Pre-Group Covered Wagons & Horseboxes

[MikeWilliams]

John,

It always surprises me how widespread your knowledge is of these things.  For me, if its not LNWR I probably don't know!

Anyway, not sure about the L&Y vans but the LNWR ones were covered in louvres.  Maybe this is not the best thread to ask, but I've used various methods of maki9ng these in 4mm and 7mm but never in Gauge 3.  Is it best to copy the prototype and make separate pieces assembled into a frame, or has anyone tried a different method in Gauge 3?  Again, from LNWR practice you can NOT see right through as there was a gauze on the inside.

Mike

[John Candy]

Mike,

I use two methods, depending on spacing.
For close-spaced louvres, I use Cambrian Models parts which are a pre-spaced skeleton which is trimmed to size and glued to a backing.

For wide-spaced louvres (as in planking of GWR fruit and fish vans) I scribe them with an angled knife blade.

John.

[John Candy]

Attached are examples of resin castings made from patterns using Cambrian Models louvres.
One is an improvement to a GRS LNER horsebox kit, the other a radiator vent cover for a GWR AEC diesel railcar.

John.

[midnight miller]

Hello All

Re the above list of vans , If you went with the mink and did the door as seperate parts . Would it be possible to get a range of vans out of one kit plus the cement branded vans as a few pre group companys ran them . A bit out of my depth on this one !


                                  John . T

[John Candy]

Hello John,

Unfortunately, 'iron minks' are a complex subject.
Quite apart from the GWR V6, there are vans from several different Welsh constituent companies (as well as the cement vans and Spillers flour vans) and, while they are all similar in style, they do differ dimensionally.
The GWR V6 body pattern has already been completed and is currently with the resin casters (Mike Williams will be able to give an update on the progress).

The one variation which may be possible without too much difficulty is the GWR gunpowder van but this would be a long time in the future, since there is a programme of pattern making already in progress which should see all the wagons included in poll introduced during the course of 2010.

Regards,
John.

[MikeWilliams]

Just to confirm John's note above, the Mink body is still with the resin casters who are due to be chased this week.  All other parts are completed except for the buffer guide which is being cast elsewhere and the roof, which will be etched and not done until the first test resin comes back - in order to make sure it fits exactly.  This means a slight delay, but I am fairly confident all will be ready by the AGM.

Different doors would have been useful, but I reckoned people might be happy to modify them themselves, particularly as most of the Gunpowder vans used by various companies had flush doors which are easier than the standard GWR ones.  These companies also tended to use their own standard running gear, buffers and brakes, so there is more to it than just changing the doors.

I hope you do modify one for Spillers Flour or one of the cement companies John - they would certainly be eye-catching in their bright colours.  Rather you than me with all that lettering though!

Mike

[John Candy]

The Poll has been updated with additional options for the LSWR sliding door van.
If the variants listed are of interest to you, please vote.
The variants have differing arrangements of side, end and roof ventilators and the AVB vans have 11 ft WB and Mansell coach wheels (hand brake only vans have 10ft 6in WB and wagon wheels).

John.

[Kalinowski]

Hi there all, just a thought of a very common wagon type, historically seen in vast numbers, that is railway non specific.

I have recently made up three "Dumb Buffer" 5 plank center door, coal wagons which were very common up until 1910 or so. I used Mike's W irons and axle box castings, but the underframe and sides were hand built using Lemon wood. I used square section nuts in brass to apply to the corner plates from a supplier in the USA which are very nice, but very expensive.

I would humbly suggest this wagon type as an option

regs PK

[midnight miller]

Hello All

Regarding wagons with a hint of guilt and shame because I have not bought any yet . I would like to endorse P .K. 's comments about opens and coal wagons . A five plank to R.C.H. speck and also a seven plank with no end door come to mind also a round end wagon with the option of up dateing it  with sprung buffers . [ see the works of Tavener and Hudson , Vol and Page no's to follow ]


                                              John . T .

[Andy B]

I second the proposal for a 5 plank RCH to one of the pre-1923 specs.
Believe I'm right in saying that early dumb buffer wagons often had spring buffers added later (happy to be advised further, I don't claim any real knowledge on the subject!) - so there should be scope for a number of variants.

Andy

[John Candy]

Early dumb-buffered wagons were converted by fitting self-contained buffers.

My speciality is vans and NPCS so I will leave it to Mike to comment on forthcoming kits for 'opens'.

Regards,
John.

[MikeWilliams]

Thanks for the suggestions.  The problem with all this is time.  I'm surprised and encouraged by this interest in early periods but I make just one kit for a dumb-buffered wagon (admitedly its not a P.O. but an LNWR) and generally people are put off it because they see it as being too old and it has sold extremely slowly and will not recover its set-up costs for some years.  Interestingly, though I made an RCH standard self-contained buffer and special plates to strengthen the corners specially to convert this kit from dumb buffers, only one person has bought these with the kit.

I want to make a 6-plank or 5-plank 1907 RCH, and also GER and GNR opens, using standard fittings already available, but there are just not enough days in the week.  Then there's a second carriage, two loco kits, the "Venture" steam loco ......

Mike