West End Workbench

[jwealleans]

More wagon therapy this last few days.  I'm building up for something else once I've cleared a few jobs off the bench.

 

A friend on the LNER Encyclopedia forum, Rob Bergin, very generously sent me some wagons he felt were out of his chosen era.   As I'm working on wagons for Wickham Market at the moment, they've been added to the pool for that layout.  That means early BR paint and lettering.

 

 

PC12, LNER plywood sided fruit van.   This kit is no longer in the Parkside range.  They just need the wheels painting and couplings, then they're ready for weathering.   Having looked at a couple of photographs and other builds, I might well add some chalkboards to these.  All these wagons have had my usual detailing - solebar body brackets and bits if wire all over the brake gear.

 

 

PC59, LMS 6T fish van.   I struggled to find photographs of these, so I had to work largely from the PD instructions.   I can see I forgot to remove the spurious M from the Modelmaster lettering as well.  The paint has come up a bit variegated, which I'm hoping I can capitalise on in the weathering.

 

 

LNER D5 horsebox (PC 83).  A familiar and deservedly popular kit.   I've added the usual wire to the undergubbins and brass door handles, but the real change with this kit is to replace the horribly overthick opening lav window frame with 20 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.   For me it transforms the look of the side.   Most or all of the others I have are in crimson, so I did this one in a transition livery.  This was also one of those not allocated to a specific trainer, so no 'Return to..' lettering.

 

Now a couple of things I have built myself: when Andrew (Woodcock29) was in these parts from Australia and helping with Grantham at Bristol Show, he gave me a small box of wagon kits he'd decided were surplus to requirement.   This is one of them, a Cotswold Pipefit.

 

 

It was not quite complete, but the missing bits were underneath and out of sight, so easy to replace.   I've also ditched the rather crude brake shoes and used the Mainly Trains etches instead.    It only took a couple of hours to put together, with an overnight rest to allow the epoxy securing body to underframe to set.   I'm very grateful to Andrew and hope he likes what I've done with it.

 

 

Lastly the Flatrol ELL/Warwell B I started at Warley.   I've been dragging my feet on this because I didn't fancy the microscopic HMRS BR lettering.   In the end it wasn't as bad as it might have been and I did the other side in LNER lettering, so i only had to endure the BR sheet once.  This is riding about .75 mm too high, which I think is down to my mixing parts from two different manufacturers.   I don't think I have any scope to lower it further so it will have to stay like this.   It's got that squat appearance which the real thing had, but the gap above the axleboxes is a giveaway.   It will have deck rings and chains in due course.

[John Isherwood]

8 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

 

 

Lastly the Flatrol ELL/Warwell B I started at Warley.   I've been dragging my feet on this because I didn't fancy the microscopic HMRS BR lettering.   In the end it wasn't as bad as it might have been and I did the other side in LNER lettering, so i only had to endure the BR sheet once.  This is riding about .75 mm too high, which I think is down to my mixing parts from two different manufacturers.   I don't think I have any scope to lower it further so it will have to stay like this.   It's got that squat appearance which the real thing had, but the gap above the axleboxes is a giveaway.   It will have deck rings and chains in due course.

 

What is / are the origin(s) of this wagon, please?

 

John Isherwood.

[jwealleans]

Morning John,

 

The body is by Wild Boar Fell.  It's not a great quality print and took a lot of cleaning up.   I replaced the buffers with Dave Franks ones and hand drilled all those holes.   The bogies were truly awful and I dumped them when I found that Chris Mead, who has the Overlord layout, could print them.  That's where the slight mismatch in design approaches has come in.  He offers a full kit with different detaling options, but I was too far invested in the original body by then.   If I were to do another one I'd go straight to him.  

 

 

Edited June 9 by jwealleans

[John Isherwood]

2 hours ago, jwealleans said:

Morning John,

 

The body is by Wild Boar Fell.  It's not a great quality print and took a lot of cleaning up.   I replaced the buffers with Dave Franks ones and hand drilled all those holes.   The bogies were truly awful and I dumped them when I found that Chris Mead, who has the Overlord layout, could print them.  That's where the slight mismatch in design approaches has come in.  He offers a full kit with different detaling options, but I was too far invested in the original body by then.   If I were to do another one I'd go straight to him.  

