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Oxford Rail announce OO gauge 6-wheeled GWR Toad Brake Van


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An interesting choice out of all the types they could have picked.How high did it poll I wonder.

 

Hello GWRrob

 

The Van received 134 votes in The Wishlist Poll 2015.

 

That placed it in the upper echelons of the Middle Polling segment. It was about the same in 2014.

 

By comparison (in 2015), Heljan's Tank Wagon had 138 votes; Oxford's LNER 6-plank had 126 votes; Hornby's Coke Hopper had 125; and Oxford's LNER Cattle Wagon had 124.

 

Brian Macdermott (on behalf of The Poll Team)

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Interesting to read this, sitting in the sunshine in Spain :-)

I wonder how long it will be before Bachmann or Hornby offer us shots of their soon to be completed AA series Toad van. Pure speculation, but we have two shutters trucks already.

The six wheel is an interesting choice, one that will be great at Henley.

£12.50 at Hattons, seems a great bargain. (Usual disclaimer applies)

That's an unbelievable price for one of these in 2017.Lets see what we get fot the money.

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... Maybe Oxford are finally producing something that's worth buying, although a 4 wheeler would be better...

 Did you miss the LNER six plank general merchandise open? That's the second most common type of the common user general merchandise open wagons built in the UK during the Big Four period, seen everywhere. And happily, OR's best effort seen to date; the small error in brake equipment easily corrected by anyone concerned to do so, otherwise a good match for a well finished kit build.

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 Did you miss the LNER six plank general merchandise open? That's the second most common type of the common user general merchandise open wagons built in the UK during the Big Four period, seen everywhere. And happily, OR's best effort seen to date; the small error in brake equipment easily corrected by anyone concerned to do so, otherwise a good match for a well finished kit build.

An LNER 6 plank wagon has absolutely no place in 1905, and all this common user stuff is many years off in the future! A 6 wheel brake van isn't much use on a sleepy branch line then either, as they were busy being dragged around at the end of long coal trains! A 4 wheel 20ft van, without all this newfangled sheeting over the bottom planks is another matter though.

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Interesting to read this, sitting in the sunshine in Spain :-)

 

I wonder how long it will be before Bachmann or Hornby offer us shots of their soon to be completed AA series Toad van. Pure speculation, but we have two shutters trucks already.

 

The six wheel is an interesting choice, one that will be great at Henley.

 

£12.50 at Hattons, seems a great bargain. (Usual disclaimer applies)

 

There speaks a man who recognises how things go these days - I think I'll have a tenner on which one will be on the model shop shelves first.

 

As for £12.50 I seriously wonder what on earth that is likely to buy (not that it will tempt me as the six-wheelers are too early for me as far as I can establish)?

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I thought the GWR just stuck an extra axle on the same chassis, so why swap it? Even the one off broad gauge convertible just had extra bits stuck on the side.

I meant how easy would it be to swap the Oxford body on to an Airfix or Ratio chassis.

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I meant how easy would it be to swap the Oxford body on to an Airfix or Ratio chassis.

The Airfix chassis is for a 24ft van, while this is a 20ft one. You'd need to cut a bit out of the middle of the Airfix chassis. I haven't looked at the Ratio kit. That's one of the problems with my part done conversion. I've trashed two Airfix and one Tri-ang body so far to get a 20ft van with no sheeting over the bottom planks, and when I eventually get the new body together, I need to cut the Airfix chassis into four bits, to shorten it to fit the body, and widen it to broad gauge. Chopping out the centre wheels and widening the chassis, plus maybe a few detail changes, makes the Oxford model more appealing!

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Hello Stationmaster (#30)

 

 

According to what we say in The Guide to The Wishlist Poll, they lasted generally to the mid-50s. Poll Team member, John Lewis, photographed one in the mid-60s. It had not long been withdrawn from service.

 

Brian Macdermott (on behalf of The Poll Team)

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An LNER 6 plank wagon has absolutely no place in 1905, and all this common user stuff is many years off in the future! A 6 wheel brake van isn't much use on a sleepy branch line then either, as they were busy being dragged around at the end of long coal trains! A 4 wheel 20ft van, without all this newfangled sheeting over the bottom planks is another matter though.

One of the Oxford versions is shown as registered to Bridport, a fairly sleepy branchline.

 

I too associated these with heavy mineral trains so I'm not sure why one would be allocated to Bridport.

