Wrightscale Péchot 5-tonne bogie kit

We have been spending a bit of time making up a kit. It was rather larger than a Wrightscale kit; it was a flat-pack garden shed. The experience was an interesting exercise in empathy. 'Why empathy?' you ask. Read on.

16mm scale Péchot system flat wagon, made by Malcolm Wright. The author has just been making up a full size kit for a garden shed.  It was a interesting experience, being a customer rather than a manufacturer.

We started the process of building a garden shed by carefully comparing products. We made our choice, paid and awaited delivery. The components arrived in a huge box which was dumped in front of our gate.This spurred us on to preparing the site. Firstly, it had to be levelled. The soil was replaced with a layer of ballast and then sand. The process ended with a final levelling. Paving slabs to form the under-floor had to be sourced. Suppliers of new slabs offer a choice. Either paving is bought in bulk and I mean bulk, or it must be collected. As we are a few miles from the nearest supplier, we scoured the online market-place for a local vendor offering twelve or so slabs. The only one we found had conditions: a/ buyer collects at a convenient time b/ buyer dismantles the path where they had originally been laid. Last Monday, we grubbed up seventeen concrete slabs with plenty of patina and loaded them into an old van. By the time we were home, the van was older still. Having seventeen half-metre square slabs loaded over the front off-side had damaged a spring. After another day of work, we had laid the best-looking twelve slabs to form a shed base and were ready to begin.

As Malcolm says with his Péchot 5-tonne bogie kit: it pays to study the instructions and identify parts and orientations carefully. The instructions for the flat-pack shed were buried under a mound of parts which we laid our carefully on timber baulks in piles of grey and white, plastic and metal. The instructions turned up eventually and were carefully studied.  Each part was indeed named though usually in white on white or grey on grey. Never be without your specs, especially if you are a senior citizen!

As it turned out, the plastic was colour-coded. Walls were corrugated plastic in grey, edges were white, floor and roof black. There were all-important distinctions between 25mm, 12mm and 6mm screws. More than once during the build, we had to removeone kind from a joint and substitute another.

Before beginning, study instructions carefully, whether building a 16mm scale Péchot 5 tonne bogie or a full-size garden shed. Drawing copyright MD Wright

The floor went down in satisfactory fashion. Putting up the walls was more difficult because a box with only two walls tends to flap around.

Assembling the Péchot bogie presents a similar problem. Identifying long sides A1 and A2 and ends B1 and B2 is the easy part. The instruction: ‘on a flat surface assemble the sides to the end frames up-side-down’ is easier to write than to achieve.

Sides and ends must be assembled on a flat surface, whether a model Wrightscale Péchot system bogie or a full-size plastci garden shed. Model Péchot bogie pictured here

To successfully build a Péchot bogie, it is important to understand a bit of its history. When Prosper Péchot was designing it, he had various issues in mind. The bogie had to benefit form compensated springing so that it could take uneven, hastily laid track evenly. If one wheel was forced up, the platform stayed level and the drag on the drawbar stayed consistent. At the same time, he did not want to over-engineer his bogie. Thus at one end, the springing was a marvel of leaf, coil and shock absorbing coupling. The other was simpler and therefore lighter. He called the buffer at that end the tampon sec (dry). The crafter has to be aware of this history when making up the kit.

With both the small-scale and large scale activities, it is important to take regular breaks. It can be beneficial so that your brain can have a rest, settle and come back to issues with a new perspective; with both the large and the small creations. As Sarah Corbett says, clinicians and neuroscientists show that doing craft-work with the hands can help us cope with feelings of being overwhelmed, disempowered, angry or depressed. (How to be a Craftivist p 61)   

Meanwhile, we were getting on with the garden shed. As we built up the sides of the rectangle, we were watched with interest by a passer-by. ‘Well’ she asked, ‘have you divorced yet?’  We admitted that this had already almost happened. Early in our marriage we tried fairly unsuccessfully to assemble a flat-pack wardrobe. In fury, Malcolm had attempted to hurl it at the wall. As it was heavy, it simply rebounded on him and bruised his foot. The subject of his sore toe caused much mirth for several weeks. ‘A tender subject’ said one wit.