 

 

 

Thank you - duly noted.

 

John.

[jwealleans]

Another donation from the Rob Bergin collection today: a Parkside long CCT.    I haven't worked on one of these since about 2008 and didn't expect to again after the Hornby one came out.   It's a good kit in its own right, but there's plenty you can do to enhance it.   I've photographed it unpainted so you can see what I've done.

 

 

 

From the top: oil lamp covers (two discs of 10 thou punched out of plastikard), cornices (some seem to have had them, some not), replacement roof vents, wire handrails and door handles, solebar to body brackets, replacement steps for some which were missing and brake rigging.   The brake rigging is much easier to drill out when the kit is in the flat, but it is possible to do it to assembled models with care.   I did try to get it complete for the photograph, but I've forgotten to add the dangly vac pipe.   This one will also be in a brown transition livery as the other two we have on Wickham Market are both crimson.

[Chas Levin]

14 hours ago, jwealleans said:

Morning John,

 

The body is by Wild Boar Fell.  It's not a great quality print and took a lot of cleaning up.   I replaced the buffers with Dave Franks ones and hand drilled all those holes.   The bogies were truly awful and I dumped them when I found that Chris Mead, who has the Overlord layout, could print them.  That's where the slight mismatch in design approaches has come in.  He offers a full kit with different detaling options, but I was too far invested in the original body by then.   If I were to do another one I'd go straight to him.  

 

 

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking it well worth the effort Jonathan, very interesting and unusual item! Quite tempted to have a go at one myself...

[John Tomlinson]

On 08/06/2024 at 21:14, jwealleans said:

More wagon therapy this last few days.  I'm building up for something else once I've cleared a few jobs off the bench.

 

A friend on the LNER Encyclopedia forum, Rob Bergin, very generously sent me some wagons he felt were out of his chosen era.   As I'm working on wagons for Wickham Market at the moment, they've been added to the pool for that layout.  That means early BR paint and lettering.

 

 

PC12, LNER plywood sided fruit van.   This kit is no longer in the Parkside range.  They just need the wheels painting and couplings, then they're ready for weathering.   Having looked at a couple of photographs and other builds, I might well add some chalkboards to these.  All these wagons have had my usual detailing - solebar body brackets and bits if wire all over the brake gear.

 

 

PC59, LMS 6T fish van.   I struggled to find photographs of these, so I had to work largely from the PD instructions.   I can see I forgot to remove the spurious M from the Modelmaster lettering as well.  The paint has come up a bit variegated, which I'm hoping I can capitalise on in the weathering.

 

 

LNER D5 horsebox (PC 83).  A familiar and deservedly popular kit.   I've added the usual wire to the undergubbins and brass door handles, but the real change with this kit is to replace the horribly overthick opening lav window frame with 20 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.   For me it transforms the look of the side.   Most or all of the others I have are in crimson, so I did this one in a transition livery.  This was also one of those not allocated to a specific trainer, so no 'Return to..' lettering.

 

Now a couple of things I have built myself: when Andrew (Woodcock29) was in these parts from Australia and helping with Grantham at Bristol Show, he gave me a small box of wagon kits he'd decided were surplus to requirement.   This is one of them, a Cotswold Pipefit.

 

 

It was not quite complete, but the missing bits were underneath and out of sight, so easy to replace.   I've also ditched the rather crude brake shoes and used the Mainly Trains etches instead.    It only took a couple of hours to put together, with an overnight rest to allow the epoxy securing body to underframe to set.   I'm very grateful to Andrew and hope he likes what I've done with it.

