Adam

Probably not, but I wouldn't put it past Hunslet to copy it: they once produced a ballast cleaner, I think it was, with cab styled to resemble a Met Camm DMU. Adam

Yes - they'll be one here too... Adam

Thanks for this Arthur - I never thought that I'd be lucky enough to see film footage of those Sentinels. Really, however, this is just the icing on the cake; the scale and complexity of the operation depicted is fantastic! Adam

Thanks all. Here's the last Coil J for a bit: The transfers are from Railtec and this particular wagon is based on this one (thanks, as ever, to Paul Bartlett for making his pictures available to us): http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcoilj/h3ff3ae8f#h3ff3ae8f The cradle is tacked in with a spot of PVA. I think the completion of this one means that I have about 10. That's probably enough for my purposes, but you never know, it's such a simple and satisfying conversion I might yet make another. Adam

A set of three civil engineers' hoppers, painted an weathered. All from Cambrian kits of varying vintages depicted c. 1967/8. A quick interior shot: Adam

Are these clear enough? http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brlowfit/h180434c5#h180434c5 http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brlowfit/h180434c5#h151c5789 This form of brake was quite common on builds of BR wagons from the late 1950s onwards and could be found on conflats, various types of van, some shock vans and opens and doubtless other things. In 4mm scale, Rumney Models make a nice etch for this. It's a bit of a fiddle - inevitably, some of the parts are small - but makes up very nicely. http://www.rumneymodels.co.uk/12.html Adam

Having dug around the box of half-complete projects, this Hornby hopper has evolved using leftover parts from a Dave Bradwell hopper chassis etch based on detail from this picture, taken at Shilbottle colliery. Rap plates, new hopper door catch levers and the usual cat's cradle of wire for the handrails at the end. It's quicker than the alternative options (Parkside, Airfix/Bradwell) but is it as much fun? You decide. Adam

Well here's mine: A few added bits left over from a Dave Bradwell etch, some wire and some photographic inspiration: https://www.flickr.com/photos/52467480@N08/6459060201/in/album-72157628288309427/ Adam

Another little project - a rare impulse purchase - was this Hornby shunter's truck. First, some added detail: Then paint (Halford's matt black): Then lettering (Cambridge Custom Transfers - very much early BR style of re-lettering) and first pass of weathering. Next will be some lamps, brake sticks and maybe a touch more weathering. Adam

Here we go, one repainted Dogfish, awaiting weathering. Like the Catfish, the transfers are the old Cambrian sheet produced by Modelmaster (data panels from Railtec), the handwheels are Colin Craig and the now venerable moulding scrubs up very well. Adam

Thanks Colin, this was effectively a complete rebuild and there were points when I wondered whether starting again with a new kit would have been a better idea. You can blame my teenage self for this; I should have made a better effort at cleaning up the chassis parts. The Colin Craig hand wheels are a really significant improvement but it's otherwise a good kit, if you take your time and add some reinforcement to some key joints. You're right to note that this is a southern version - if Paul Bartlett's galleries are indicative, these wider chutes were relatively unusual and seemingly confined to later builds. This one is going to be painted with reference to a Dave Larkin picture, with olive green hopper and black solebar (later olive green repaints had green solebars) and lightish weathering as it would have been a recent repaint in my period. If/when I build some more they'll have to be black; a red catfish, green dogfish and a herring in the same train is probably already pushing my luck! Despite the slag ballast conversions being - I think - an eastern or north eastern region thing, there are pictures of them on the southern - indeed, this one for example shows DB993110 allocated to the region in 1974: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brdogfish/h15c7866e#h15c7866e - though the SR seems to have been adept at borrowing everyone's hoppers from the mid-60s onwards if Dave Larkin's usual haunts at Hoo Junction are anything to go by, I guess this was part of SR modernisation works at that time. Adam

Overdone it? I think not, that looks quite convincing, above the solebar. One thing you might like to consider is that the areas with lettering tended to rust more slowly because of the multiple layers of paint so it might be worth cleaning the weathering away from those parts? My preference below the solebar these days is a coat of Humbrol no. 98, matt chocolate; I don't generally paint wagon chassis black these days. For a wagon in slightly tidier condition, however, I might wash the same matt chocolate over the black followed by some touches to represent rust from brakeshoes or oil from the brake pivots and axleboxes. I'd go for the latter approach here so as to preserve the solebar lettering. It looks as though it would reflect the images on Paul Bartlett's pages too. Adam

