West End Workbench

[Woodcock29]

Great work as always Jonathan.
Regards
Andrew

[Atlantic 3279]

Yes, somebody has evidently been busy and productive.

[Hatfield Shed]

Another vote for the effect of patiently fitting securing chains on the loaded conflats.

... The left hand wagon has distorted quite badly; it's the first I've had from Mr. King which has done this and none of the others in the batch of these he did shows any similar signs. It's just unfortunate this was the one I'd detailed and painted. The picture exaggerates the effect, but it may have to be withdrawn in the future...

Repurposed might be the better option? It's met with a significant accident while in traffic, and - possibly with the wheels removed - can become a load on any suitable wagon with a flat deck that you have available, as it is worked back to a wagon shop for component salvage.

[Dave]

Well you have been busy, great work as usual.

[jwealleans]

Hatfield, that's an excellent idea. I shall keep that in mind.

Some more limping over the finish line tonight. Job lots often contain one or two mineral wagons of varied parentage, so here are a selection relocated to the Nottingham coalfields (or passing through Colwick at least).





I think one of the essential sights of the prewar steam railway is a procession of minerals of different heights and sizes meandering on their unhurried way to more or less everywhere. Different sizes of wagons make the trains much more visually interesting than a string of 16 tonners, however varied the detail on the latter may be. Here the Cambrian Hurst Nelson (I think) from Shirebrook sits between two repainted Bachmann 8 plankers. I'll never grow to love Powsides transfers, but I do feel that I can tackle them on equal terms these days.

There's one more of these to finish, it having been delayed by my breaking an axleguard off when fitting the base for the load.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Lots of lovely Locos and wagons to start the year off.

manna

[D2100]

... Different sizes of wagons make the trains much more visually interesting than a string of 16 tonners, however varied the detail on the latter may be. ..

Go and wash out your mouth with soap and water

[jwealleans]

I had to after sieving all that coal....

[D2100]

[jwealleans]

Some more items cleared off the bench this evening.

The first D210 twin is now complete and ready to be run in. There's a wheel dragging somewhere but I can't pin it down - twenty minutes round a layout should leave enough of a mark to find it. The second one is awaiting bogie footsteps which I have to order from Dart.



This has been hanging around for a while. Another job lot buy, not what I bought the job lot for as I recall but a bonus win, a D & S NE D67 horsebox. It was incomplete and came with no bits, so I've had to find or make the missing brake gear, one lot of door dampers and other bits and bobs. The buffers and axleboxes were all present and correct, that's usually the trickiest bit. The Powsides lettering I was using up made a bid for freedom as well, but that'll tidy up and weather over.



All tonight's wagons were from the Christmas ebay job lot and I remembered that I'd downloaded the photos to make sure of what was included. So here are some before and after shots. Firstly, the last of the PO minerals, now with MJT W iron and a brass brake lever after I broke that as well. It's been relocated much further north.





North British van - I thought this was Kirk, but it must be NuCast or Cotswold as it has whitemetal solebars and headstocks.





Lastly a 3H open. I knew this was a bit rough, but wasn't too bothered either way. The corners never tidied up enough to be satisfactory, so a tarp was the obvious answer.

[jwealleans]

I spent a little time this afternoon - it's bitterly cold here as I gather it is almost everywhere - on a couple of grain vans which I've been going to refurbish for Grantham use for a long time. One is a Parkside kit, possibly the very first one I built - it was certainly one of these, bought from the much missed R & D Models in Cambridge - while the other has a more interesting provenance.



Some time ago I bought a scratchbuilt grain van to the original pattern off Ebay. It looked nicely done and wasn't expensive (this was long before lockdown). Despite having scratchbuilt two previously i didn't have one for myself - one lives in the Ely Club shunting stock and one was a commission. When it arrived, it was indeed pretty well made but also had a brass underframe which just pulled out. Left with a plastic body like that, my thoughts turned at once to resin casting and my good friend and colleague Mr. King duly obliged.

I must have had this getting on two years and am only now doing anything with it. It's acquired a 60 thou plastikard floor, MJT w-irons and a plastic hopper up to now. I've then secured the floor, having put some weight inside and made solebar to body brackets. It's had a waft of grey primer so you can see it in the photograph which also shows that it's a midge's higher than the PD one, but within what I'd call the 'tired springs' range. I can always put Gibson or Wizard wheels into it to lower it slightly once finished. Brakes are still to do - making them a sturdy structure may be a challenge - and buffers, which will probably be a Dave Franks GWR pattern. For those who don't know, the LNER borrowed drawings from the GW and copied them for these vans. I have made a GWR one and they are almost identical.

I'm not sure whether or not these are currently available within the extensive King's of Grimsby range.

The Parkside one will have a repaint, new buffers and a general tidy up. I've also opened up the inspection windows in the ends, which were only plated over after 1948.

Also pretty much complete after I added brakes this week, this Peter K GNS horsebox we saw not too long ago. This has been fiddly and a bit of a nuisance. I haven't been able to add all the foot steps either as the way the thing is designed would have put them out of gauge. The strapping was all added with Evergreen strip and seems to have all but vanished in the photo. Hopefully weathering will bring it out again, it was a long job and does appear more distinctly to the naked eye.

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm curious to know whether the horses of North East Scotland were unusually heavy, giving rise to the need for six-wheeled conveyances.

[jwealleans]

I think I mentioned the 51L GC Loco Coal wagon not too long ago. It arrived on Friday.



Pretty straightforward but one trap for the unwary - the brakes have to go on the opposite way round to usual. Unlike a Morton fitting, the lifting link goes on the same side as the brakes. I didn't spot that when I read the destructions and by the time the penny dropped they were too firmly fixed to remove without risk of destruction. So feel free to get over that pitfall by walking on my prone form....

[scottiedog]

Should this wagon put in an appearance at Ingleby’s next running day, whenever that might be, I promise not to mentioned “the faux pas”. Well maybe not.

[Dave]

Oh please do it will be very funny.