In Great Western telegraphic code, PYTHON is shorthand for 'Covered Carriage Truck'. PYTHONS were part of the 'Brown Vehicle' fleet allowed to join passenger trains - note the large wooden-centred wheels.

Of the several kinds, built over many decades, Dave wanted two to Diagram P14, and started with a stack of photographs, two 1:32 Scale kits from Ken West, and the usual myriad of details, running gear, brake gear and drawgear:

Dave went further, adding raised detail, with the extra benefit of letting him reposition components to suit the exact version he's building:

. . . but added a lot of nuts and domed bolt-heads to his shopping list.

Since these cast resin ones from Zinge Industries are only £2 per block, they're so cheap one doesn't need to count them.

Supporting the increasingly detailed box on a simple foam cradle saved a lot of swearing and repairing:

Dave drew the 'flat' details on Inkscape. They are based on a prototype drawing, then tweaked to the exact size of the carcase. While files and scalpel would have done the job, he used his new Silhouette Cameo 4 to take the slog out of all the repetition work:

Triple end doors are fundamental to any Carriage Truck: the bottom door flaps down over the buffers to take a road vehicle:

(Trucks called PYTHON A were specially strengthened to take elephants.)

Styrene is very 'in yer face' while white, but two coats of undercoat blends it all nicely.

The perspex-glazed 'light' assemblies will stay push-fit until after the final coat of paint.