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OCTOBER 2021 UPDATE
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STEVE CARTER
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KARL CROWTHER
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STEVE HARROD
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PETE JOHNSON
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PAUL JAMES
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HYWEL THOMAS
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GREG BROOKES
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KIER HARDY
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Full time work on the tank wagon project has been stymied by my involvement with a kitchen
refit in 12" to 1' scale. Despite this some progress has been monitored - the diagonal stays
as shown here on the ex Air Ministry version have all now been fabricated.
The tank barrel for the anchor mount variant has received its two metal saddles, the central
tank wrapper along with tank end caps and a valve / filling hatch.
Due to the more pronounced curvature of the ends of 20T tanks it proved impossible to fabricate
them using the ball bearing method. Instead two sections of 60 thou plasticard were first filed
into a circle before then being laminated together. When set a mandrel was used to fix them into
a drill which allowed them to be turned with the deft use of a blade before finally being sanded
into the correct shape.
As a break from tank wagons attention turned to a couple of Parkside kit builds. In 1959
British Railways turned to the American 'Tote' container storage system which was licensed for
manufacture in the UK to Pressoturn Ltd of Leamington Spa. These 'T' type containers could be
transported ten at a time in a random selection of D1/462 12T Pipe Wagons, these being modified
with internal springs. B741136 was one such vehicle, as depicted in an official booklet
outlining Freight Services & Facilities.
Construction of a Parkside PC43 kit followed the same pattern outlined by Geoff Kent in "The
4mm Wagon Part 3". As well as changing the axleguards from BR Heavy Duty to BR Standard and
adding the capping straps to the top edge of each side, the buffer stocks were removed to
allow the fitting of 1' 6" Spindle types with a 13" head and the brake gear was lengthened
slightly to ensure a more prototypical gap between wheel and brake shoe. Internal springs
were added using 1 x 1mm strip with additional bolt head details added to the exterior.
Five diagrams covered 'T' type containers, each using the same footprint but varying in
height to give differing cubic capacities. Dia 3/700 were rated at 42 Cu Ft, Dia 3/701
provided 74 Cu Ft and Dia 3/702 95 Cu Ft. The slightly later built Dia 1/704 types were
more or less the same as 3/701 as were the most numerous type Dia 3/703 which had two
additional vacuum connections on their roof. All were fabricated from aluminium with a
pressed lid and bottom married to two sheets forming the body, each with a single
discharge hatch and a 9" filling hatch. Here the 74 Cu Ft type was the chosen option,
constructed with 40 thou sides and a 20 thou roof on which was placed a 3mm disc and
bands of 10 thou to represent the filling hatch and inset brackets respectively. Each
of the larger sides also has an inset 10 thou rod to represent the weld lines between
the two body components. Official BR diagrams show that a separate lifting lug could be
added (for crane loading?) but the few available images suggest that loading by fork
lift was the norm, thus negating the need for these.
Thankfully the measurements worked out with all ten seen installed. In use they appear to
have been left unpainted with a aluminium finish on display to which customers could add
promotional advertising (with containers being leased they would only be available for use
by that customer). The concept of the 'Tote' system allowed materials to be stored stacked
ready to use and being sealed could be stored in situations that would otherwise damage their
contents. Known commodities carried included Activated Carbon, China Clay, Corn Flour,
Glass Batch, Lacquer, Pitch Granules, Plastic Powders, Slate Dust and Sugar along with small
quantities of powdered chemicals to oil refineries. A major use for them was to transport
Carbon Black from Avonmouth to Fort Dunlop, presumably the reason why most of the dedicated
Pipe wagons were labelled "RETURN TO AVONMOUTH TOWN W.R. (CHITTENING ESTATE)".
Another distraction in the form of a Parkside PC49 LMS 20T Brake Van was activated to depict a
D1940 type. These were a bridging design between the early MR inspired 12' wheel base vehicles
and the later Stanier types with their longer 16' wheelbase. D1940 types had a 14' wheelbase
which is just about possible to recreate from the kit by the shortening of each end of the
solebars to the outermost suspension bracket and removal of a central portion to be replaced
with a longer piece of 4mm Evergreen channel which will later be disguised by the two innermost
stanchions for the footboard. Problems with getting a square van body without gaps appearing
on the chamfered end posts saw the ends reconstructed using a variety of square sections
(another change with this diagram saw the central vertical stanchion on the veranda end move
from being offset to the centre line) . A weakness of the kit is the suspension springs are
incorrect in having only four leaves instead of eight so 5 thou replacement springs have been added.
Progress has been somewhat modest this month, mainly sorting out various smallish jobs and a
couple of wiring issues. The Marthwaite Branch sector plate now has something to stop locos
running off the end – a basic fabrication in 60-thou Plastikard that will hopefully do the trick….