The latest project is a refit of what was - I think* - my second ever plastic wagon kit, a Cambrian Dogfish. I've had a go at a refit before, but this time, it's received roller bearings, OLEO buffers, reinforced and properly located hopper and made more durable by discreet reinforcement. Some nice Colin Craig handwheels complete the job. Much of this happened after the picture was taken and the wagon is now gradually turning olive green... Adam * It was nearly twenty years ago now - that's an alarming thought.

After a certain amount of thrashing about with paint brushes, several wagons have inched further towards completion. The strip coil may have almost got there but the interior might benefit from some powders? The Chas Roberts mineral still waits on lettering, but the paint finish is otherwise just about right. Adam

Hi Richard, Thank you for finding these films; they are extremely interesting for a variety of reasons but from my perspective, as a wagon enthusiast, the following notes might be useful. While there's lots of interest here in terms of the wagons involved, the main point to be noted is the date: c. 1968. In the course of the first film are, in order of appearance, one end of an 8 shoe minfit (0:37); what appears to be a retro-fitted morton-braked 16 tonner (1:28); an RCH pattern wooden bodied 12 tonner marked 'locos' (1:35) and, if the film really is from 1968, this begs a second question since steam had by then gone from Scotland; a PAIR of LNER wooden framed and bodied 6 plank open and a similar LMS 5 plank of the once ubiquitous dia. 1666 (1:42). The latter is clearly marked 'cond' and one of the LNE vehicles locos' as well, but also evidently in some sort of service. At 2:18, we see the other side of one of the LNER opens, E 238275 I think; at 2:33 an RCH 7 plank; at 2:40 some possible dating evidence in the form of a yellow liveried artic hauling what appears to be an early Freightliner box. Also shown at the centre of the shot is a dia 1/100 slope sided mineral, shown more clearly at 3:02 next to a riveted 16 tonner and a pair of wooden RCH types. Now, from what I can see my thoughts about the wooden-bodied and framed vehicles is that by this point they never left this yard but were being used mostly as reach wagons to aid shunting: none seem to appear in the exchange of wagons from the yard. Their presence, however, is an interesting exception to general 'rules of thumb'. The shot of the coalman damping the back of his lorry (an early '50s Bedford A type) to keep the dust down on what was clearly a hot day in the first video is nice too. The accompanying film, from a different time of year also has much of interest, but primarily in its depiction of coal handling and the road vehicles involved. Possibly the same Bedford A and a nice TK dropside modified with full-height 'greedy boards' are featured prominently. Thanks again. Adam

Anyhow, I've been tidying up some loose ends last night and this morning so here we are. First, the fully lettered Catfish - the yellow stencilled lettering is prototypical as this Paul Bartlett shot shows: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcatfishzev/h7792c18#h7792c18 - and the Dave Larkin picture this wagon is based on makes the difference between white (which shows up well) and yellow (which doesn't) nicely. The Modelmaster transfers, however, were all white so I spent a little time overpainting the white with yellow. It might look a little ragged here but in reality it is quite tidy and any raggedness will vanish under weathering. Here it is with the Herring, which has had a first pass of weathering. Note that the Herring is the wagon with the higher capacity and I'm now in the throes of refitting my second ever wagon kit, a Cambrian Dogfish to accompany them.* I could probably do with building a few more... Meanwhile, here's another thing, a Rumney Models chassis, much like that under the Shocvan featured earlier. This will go under something a little different but you'll have to wait and see. Adam * The very first, a mk 1 Parkside Grampus was done a while ago and the results can be found here and here.

