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 Intermediate Trailer Instructions

Read these important assembly instructions before starting!

Also make sure you've read the General Instructions first.

Step 1 Cut out the base of the trailer (part number 2) leaving about 5 mm (1/4 inch) margin around the edge of the part.

Step 2 Find a piece of cardboard slightly larger than the part you just cut out. A cereal box will do nicely. The cardboard will stiffen the base of the model and ensure that it is straight. Glue the part from step 1 to the cardboard. When it is dry, cut out around the edge of the part (cutting off the margin you left earlier).

Step 3 Score the main body (part number 1) along its entire length at the six places indicated by arrows.

Step 4 Cut out the main body and make small slits into the roof as marked by the little scissor symbols on the parts sheet.

Step 5 Mark the folds on the main body. All folds are "peak" folds.

Step 6 Apply glue to the back side of flap A. Glue flap A onto the base (part 1) so that it wraps around the bottom of the base (see Figure 1). Make sure that the blue marks on flap A align with the blue marks on part 2, and that the green marks on flap A align with the green marks on part 2. This alignment is very important; if you don't get it right the model will be twisted or bent.

Figure 1 Cross-section of the model. This shows how the parts fit together.

Step 7 Once flap A is dry, apply glue to flap B and glue it to the base (part 1) and align it using the same method as for flap A. To press on the flap you can insert a finger inside the ends of the model and press the bottom gently with your thumbs.

Step 8 Score part 3, the underbody. Score along its entire length at the six places indicated by arrows, and score on the RED LINES at each end of the part.

Step 9 Cut out part 3. Cut along the four short diagonal lines that meet the ends of the red lines.

Step 10 Mark the folds on the underbody. In the order from flap C to flap D, the first and last fold should be "valley" folds and the four others should be "peak" folds. Refer to the blue part of Figure 1. The folds on the red lines should be "valley"; the ends of part 3 fold upwards to form the ends of the body.

Step 11 Apply glue to the back side of flap C. Glue flap C onto the back side of the underbody so that you form the shape shown on the blue part of Figure 1 (seen from the end). The colored part of the underbody should slope inwards at an angle of about 30 degrees.

Step 12 Repeat the last step for flap D.

Step 13 Apply glue to the top of the underbody (the rectangular area labeled "door at this end") and glue it to the underside of the main body. The underbody should cover flaps A and B and should be glued in the correct orientation, with the end labeled "door at this end" on the end of the body with the doors. Make sure the underbody is centered, both lengthwise and crosswise.

Step 14 Fold the ends of the underbody upwards into the body until they are vertical. Flaps E (four of them) should be glued to the inside of the body as shown in Figure 2 below. Make sure the end walls remain vertical while you glue flaps E.

Figure 2 Trailer end detail after assembly

Step 15 Score part 4, the wheels, according to the arrows. The score mark along the top should not cross the small flaps J and H.

Step 16 Cut out part 4 and fold it. All folds are "peak" folds except the ones along the top; the little triangular areas should be bent up with a "valley" fold.

Step 17 Fold the bottom flaps (unlabeled) to the back of the wheels. These flaps are not glued to anything and are used only for stiffness.

Step 18 Glue flap G so that part 4 forms a box. Apply glue to area I and area K as well as the back side of the triangular part (which forms the electrical insulators that carry the power cable along the roof of the trainset). Glue flap H to area K and flap J to area I. Glue the two triangular parts back to back. See Figure 3 for how the result should look.

Figure 3 Part 4 after assembly

Step 19 Glue the completed part 4 onto the end of the body OPPOSITE THE DOORS. The end of the wheel box should touch the vertical wall inside the trailer body (see Figure 2) and the top of the wheel box should touch the inside of the trailer roof; apply glue to the areas shaded in gray in Figure 2. One end of the roof insulator should fit in the slit at the end of the roof, as shown in Figure 4. Make sure everything is centered and square before the glue dries.

Figure 4 Part 4 after gluing to body

This completes the assembly of the TGV intermediate trailer. When you put together several trailers, it is recommended to glue them in a manner similar to that described in Step 19. The connection between trailers, when glued, should be as shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5 Connection between two finished trailers

You can now return to the model page.