Fish vans

[Atlantic 3279]

Re photos how do you post yours ?

Brief explanatory PM sent.

[jwealleans]

Falcon Brassworks latest news can be found here.

They offer the GNR fish van you've created there, Graeme, as well as an older, clerestory one (No. 4 on page 15 of the Covered Goods section of the GNR Illustrations of Wagon Stock booklet).

NBR developments is a new manufacturer on me. Wizard Models offer the NER open fish truck as scottiedog has already pointed out. Are there any photos of these in use? They carried some sort of tank or box, presumably sheeted?

I'm afraid I have very little idea of what's about in 7mm, Mick, except that Dan Pinnock still offers almost all his range in that scale so you should be able to find most of what's here in 4mm. 65447 or Buckjumper will be able to give more definite information.

[65447]

I'm afraid I have very little idea of what's about in 7mm, Mick, except that Dan Pinnock still offers almost all his range in that scale so you should be able to find most of what's here in 4mm. 65447 or Buckjumper will be able to give more definite information.

Taken from the D&S Kits thread on here:

Copy in the Yahoo! 7mm Group Files section here: D&S 2009 pricelist

[buckjumper]

Big Jim does an LNER fish van

[buckjumper]

D & S long wheelbase van in use by LNER as a fish van:

Danny also does this in 7mm - it's the GC 15T double door van, cat. DS68-7.

[7mm Mick]

Thanks Chaps, when the time comes i'll source some of these,

ATB Mick

[cthompson]

Here's the diagram 37 van in the Ormesby fish train. I'm amazed how many people think it's a cattle truck!
As I remarked at the time of its first posting, I didn't have a drawing to work from, just the three-quarter view in PT's book. Only dimensions I had were the 14' WB and 23' body length. Cross-sectional profile is accurate given that I used the ends from the 9' WB diag.23 van courtesy of Adrian Swain. The sides I made up from plastikard (2mm planking) with evergreen strip for the outside framing. I cheated with the doors though; they're actually cut from a Parkside GWR Mink D (but the diagonals are too thin)! Looking at the official drawing which I've now received from the NRM (reference 2556), there's a fair bit which isn't quite in proportion so I might have another go.

[PGBerrie]

does anyone else know of any of the above models replicated in 7mm please ??

Can I add 2mm to the wish list?

I have an unbuilt BH Enterprises LNER Fish Van kit (outside frame) for a Peco 10ft (?) chassis. When I bought it, the 9ft chassis was not available. Did any of these make it to BR ownership?

Peter

[Atlantic 3279]

I cheated with the doors though; they're actually cut from a Parkside GWR Mink D (but the diagonals are too thin)!

Excellent application of otherwise completely useless material (anti GWR jibes over and done with). I do like the result too .

Do you mean than the diagonal braces are literally too thin? I only ask because some people have strange ways of putting things, and I just wanted to check that you didn't instead mean that the angle was too upright and the whole door too narrow for instance - not that I'm suggesting that to be the case. Are the rest of the Mink D door features correct? And what did you do to produce the underframe? I'm just wondering whether the Mink D doors are good enough to justify the cost of a Mink D kit in order to get them, also whether the ABS ends can still be had, and whether there's enough of a "resin opportunity" in the rest of the vehicle to justify an attempt at producing a part or full kit. It may only be those of us with strange fishy tastes to whom it would appeal.

[jwealleans]

You've tempted us with this resin components prospect before. I'd have two or three if you did them.

[Atlantic 3279]

It is tempting to try to model that van, for the sake of its unusual features for the time, but going by the figures kindly provided by Silverfox the dia 37's were outnumbered almost 20:1 by dia 23's, and 40:1 by each of the later inside framed versions. Unless those dia 37's were known regulars on a particular service, it might therefore be unrealistic to have several of them on a layout. On the matter of numbers however, if those number series genuinely were ALL fish vans, I am staggered by the total of over 5000 group standard fish vans to pre-WW2 designs, on top of the pre-group vans that would still have been in service. Had it been possible to maintain availability and utilisation of just the 5000 GS vans to levels such that every vehicle ran full every alternate day, and ran empty on the days between, that would equate to 50 full fish trains and 50 empty trains of 30 vehicles each, running every day, with 2000 vans still available as tail traffic for passenger services.

On the particular features of the dia 37 van, in Tatlow's photos, I notice that whilst the framing of the ends and the framing of the doors matches the dia 23, all the plank lines in both the doors and even the ends are in slightly different positions by virtue of the slatted upper sides. That does make it slightly awkward to use the ABS kit parts as a short cut if the intention is to get things "just right" . It is more than a matter of cutting the upper parts of the doors to create the slats. Those "scissor" joints in the side bracing have some interesting overlapping metal straps on them too. I'll have to keep my thinking cap on a while longer in order to decide whether to have a dabble with this one!

[cthompson]

Glad you like the dia 37 van Graeme! I agree it would be useful to know in which services they regularly ran. I've never seen a photograph of one in action.

Atlantic 3279 wrote

Do you mean than the diagonal braces are literally too thin?

Yes, the diagonal bracing should be the same thickness as the door frame and central vertical post. Otherwise the Mink D doors are pretty much spot on for size. You're right of course about the diag 23 lower side planking being different; having closely studied the Tatlow photo, I had thought that the ends were a good match though but I'll check this with the NRM drawing.

[2512silverfox]

I am sure that the Dia 37 vans ran on Scottish fish trains to London and may have run on similar trains originating on the ex GC area. I have one photo of a 'cripple' at Hitchin dated C1938 which confirms this. It also shows that some had disc wheels and some had split spoke wheels.

I have a Dia 37 van on the drawing board at the moment. Peter Tatlow provided the source info, and I intend to scratchbuilt the body from plasticard. Don't hold your breath though!

[52D]

Just been rebuilding our facebook page which was hacked and have come across a good addition for those modelling fish trains. An open wagon loaded with barrels of salt herrings at the back of a mixed train. Did Yarmouth and Lowestoft fish pass Thurston? if they did surely a prototype for your train.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fb ... =1&theater

[jwealleans]

Very much appreciate the thought, 52D, but I can't see that - I'm the person who doesn't have a Facebook login (nor the slightest intention of having one).