Both Catfish and Coil J have reached the stage where the only additions are paint. The physical changes from the last update are brake actuation bits; wheels in the case of the Catfish (from Colin Craig) and levers (spares from Rumney Models chassis kits) for the Coil. All very nice components. The Catfish wears Gulf Red - in fact, Humbrol #73, matt wine, subject to several coats of Klear to provide a gloss surface for transfers - with #98, matt chocolate, underframe. The Coil is only in the first stage of painting wit a bit of matt chocolate applied to the underframe. The quality of the brake lever etches are shown to good effect. Adam

Just a recommendation and thanks to Steve for accepting the commission that has enabled me to get this wagon (from a Rumney Models kit) finished: You might like to compare this to the real thing (thanks, as ever, to Paul Bartlett). http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brstripcoil/h294aa921#h294aa921 http://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=1874 Adam

I can't say that would bother me either way Jim; I think we're long stuck with 00 for good or ill but it isn't really an issue I worry about. In the meantime, another packet from Raitec has arrived for a wagon that I have actually got ready for lettering [the build starts here for those that are interested: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37002-adams-em-workbench-railtec-delivers/?p=1230476]. The Rumney Models strip coil has been lurking in a painted but unlettered condition for quite some time, but no longer. Applied to a full gloss surface and now under a waft of Dullcote they provide an excellent result. Thank you to Steve at Railtec for taking the commission; the transfers are now part of the general range: http://www.railtec-models.com/showitem.php?id=1874 It is now time for weathering. Adam

Thank you. The Coil Rs are an indulgence on my part since they were definitely post-steam, but I'm not quite sure by how much. That said my modelling period goes about as far as 1970 so that isn't really a problem. The livery seems to have been Freight Brown. The vees for the Herring - apart from the outer pair I made myself from scratch - were from a Mainly Trains etch for 10' wheelbase Morton brakes. The levers and lever guides were from Masokits (hosted on the Scalefour Society pages, but ordering is by post and cheque only). For what it's worth, however, I was talking to Geoff Kent at Expo EM and he simply finessed the bits in the packet. So, if they're good enough for him, they'll do: I got a bit carried away... Adam

And now - so soon - the Catfish is almost finished. It does go to show how good a kit this is, in terms of detail and mostly, in terms of fit as well, that the additions made are so few. Well done Colin. I need to sort some handwheels out for it. Also on the bench is yet another Coil J which has moved on in its own small way. This is one of the batch of iron ore tipplers that had the full 8 shoe brake gear, the fittings for vac' cylinders but not the cylinders themselves; most were retro-fitted for the Mendip stone workings but some found themselves chopped about. I must do one in its original form someday. Brake levers are the next bits I think. Adam

I've spent quite a lot of time looking at pictures of Sentinels and would think such a change was unlikely (though they happen often in preservation) and the widely-held belief that industrials get chopped and changed a lot is, by and large, a modellerism rather than a reflection of what industrial operators actually did. In any event, and industrial operator is more likely to have gone back to the supplier, or in this case their successor, Thomas Hill or to have 'borrowed' buffers from another loco in their fleet - the LMS/BR heavy style of buffer was reasonably standard. Would the holes have matched the square base of the OLEO? Looking at pictures suggests not and as you say, those beams are incredibly thick. In any event, how often to buffers like this go wrong? Adam

A bit of a hiatus in coverage owing to a camera failure. Still, now that's sorted, this is where the Catfish has got to: There's nothing too much to show from this angle, barring the handrails and brakeshoes, but from here: You can see that I've overlaid the end platforms with 5 thou' sheet and pushed the handrails out a bit having drilled new holes, of course. Pretty much all that's left to do is detailing, the main wagon is all there. Adam

Very interesting. Have you found these images from the Grace's Guide website? http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Henry_Hughes_and_Co Adam

Thank you Jamie and to all the button clickers. It means a lot. Thanks Colin, high praise from someone with your talents though I should point out that the hopper interior isn't finished; the paint doesn't go all the way round yet! EDIT: the buffers are actually from 51L/Wizard Models. There's not a lot wrong with the moulded ones but replacement was quicker than fettling. Your brother reckoned the Catfish was tooled up over thirty years ago now and you'd not know really. It's a difficult prototype but does what I like about Cambrian kits because it includes almost all the detail one could wish for. I have the etched handwheels but, unfortunately, my last 0.5mm drill has gone 'ping'. More on order. The other thing I've had is an envelope from Railtec containing some specially-commissioned transfers for Coil Js and they're now part of their range so anyone else interested in modelling these has an easier job. I'm well pleased but as you can see, it'll be a little while before I get around to applying them. That's waiting on the drills, too. Adam