By Bob Dow

Many of the narrow gauge railways of Queensland have additional rolling stock items apart from the sugar related stock. These range from simple work wagons, weed cutters, ballast wagons, tankers of various sorts and other odd items (portable toilets on wheels are not unknown). In this project the construction of a freelance work wagon - typical of some of the improvised wagons of the mills is described. The wagon is a combined ballast and worker transport wagon (see photo  and   plan ). It is a basic flat wagon with seats, a roof (to keep off sun and rain) and a box for transporting ballast, bits of wood or other odds and ends. High speed was not a characteristic of these lines.

Construction as follows:

• Cut floor piece from 0.015" styrene sheet 70 mm x 26 mm.
• Cut 4mm x 2mm styrene strip into following lengths: 70 mm by 2 and 8.5 mm by 4.
• Glue strips onto floor piece as per plan.
• Cut 2 pieces of 4mm x 2mm strip 4 mm long. Glue these as per plan - centre is located 17.5 mm from end on mid line. These are for mounting the bogies.
• Cut 2 pieces of 0.015" styrene sheet into 5 mm x 7 mm. Glue these underneath floor in coupler area (see plan).

Superstructure - Roofing

• Cut 1.5 mm square styrene strip into two 36 mm lengths and two 17 mm lengths.
• Glue into rectangle - the short ends within sides.
• Cut 2mm square styrene strip into two 22 mm lengths.
• Glue the 2mm square lengths into position beneath roof structure (see plan).
• Glue girder or piece of scrap rail (36.5 mm long) on top as a ridge support for the roof.
• Cut a piece of roofing material 37 mm by 26 mm - don’t glue into position till after painting finished.
• Glue roof assembly on top of flat wagon as per plan - ensure centre, square and 4 mm from end of wagon.

Ballast box

• Cut scribed styrene into following pieces - two by 13 mm by 25 mm and two by 13 mm by 21 mm.
• Glue into box.
• Glue into position on flat wagon as per plan.
• Cut 8 pieces of scrap rail into 14 mm lengths.
• Glue into position at corners of box as per plan.

At this stage it is best to paint the wagon. A suggested colour scheme would be buffer beams yellow, flat wagon grey, roof superstructure and ballast box red. Fit bogies - most N gauge bogies are suitable eg. Atlas, Kadee. Fit couplers - MicroTrains 1025 N gauge couplers are most suitable. Add a suitable seat and people and glue into position. Glue roof into position.

It is not unknown for local people to hitch a ride on the cane train to town. In photograph "Granny" can be seen waiting patiently for the loco to finish picking up some more bins and heading off to the mill.