 

 

Lastly the Flatrol ELL/Warwell B I started at Warley.   I've been dragging my feet on this because I didn't fancy the microscopic HMRS BR lettering.   In the end it wasn't as bad as it might have been and I did the other side in LNER lettering, so i only had to endure the BR sheet once.  This is riding about .75 mm too high, which I think is down to my mixing parts from two different manufacturers.   I don't think I have any scope to lower it further so it will have to stay like this.   It's got that squat appearance which the real thing had, but the gap above the axleboxes is a giveaway.   It will have deck rings and chains in due course.

 

A great collection, as usual!

 

I was especially interested to see the LNER longfit, as I've just bought (off ebay) something that looks identical, but with a K's label. Plastic uppers, white metal chassis, you've made me want to crack on and build it now!

 

John.

[jwealleans]

2 hours ago, John Tomlinson said:

Plastic uppers, white metal chassis, you've made me want to crack on and build it now!

 

It sounds like the same kit.   I have rebuilt one before, in 2018.    If you're finishing it in LNER livery, I commissioned the lettering from John Peck.   If you PM me I'll try to find the reference so you can order some.   This is it to the right.  That one was from NuCast, I was told.

 

[John Tomlinson]

2 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

It sounds like the same kit.   I have rebuilt one before, in 2018.    If you're finishing it in LNER livery, I commissioned the lettering from John Peck.   If you PM me I'll try to find the reference so you can order some.   This is it to the right.  That one was from NuCast, I was told.

 

 

Many thanks for the reply. I'll be doing BR livery, so probably faffing about with those little HMRS numbers!

 

John.

[jwealleans]

23 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

very interesting and unusual item!

 

It is.   I spotted it in a wartime film someone linked to on here last year and it just made an impression.   Your posting reminded me that I've also completed the Bolrecs you sold me just before Christmas:

 

[Chas Levin]

14 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

 

It is.   I spotted it in a wartime film someone linked to on here last year and it just made an impression.   Your posting reminded me that I've also completed the Bolrecs you sold me just before Christmas:

 

Another lovely job. Would they have had to have match wagons (is that the correct term, for those specing wagons they had next to cranes to accommodate the jib?) either end of a load as long as that?

[jwealleans]

9 minutes ago, Chas Levin said:

Would they have had to have match wagons

 

I'm not sure whether the term is match wagon or runner but yes, they would.  I don't have any pictures of it, but there's a whole train of these pipes with two or three wagons needing runners.   Looking at the relevant LNER instructions, they aren't forthcoming on the correct term.

 

Edited June 10 by jwealleans

[Chas Levin]

Ah - of course - is that from the LNER unusual loads booklet discussed upthread? I should have thought of that. Will you be making a pair of suitable accompanying wagons then? 😉

[jwealleans]

23 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Will you be making a pair of suitable accompanying wagons then?

 

Already provided for - Lowfits, conflats, a single bolster (and a twin) and a Cambrian LMS 1 plank.   I do need to set the train up to see whether I need any more, but there's always another wagon handy.

[Chas Levin]

6 minutes ago, jwealleans said:

 

Already provided for - Lowfits, conflats, a single bolster (and a twin) and a Cambrian LMS 1 plank.   I do need to set the train up to see whether I need any more, but there's always another wagon handy.

 

Oh, nice point: those little match/runner wagons so often look just like single bolsters or conflats. Were they often just used for that purpose on the full-size railway?

[jwealleans]

2 minutes ago, Chas Levin said:

Were they often just used for that purpose on the full-size railway?

 

I bow to those with direct experience, but I believe so based on pictures.

[billbedford]

Well, they couldn't really use a van as a runner.

[Chas Levin]

17 hours ago, billbedford said:

Well, they couldn't really use a van as a runner.

Absolutely, Bill! I meant that I'd previously thought that match/runner wagons were another specially built type of wagon, but then realised they could just have used things like single bolsters and conflats instead of having a whole different type of vehicle to design, commission and build. Totally unimportant point though - sorry for taking up space on your thread with this, JW!

[John Isherwood]

2 hours ago, Chas Levin said:

Absolutely, Bill! I meant that I'd previously thought that match/runner wagons were another specially built type of wagon, but then realised they could just have used things like single bolsters and conflats instead of having a whole different type of vehicle to design, commission and build. Totally unimportant point though - sorry for taking up space on your thread with this, JW!

