Wheeltapper 2012

Winner of Passenger/Non-Passenger Coaching Stock Non UK

Mick Moignard's D&RGW Coach 272

Description: Scale/Gauge: HOn3:HO scale, 3 foot gauge, 10.5mm track gauge. 272 was one of the coaches used for the Shavano train between Salida and Gunnison Co, until the Shavano was discontinued in 1941. Moved to Durango, it was fire-damaged in 1947, but the carbody is rumoured to have survived.
The model is a reworked Soho brass model. It has all-new underframe detail, moslty scratchbuilt, including seethrough Grandt brass turnbuckles. It is fitted with Labelle trucks complete with rib-back wheels, and Kadee couplers and new end brake hose and coupler pin pull levers.
The car body has new small details: grabions, door handles, roof lighting conduits and other roof details, and had been fitted with telescopic gangways designed to reproduce the apperance of the prototype, yet fully articulated so that they keep in touch of the those on adjacent cars down to below 24 nch radius.
The carbody and floor were snadblasted after construction, airbrushed, and decaled with Thinfilm decals before light weatheering was applied. A detailed interior was then added: stove and coal bin, panelled toilet doors (not that you can see them) and Grandt sets modified to the two-and-one configuration along with the centre sofas, and painted to match surviving photos.