Phil Sharples Small Welsh Coal Wagon


I'd seen these kits on ebay for while and finally decided to buy a few and see what they were like. As i required
four i got in touch with the seller, a very nice chap called Phil Sharples, and ordered them from him directly.
I wanted the Small Welsh Coal Coal Wagon but he does a range of different wagons including a Barrel Wagon
and a Flat Slab Truck. The kit below costs £7.50 which includes pretty much everything and i think is excellent
value. Phil also supplies a sheet of instructions with photos, however the wagon is extremely easy to assemble
and any reasonably competent modeller could put it together.

The chassis is a simple sandwich of 3 parts. The 4 lasercut body panels lock together very well with their tabs
which produces a very rigid structure even before gluing. I used superglue but PVA would do equally as well.
With the uprights, i lined them up with the scribed body panels so the rivet detail was in the middle of the planks.
Checked that they were vertical then glued them in place. I left gluing the main body to the chassis & uprights
till last. The axles are then cut to the right length, the wheels pressed on and then just push on the axle boxes
and glue them into the slots provide in the chassis. Then you have one completed Coal Wagon, paint as you like.

Given the unbelieveable prices that some models are selling for on ebay at the moment Phil's kits represent
a much more affordable alternative to us less wealthy modellers.

There is a short video of the wagons here.

Short video of all 3 wagon types that i have here.













The finished item before painting. I've just pushed the axle boxes into their slots for the pictures.
I think it's easier to paint with the wheels not fitted.










Here it is after my 'attempt' at some paint. Phil supplies plastic 'T' bar type couplings in the kit but i prefer hooks.
So i bent up a couple from brass panel pins. Real Welsh Coal very kindy supplied by my 5" gauge loco Alice.







Was not very happy with the first attempt at paint, so here is the second go!
This time i followed Phil's instructions and think they came out fairly reasonable.










Now there are 4!






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