Oxfordrail LNER Cattle wagon

[teaky]

Oxfordrail are to produce a cattle wagon.

http://www.oxfordrail.com/76/OR76CAT.htm

Looks like two versions available this year: LNER and BR(E).

[Woodcock29]

Good news indeed.

First impressions from photos on the Oxford Rail website of both the Cattle vans and the standard LNER 6 plank are very favourable. One minor point I note is the cattle van seems to lack the upper slotted timber for locating the partition.

Both should be suitable for conversions as well - in the case of the cattle van to the unfitted variety and the 6 plank to the fitted variety.

Woodcock29

[Darryl Tooley]

Another small quibble. It concerns the off-centre stop for the drop flap. All the photographs of LNER cattle vans I've seen showing this have been 9ft wheelbase AVB fitted vehicles photographed from the single V-hanger side. Given that the standard dimensions for LNER fitted brake gear are 3ft from axle to cross shaft, and 18ins from cross shaft to brake cylinder piston, putting the cylinder precisely half way along on a 9ft wb wagon, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the reason for the offset was that the brake cylinder/mounting was in the way. This is a long-winded way of saying that I think that sample shown in the link has the offset on the wrong side of the wagon - it should be on the far side where the cylinder is.

D

[S.A.C. Martin]

Really quite happy with the cattle wagon and 6 plank wagon that have been announced. I think this bodes well for our section of the hobby, most certainly.

[James Harrison]

I think I could could certainly find use for a couple of the six-plankers and even one of the NB liveried four-plankers. I'll be breaking out my Tatlow Volume 1 tonight to check if the cattle wagon could be tweaked into something GC-ish.

[52D]

3 or 4 cattle wagons and an NBR 4 plank will be just fine for Eyemouth.

[Kestrel]

Oxford wagons

Compare the cattle wagon to the ones on here
http://www.steve-banks.org/publications ... lner-goods

[teaky]

It may reinforce Darryl Tooley's observation regarding the brake cyclinder position. Other than that I think it stands comparison very well. I like it.

[Kestrel]

4 plank
http://www.mremag.com/images/News2016/T ... fPENO7.jpg

6 plank
http://www.mremag.com/images/News2016/T ... yG0jJn.jpg

cattle wagon
http://www.mremag.com/images/News2016/T ... puWYcD.jpg

[Woodcock29]

On the Cattle van it just looks to me like the vacuum cylinder is missing (it should be on the side we are viewing) given we can't see the other side. Don't like the look of the strange vacuum pipe they have stuck on the end - it appears to have no upright pipe.

The 6 plank certainly has the brake pull rods the wrong way but the rivet detail on the corner plates looks to be spot on (this was queried above) but the rivets on the end stanchions are not in the correct place on comparison with a photo in Tatlow.

Still they will be nice models for those who don't build kits. I'll probably buy one of each for comparison with all my kit built versions.

Woodcock29

[Kestrel]

This matter is discussed on another thread at viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10487&p=114582#p114582

[adrianbs]

Hi All Woodcock20 is incorrect about the end stanchions bolts as I know well from my researches about 40 years ago and advice on the prototypes from Mr T himself. The LNER used both handed and non handed stanchions on a specific end but the non handed version appears mainly on the earlier batches. It is not clear if the opposite ends might have been the other hand on those but it seems probable. It is possible that both hands were produced but it was the luck of the draw which was bolted to the headstock since the predrilled holes at the bottom were identical. Once in place the holes in the planks were just drilled according to where they were on the stanchion. It's disappointing that they have chosen to model the heavily tapered stanchion rather than the parallel version with just the top angled off. The latter can be converted to either of the other two types for a bit of variety. As modelled the OR version would need the stanchion "Leg" replaced, not a job I would contemplate.
The brakegear is totally wrong and looks like the same moulding as used on the POWs. It is possible this is only on the samples and a version with accurate pushrods ( NOT pullrods ) will be fitted although I have my doubts. The levers will thus be wrong as there is no reversing clutch or simple clutch on the POW moulding nor a cross shaft. I did point out the corner plate bolt alignment is wrong because the bolts are arranged with equal spacing vertically whereas the OR model clearly shows them to be uneven with the upper bolt through each plank too high up. I am not happy about the proportions of the buffers which are the same as the PO wagons and rather undernourished with the bodies overlong. I wonder if they know or even care that the fitted and unfitted buffers have different lengths of body casting as well as different overall lengths.
The Cattle Vacuum cylinder certainly is missing but as Darryl Tooley says the stop is OK for the side with the cylinder but on the other side they have made the solebar identical when the cylinder bracket bolts are not needed and the stop is central. If the stop is easily removed it may be fairly easy to correct this but unlike a kit they could have made it correct in the first place. Unfortunately the plate on the drop flap for the banger is also in the wrong position on the side away from the cylinder I have already pointed out, on the linked site, the partition locators are missing and there is also a problem with the brake levers which stand out a very long way from the Vee hanger and have no plain clutch detail. The buffer bodies look the same as the 6 plank which is incorrect although they do seem to have longer spindles on the turned heads to make them longer overall. Bearing in mind nearly 40 years have passed since the first 6 plank wagons were produced in kit form, and even had internal bolt detail, it is surprising that an rtr model should have the errors noted. Some of these problems may just be due to cutting corners on research and tooling costs but some would have cost no more to tool as long as the tool room were given appropriate instructions. The errors may be the price we have to pay for a low RRP.

[adrianbs]

Hi All again There is also one other potential disaster looming on the Cattle which I cannot at the moment confirm either way. The model photos all show the partition slot detail at the LEFT HAND end but on the side with the Double Vee it should be at the RIGHT HAND end if Tatlow is correct for all of these. Either way it must be at the same end even if the body happens to be reversed. The few pictures of the OR model shown so far could indicate either the body is the wrong way round on the chassis or the body moulding has a very serious error !!! We need more pictures of the model.

[mick b]

Hi All again There is also one other potential disaster looming on the Cattle which I cannot at the moment confirm either way. The model photos all show the partition slot detail at the LEFT HAND end but on the side with the Double Vee it should be at the RIGHT HAND end if Tatlow is correct for all of these. Either way it must be at the same end even if the body happens to be reversed. The few pictures of the OR model shown so far could indicate either the body is the wrong way round on the chassis or the body moulding has a very serious error !!! We need more pictures of the model.

Indeed !!, when we actually see a production sample we will then know !! There is no need for pulling a pre production example to bits again, I doubt if Oxford or any other manufacturers take much notice of what is said on here.

[D2100]

[
...There is no need for pulling a pre production example to bits again, I doubt if Oxford or any other manufacturers take much notice of what is said on here.

Really, Mick? What's the point of them, then?

I do seem to recollect that something on the PO wagons was corrected on the basis of feedback gained from a pre-prod.