Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[John Besley]

You will end up with some pretty unique rolling stock and locos by the time you finish. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by John Besley

[Tortuga]

Really nice work (you can’t even see the joins!) and a nice method for dealing with the roofs/rooves (one is right, but I don’t know which!); I can’t see me needing to use it, but you never know, so I’ve squirrelled it away for now.

[57xx]

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

It's a pity that you can't buy Ratio four wheeler rooves separately is all I will say!

 

 

You can, just drop them an emsil and they'll give ypu a price. At that point you might start trawling ebay for cheap kits to rob the roofs from.

[MrWolf]

28 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

You can, just drop them an emsil and they'll give ypu a price. At that point you might start trawling ebay for cheap kits to rob the roofs from.

 

For my as yet unstarted Clifton Downs set, I sourced a few of the old yellow box kits, in including a grounded coach body for the composite section. In fact if you want a roof and some useful clutter, that would be the thing to go for, largely because a lot of people are trying to get the same price for the old kits with moulded wheels on a sprue, brittle as glass underframe components and lots of flash as you might pay for the new Ratio / Parkside ones.

 

I might actually build some of those old four wheelers, I know that they would most likely have been pensioned off to miner's trains by the late thirties, but there's a lot of other things that would have been scrapped running on the layout.

[57xx]

Actually it wasnt a bad price, just checked, back in 2013 i was quoted £3 plus p&p by Peco for a spare roof. These days however, if only we had some skilled CAD artist who could knock up any length you require and print it? 😉

[MrWolf]

23 minutes ago, 57xx said:

Actually it wasnt a bad price, just checked, back in 2013 i was quoted £3 plus p&p by Peco for a spare roof. These days however, if only we had some skilled CAD artist who could knock up any length you require and print it? 😉

 

The biggest problem there I imagine is likely to be stopping the roof from "Doing a Rovex" during printing and curing.

[ChrisN]

It was a few years ago now, (2018?) that I phoned Ratio and bought 5 or so sprues for the chassis.  I am not sure what sprue the roof is on but it may be worth a try, if it is not too late that is.

Edited August 23, 2023 by ChrisN

[Compound2632]

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Diagram C10 clerestory all third as detailed on gwr.org. 

 

I tried making one of those but owing to a computational error it came out as a seven, rather than eight, compartment carriage...

[MrWolf]

51 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

It was a few years ago now, (2018?) that I phoned Ratio and bought 5 or so sprues for the chassis.  I am not sure what sprue the roof is on but it may be worth a try, if it is not too late that is.

 

IIRC, the roof is on a dedicated sprue. 

I just had a quick look on eBay and there's still quite a lot of er, optimistic asking prices for the older (40+ years old?) kits and most seem to be the less popular composite and all third. I see that the Parkside Peco version of all three is available new though.

 

Are they still being produced? The prices make me wonder that's all.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by MrWolf
Clarity

[MrWolf]

37 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I tried making one of those but owing to a computational error it came out as a seven, rather than eight, compartment carriage...

 

I have to admit that I dropped a similar boll... clanger, but the coach I cut wrong was subsequently marmalised into the D15.

 

I wouldn't junk it though, as there was a seven compartment 40'0" all third with internal width of 7'6, 8'0-1/4" overall width to diagram C4, circa 1887. It ran on 6'4" bogies.

 

I don't think that the potential uses for these relics are exhausted yet and I might have to go and have another look at the drawings as it's a nice short coach for a branch line.

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by MrWolf
Details

[Compound2632]

24 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Are they still being produced? The prices make me wonder that's all.

 

I'm told* that it is Peco policy not to delete an item from their range - might go out of stock though from time to time.

 

*By someone who was so told by the Peco rep at a recent exhibition at Statfold Barn.