This could be described as how not to do craftwork.

Attaching a top to a scale model of a bogie is easier than dropping a roof on to a full-size shed. Drawing by kind permission of KETER

More difficult yet was the shed roof. We laid out a sheet of corrugated plastic - it seemed light enough. By the time it had edgings and a large roof-ridge, it was clearly heavy and had to be held at an angle (see drawing). How on earth were we going to lift it into place? Our choice of a shed that was over two metres in height began to look less sensible.

Top plate of a Wrightscale Péchot 5-tonne bogie kit, before cleaning-up

The bogie kit has its own problems. Before the bogie top-plate can be fitted, the brake pot must be fitted and all checked before the top-plate can be lowered on to the frames.. This is fine, but means that the sides and ends do not lie flat.

In the end, the shed wasn’t such a problem. We didn’t have to drop the roof over the walls. It was possible to stand at the back and slide it upwards, over, then down into place.

For the Péchot bogie kit, instructions merely say: ‘Fit the top (L) to the side and end assembly.’ A thoughtful craftivist will probably use a small box or jig to support the sides as the top goes on.

The shed doors were a challenge. They didn’t hang correctly. With wood and metal, there is some scope for adjustment. With plastic there is none. To bend the door into shape, we made judicious use of a crow-bar. The bolt shot home. We had a secure shed.

 With the Péchot bogie kit, adjustment must be made from time to time. For example, once the axle hangers (to take the wheels) are fitted, the brake parts must go in. ‘Bend the shoes gently away from the wheel flanges if this is found necessary:’ is the Wrightscale instruction.

The last instructions in the bogie kit are about colour. This was not an issue with the shed kit as it is made from low maintenance plastic. This was a selling point; restoring and painting woodwork is not a favourite pastime for the Wrights.

Door of the completed shed will not require painting. A KETER product

For the railway enthusiast with a model layout in mind, choosing a livery is part of the fun. Research around the subject is a vital part of the project, whether it is reading, asking around, exploring or joining in a discussion. As Sarah Corbett says: ‘Turn the information into a sort of wisdom soup.’ With knowledge and understanding come wisdom.

If the bogie is to run on a model of a military railway pre First World War, then French Horizon Blue would be the colour. One or two very rare tinted postcards show such railways. Our thanks are due to Raymond Duton for letting us show this one.  Colours developed over the long history (1888 to present) of the Péchot system. During the war years, a bloom of rust covered many bogies in the field. Nowadays, on preserved railways, almost any livery might be possible.

A rare hand tinted postcard of the early 20th century shows a Péchot bogie used on military exercises. Copyright courtesy Raymond Duton 

‘What about empathy?’ you ask. At the beginning of this blog, I promised that by making up a kit, you could increase your EQ.

We learned something by making up a shed kit; we were able to experience what you, our valued customers, undergo when making up a Wrightscale kit. It is humbling and potentially ennobling. It is what empathy is all about. Yes, tempers have been lost during construction projects but at least we can laugh about it now.

For all of us, during the time when the hands are constructively occupied, the mind can be in a comforting and safe space. Contemplation and reflection are possible. It is no coincidence that our increasing engagement with social media – fiddling with a smartphone is the very opposite of creating a real-world object - has been accompanied by a decline in empathy. The average Internet Troll, though quite able to laugh at the misfortunes of others, is unable to laugh at himself/herself.

You don’t need to take my word for it. Many experts agree. A Silicon Valley wizard who has created many profitable games and social media start-ups explained the process. ‘Nastiness, outrage and extreme views  are the most effective way to increase engagement – Valley-speak for time spent’ (on social media). ‘It’s quicker to alienate somebody than it is to build love and trust’ thus ‘advertisers advertisers chase after negative streams without intending to.’ Jaron Lanier

16mm layout by Henry Holdsworth shows the colours of the First World War. Wagons of the British War Department railways are clearly inspired by the Péchot system. Photo Jim Hawkesworth

In short, put down your smart-phone and get going on that truly creative project that is sitting in the corner. You won’t regret it.