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One of the Oxford versions is shown as registered to Bridport, a fairly sleepy branchline.

 

I too associated these with heavy mineral trains so I'm not sure why one would be allocated to Bridport.

But when? I've always assumed it was in some far off future when viewed from 1905. Modern image (post 1914) modellers may be able to get away with it.

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But when? I've always assumed it was in some far off future when viewed from 1905. Modern image (post 1914) modellers may be able to get away with it.

Don't know if Oxford have a date for the photo. It looks old.

 

Edit: Just referred back to the photo (post #1). It is late as sides plated. So perhaps allocated to Bridport in semi-retirement. Also marked "RU" - restricted use??? If so, rather limited in application. I know I always say this - but wouldn't it be better if they left the model unlettered and supplied some transfers?

Edited by Joseph_Pestell
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The Airfix chassis is for a 24ft van, while this is a 20ft one. You'd need to cut a bit out of the middle of the Airfix chassis. I haven't looked at the Ratio kit. That's one of the problems with my part done conversion. I've trashed two Airfix and one Tri-ang body so far to get a 20ft van with no sheeting over the bottom planks, and when I eventually get the new body together, I need to cut the Airfix chassis into four bits, to shorten it to fit the body, and widen it to broad gauge. Chopping out the centre wheels and widening the chassis, plus maybe a few detail changes, makes the Oxford model more appealing!

The problem with the Airfix chassis is the terrible plastic that takes no glue or solvent and it has Eyebolt suspension rather than the single link as appears to be fitted to all GWR type vans!

 

Mark Saunders

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Is there scope for lopping off the middle W - irons and making another 4 wheel toad? No place for a 6 wheeler for me sadly, bu ta really interesting choice of prototype for RTR, I like where they're headed with this! 

I've just been looking at a website which lists GWR brake vans. Amazing amount of variety and no doubt full of traps for the unwary.

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Is there scope for lopping off the middle W - irons and making another 4 wheel toad? No place for a 6 wheeler for me sadly, bu ta really interesting choice of prototype for RTR, I like where they're headed with this! 

They had the same body as 4 wheel vans built from 1888 to just before WW1, with detail differences, and the same overall wheelbase. So it should just be a matter of removing the centre W-irons and making a few detail changes. It should also be fairly straightforward to convert them to ballast brakes, and fully enclosed tunnel vans. There was also one built as a broad gauge convertible in 1890. That's why it's a shame it's a 6 wheeler, as it would be easier to convert a 4 wheeler to 6 for a bit of variety, but a pain to convert several 6 wheelers to 4.

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Is there scope for lopping off the middle W - irons and making another 4 wheel toad? No place for a 6 wheeler for me sadly, bu ta really interesting choice of prototype for RTR, I like where they're headed with this! 

 

According to Atkins et al, the body was the same as for the 4-wheel AA3, which suggests 'yes'.  Better still, the 6-wheeler w/b is 6'6" + 6'6" and that of AA3 is 13'.  Possibly Oxford have thought of this.

 

EDIT: Sorry John, our posts crossed. 

 

The photographs used by Oxford are in Atkins.  I believe the diagram is AA1.

 

The Rogerstone & Swindon brake is given as both built and photographed in 1900.  The text comments that they were built for heavy coal trains.  If memory serves, a daily goods service ran from Rogerstione to Plymouth and I believe this was the loco coal train, so there is one type of traffic for which it can be used.

 

This is interesting because it is built during the problem years, 1898-1904, and it is a moot point whether out-shopped in red or grey, along with wagons of the cast-plate ilk.   I suspect grey is likely to be the best guess.  Two secondary sources, Atkins et al and Slinn, suggest that brake vans adopted grey ahead of wagons, as early as the 1880s. But these older authorities are now treated with some caution concerning the date wagons turned from red to grey, however, support for grey comes from one primary source reference; The Locomotive Volume 1, No. 3, March 1896 states: "A light red colour is adopted for the wagon stock with white lettering but the goods brakes are a dark grey."  For a summary of the debate see http://www.gwr.org.uk/liverieswagonred.html

 

Some heavy 4-wheelers were also built, AA2, and, again, share the same body as AA1 and AA3.  Atkins has a picture of one allocated to Rogerstone dated 1922.

 

No date is given for the photograph of the Bridport brake. 

Edited by Edwardian
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One of the Oxford versions is shown as registered to Bridport, a fairly sleepy branchline.

 

I too associated these with heavy mineral trains so I'm not sure why one would be allocated to Bridport.