 

They are currently listed on the Peco website with RRP of £16.96. They're now under the "Parkside by Peco" label, along with all other rolling stock kits (I think) as someone decided to rationalise the brand names by product type. My understanding* is that Peco bought Ratio back in the 1980s as Ratio were Peco's contractor for injection molding and Peco wanted to bring that in-house. It had the effect of stopping further development of new kits, which was a shame as they had a good line going in LNWR wagons and a cattle wagon was just around the corner, or so it is said.

 

*IIRC from Bill Bedford.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Compound2632

[MrWolf]

Thanks for the update, I have a few of the old Ratio LNWR wagon kits, including the high ended loco coal wagon. The separately available MR and LNWR coach bogies were useful items too if you threw away the wheels.

It's quite heartening to hear that there's still a demand for stock and lineside kits.

[Compound2632]

22 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Thanks for the update, I have a few of the old Ratio LNWR wagon kits, including the high ended loco coal wagon.

 

That's not at all a wagon appropriate for Aston on Clun. More the sort of thing to be seen in a LNWR train in the West Midlands...

 

Don't you think? 

[57xx]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

The biggest problem there I imagine is likely to be stopping the roof from "Doing a Rovex" during printing and curing.

How is the one on your CC7 doing? Mine is dead straight, nicely designed supports on the inside.

[57xx]

46 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

I'm told* that it is Peco policy not to delete an item from their range - might go out of stock though from time to time.

 

 

So, is the Open C not deleted, just out of stock for a few decades?

[lezz01]

Ratio was not sold to Peco in the 1980's I know this because I used to work for Roger Webster at exhibitions with his stall in the late 80's early 90's. There was talk that I move to the west country and work for Roger as his toolmaker at Buckfastleigh where production was still taking place, indeed we visited the factory to continue our discussions and have a look at a rental property on the edge of Dartmoor until we could make permeant arrangements, the only sticking point being my then wife's reluctance to move down to the west country so unfortunately or fortunately, given that Roger subsequently sold up to Peco which would have meant another move to Paignton if indeed Peco would have had me, nothing came of it or indeed my second marriage.

Regards Lez.   

Edited August 24, 2023 by lezz01

[Compound2632]

27 minutes ago, 57xx said:

So, is the Open C not deleted, just out of stock for a few decades?

 

I think the thing with the Open C, NBR cask wagon, and other early Ratio kits is that they were deleted from the Ratio range before it was bought by Peco.

 

15 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

Ratio was not sold to Peco in the 1980's I know this because I used to work for Roger Webster at exhibitions with his stall in the late 80's early 90's.

 

I am then mis-remembering the story - would early-mid 90s fit better?

[lezz01]

Sometime between 94 and 98. The current Mrs Z seems to think she first met Roger in 98 when he was managing the Bodmin and we got married in 95 and I think he had either just sold up or was in talks with Peco at that time and even though Peco brought Ratio it, Ratio, continued to be based at Buckfastleigh for some time. I got back into railway modelling in 89 modelling in EM and became involved with Ratio in around 90 which upset the MRC a bit because I worked for Roger at the IMREX exhibitions and refused to be a steward as I was on the Ratio stand. I didn't really fit in at the MRC I thought them to be a bit regressive with the exception of the 2mm FS crowd as dear old Cyril still very much held sway and I moved away from EM into Scale4 so was involved with CLAG for many years. I tend think of the MRC as a golf club with trains. I went to an open day a few years ago and not much has changed and I came to the conclusion that I still wouldn't fit in even though I've mellowed somewhat with the passage of years. I have to add that this was very much my failing and not the MRC's, I suffer from mental illness and if I'm unwell I don't play well with others.

Regards Lez.      

[Siberian Snooper]

6 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

You can, just drop them an emsil and they'll give ypu a price. At that point you might start trawling ebay for cheap kits to rob the roofs from.

 

I believe that Dart castings/Shirescenes, do the ends, floors and rooves, for the Shirescenes 4 wheel etched sides. It may save a few bob, over the purchase of a kit.

