Make do and Mend - Keeping going

[mick b]

Didnt know about the doors , I now agree central perhaps the drawing in the link is correct ??

[jwealleans]

That looks rather better than my kit one, David, which I think is oversize and lacks definition in some of the detail.



Thoroughly approve of 400 bold heads - did you add any of the less self confident ones at all?

Even with rivet transfers, I can only applaud your devotion to the cause and those look too well defined to be transfers.

Tare weight should be on the solebar, surely, a little right of centre?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Very nice, seems a fairly easy way to get a 6 wheel chassis, Top work

manna

Thinking out loud..........wonder if you could make 6 wheel coaches, that way

[drmditch]

Thoroughly approve of 400 bold heads - did you add any of the less self confident ones at all?

Even with rivet transfers, I can only applaud your devotion to the cause and those look too well defined to be transfers.

Tare weight should be on the solebar, surely, a little right of centre?

The timorous ones fell out! (you can see the hole drilled for one of these on the first picture in grey!)

The bolt holes were drilled .5mm, and Evergreen 218 Rod (dia .5mm) fitted. In a few places I tried the alternative method, just placing a small section of plastic with scalpel and brush. This was actually more time consuming and not as precise as drilling holes.

I am very aware that the detail on my more recent builds has been overstated, but I think this comes back to what 'looks right' on a small model. The planking was all scribed, and at some stages of the build didn't look very good. However, after painting and weathering it seems to be reasonable now. This van was built from the drawing on Page 53 of Vol.3 of Mr Tatlow's invaluable work. It matches up fairly well, although I did have a problem getting the side heights correct, and despite all my intentions the flitched solebars are about .5mm to deep. I also worked from the photographs, especially for the door-slide support brackets - which were really fiddly, although not as bad as the four armed strap-work at the bottom corners of the doors. My bench is still littered with failed attempts for those.

Please may I ask about the lettering positions on your model?
The picture in the Ken Hoole book mentioned above shows the '15 Tons' on the LH door.

Thank you everybody for your nice comments.

[jwealleans]

I can't honestly remember what photograph I worked from for the lettering, David - I have the single volume Tatlow as well as the new multi volume edition, but I also use Hooper's Wagons of the LNER (Volume 1, North British, but no subsequent editions have ever emerged as far as I know) and the Cheona volume put together by the Williamsons (again Volume 1 but the only one to have emerged to date). It's a fair bet it was in one of those and most likely Hooper or the earlier Tatlow as they're the ones which live by the workbench.

[drmditch]

I can't honestly remember what photograph I worked from for the lettering, David - I have the single volume Tatlow as well as the new multi volume edition, but I also use Hooper's Wagons of the LNER (Volume 1, North British, but no subsequent editions have ever emerged as far as I know) and the Cheona volume put together by the Williamsons (again Volume 1 but the only one to have emerged to date). It's a fair bet it was in one of those and most likely Hooper or the earlier Tatlow as they're the ones which live by the workbench.

Thank you. The picture in my edition of Mr Tatlow's one volume book is the same BR liveried van as shown in Vol.3 of his extended work. I don't have the Hooper or the Williamson's book - but will keep a look out for them in future.

The Ken Hoole book I mentioned above (North Eastern Branch Line Termini ) has on page 71 a picture attributed to 'L.Ward' of one of these vans used for storage at Guisborough in 'BR days'. It is probably one of the 'converted' vans to dia 152b, as I think your model represents. It has the large 'N' and 'E' on the doors, and '15 TONS' on the LH door. It clearly did not get post-1936 small lettering, because that would have replaced the lettering on the LH door. The bottom triangle on the centre panel has been painted out, and the legend 'NOT TO LEAVE GUISBOROUGH' and the BR No. 040008 placed there. Unfortunately the lower half of the RH door seems to have been painted and/or re-planked. The tare weight is just above the brake lever guard, and would have been obscured by the RH door when open.

I'm sure I've seen another picture of this van somewhere, but can't find it at the moment.

It could be of course that Cowlairs weren't always consistent in how they painted LNER liveries!

[drmditch]

My A8 (see page 3 above) had to visit the shops recently having developed a mysterious and intermittent short circuit. This was solved by re-making one of the washers which control the pivoting and sliding action of the bogie, and also refitting the cylinder assembly slightly. This latter has made the cylinders fit better as well. I also took the opportunity to make and fit a new cab roof. The cast one is 1.2mm thick, and my new brass one is 0.4mm. I always thought that the original roof made the whole locomotive look too high. I'm happier with the new one anyway.

A study of Yeadon Vol. 21 suggests that were three different versions of cab roof for the A8s. I asked the question ....here... but none of the good people on this forum has confirmed my theory yet.

It's not a sunny day in Durham, but I thought it might be interesting to try some pictures on my actual railway.

Here is 9870 leaving Durham St Margaret's (my fictional fourth Durham station) with a mid-afternoon train to Darlington formed of a 'C' set and a CCT.

... and here arriving at Broompark. (Another one of my fictional stations.)

One day I will get my railway up the standard it ought to be. I have a pending house move, so there has not been much work on the infrastructure recently.

[earlswood nob]

G'day all on a black day in the Surrey Hills.

The A8 cylinders look good, DRM. Not sure about the pre-46 number on the J39.

