After receiving word from Mini Train Systems that my loco was nearly ready to be shipped but the wagons I had ordered from the were still some months away, I decided I needed to quickly build some sort of wagon to function as a "driving truck", ideally with a manually operated brake.
DNC System Technologies seemed the best source to obtain a pair of bogies, so I ordered a pair of their archbar bogies with the mechanical brake option. After placing the order, DNC responded quickly to my email and provided a drawing showing the overall dimensions including the diameter and height above rail for the bogie pivot.
Armed with this information I designed a rudimentary wagon underframe which I could build with the tools and skill available. I built the underframe in Perth and the 1.2 m length allowed for easy transport in the car to Denmark. The main metal parts are the bolsters, which I cut from a surplus 50 mm square steel fence post, and the end sills which I made from 50 mm galvanised steel angle, also surplus from another project. The idea was that the metal parts would fulfil the main load-bearing requirements, with pine for the remainder all held together with numerous screws and some angle brackets.
