PO Box 56 Thornleigh NSW 2120 www.infrontmodels.com.au 1976 McWilliams Wines Rail Tank Car Kit History In 1976 McWilliams Wines commissioned Tullochs Ltd of Rhodes, Sydney, to build dome-less Rail Tank Cars (RTC) for the transportation of their product in NSW. Three RTC s were built of the same design with a total capacity of 46,000 litres. The three tankers were used by McWilliams Wines between their factory in Yenda, NSW, to Sydney. These wagons were marshalled onto express freight trains to travel overnight to avoid the heat of the sun during the day when loaded. The wagon travelled on the main south and Griffith line and rarely ventured anywhere else. In 2003, all three wagons were involved in a serious derailment. As a result, all wagons were written off due to the damage sustained in the accident. This kit is based on when the RTC s were delivered to McWilliams Wines in 1976 until the mid-1980 s; before the changes made to the RTC for OH&S standards of operation. Pre-Construction notes Read through the instructions first and familiarise yourself with all the steps involved with building this kit. There are a number of pictures of a completed model prior to painting for reference as well as pictures of the prototype. Clear any flash present on the urethane parts with a sharp knife and file, then wash gently in clean warm water with a drop of detergent and allow time to dry. In the areas where the urethane requires gluing, it is best to lightly sand the surface with some emery paper to achieve a strong bond. Best glues to use are either Superglue or Zap-a-Gap glue. The kit comes with the following items: 2 Tank saddles Under tank brake gear & frame 1 Tank anti-crush wall Brass spur with tank detail items 2 End tank caps PVC tube and drill template Pair of 2CL bogies Pair of No. 148 Scale size Kadees Solder jig for construction of stand off frame 2 Screws Styrene strip (1mm x.5mm) Various lengths and shapes of brass rod and angle (6 pieces in total) Brass etch sheet (walkway mesh, valve wheel, shunter steps, ladder, brake wheel & lever) 1 Sheet of decals All diagrams depicted in the instructions are not to scale and are for reference only Construction - tank drilling and caps This first step is the most important part of building the kit. It is recommended that patience and care is taken when drilling the holes to achieve an accurate result with the construction of the kit. Cut around the template with a metal ruler and a sharp knife. The PVC tube has a blue line marked on it. Square up the template edge to the blue line and ends of the tube. Once happy, apply sticky tape along the full length of the edge. Wrap around the tube making sure the template is square to the ends. Finally, line the marks up on both edges of the template and tape along the full length of the tube. Cut off excess tape from the ends. The template is marked with capital letters. Each of the letters is a drill size to be used at that mark. Study first what hole size is to be drilled around the tube at each of these marks. Drill sizes used to drill the tube are as follows: A = 1.00mm, B = 0.50mm, C = 0.40mm, D = 0.70mm, E = 1.20mm (3/64), F = 2.00mm, G = 5.00mm, H = 1.50mm. It is advised a smaller pilot hole be drilled to prevent the larger bit from wandering across the surface! Once all holes are drilled, test fit and adjust the end caps. When happy with both joins, glue in place and fill any gaps present. Allow to cure and sand the join smooth and consistent all round.
