Timber Bogies - Coupling Bars and Pole

When I finished the 4 timber bolster bogies in april 2024, I hadn't the stamina to build coupling bars for use between two bogies to avoid them being dragged apart when carrying timber. Until now I have used the two resin coupling bars that came with the bogies, but they are flimsy and not very safe in daily use. After having not been at the work table for a long time, the coupling bars seemed a good and easy task to get started modelling again. 

New metal coupling bars for my two sets of Rail Print timber bogies. Necessary for safe and reliable running.

I cut pieces of 3.5 cm lengths of Peco IL-7 FB Code 143 rail left over from my track building on the Nystrup layout. I soldered nickle silver scraps with a 2 mm hole drilled in them to each end of the rail. With a heavy pin connecting coupling bar and bogie bracket the complete coupling set-up should keep the bogies safely coupled and able to navigate curves and unevenness in the track. In total the coupling bars are 4.5 cm long and provide the long sought after reliable running with timber loads.

Running without a coupling bar between the timber bogies carries the risk of them separating. Here a derailment caused by bogie separation.

Timber bogie, resin coupling bar and parts for my new metal coupling bars.

Wooden coupling pole with metal coupling gear and coupling pins.

Having made the two coupling bars fitting the short timbers I have cut for the bogies, I remembered to make a long wooden coupling pole for when running with longer loads (that could be rhubarb from the garden). The pole is a piece of round wooden stock fitted with metal coupling gear at the ends. The type of pole is seen on Waldeisenbahn Muskau in a far longer version.

Metal parts were given a spray of Chaos Black from the can and spot painted Vallejo 'Dark Grey' with brush. When dry the black grey parts were washed with heavily diluted rust oil paint in turpentine. Later I will add further weathering with dust and worn metal areas. The wooden pole was distressed with knife and files and the given a wash with dark grey wood stain fluid in addition to a little drybrushing with grey and dark grey. 

One set of timber bogies loaded with birch timber coupled with a metal coupling bar.

The long wooden coupling pole fitted to bogies 72 and 79. Workshop manager Petersen looks happy (as happy as he is able to).

I have one more task to accomplish, as I need to make special coupling chains for the bogies. The tight chains can cause derailments as well. That will have to wait for another time, though.