At the other end of the fiddleyard, the Peco turntable has now been installed and is waiting for
some track to reach it. These are easily convertible to EM by soldering a length of BH rail,
upside down, beside the head of the FB rail included in the kit. Fortuitously this gives an 18.2mm
track gauge when the rails are installed onto the deck (not my idea I should point out). It does
mean the running rails are upside down, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
Pointwork to reach the turntable has also been designed in Templot. This will actually give me two
short extra storage roads that will house DMUs. Also seen here are the ‘buffer stops’ now deployed
in the fiddleyard. These are very simply short pieces of 25mm x 25mm plastic
angle screwed to the baseboard.
The fiddleyard is now beginning to look a bit more purposeful now that some
motive power is starting to appear…….
Also, some of the buffer stops are starting to be fitted, based on Lanarkshire Models kits. They
don’t currently do a Furness type, but their L&Y variant can be quite convincingly converted to the
FR pattern. Those seen here are at the ends of Platforms 1-3 at Kendal.
A visiting loco, is this very nice ex-Midland 3F which uses a Craftsman kit for the body, with a
Comet chassis & High Level gearbox. Pity it won’t be a permanent feature……
Another visiting loco, this time seen at the fledgling Kentside quarry. This has a Judith Edge
replacement chassis kit for the Oxford Rail Yorkshire Engine Co. Janus 0-6-0DE (sandboxes still
to be re-fitted).
I have managed to find some time to get stuck in and almost finish off both my mini-warship
projects - the 2 cut and shut Bachmann NBL class 43 Warships that will be housed inside the
works. All thats left to complete on these 2 are the cab footsteps and then some brake dust
weathering on the lower valences, and detailing of the head codes - these being taken from
the control cards for these locos 841 Roebuck & 865 Zealous of what they were booked to work
directly after repairs were made at Newton Abbot works on the 23.04.71. New glazing has been
cut and then stuck in place using watered down PVA glue using capillary action.
I have also turned my attention to D861 Vigilant, having re-gauged to EM and taken the NBL
raised roof grill and lowered them into the Swindon flat version, as D861 carried this style.
My attention then was focused on painting the Modelu driver and detailing the cab interior,
and then making a start on the weathering of Vigilant. D861 lasted in maroon small yellow
panels until 02.01.71 whereby it was sent to Swindon Works for overhaul, however I have
decided to model one side of it in the condition it was bought out of store at 81A Old Oak
Common in 1969, the reason for this is I would like to get a green small yellow ended Warship
which will become D854 Tiger, so will act as a nice companion. The other side will be how it
was in 1970/71. I started the weathering process as I usually do by removing the prestolith
(again using photos of D861) with an artists engraving tool (sharp pointy end thingy). Once
this is completed out comes the maroon paint for patch painting over the prestolith where
it has dropped out from the bodyside.
The heavy weathering over the nameplate area is prototypical from an image I have of Vigilant
at 81A, it appears the boiler was removed/replaced and all the detritus landed on the bodyside.
It took me three attempts to try and perfect it, and in the process of removing the other 2
attempts I inadvertently removed the Bachmann roundel! The HMRS pressfix temporary substitute
is incorrectly offset, so a set of Fox transfers are on the way.
A view showing progress so far on the works and traverser, with a inset pic of Newton
Abbot as it was back in the day.
The changing image of British Railways in the North East of England in 1967 is the theme for
this month’s picture collection. Thornaby allocated Class 10 D3144 runs round the short trip
of Bogie Bolster C wagons loaded with steel bar which it has just brought into the yard.
Early style Drewry Class 04 D2205 runs along the roadside track in front of a assortment of
wagons reflecting the heavy industry of the region.
A few days later a Twin Bolster wagon is in the consist of the steel bar trip, as D3144
positions the wagons into the high level sidings. The loco had a service life of 14 years
before withdrawal in July of 1969.
The Class 10 shunts back. The Eastern Region of BR seemed quick to embrace the new lettering
style of the rail blue era, and D3144 has had the number re-applied in the new style vinyls
and yellow buffer beam repaints, although the 1957-style badge remains unchanged.
D2205 picks up the trip wagons, making ready to take the steel bar into the docks. The loco
was the sixth of the type built, and went on to serve BR for just short of 16 years before
being sold into industrial use during July of 1969.
The Class 04 is seen again on the centre road of the yard.
1967 was to bring a repaint for D2205, with yellow used for the buffer beams in line with the
new British Rail image, yet receiving fresh green (rather than blue) overall livery. This
time the new vinyls for both number and badge have been applied.
Another visitor to the yard on a local trip is Class 08 D3316. This example of the class had
also recently been repainted, but this time more fully in line with the new BR corporate image.
