SECTION 8

 AUSTRALIAN MODEL RAILWAY BUILDINGS, STRUCTURES and ACCESSORIES

DRC.

Check all parts are present. - you should have the following

2 sides

2 ends

1 roof

1under carriage

plastic bag containing 2 mechanism housing

plastic bag containing collection of doors and 4 rectangle blocks. (3 IB and 1 jig) thses are scribed on the block.

plastic bag containing 4 side frames.

plastic bag containing 2 under carriage boxes

plastic bag containing 6 undercarriage pieces ( 3 pairs)

plastic bag containing 6 end windows ( 3 pairs)

plastic bag containing machined side windows

plastic bag containing machines door windows

plastic bag containing 150mm piano wire .33 mm

plastic bag containing approx 15mm brass rod 1mm. 30.. plastic rode 1.6mm

plastic bag containing 6 plastic air hoses

plastic bag containing 4 clear rhinestones 2mm

2 plastic bags containing brass triple horns (1each)

plastic bag containing 3 screws

Removes excesses and file or sand where necessary. Take extra care in all rebated edges to  clear them of air bubbles etc.

Checkout the Section 8 facebook page. It has a couple of photos to help explain some instructions.

It is important the modeller is able to identify differences between the front and rear of the roof sides and undercarriage. The end pieces are identical. On the sides the ends can be easily identified by the double door aperture. As opposed to the single door. The double door is at the rear. The undercarriage can be identified by the air cylinder at the very end. This air cylinder is at the front of the undercarriage.  Then comes the roof. The circular grill at the end of the roof is at the front.

Identify the ends and sides. Check fit of all rebates. Adjust sand or file were necessary. Do not glue yet. It is probably a good time to drill holes for handrails. On the side pieces adjacent to all four doors are tiny dimples for the positions of the handrails. Carefully drill these through with a .5 mm drill, no larger. This drilling will probably need to be redone once the doors are fitted. The 150mm of .33mm piano wire makes the handrails. More of that later.  Glue the sides and ends one at a time. The top of the ends must be flush with the top of the sides.  In the plastic bag with the doors are four rectangle pieces. Scribed into these are either IB or jig. IB means internal brace and jig is a jig to achieve nice fitting handrails. Of the three internal braces two are the same size and thinner than the third. Take the undercarriage and fit into position within the wall assembly. The thinner two of the internal braces sit inside the cavity of the assembly adjacent to each end and resting on the inside of the undercarriage. Make sure the undercarriage is fitting nicely in the wall assembly and when satisfied glue the brace into position being careful not to also glue the undercarriage. Repeat at the other end. The wider internal brace sits in the middle of the carriage. Position it inside the cavity and covering the hole for anchoring the undercarriage to the body. It is important that a 1.5 to 2mm gap is left between the inside base of the undercarriage and the internal middle brace to accommodate wiring for the mechanism. Use a spacer to achieve the gap. Glue into position between the walls and then remove the spacer.  Take the jig and form the piano wire using the width of the jig as a guide for the length of the hand rail. Start with the wire and bend about 2 to 3mm into a right angle. Use the width of the jig for the handrail length and then form another right angle. Cut of at about 2 to 3mm.  Eight handrails are required.

If the modeller is building a silver coloured DRC as opposed to the v/line type. The silver variety can have the doors fitted and the handrails prior to painting. V/line ones are painted prior to assembly. Prior to fitting the doors the modeller needs to decide what configuration of doors are required. There should be enough doors to accommodate all possible choices. Then check the fit of the appropriate machined windows. The doors may need some sanding at the back to thin it for a nice fit with the window. The windows will also need some clearing of debris from its surround - this is important due to the tiniest piece caught behind the door can create a false fit. Do not glue the windows into position and put aside. Do not glue the doors yet

Identify the roof section and locate the positions for the chimneys. They are just to the rear of the centred fittings. Small dimples locate where the chimneys are located. One side has two holes drilled and the other just the one.The side with the single chimney accommodates the 1.6mm plastic rod. The same position although exactly on the other side of the roof accommodates the second 1.6mm plastic rod. Just towards the edge further is the position for the brass 1mm rod. Drill through using a drill size less than 1mm. From the under side of the roof drill back through the roof with the appropriate drill size. This will achieve a better finish. Set the heights of the plastic 1.6mm chimneys at 1mm higher than the roof structure and the brass 1mm at the same height as the roof structure. Glue into position. Identify the horns. They are attached to the roof above the headlight surround. Drill a 1mm diameter hole centred approximately 2mm from the back of the headlight surround. Glue into position.

