Guard's Passenger Van

I published this photo of my scratch-built version of the Narrow Gauge Guard's Van, which was uploaded on my "Old Film Test" & "Skarloey Model Showcase" clip on YouTube, but here I wanted to share with you how I made it.

Of course as is with my other Narrow Gauge rolling stock, this van is made of textured Bazzill Basics card stock paper, as I like the simulated wood grain texture, and works well for buildings or wagons such as this. It took a lot of practice and kit-bashing to reuse parts I drew to remake new models. I liked the model repainted light blue in the Narrow Gauge episodes from Season 11, so I wanted to take on this model to improve my accuracy of molding details.

Side view of the ticket window

The best example is the guard's protruding window. This was a complicated detail to model, but I wanted to actually model the windows open, so you could see the inside, and glue cut pieces of paper using scissors to glue on the moldings.

Close up of the ticket window, with pen and pad!

Here you can see the pen and pad on the shelf the guard would use to write the ticket count. I used scissors to cut the windows, taped and glued the pieces together with the shelf, and then glued this separate piece on the body.

It looked so much better for me to make these added details, as I wish to achieve the most of realism I could model, but it was a huge improvement. Before I just used a marker to draw the shape of the window of the piece. I feel I have come a long way in researching photographs of the prototype and the old Thomas films, as it helps me greatly to improve accuracy.

The van also has sliding doors!

Modelling in large scale can be a big advantage adding movable parts or other details compared to smaller scales! I used a long strip of card bent to an L shape, then applied a bead of glue on either end, so when dry, I can insert the door. This can slide open and closed using this technique.

You can also see the open windows of the ticket window on the opposite wall inside the van.

Displayed here is the Lego chassis I taped underneath using spare kit parts. It is made this way so I could have the option of using the chassis for another car, or remaking the van here if I ever need a spare chassis.

I hope I can make more variations, and try modelling extra details, such as the bolts for the rivets, molding the rivets separately and gluing them on the body instead of drawing them. Maybe making the whole van of balsa wood would be cool! We'll see, as there is a huge range of modelling possibilities.

Just to give you an idea, here is a digital drawing of a planned van for the Mid Sodor or Skarloey Railway, made up of pixels. I like making these as they help me figure out different ways of decorating, painting or modelling rolling stock.

There is a heavy American influence as I like the box cars of Maine's "two footers," railroads by the ocean with cars having ladders, footplates and "catwalks" up on the roof. And of course Welsh quarry wagon details too!

The logo is a diamond-shaped one I designed for Duke's Mid Sodor Railway. Skarloey's line has red as the background color instead of dark terracotta