Most early 08 repaints into blue had the badge on the cabside, before a shift to the bonnet
side position for repaints of a year or two later. In contrast to the non-standard shunter
types, D3316 went on to enjoy a 26 year useful life with BR.
The four Dia 1/208 vans are now ready for weathering. All four are for use in 1970s sequences
on the layout and markings inspired by Paul Bartlett photos from the middle of that decade have
been applied. B767293 continues to wear its original set of markings, but has a more recently
applied black maintenance data panel at bottom right. The tare (7.6) has been reapplied as a
bit of an afterthought.
B761490 has been patch-painted over the original marks, with stencil style replacements added.
B774125 is a ply door variant, probably subject to a repaint in the mid-60s, when a full set
of datapanel style markings have been applied. The metric tare weight and yellow data sticker
will be more recent additions.
The last of the group, B768832, has been treated to a full repaint during a mid-70s wagon works
visit, and has typical framed markings.
With all the trackwork finished and tested on the scenic baseboards, a start has been made on
the end curves with a lift out section to give better access when the layout is not in use.
When in place, the lift out section is secured with a couple of brass plated door bolts.
The 2 tracks head off to the storage yard (on the other side of the room) which will consist
of a few sidings and a traverser. Future plans are for the tracks to continue to an end curve
at the other end of the room, allowing for continuous running/testing of rolling stock.
Test running taking place in this view on the industrial line laid to a radius of 27 inches.
The main line behind the kettle is laid to a radius of 36 inches.
After completing the large and rusty internal wagon fleet last month I decided to have a
bit of rest with little modelling to report. Here we see the new fleet on their first
outing to Morfa Bank on teir way to Knill’s yard for some more scrap. The Alco will be
heading back light as there is no traffic to collect today.
The same train from the other end. The pilot is awaiting the departure of the BSC engine
before preparing the newly arrived empties for their trip down to the scrap yard via the tramway.
While hunting down very old mineral wagons in the loft ahead of the modelling of the
internal wagons I discovered an Ian Kirk Mink C. I had forgotten this was up there and
had watched numerous example going for silly money online. Deciding it could do with a
rebuild (it was built in 1979!) the thing soon came apart after so many years in an uninsulated loft!
The plan was to rebuilt it as one of the later, similar, vans that ended up in the WR Enparts
fleet. These were actually six inches longer (and with a 12ft 6in wheelbase) but I decided I
could live with that as the Kirk body mouldings were so nice. The ends were discarded and
replaced with Ratio examples. The outside framed door was then roughly filled in with 60-thou
sheet offcuts ahead of rebuilding it as the later, more familiar, inside framed variety.
Here we see the various changes with the new doors almost done made from 10-thou overlays.
Some ABS brake bits have been added underneath while the original roof has been re-fettled to
fit the Ratio ends and fixed in place.
The footboards were made form various thicknesses of strip. Split pins were then opened out
flat and bent to shape using an etch folder.
The completed van after a coat of engineer’s olive green. This van did run in either freight
or a very dirty crimson until around 1970 but when I found the original some years later it
was in faded olive so I decided it would be freshly painted in 1972. The Archer rivet
transfers on the doors worked well. All it needs now is a bit more light weathering and the
brake pipes painted and it’s ready for service.
While digging out the photos of the Enparts van I came across two of the ex-GWR sleeper wagons
that ended up carrying concrete castings from Taunton Concrete Works. I had a Cambrian kit in
the stash and so dug it out and built it as per the instructions. It makes up into a nice model
of one of these unusual wagons.
After a coat of the same green that graced the Enparts van and the addition of some suitable
transfers from a sheet I made up a while back it was ready for service. A suitable load is
being prepared at the moment and should be added in a few days.
A view looking over the wall at the stabling point, showing a Class 24 with inspection
saloon, whilst another Class 24 passes by on the main line with a ballast train.
A couple of clips taken at Shenston Road featuring a Class 40 with
a freightliner service, and a pair of Class 20s on a coal train.
Recent scenic work on the layout has been the construction of this access road and
pavement, defining the boundary of a parcel of land for further development work.
A pair of Hymeks passing each other - green full yellow end D7005 heads a loaded coal
train towards East London, whilst green small yellow panel D7020 heads north with a
rake of empty 21t hopper wagons. Both detailed and finished by Greg from the Shenston
Road fleet captured during a recent running session.
Brush 4 - 1628 from the Eastwell fleet with a southbound passenger service and D7020
at the head of a coal train.
56038 Western Mail is seen here at the head of a MGR service heading back to the Midlands.
This double motored Mainline model has been in the Eastwell fleet for many years, detailed
and finished by Paul James.
A couple of short clips showing the station before and after the
extension board
was built, taken during a running
session in 2019, and again in September 2021.
