hinge (~2mm tube) : 1 x 52
- Door hinge (fine brass wire) : 1 x 65
Glue the walls bits together 4 planks high. You should now have the following... (I cut grooves in the chassis bits where the wheels would go)
Gluing the walls together and making up the chassis will give you...
Make up the door as follows. Glue the door hinge rod to the door, then add the strapping over it. Pays to bend the strapping to suit, then glue one side, let it dry, then do the other side.
Now glue the sides to the chassis, add the floor, glue on the rim bits, add the corner brackets, drill the door support strapping for the walls to fit the wire, glue them on. Now add the door, thread through the wire and bend the ends to stop it falling out.
Add the wheels and axles. Mine are old Triang OO wheels with big threads. Not ideal, but butter than nothing. Axles are nails cut to size and glued to the wheels. Axles are held by "elaborate" bits of wire.
You may also like to add some kind of mechanism to keep the door shut. Mine is just a bit of wire bent to a crank shape with a spring holding it over the door.
Eventually you'll get something like this... (this one has CNC machined wheels)
Paint to suit. I used diluted engine gunge. Add coal and you're done! (You might like to add link-and-ping couplings or some chain and a hook to each one.)
