# the 'umble (Horse Drawn) dray



## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi,

I have been building a ‘dray’ to take some of my large crates. Drays are generally built without springs: and the wheels run underneath the body. This one has some NENG (USA) wheels for the front with some extra depth added to the rim, and some English wheels for the rear that came from Hobby’s. All had some work on the outer hubs to make them match – bits of plastic tube were needed on the NENG (on the front) wheels. The dray was used for heavy loads and this one will be involved with traffic from my boiler works. 

The construction is Sintra board and styrene for the extra bits; the front seat is stiffened with some wire from paper clips that were straightened out with pliers; the plated (not plastic covered) version are very useful! 

It will be completed with a couple of Schliech shire horses, which will give it plenty of pull.

Here are some photos of the dray on its base; the extra bits for the horses have already been made; the horses are being re-painted, and then will have their harness added, as my Mud wagon. 

The underside photo shows the stiffening needed to the axle beds – the rear one has two sorts the inner on holds together all the pieces of wood need for the depth of the bed (in real life!) and then the rear bed has some front and rear stiffeners as well. 










Loaded and awaiting some motive power 











This has been lightened to better show the underside. The dropped rear end is fixed down, to allow for greater choice of large crates 











a more comprehensive photo of the underside. The centre pole is not yet finally fixed - - it can just be seen at the extreme LH edge


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## spincaster (Mar 10, 2012)

VERY NICE! I especially like the proper ironwork. Got a pair of Shires? What sort of load will it carry. Somewhere I have a very nice British book about building models of horse drawn vehicles, harness, etc. It has a very nice method for making wheels which seem to be the toughest part to make.


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi

Thanks for the kind comments, you ask about the Shires - yes I have quite a set - they are made by both Papo - a french company, and Schliech, a german company.

Here is a new photo - the grey one is a Papo, and the dark bay is a Schliech (Paddock Pals range(in the USA, here in the UK its Pony Parade) I think, they are said to be 1/24th scale) one, these are both stallions, mares are also made by both. The Papo one is slightly smaller.


The horses are just short of the deck length of the dray, that is 10 scale feet, the shire horses are overall length of 9feet, with the extra length of the dray the horse look to be about 66% 











You ask about what load it will carry - don't know but it will certainly carry what I need it for! I strongly suspect that these drays spent their life being overloaded anyway, as there were no springs to worry about so there was no real check on what they were carrying: in real life it would be down to the weight of the deck and its underrpinnings - this has those anyway, but they are not needed the main styrene is 2mm thick so there is plenty of strength in it.


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## spincaster (Mar 10, 2012)

The horses really make a difference! A teamster/driver, some harness, fly nets(maybe not in the UK) and a load would complete the scene! Definitely inspiration for modelers!


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## Don Howard (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice!

I was interested to see the flowers in the garden. Are you over winter in the UK?


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Don, 

Sssh! not speaking too loud at the moment (1130hrs) you will wake up the Atlantic Ocean! That is primarily the maker of our weather.


The flowers are the very first ones out - they are primroses or primulas, and the ones you see are newly bought so they have been slightly forced. Hopefully winter is well on its way out! 

Our temperature is 25 degrees C at the moment - we have a huge, and very strong High pressure area over us, producing lots of sun, and therefore warmth: for this time of year that is unusual.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter

Another nicely done wagon, well done sir.







Also a nice makeover on the web site too.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Peter, like everything else you model, your dray is "brilliant," as you folks say. Or at least that's the term all the Brit's who live in the U.S. use.  

Ii appears you have decided to model an era that's sans motorcar, or is in that transitional period when autos were still new and few. Very tempting, for a variety of reasons, among them, no need for sidewalks, paved streets, dozens of buildings and thousands of people. Plus that seems to have been a kindler, gentler time--unless you were a kid forced to work in a coal mine or somesuch occupation. Or maybe one of the street urchins in "Oliver." 

But I digress: the dray is cool!


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Very nice


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi, 

The two Shire Horses have been finished now and the whole ensemble is fully fixed to its base.

First the horses were given a new and different coat of paint, finishing with some coats of transparent ink on the deep brown that give a much improved depth of color; when this is dry the were both varnished for protection.