Page 2 Tank Saddles and stand-offs This process involves preparing the tank saddles and tank stand-offs that run along the length of the tank. First the two saddles will need to be drilled. Each saddle is the same, so the same process is repeated for the second one; unless noted otherwise. Drill three holes on the top towards the outer corners and centre; there are witness marks where a 0.40mm drill is to be used for the shunters grab iron. The under-side will need four holes drilled for the shunters step; again 0.40mm holes are drilled, avoid drilling all the way through. On the back edge of the frame a 0.50mm hole (1mm deep) is to be drilled closest to the bottom centre of the chamfer end as shown on the diagram below (this will be for the brake rods later). On the outer-end there is one hole to be drilled for the air hose, the size to use is 0.80mm. The bogie mounts are to be drilled through with a 1.5mm drill. Drill 0.50mm holes where indicated. Back edge of saddles. The next part is the soldering of the stand-offs for the tanker; this will involve using the jig supplied with the kit, see Diagram 1. TOP VIEW END SIDE VIEW Brass angle Diagram 1 Diagram 2 The stand-offs require 1/32 brass right angle and the 30thou brass square rod which is supplied in the kit. Cut the angle supplied into 2 pieces approximately 70mm long. Place the brass right angle in the jig carefully positioning the brass angle on its edge so that it is flush at the top with the jig as shown in Diagram 2. Check that the angle is flush to the left side of the jig and trim flush to the right side of jig as noted in Diagram 1, use sticky tape to hold position of angle making sure that the angle remains in position. Next cut the 30thou brass square rod into 9mm lengths; you will need a total of 12 pieces. Place the small brass lengths (6 to be soldered per stand off) into the short channels of the jig, and butted up to the point of the brass right angle. Use a good quality flux and solder, proceed to solder each piece of square rod to the right angle. Repeat this twice to have two stand-off frames, the angle is to be cut flush and filed flat at each end. The length of the finished stand-off frame must be equal to each other. Adjust accordingly in the jig until both are equal. It is recommended soldering be done in a well ventilated area to avoid any fumes given off.
Page 3 Fitment of saddles and stand-offs With the stand-offs, trim each or the tips at a sharp angle to produce a point, this will assist with lining up and insertion. Carefully line up and insert into the holes drilled into the tank that were marked with the letter A, see Diagram 3. Diagram 3 Once lined up push in until 6.0mm proud of the tank from the outer edge of the stand-offs on both sides as shown in Diagram 4; do not use any glue yet. 6mm proud from the tank Diagram 4 Next, both the saddles are dry fitted first. Examine Diagram 5 with the blue line facing up. Place a saddle over the BLUE line and check for centre. Then, check for alignment of stand-offs to the saddles for a butt fit. Diagram 5 When satisfied, glue the saddles into place with a small amount of glue. Check that the stand-offs are of equal lengths from the tank and glue into place with a small drop on the underside of each. Apply a small drop of glue to the angle, align and glue to the back edge of each saddle. Re-drill the bogie mount holes with the 1.5mm drill, this time drilling through the tube to allow clearance for any screw patrusion. Brass etched parts Take the brass etch and familiarise yourself with each of the parts, see Diagram 7. The etch contains 2 mesh walkways, 2 handbrake spider wheels, 2 release levers and mounting brackets, 2 ladders, 1 valve wheels, 2 brake rod straps and 6 shunters steps. With a 0.40mm drill piece, clear the holes in the valve wheels, brake levers and spider brake wheels. Cut away each part with a sharp knife when required, remove and file smooth any burs from the cut. Diagram 7
Page 4 First remove the mesh walkways, take care not to cut the tabs off that are part of the etching. The short tabs are to be inserted into the 0.70mm holes along the tank and the long tabs are to be inserted into the 0.50mm holes. Note: All the tabs have a score line at the edge of the mesh; these are to face down and be on the inside of all the folds. Check that the short tabs line up to the holes and superglue into place. Once the glue has dried, gently fold the mesh down towards the stand-offs, see Diagram 8. Then fold the long tabs over and insert into the 0.50mm holes and glue into place, see Diagram 9. Diagram 8 Diagram 9 Repeat this process to the other side of the tank. Tank detail items Detail parts can now start to be fitted to the tanker, both top and bottom. The first item to fit is the brake gear frame. Before the brake frame can be mounted to underneath the tanker some assembly of parts are to be done first. Check that all parts are present, see Diagram 10, and all flash is removed from the castings. Diagram 10 Remove the two brake wheel and lever brackets from the brass etch. Fit the brass etch