Connoisseur 7mm NER V1 Brake Van: Sprung Buffers

[richard]

I'm making good progress with the kit - including most of the roof/lookout this morning. Along with the end stanchions, it is the roof which is distinctive about these brake vans.

Anyway, it comes with solid cast whitemetal buffers. I remember someone saying they had successfully replaced the castings with sprung buffers? I think it was here. Who was it? Which buffers did you use?

I'm looking and so far can't find any of the right type. I've checked the old Fourtrack catalogue and the Gladiator website. I have some Slaters NE Van Buffers but these aren't the right shape.

They should be rounded bodies with rounded flanges, and a small straight/flat bit on the top of the body. The castings are a good match to the photos that I've found.

The Slaters van buffers have a rectangular body and multiple 'ribs'. I guess three of the ribs could be filed to make it closer to the brake van design.

Richard

[chaz harrison]

Richard,

no direct answer to your question but.....

Sounds like your Slater's buffers are LNER rather than NER?

Try Haywood? They have quite a range of sprung buffers - very nice white metal housings with steel rams.

or try drilling out the castings provided and adding Slater's rams and springs? Did you get more than four buffers in the kit? Jim often throws in a spare. If so you can try this with the spare first.

or use the castings as supplied. I put the solid buffers on my Connoisseur V4 van. If, after you have painted and weathered the van, you polish the shank with a very narrow strip of fine wet and dry it will look like they are sprung. The white metal polishes up and looks like bright steel (see snap - sorry, it's not the sharpest pic I have ever taken). If all your other wagons are sprung, one with rigid buffers will hardly notice.

Chaz

[richard]

I have a scan of the buffer pages from the Haywood catalogue, but don't have any contact details and it looks like they don't have a website (I'm in the US). As it is, I can't see any decent matches.

The Slaters buffers say "NER Van", although they do like some LNER castings sold by other companies.

I think the best approach might be to find a good match for the circular body and then modify to get the flat bit on top. Probably use a bit of styrene, because I don't think I could solder brass and get a good clean solder joint due to the shape & size.

Or to stick with the solid castings (like you did with the V4). No I don't think there are any spares in this one - there were in the Ag Impl wagon. I guess it depends on the kit.

Richard

[chaz harrison]

Richard,

I am going to the annual Gauge O Guild show at Telford on Saturday. I will check out the Haywood stand if they are there and see if they have a sprung buffer to suit the V1 van. Any chance you could post a snap of one so that I can see exactly what I'm looking for?

Chaz

[richard]

Thanks for looking.

A bit difficult to get a good picture, but the attached has two of the castings and two pictures from Tatlows. The castings don't photograph very well but hopefully the lower photo gives a better idea.

The ones in the pictures look like they have larger steps.
(yes one of the photos is of a V1 fitted with side lookouts)

I think Telford is next week? Feel free to get a set for me, if you see some. I can settle up with a sterling cheque or Paypal. I'd also be interested if you see any NER P4 coal hoppers (or any other new NER stuff for that matter).

Richard

[chaz harrison]

I will see what I can find.

Telford is this coming weekend (5th & 6th September).

The picture of the van, with several blokes posed on it, makes it look as though the step (?) on the top of the buffer housing is off centre, rather than the small tab on the castings. Can anyone confirm this? I would solder a piece of brass to the housing to reproduce this if I were going to use Jim's castings.

[richard]

I got the impression that it wasn't off centre, but simply wider than the 'ridge' on the Connoisseur castings. So yes, a flat bit of brass or styrene would do an excellent job. I'm not sure if I'd trust my skills to solder it (and clean it up) so I'd probably use epoxy.

One suggestion is that a Caledonian buffer might do the job.

If finding a suitable buffer body is too difficult, then I could always simply use the cast ones.

Richard

[chaz harrison]

Richard,

I was at Telford yesterday and, as promised, checked out the Haywood stand. Some very nice buffers but nothing that would serve for your V1 I'm afraid. I did try!

Chaz

[richard]

Thanks for looking Chaz.

The soldering iron seems to be on the blink at the moment, so the buffer issue may not actually hold construction up very much!


Was there anything else of interest for those with an LNER inclination? Any new kits available?


Richard