 

I know for a fact that the GWR built some dedicated match wagons, and I would not be surprised to learn that other railways did so also.

 

CJI.

[Compound2632]

The usual thing to do was to have a string of single bolster wagons with the bolsters removed from those which were not to bear the load.

[jwealleans]

Picking up where we left off, LLCK and Longfit are now lettered and varnished.

 

 

There were two steel highs in the pack Rob sent me; I have worked on one but the other is on hold.   The buffers on these had the extended lugs like those on end door minerals.  I've used the slightly shorter unfitted buffers as I think the lugs are more apparent than the different length, but I'm all out now so the second one will have to wait until I put an order in to LMS.   There are also plates from the solebar to the verticals each side of the door.  I did add the door springs but two have already fallen off, so I'll make those from brass strip and pin them.

 

 

The cattle wagon was in the pile of built wagons to work on and looked as though it wouldn't need much.   Whoever built it knew enough to build an unfitted one, but didn't paint it, just lettered directly onto the plastic.   I had to replace a missing spring/axlebox and put 20" buffers onto it.  I also added the roof laths.   I can't get the roof off so the inside will stay unpainted - hopefully it won't be too apparent.

 

 

I have a couple of BT(4)s on the go: the Kirk one above will run in the Hunt Special once complete.   I need to finish off the body and then close it all up.   This came to me via Ebay from the collection of the late amd much lamented John Fozard.

 

 

The other is the rear brake for the Easterling set.  I've built this so we can run it as a coherent set: there's one more carriage to build but I may not have that one done by the time the layout goes out.   This is an MJT kit.

 

 

That leads me to the other critical part of the Easterling, the motive power.   I've been told that this was a Stratford B1 turn, but the Hornby B1 I have wouldn't move the set.   I picked up this NuCast one part built for south of £50.  Someone had done quite a bit of detailing work on it and replaced a lot of the NuCast bits.   

 

 

I'm just working out how to fit a big High Level motor into it and then I can crack on and get it complete and painted.  I have a picture of 61236 on the Easterling, so that is probably the identity it will take.

[jwealleans]

Mission accomplished tonight - make up the gearbox (Road Runner plus) and make sure it fits sensibly into the frames.

 

 

I usually prefer to drive on the centre axle, but it shouldn't make a huge amount of difference and the original builder meant it to be driven on the rear axle (he's filed a flat on there).   I can now plan pickups and where I can add ballast to the chassis.   There'll be room for some along the top of the boiler as well.

 

 

Had to nibble a little bit off the rear of the backhead mount, but it's all satisfyingly hidden away now.

Edited June 17 by jwealleans

[Woodcock29]

On 10/06/2024 at 23:15, jwealleans said:

 

It sounds like the same kit.   I have rebuilt one before, in 2018.    If you're finishing it in LNER livery, I commissioned the lettering from John Peck.   If you PM me I'll try to find the reference so you can order some.   This is it to the right.  That one was from NuCast, I was told.

 

Nice to see the Longfit finished Jonathan. It's actually Sutherland/Cotswold but later it could have ended up under NuCast given their loco kits did. I checked the unmade one I still have and there is one of the w/m coupling mounting pieces extra so that's why you were short of one. There were no w/m mounts for the vac cylinder though.

 

I built 2 of these back in the mid 80s and had to hand-letter the small block right of centre. Not sure my hand would be steady enough these days!

 

Andrew

[jwealleans]

1 hour ago, Woodcock29 said:

... it could have ended up under NuCast ...

 

It did, I have one still in the packaging.   The 'Longfit' lettering is clearly too small, can't think how that got past me the first time but I'll amend it before I ask John to print any more.   There's quite a lot on that sheet and i haven't got anywhere near finishing it yet.

Edited June 20 by jwealleans

[Barry O]

I have two Nucast/Sunderland ones. They need no weight to stay on the rails, the Parkside ones do.

 

Baz