Carflats

[dagrizz]

Does anyone have recent information as to the likely release date of these carflats?

 

Cheers

 

Graham

[rembrow]

Does anyone have recent information as to the likely release date of these carflats?

 

Cheers

 

Graham

 

The Oxford Rail website advises release in Quarter 2 2017.

 

http://www.oxfordrail.com/76/OR76CAR.htm

[JZ]

Well, my Carflats have arrived at East Somerset Models. Going down later to collect. If anyone else has the idea to pop down for some, I can tell you not to bother. My three were the only ones undamaged after it appears that the courier had been playing football with the box. Photo's to follow later, if I can upload them that is. I've been trying to upload on another thread and it fails every time.

[JZ]

First impressions are good. Ok, it runs on 12mm wheels, when I believe it should be 14. But it barely shows while running around the layout. Reasonably well detailed underside, but again, who will see this. Most importantly, it looks good from the side. Close coupling mechanism works OK, but a source of a niggle on my part. I prefer a rigid coupling between vehicles so fitted, but these stick out too far, meaning that close couplers leave a large gap between them. So far I have tried Hornby/Roco type, Bachmann jumper cables and Heljan bars(came with Westerns), with the Heljan leaving the smallest gap. For now they are fitted with Kadee #17, which does give buffer to buffer on straights. I think I will end up modifying some Keen Systems buckeyes for between vehicles and leave the Kadees at the end of the set.

 

 

Well I managed three.

 

You get a pack of chocks with each. Not sure how I'll fit them yet, as I want to be able to change the vehicles on them.

Edited July 9, 2017 by JZ

[Clive Mortimore]

I saw the packs of cars for the Carflats when I last visited my local shop. The type of Carflat that Oxford have produced were considered freight vehicles and would have been used to transport new cars from the plant to the distribution centers or ports. They would not have mixed manufacturers types of cars, in many cases they may only have one type of car. I feel it might have been better for Oxford to offer a set of four BMC/Leyland cars, or four Fords or Vauxhalls. Perhaps they will do in the future.  

 

Having voiced my opinion on the car packs the Carflat looks good and the price of the car packs is very reasonable.

[JaymzHatstand]

I picked one up yesterday from the shop on Haworth station, KWVR. I had no idea they were out yet!

 

It is an attractive vehicle and nicely weighted and runs smoothly with no hint of wobble. The tension locks do seem to stick out a bit and the cam for the close coupling seems a bit stiff but that's moving it by hand, not on a pair which may well be different.

 

Once I work out how to get into it, I'll be removing the coupling gubbins and fitting S&Ws to the bogies which may be an issue with the large buffers, but I'll improvise! Possibly mounting the buffing wire on the buffers and just have the hook on the bogie

 

Cheers

 

J

[JaymzHatstand]

Further to the above, some investigation revealed that the car deck is removable with care, by inserting a small screwdriver or other thin levering device between the deck and chassis and gradually levering it up. The glue was quite weak so easily cracked on mine and working slowly I was able to get the ends up enough to remove the coupling cam.

 

The four corners of the deck have a location pin which fits into the chassis, so care is needed around them when breaking the glue, but I found they popped out easily enough with a bit of pressure. I've also not needed to re-glue the deck (yet) as the locating pins are quite a snug fit.

 

Hope this helps someone!

 

Cheers

 

J

[paul 27]

Which way round do the yellow wheel chocks fit.

Edited July 17, 2017 by paul 27

[Fat Controller]

Which way round do the yellow wheel chocks fit.

Sloping face against the wheel.

[paul 27]

Seen a photo recently  of  Ford Cars on Car flats  approaching Preston W.C.M.L.  Including a picture of Colin Gifford

by the track side,  can any one confirm which magazine please.

Edited January 19, 2019 by paul 27

[The Johnster]

First impressions are good. Ok, it runs on 12mm wheels, when I believe it should be 14. But it barely shows while running around the layout. Reasonably well detailed underside, but again, who will see this. Most importantly, it looks good from the side. Close coupling mechanism works OK, but a source of a niggle on my part. I prefer a rigid coupling between vehicles so fitted, but these stick out too far, meaning that close couplers leave a large gap between them. So far I have tried Hornby/Roco type, Bachmann jumper cables and Heljan bars(came with Westerns), with the Heljan leaving the smallest gap. For now they are fitted with Kadee #17, which does give buffer to buffer on straights. I think I will end up modifying some Keen Systems buckeyes for between vehicles and leave the Kadees at the end of the set.

 

20170709_121358_resized (1).jpg

20170709_121541_resized (1).jpg

20170709_122048_resized.jpg

 

Well I managed three.

 

You get a pack of chocks with each. Not sure how I'll fit them yet, as I want to be able to change the vehicles on them.

 

Those first two photos reminded me quite a bit of Severn Tunnel Up Yard outlet back in the day!

