David Nelson's Web Site

Royal Mail Coaches, like this one, were used in England in the late 1700s to the mid 1800s to transport
mail between major cities.  When I saw a picture of it I was impressed with the design and construction. 
The outcome of that was my need to model one of them.

The model was started in July of 2022.   It is at a scale of 1:8 and constructed of boxwood and brass.

As with other wheeled models I have done the wheels were created first as they are often the most complex
components of the model due to the number of components and angles involved.

After the wheels were complete the undercarriage was built.

September 22, 2022

The following images show the model with completed wheels and undercarriage.

The rear wheel.  The rims are made up of seven triangular segments that are pinned and glued together then
machined to the shape of the rim.  The spokes are pinned and glued into the hub then a pin is inserted through
the rim into the outer end of the spoke.  The iron tire is a brass ring cut to the length of the rim's circumference
and the ends silver soldered together.

 

The front wheel, seen here, is constructed in the same manner as the rear wheels except that the rim is made up
of six segments.

View of the rear axle.  The wooden axle is reinforced by metal plates above and below it and these parts are held
together by the clamps.

The front axle and main draw bar to which the horse's harnesses are attached.

Upper view of the front axle.  Harnesses of the rear pair of horses are connected to the pins attached to the top
of the draw bar  The front horses are connected to a long bar that is attached in the wedge shaped opening seen
here and held in place by a pin which is located by the black leather strap.

Top down view of the full undercarriage.

Another view of the undercarriage.

These are the leaf springs that will support the coach on the undercarriage.  The shorter ones will be
clamped to the axles next to each wheel.  The longer ones will be fastened across the under side of the
coach body and connected to the axle springs by the "U" shaped pieces at the end of each spring.

January 3, 2023

The the coach body structure and exterior are pretty much complete.  Things that remain are the decals
of the Royal Coat of Arms, the insignia of the four orders of knights and the route the coach was on.  Also
some steps are to be installed and paint touch ups are required.

Profile of the model.  The body is now mounted on the under carriage with the eight sets of leaf springs.  Seat
cushions and railings are in place.  The flat plates extending from the sides are steps used to access the guard and
drivers seats.  A set of steps will be installed below the coach doors for passenger access to the interior seats.

View from the from quarter.  Here we see the drivers seat, the side lights and large head lamp.

View from the rear quarter.  We see the guard's seat and, in front of that, the box where his blunderbuss was
kept.  The exterior passenger seat is located on the forward portion of the coach roof.  The steps next to the rear
wheels will be painted black.  Mail sacks were kept in the compartment under the guard's feet.

January 25, 2023

The coach is now complete.  I am though still tossing around the idea of getting models of horses in harness to
mount in front of it.

Rear axle, springs and steps suspended from the spring shackles.

Seats and interior viewed from the open door.

The seats and side panels of the coach interior viewed from above.

Side view of the coach.  On the door we have the Royal Mail insignia with the Royal Coat of Arms.  Under the
window is the coaches route.  On the front and rear quarter panel there are the insignia of two orders of knights. 
The insignia for the other two orders are on the opposite side of the coach.

The Victoria Reigns insignia.  This insignia would change based on the reigning monarch of the day.

The coach number.

The guards seat and in front of it the bin for his blunderbuss..  Note the padlock sealing the mail bin.

 The flint lock blunderbuss that was kept in the bin in front of the guard.

October 1, 2023

The completed model.  After completing the coach it was decided that the appearance of the model would be significantly enhanced if there were horses attached to it and that there was a driver, passenger and guard on it.  The horses and harnes was sourced from a lady in California.   She custom makes the harness to fit the horses being used.  The figures are generally available from crafts supply outlets but had to modified and painted to meet my needs.  I made the top hats to match figures in pictures of the original coach.