to the urethane casting, on both sides. Once glue has set, use a 0.40mm drill, and drill four holes, two on either side as shown in Diagram 11 where the previous holes are drilled in the brass etch are shown in the casting where the spider brake wheel and levers are to go. Bottom view Diagram 11 Side view Use a 0.80mm drill and on both sides of the brake cylinder to a depth of 1.00mm as indicated by the witness marks. Using the 0.80mm brass rod supplied in the kit, cut two lengths - one to 6mm long and glue in the cone shape end of the cylinder, and the other 10mm long and glue into the flat side of the cylinder. The rod is to rest in between the two uprights opposite the cylinder and glue down to one side where there is a support, see Diagram12. Diagram 12
Page 5 Fit the long and the short cross beams to the brake frame using the styrene strip, see Diagram 13. Diagram 13 Fit the brake pivot beams as shown in Diagram 14. Make sure that the notches in each of the pivot beams rest on the brass rod. Fit the spider brake wheels and levers with the 0.40mm brass rod supplied with the kit. The spider wheels are mounted in the holes drilled towards the centre of frame while the brake lever is mounted in the holes drilled towards the edge of the frame. Diagram 14 The brake frame can be mounted to the bottom of the stand-offs. Dry fit the brass T discharge pipe into the hole. Line up the frame 8mm from the end of the brass angle and 4mm from the discharge pipe. The spider wheels and levers are to face closest to the saddle. Run a thin beam along the edge of the brake frame and super glue into place when satisfied with the position, see Diagram 15. Glue the brass T discharge pipe in, total hang from the bottom of the tank is 8mm. Diagram 15 Detail items can be added to the top of the tank, see Diagram 16. The cast items are glued in the holes drilled through the top of the tank, and the etch valve wheel is added to the top of the part. The order of each item is shown in Diagram 17. Note that the anti-crush frame is flush with the mesh walkway at one end, run a small beam of glue on the inside edge and glue into place. DO NOT GLUE THE INSPECTION HATCH IN PLACE WITH THE LARGE BASS at this point in time of assembly. Diagram 16 Diagram 17 The ladders are next to be fitted. Remove from the brass fret and cut the ladders at one end so both have a total of 11 rungs. The ladders have two folds, both at 45 degree angles. At one end, fold the second and third rung. The ladder fits in between the two walkway supports - this and the location are shown in Diagram 18.
Page 6 Diagram 18 Remove four shunters steps from the brass etch and fold to a U shape where the scores are and fit to the corners of the saddles. Add the two brass air hoses to both ends of the saddles. The 0.40mm brass wire is used to form the hand rails, see Diagram 19 for the dimensions. No.1 hand rails will need one at both ends of the wagon and No.2 will require one at the top of the tank. There are 4 vertical grab irons 9mm offset from end hand rail which are glued inside of the saddle, see Diagram 19. No.1 No.2 Diagram 19 The final two grab irons and shunters steps are mounted on both sides of the tanker, near the brake handle. Diagram 20 shows the size required. Note: 2mm from the top, bend to about a 30 degree angle. Where the brass angle meets the urethane, the steps and grab iron are to be mounted at this point with super glue opposite each other on each side. Diagram 20 At this point, the finished model weighs approximately 45 grams. If you are happy with the weight insert the inspection cover in to top hole of the tank. If you would like to add extra weight, source some dry sand and with a small funnel, add the desired weight to the model. Shake the sand to even out, and add a mix of PVA and water (50/50 mix), and allow to dry for 48 hours. Seal the tank with the inspection cap. Paint and decal Depending on the era of the model and the particular tank number you wish to model, there are pictures of the tankers during revenue service in the late 1970 s and early 1980 s. The RTC was always painted black. The decal sheet supplied is a generic format as the size and wording changed frequently. There is option for four letter code of each of the tankers. Refer to the photo for position of decals. The Roman numeral can be either 9 (IX) 10 (X) or 11 (XI) by either rotating or removing the I. Seal with a dull clear coat and weather to suit.
Page 7 Tanker No.9, Enfield March 1976 DT Collection Tanker No.10, Enfield March 1976 DT Collection
Page 8 Tanker No.9, Goulburn October 1982 HGA Collection Tanker No.11, Yenda January 1983 HGA Collection
Page 9 Tanker No. 10 Darling Harbour, March 1984 HGA Collection Tanker No.10, Darling Island September 1987 HGA Collection
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Page 11 InFront Models hopes you enjoyed building this kit. The McWillams RTC kit was released at the AMRA Liverpool exhibition on 5 October 2013. This kit has been limited to a total of 200 units. It is envisaged that there will be no further production of this kit.