I'm looking forward to getting back to modelling as my back is improving slowly.

One of the first things I shall do is finish the rake of clerestories following your methods, and complete the A6 & A8 to haul them.

I don't think one could ever become satisfied with a railway as one's modelling techniques are always improving.

Earlswood nob

[drmditch]

Not sure about the pre-46 number on the J39.

Yes, it should have been re-numbered two months before the A8, and it may well be the wrong number as well. That is an unmodified split-chassis J39. It doesn't run as well as I would like, so it's stuck at the end of the head-shunt awaiting attention. My other two J39's - one is an SE Finecast kit, and the other a Bachmann body adapted to fit a Comet chassis are powered by my usual Mashima/Comet two-stage-gearbox and are much more reliable!

I do keep to two periods on my railway - one in 1938 (approximately) and one in 1947 - but it's 1954 actually and nationalisation hasn't happened, or not in the form it actually did. Since it's 1954 the LNER (having avoided bankruptcy) has painted some of it's structures and stock back into NER livery.

Well. it's my railway!

[earlswood nob]

Well said DRM
It's your railway and you run what you like.

I don't have the Bachmann J39, so cannot comment on the chassis. My J39's (Wills) are now fitted with Comet chassis and Mashima motors and High level gearboxes. They run so much better than the original Triang chassis.

I do have another Finecast J39 with a 3500gal tender, that will be converted into a J38. The J38's did not run in Yorkshire, but neither did the P2's or K4's.

Good luck with your move, and I hope you have a large railway room.

Earlwood nob

[drmditch]

Here are the ten thousand.
(EDITED - the shiny wheels showing in the first load of photographs have been corrected thanks to Messrs Carr's products)

Well, three of them anyway. The basic moulding for these LMS three-plank dropside wagons has been around for ages; none of them with correct brakegear. It is still shown on the Bachmann list, still using their slightly improved 'generic' underframe. Those shown here are all modified Mainline/Dapol/Bachmann. Since there is no RTR LMS fitted underframe, here is 473449 fitted with a Parkside underframe slightly improved.

For some reason both Mainline and Bachmann produced versions of this moulding lettered for the NE and numbered 535962. This can only be the ex-GC vehicle drawn on Page 10 of Peter Tatlow's 'LNER Wagons - an illustrated overview' and shown in more detail on Page 107 of his 'LNER Wagons - Volume 1'.

So, since I needed a subject for experimenting with scratchbuilding an open-sided vehicle, here is the 'real' 535962, complete with lifting-link brakegear.

(According to Mr Essery, the LMS did build ten thousand of these vehicles, by 1947 the LNER would have been down to about 400 (if I've counted correctly) of which this particular design would have been one hundred and fifty six. Since by then even the fitted ones would have been common user, and the proportion of LMS to LNER common-user vehicles would have been about 4 to 3, then perhaps I should build two more. GN Colwick wagons perhaps?)

[drmditch]

Since the plank width does not appear to match any of the available commercial products, the sides had to be scribed. In order to avoid the plastic warping, the sides and ends were made up of a three ply plastic composite, with the outside layers scribed before the layers were assembled with solvent.
One side did warp a little, but now seems to have corrected itself.

(Sorry - the battery on my digital caliper has expired - and I cant report the thickness of Evergreen sheets I used.)

I'm fairly happy with the resulting thickness of the sides, and perhaps this technique may work for other higher-sided open wagons.

The rest of the construction can be seen here 'in the plastic'. It's not perfect, but it started of as an experiment so I thought I should finish it.
The buffers are actually an NER prototype, but were the closest match I had in stock. The coupling hooks are filed up from brass. This is a cheap way of using up small offcuts of brass sheet and/or bar. I need to make a steel template so the task would be quicker and produce a more consistent result.

This is also my first GCR built vehicle!

[drmditch]

The wagons shown below are nothing to do with the above multiples of dropside vehicles, but since it is a sunny day and I had the camera outside I thought some people might like to see them.

This D14 is based on a very old Triang donor vehicle, with a brass trussed underframe (which could really do with replacing). The bogies are the originals.

The D15 is entirely scratchbuilt, utilising a Slaters embossed sheet to get the rivet detail. It may be a bit crude, but it is a fairly quick way to build a vehicle like this. The plastic structure is fairly strong, with a lead weight built in below the central well. The bogies are much hacked about from (I think) Triang originals.

I made these some years ago, based on NERA pictures and drawings before Peter Tatlow's Volume 2 was published, and they could both do with some improvements and detailing.
I hope my modelling standards (and my aspirations!) have improved over the past few years, but I'm still fairly happy with these two

The buffers on the D15 were scratchbuilt, and then Lanarkshire Model Supplies produced their very nice white metal castings!

[drmditch]

Very strange things were sighted on the ECML at Pilmoor yesterday evening. Not only were two A8s seen at once, but one was running up on the Down line!

That track gang don't seem at all worried though!

Craig took some much better pictures (this one is just from my mobile), so hopefully more can be shown later. Many thanks to the very hospitable group at Ormesby Hall for letting me run some of my stock, even if most of it is ten years too late!

[Tom F]

Very nice drmditch. Although I don't often comment, I enjoy reading through your thread. Your fleet look very nice on Pilmoor.