 

 

[57xx]

1 hour ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

I believe that Dart castings/Shirescenes, do the ends, floors and rooves, for the Shirescenes 4 wheel etched sides. It may save a few bob, over the purchase of a kit.

 

They do do ends, a couple of roof profiles, but not the most useful LE7N and I've not seen any floors from them though. I use Mainly Trains chassis for that.

[Graham T]

21 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

A real mixed bag of modified Tri-ang clerestories.

 

 

Above: 8 compartment clerestory composite to Diagram C19 (allegedly!) made from two composite bodies. The rooves will be similarly joined to save altering the rain strips.

 

 

A D15 four compartment arc roof brake third made by shortening a Triang brake third, swapping over the guard's lookout and door on the opposite side so both sides match.

These were built to lot number 730 in 1895 and 766 in 1896. Numbers were 2863-82 and 2058-67 respectively.

 

 

In comparison with the C19, a standard Tri-ang seven compartment composite will receive an arc roof as an absorbed Cambrian Railways coach. It will ride on Ratio LNWR bogies with Bachmann 14.1mm coach wheels.

 

 

Diagram C10 clerestory all third as detailed on gwr.org. This was my first attempt at a cut and shut in years. It's mounted on Hornby clerestory bogies cut and shut from 10'0" to 8'6", which is easier than it sounds, despite the bogies being made of a particularly evil grade of plastic.

 

 

A D7 brake third made from bits of two brake thirds, it will run on 6'4" Dean bogies. IIRC @nickwood built something similar for Much Murcle.

 

 

Above, the GWR ex MSWJR ex MR brake third that will run with number 23, again a much chopped up brake third and inspired by one that @RosiesBoss built.

 

 

The arc roof, as yet only in primer is from cut and shut clerestory roof, preserving the original Tri-ang rain strips.

 

 

The original clerestory roof had a section cut from the centre so that the rain strips lined up. This was reinforced by bridging the clerestory with a strip of.030" styrene.

Once everything had thoroughly hardened (48 hours) saw down the sides of the clerestory and remove it.

Cut another piece of.030" to fill the gap left by the clerestory and then"plate over " the clerestory area with a strip of .010" that is about 10mm wider than the old clerestory.

Once it's all hardened, sand / scrape the outer edges of the patch to blend it in with the shape of the roof.

 

It might sound like a lot of work, but it's a damned sight simpler than trying to make a three arc roof from plasticard and you get a free location rib for the sides.

 

It's a pity that you can't buy Ratio four wheeler rooves separately is all I will say!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice work there Rob.  I have a few old Hornby clerestories that you might have inspired me to have a crack at modifying...

 

[MrWolf]

8 hours ago, 57xx said:

How is the one on your CC7 doing? Mine is dead straight, nicely designed supports on the inside.

 

Most un-bendy. Had engineers on the job. 😉 

 

Shame about the painter...🙄 

 

[MrWolf]

8 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

That's not at all a wagon appropriate for Aston on Clun. More the sort of thing to be seen in a LNWR train in the West Midlands...

 

Don't you think? 

 

It was part of a stash of old kits I got from eBay containing (allegedly) the later pair of LNWR/LMS wagons and the early loco coal and high sided wagon.

Although boxed, there were enough bits missing to suggest that some previous owner had failed to RTFM and built a chassis with one short solebar and one long.  Oops.

 

The curve ended wagon is moulded in white plastic and for some reason (perhaps they were adapting it to some sort of spurious PO wagon?) the lettering had been shaved off. I did acquire a pair of Ratio LNWR chassis, but can't remember what if anything I did next!

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I tried making one of those but owing to a computational error it came out as a seven, rather than eight, compartment carriage...

That would be the rarely-spotted C8.75 then.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

Most un-bendy. Had engineers on the job. 😉 

 

Shame about the painter...🙄 

 

This engineer might have thought about a longitudinal spine too - just to be sure, to be sure.