 

Chocks, wooden, yellow painted, go on the outside of the wheels fore and aft to stop the car rolling backwards or forwards; straps were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry as well.

 

I saw the packs of cars for the Carflats when I last visited my local shop. The type of Carflat that Oxford have produced were considered freight vehicles and would have been used to transport new cars from the plant to the distribution centers or ports. They would not have mixed manufacturers types of cars, in many cases they may only have one type of car. I feel it might have been better for Oxford to offer a set of four BMC/Leyland cars, or four Fords or Vauxhalls. Perhaps they will do in the future.  

 

Having voiced my opinion on the car packs the Carflat looks good and the price of the car packs is very reasonable.

Not entirely freight vehicles, Clive.  I agree they were used to transfer new cars and vans from factories to either docks for export or distribution centres for local distribution to dealers; one of these was in the old steam shed at Severn Tunnel Junction, which was a hub for the traffic with both these and Cartics. from 1965 when it closed to steam well into the 80s, but they were NPCCS numbered in the coaching stock series, and run as class 4 75mph trains, 90mph for the Cartics which, IIRC, used the same bogies and disc air brakes as Freightliner flats.  The bogie carflats were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry, replacing 4 wheeled stock, in it's final years after the Hymeks took over from the large prairies, 1965 until the bridge opened, and possibly at the very end of the steam era as well, and were also used on some vacuum braked Motorail services, usually branded along the sides, for which the Oxford car selections are ideal; you really need a coupla caravans and dormobiles in there as well for this, though, and overloaded roof racks on some the cars.  We're all going onna...

 

Even the freight distribution trains, while carrying cars from one manufacturer at a time obviously, mixed and matched the models for UK distribution, so a train from Dagenham would have a mix of Escorts, Escort vans, Cortinas, Capris and Granadas further broken down into saloons, estates, and so on, all in different colours, presumably that day's output to order for Wales and the West at Severn Tunnel.  A train of cars of all the same model would also feature a variety of colours, but could be relied upon to be export traffic for Newport, Cardff, or Avonmouth docks; this traffic now uses Portbury in massive ro-ro freighters like floating blocks of flats going up and down the Bristol Channel; they bring cars in from the Far East mostly these days, though, the UK car export market is more or less moribund and the little specialist sports car trade we export goes in normal containers, anonymously.

 

Two survived for some time on the Severn Tunnel Fire/Emergency train, stabled in the old car ferry loading bay at Severn Tunnel Junction, the idea being that you could drive fire engines on to them do deal with an incident in the Tunnel.  Gwent Fire Service and BR had occasional drills with this, mostly on Sundays when there were diversions around Gloucester.  

 

For some reason I always seemed to get into trouble working these, failing with a Class 25 out of fuel and a train of MG Midgets for export from Newport Docks in Box Tunnel on one, to be rescued by a Western which failed at Bristol East Depot, and which turned out the be the wrong way round at Alexandra Dock so we had to run around (we had a 37 and a dead 25 and 52 on the train by now) and run up to Rogerstone, what remained of it in 1973, and run around again to approach Alexandra, and then again working with a Severn Tunnel crew who were quite embarrassed to let themselves down with posh Canton guard though it wan't their fault with a 37 which had stopped to pick a pilot for me from Reading on a train of empties going to Greenford (Dagenham eventually, but Greenford as far as we were concerned).  The loco pulled up on the up relief in Reading station at about 3 in the morning, and died; and that was the end of sports; nothing could get her going again and eventually a 31 was purloined from somewhere to tow us to Greenford and dead to OOC, the only time I ever went there in my railway career.  

Edited July 28, 2017 by The Johnster

[Fat Controller]

Those first two photos reminded me quite a bit of Severn Tunnel Up Yard outlet back in the day!

 

Chocks, wooden, yellow painted, go on the outside of the wheels fore and aft to stop the car rolling backwards or forwards; straps were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry as well.

 

Not entirely freight vehicles, Clive.  I agree they were used to transfer new cars and vans from factories to either docks for export or distribution centres for local distribution to dealers; one of these was in the old steam shed at Severn Tunnel Junction, which was a hub for the traffic with both these and Cartics. from 1965 when it closed to steam well into the 80s, but they were NPCCS numbered in the coaching stock series, and run as class 4 75mph trains, 90mph for the Cartics which, IIRC, used the same bogies and disc air brakes as Freightliner flats.  The bogie carflats were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry, replacing 4 wheeled stock, in it's final years after the Hymeks took over from the large prairies, 1965 until the bridge opened, and possibly at the very end of the steam era as well, and were also used on some vacuum braked Motorail services, usually branded along the sides, for which the Oxford car selections are ideal; you really need a coupla caravans and dormobiles in there as well for this, though, and overloaded roof racks on some the cars.  We're all going onna...