Again if the modeller is building a silver coloured DRC the roof can be glued into position. It is important the modeller again famillarises themselves with the front and rear of all parts. Once a nice fit has been achieved glue into position. 

Again if the modeller is building a silver coloured DRC the doors and handrails can be glued into position. Glue the door into position. Check and redrill the handrail holes if necessary. Glue the handrails into position taking car not to use too much glue. If modelling the v/line variety the handrails, doors and body require painting prior to gluing into position. Paint.

Modellers of the v/line variety can now paint their assembled parts. That is the roof, wall assembly, doors and handrails all separately. Once dry assemble roof onto wall assembly. Then doors and handrails. Adopt the same instructions for assembly as previously stated for modellers of the silver DRC. 

Identify the air hoses. Three each end are required. Drill .5mm holes where you wish them to be positioned and glue. These items are delicate. I have also glued the loose ends to the body and at times have place a small speck of glue on the elbow of the hose for strength. Utilise any or all of these recommendations.

The mechanism housing is designed to accommodate the black beetle mech. Alternative housing is available upon request. Identify the undercarriage and cut away the shape to accommodate the mechanism and housing. Carefully use a dremel grinder or disk or even a tip of a razor saw. Cutting using a scalpel or blade is not advised.

Undercarriage assembly is next. Identify the locator holes in the undercarriage to accommodate the mechanism housing. The mechanism housing must fit nice and neat and remain within the area of the rebated portion of the undercarriage. Care must be taken to fit the correct housing in its correct position. Each housing has rebated section on the side to accommodate a particular door size. Remembering the small doors are at the front of the carriage and the larger at the rear the housing must mirror that theory.  Identify the six (3 pairs) undercarriage parts in the same plastic bag. The two motors fit into a position adjacent each side of the anchor centre hole. There are locating marks to help position these. The rectangle shapes sit on top of the small platforms next to the motors. The beveled edge should be visible to the bottom. Last should be a pair of cylinder type parts. They have also locator marks adjacent to the motors on the opposite side where the rectangle shaped parts were just positioned. Next are a pair of box shaped parts. These are identified by the face being mesh. They also have locating marks where they are positioned. Glue all parts into their positions. On the side where the mesh boxes were fitted is a large amount of exposed plumbing. See photo on facebook page. If the modeller wishes to replicate this they need to source their own wire. Piano or brass wire .33mm is ideal. The side of the carriage that has the mesh boxes is where this plumbing is. Just on the front side of the cylinder part I anchored the wire into the floor of the undercarriage and shaped it freehand towards the front and past the meshed box and another pair of box type parts. Here the wire is shaped so it travels inward and wraps around those boxes and glued behind them out of sight. Effectively the wire travels from the cylinder for about 65 to 68 mm and is then shaped around the fittings and cut of and hidden. I lay about 5 or 6 of these wires.

Check the coupling aperture. Adjust if necessary. Some sanding of the coupling pad might be necessary. When satisfied with the fit drill 1.5mm holes through the undercarriage floor at the coupling pad into the internal brace. Repeat at other end. Also drill in the centre hole where the undercarriage will screw to the middle internal brace. Paint the undercarriage.

Temporarily fit the mechanisms to test clearance etc.

Fit the side windows. Most should fit while remaining in their sections. Some may require separation especially the long run of five windows. Fit the door windows and fit the end windows. You will find the end windows don't require gluing. Glue the others.

Paint the sideframes. Glue the sideframes onto the mechanism. The sideframes are in pairs. Two are different to the other twp. Within the sideframe you can see the airbag used for suspension. Next to the airbag is a pointed triangle type brace. This points towards the centre of the carriage. Once this has been established - glue. Use superglue gel. There is no trick for this, the gluing is freehand and use the axle boxes for a guide.  Be mindfull of the required clearance for the mechanism rotation. Fit the mechanism. Free rotation and the ability to tighten the screws into the mechanism is a must. Adjust if necessary, some sanding of the mechanism house may be necessary.

The are some 2mm crystal rhinestones for the headlights. Drill a pair of 2mm holes 1mm deep in the appropriate positions on the headlights and glue into position.

Apply decals into position, refering to photographs on facebook page. Or check out the photographic websites available.

I think that's done.

Any questions etc ring or email.  Steve.