One Piece Open - Mousa Models LNWR dia. 84

[Adam]

And now, something completely different (well, for me), part of a programme of unfitted open construction. This, from Bill Bedford's Mousa Models is an LNWR dia. 84, quite a common form of open high that lasted into the '50s in reasonable numbers. Below is what turns up in the box. A big bit:

 

 

 

A complete body and underframe (there's a separate floor), all square and nicely defined. The resin is extremely robust so I've no concerns about the brakegear or levers lasting in traffic. Among the innovative features are 3D printed springing units which work very well, on trials (the principle is exactly that used in Bill's etched W irons: a bearing carrier slides inside the W-iron on a guitar wire spring. The only difference is that the spring (an 'L' shape) is mounted into a hole and a bracket rather than fixed the the bearing carrier).

 

 

There are also printed sprung buffers, and couplings. I did trial assemble a buffer, and the concept works, but since I had some metal heads and springs in stock and the printed heads are a little chunky, I have substituted these. The couplings are workable - I've seen versions on Bill's stand over the years, but they are scale and my standard is a bit bigger to make them workable for my hands and eyes so I used these instead (no slight is intended, I'm fairly sure that they'd survive well in use).

 

 

Note the buffer assembly jig - very clever, and it works. Anyway, here it is after a bit of cleaning up and a waft of primer (note that I had to replace the door spring plate on one side so that it lined up with the spring - I suspect a copying error here - a scrape with the scalpel and scrap of 5 thou' tacked on with cyano'. I was surprised how the striations visible before hand are not too apparent.

 

All quite promising, I think.

 

Adam

 

 

[jwealleans]

They're very good, these resin kits.   They take hardly any time to assemble and all the ones I've had have been, as you say, neat, square and tidy.  The sprung underframes run really well too.

[Adam]

On 14/11/2022 at 14:53, jwealleans said:

They're very good, these resin kits.   They take hardly any time to assemble and all the ones I've had have been, as you say, neat, square and tidy.  The sprung underframes run really well too.

 

Yes, I'm quite impressed. I'll be finishing this one in LMS condition (rather than BR, a small train of pre-Nationalisation wagons is the aim), but the LMS rang a few changes to the LNWR original:

 

 

So we have LMS (RCH pattern) owner's plates, 'modern' label clips and a horse hook. I've run out of primer so I'll have to wait to complete it, but you really could do one of these in 24 hours.

 

Adam

[Adam]

Following consultation with photos a few more minor details. The usual door chains (twisted wire), spring stops (I used an etch from Rumney Models, but there are dozens of ways of doing these) and some extra strapping on the doors.
 

 

Now it's ready for paint.

 

Adam

[Compound2632]

On 17/11/2022 at 09:33, Adam said:

So we have LMS (RCH pattern) owner's plates, 'modern' label clips and a horse hook.

 

The LMS renumbered all the wagons it inherited, except for those of the Midland. The process took some time - there are accident reports well into the late 20s that list among the casualties wagons such as (made up example) "LNWR open No. 56789", which I think is evidence that particular wagon hadn't yet been renumbered 256789 and got its new plates. I believe this explains why there are a good few Midland numberplates surviving in various collections, public and private, but hardly any from the other LMS constituents.

[Adam]

Thanks, Stephen - LMS wagon numbering is the bane of modellers' lives: none of this blocks and sequences nonsense from Derby! There's a Midland van for this train as well.

 

Adam

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, Adam said:

Thanks, Stephen - LMS wagon numbering is the bane of modellers' lives: none of this blocks and sequences nonsense from Derby! 

 

There is some logic, according to Essery & Morgan the LMS number is the pre-grouping number plus so many tens of thousands, depending on the pre-grouping company. The diificulty lies in knowing the pre-Grouping number! Plus the LMS filling in the gaps (and, I think, continuing Midland renewals) with wagons built in the 1920s, especially D1666.

 

I suppose this renumbering was done as wagons passed through the works, and presumably wagons were still going to their "home" works for overhaul, so LNWR wagons would have been renumbered at Earlestown - but this is my speculation. did they have a pile of plates ready to go or did they cast them as the wagon went through the works? I'm not entirely sure about the frequency of works visits in the 1920s but in the late 19th century on the Midland, a wagon not seen for more than two years was a matter of concern.