Then it was time for making the harness(es) – all cut from strips of aluminum foil, which is flattened against the edge of the handle of a craft knife to remove the (sharp) cut edge. In painting the reins and harness, some are single side paint and some like the reins are double side painted. One horse was completed using the drawings on the Dover Publications book on Commercial Horse drawn vehicles, which was very helpful. I also have a Samson Leather Works catalog which came off the web.

Next the Horse collars were made – these very large horses naturally needed a much large collar than the ‘normal’ size horse so one was worked out from the website of US Army horse Drawn equipment, another very useful site. Once a pattern was made the base of the collars was made from 1/2mm thick black styrene in halves and they were glued onto the horses. Then the hay filled portion (on the full sized version) was added on top as my previous horses, but larger! 

The (silver) Hames were added on top of the collars and they are made from1mm diameter wire. Making them was an interesting ‘3D’ and reversed exercise. Added below the Hames are a set of hooks made from fuse wire and the largest hooks with a portion of a circle on them are for the front end of the traces.

When the completed horse has been added to the base, the traces (which run from the collar to the cross pieces at the rear of the horse, and are part of the front center pole of the vehicle), can be added Then the second horse can be added but first fit the inner trace to it – its easier that way. When dry, and one leg may be slightly shorter than the other, so add plenty of glue to fix them securely, then add the other trace. They are somewhat ‘fiddly’ and have a life of their own!

Finally, the reins are added – these are from each horse joined together to make one per horse. They are cut long enough to be draped over the driver’s seat or go through a flattened loop on the outer side of the seat. 

Finally, I added a couple of feed buckets for the horses (here in the UK, the shire horse that is the Drum Horse for the heavy Cavalry gets through 60lb of food per day!) , and a ‘shoe’( made from scrap foil and a bit of chain), on the nearside rear wheel – this is used to brake the vehicle as it is fed under the wheel on downward gradients; In addition I added a foot brake with the connection to the pedal on the drivers footboard, being made from steel (not plastic covered) paper clip wire – this can be blackened with ‘Birchwood Casey’ Gun Black.

The horses are a scale 6 feet at the shoulders – that equals 15 hands high: Shire Horses can be up to 19 hands high, so these are youngsters! 


Finally here are 3 photos of the completed vehicle – the figure on one of them scales out to a scale 5 feet – he is one of the Chinese figures off E-Bay. 










Loaded up and ready to go - when the driver has been found! 











The other side with one of the chinese figures off E-bay he has been given a hat and his shirt has been changed to a short kacket; He is a scale 5 feet high. 











The extra bits added to the dray itself - two feed buckets made from from paper and a base of aluminum foil, with fuse wire for the (rope) handle, and n new rack behind the supports for the drivers seat with some rope hung off two o f them. Finally the 'shoe' on the rear nearside wheel. Four new hooks hold everything in place under the dray. There is also a handbrake for the rear wheels, barely seen here but the second photo shows it.


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

That came out very nice! Thanks for posting the pictures. 

Best, 
TJ


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Excellent work, as usual, Peter. How about a photo of all your horse and carriage projects together?

Doc


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Don, 

Mmm, sounds interesting, however there are 10 of them at the moment, with another started!And that does not include 'bought in' ones - there are 3 of those


Any photo would thus have them at a very small size.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Delightful Peter..... Wonderful crafting....


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By docwatsonva on 24 Apr 2012 05:08 AM 
{snip...}[/i] How about a photo of all your horse and carriage projects together? {snip...}[/i]
Doc

While it's not a photograph of all of Peter's horse drawn creations, the following is a record of all of them as he built them. That you may find of interest.

Horse Drawn Vehicles of Sycamore Creek - by Peter Bunce (PDF 3.77MB)[/b]


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter,

I see what you are saying. They would indeed be quite small from that distance. Thanks.

Steve,

That's a perfect source for all of Peter's fine carriage and horse work.

Doc


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter; 

Your dray wagon is beautiful. I have to confess that when I first read "Shire horse," I thought "Well, a hobbit will really look dinky next to one of those!" I just have to chalk it up to too much enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings . 

Anyway, I may have to check for some of those horses when my wife and I visit Indiana this summer. There is a store in Richmond, IN that has a very good selection of Schleich figures. 

Best wishes, 
David Meashey


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