Are there any steep inclines in the area?

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According to this Brake Van Allocations document (.doc file) I downloaded from GWR.org, Bridport had AA3 (4 wheel) No 10100 from 1920 to 1938, and AA21 No 17403 from 1951. The Oxford model is No 56943, that was at Oxley Sidings from 1934 - 44 (see below), and has small late period GW lettering, so that suggests it would have been at Bridport sometime between 1944 and 1951. By that time they may well have been in general use, so maybe it was what was available when Bridport needed one. I don't think many people model this period, so maybe not a good selection by Oxford!

 

The other mentions of AA1s on the list, which is just examples not a full list, are all 1934-44:

Aberdare - 10

Aberystwyth - 1

Banbury - 1

Bordesley Junction - 2

Bristol East Depot - 1

Bristol West Depot -1

Carmarthen Junction - 1

Croes Newydd - 1

Neath - 1

Newport Maesglas - 1

Oxley Sidings - 10 (including No 56943)

Pontypool Road - 2

Rogerstone - 1

Salisbury - 1

Saltney -1

Severn Tunnel Junction - 1

Stoke Gifford - 3

Swindon - 9 (56933, that was one of these, was also there in 1901, as was 56931 in 1924)

Wolverhampton - 3

(E&OE!)

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One of the Oxford versions is shown as registered to Bridport, a fairly sleepy branchline.

 

I too associated these with heavy mineral trains so I'm not sure why one would be allocated to Bridport.

56943 was allocated to Bridport specifically to work the daily morning mixed train from Maiden Newton to Bridport.  The photograph used by Oxford was taken by Jim Russell in the summer of 1947 and shows the vehicle in very good condition so it may have only recently have been shopped and allocated to Bridport - the photo was taken of the vehicle standing in the up platform at Bridport and shows the afternoon goods being assembled ready for departure for Maiden Newton.  So far as I know 56943 was unusual - unique? - in that it was vacuum fitted and had steam heat pipes for use when working the daily mixed train.  The vehicle remained at Bridport until at least the mid 1950s when it was again photographed in Bridport goods yard in BR livery.

 

And Bridport was anything but a sleepy branchline - it had an extensive passenger service worked by two locomotives and B sets as well as goods trains and there was little leeway in the service.  Further information will be found in a new book to be released before Christmas from Wild Swan Books.

 

This model should be able to find a home on my Maiden Newton project and I just hope they get it right as I have been lukewarm about their previous products - seperate handrails are a must for a start!

 

Gerry

Edited by Bulwell Hall
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56943 was allocated to Bridport specifically to work the daily morning mixed train from Maiden Newton to Bridport.  The photograph used by Oxford was taken by Jim Russell in the summer of 1947 and shows the vehicle in very good condition so it may have only recently have been shopped and allocated to Bridport - the photo was taken of the vehicle standing in the up platform at Bridport and shows the afternoon goods being assembled ready for departure for Maiden Newton.  So far as I know 56943 was unusual - unique? - in that it was vacuum fitted and had steam heat pipes for use when working the daily mixed train.  The vehicle remained at Bridport until at least the mid 1950s when it was again photographed in Bridport goods yard in BR livery.

 

And Bridport was anything but a sleepy branchline - it had an extensive passenger service worked by two locomotives and B sets as well as goods trains and there was little leeway in the service.  Further information will be found in a new book to be released before Christmas from Wild Swan Books.

 

This model should be able to find a home on my Maiden Newton project and I just hope they get it right as I have been lukewarm about their previous products - seperate handrails are a must for a start!

 

Gerry

Thanks for that information Gerry. I had a feeling I'd seen that photo somewhere before - a long time ago - so possibly it was in one of Russels books?

 

Here's another hoping the Bridport version comes to fruition. I have family connections in the town and although the model is not my normal period I can feel a diorama coming on of Bradpole Crossing with that van a maybe a 74 or 45 from Weymouth.

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The Jim Russell photograph of 56943 was first published in his very first GWR Wagons book from OPC way back in 1971!

 

Bradpole Crossing sounds like a nice idea for a diorama - depending on period you can choose from 7408, 7412, 4507, 4527 or 4562 as well as a number of 57xx panniers.  Do keep us posted if you proceed with it.

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Well, I hope they come before I start my training as an ice cream salesman.

Will that be the four or six wheel cart you'll use to sell from ?

 

Yours

K.Ellys

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