Hole In The Middle

Tearing up my usual rule of only having one project at a time one the go I've taken the opportunity, while Himself is working on a roof for 150, of starting work on its twin, the service car 125.

It does not have the fiendish curves of the observation car to contend with but it's challenging in other ways, particularly the doors in the middle.

The tricky bit on the 'engine side' is the generator compartment doors.

My solution to this huge gaping hole in the middle was to build the body side as separate pieces connected only by the continuous cant rail along the top and then glue in a section of strip at the bottom.

At this stage, before other layers of the styrene sandwich are put on it is, as you can perhaps imagine, an extremely flimsy piece.

The 'clock side' is also chopped in two by a train crew access door which is deeply recessed.

This time, however, I decided on a different approach and I've made up the basic side with a continuous lower panel.

Once I have added the beading layer on top and it's all a bit stronger I shall slice out a section where the door is to go.

If you were wondering, it's the window where there is no toplight bar.

How quickly this carriage progresses is very much down to Himself's speed of progress on 150.