 

Even the freight distribution trains, while carrying cars from one manufacturer at a time obviously, mixed and matched the models for UK distribution, so a train from Dagenham would have a mix of Escorts, Escort vans, Cortinas, Capris and Granadas further broken down into saloons, estates, and so on, all in different colours, presumably that day's output to order for Wales and the West at Severn Tunnel.  A train of cars of all the same model would also feature a variety of colours, but could be relied upon to be export traffic for Newport, Cardff, or Avonmouth docks; this traffic now uses Portbury in massive ro-ro freighters like floating blocks of flats going up and down the Bristol Channel; they bring cars in from the Far East mostly these days, though, the UK car export market is more or less moribund and the little specialist sports car trade we export goes in normal containers, anonymously.

 

Two survived for some time on the Severn Tunnel Fire/Emergency train, stabled in the old car ferry loading bay at Severn Tunnel Junction, the idea being that you could drive fire engines on to them do deal with an incident in the Tunnel.  Gwent Fire Service and BR had occasional drills with this, mostly on Sundays when there were diversions around Gloucester.  

 

For some reason I always seemed to get into trouble working these, failing with a Class 25 out of fuel and a train of MG Midgets for export from Newport Docks in Box Tunnel on one, to be rescued by a Western which failed at Bristol East Depot, and which turned out the be the wrong way round at Alexandra Dock so we had to run around (we had a 37 and a dead 25 and 52 on the train by now) and run up to Rogerstone, what remained of it in 1973, and run around again to approach Alexandra, and then again working with a Severn Tunnel crew who were quite embarrassed to let themselves down with posh Canton guard though it wan't their fault with a 37 which had stopped to pick a pilot for me from Reading on a train of empties going to Greenford (Dagenham eventually, but Greenford as far as we were concerned).  The loco pulled up on the up relief in Reading station at about 3 in the morning, and died; and that was the end of sports; nothing could get her going again and eventually a 31 was purloined from somewhere to tow us to Greenford and dead to OOC, the only time I ever went there in my railway career.  

Whilst most of the Ford traffic at STJ was handled by the terminal there (built on the site of the old steam shed), some was forwarded as wagon-load traffic (latterly by Speedlink) to another terminal there. The Exeter terminal didn't handle enough traffic to receive a direct train from Dagenham.

There is still quite a bit of car traffic around, though many of the wagons are fully or partially enclosed. Flows include Cowley to Purfleet and Southampton (Minis for BMW), Soton docks to Dagenham (Ford transits), Dagenham to Garston (Ford traffic- there may also be traffic to Mossend) and Merseyside to Portbury and Soton (Jaguar Land-Rover).

[The Johnster]

Good to know the trade isn't entirely dead, then.  What I see is the big ro-ro ships coming up the Bristol Channel with each tide heading for Portbury full of imports, often unloading and sailing back down on the next ebb, and the huge storage area for the cars visible from the Avonmouth M5 bridge; it's clearly a slick unloading operation and a flourishing business while Severn Tunnel Junction, once the centre of a universe, is just the running lines, ghosts, and tumbleweed, with the platforms and new footbridge cheering things up a little.  Makes sense to carry new cars in enclosed wagons, protects them from the elements and vandals.

 

I've always thought that Pilning about 1962, the heyday of the Car Ferry, would make a good club exhibition project, as I remember it it was an odd combination of lonely rural outpost and hive of railway activity, with trains in for examination on the down loop behind the platform, freights always waiting for the road off the up loop, and the Car Ferry fitting itself in between the frequent expresses, SWML and North to West, and Cardiff-Bristol/Portsmouth/Weymouth stoppers.  And a proper rural branch line at low level a few yards away!  Doable almost to scale between the tunnels in N I'd have thought, and you wouldn't be far off Severn Beach on the branch...

 

But you'd need a properly massive fiddle yard to even start to deal with the variety of traffic and loco classes!

Edited July 28, 2017 by The Johnster

[Clive Mortimore]

Those first two photos reminded me quite a bit of Severn Tunnel Up Yard outlet back in the day!

 

Chocks, wooden, yellow painted, go on the outside of the wheels fore and aft to stop the car rolling backwards or forwards; straps were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry as well.

 

Not entirely freight vehicles, Clive.  I agree they were used to transfer new cars and vans from factories to either docks for export or distribution centres for local distribution to dealers; one of these was in the old steam shed at Severn Tunnel Junction, which was a hub for the traffic with both these and Cartics. from 1965 when it closed to steam well into the 80s, but they were NPCCS numbered in the coaching stock series, and run as class 4 75mph trains, 90mph for the Cartics which, IIRC, used the same bogies and disc air brakes as Freightliner flats.  The bogie carflats were used on the Severn Tunnel Car Ferry, replacing 4 wheeled stock, in it's final years after the Hymeks took over from the large prairies, 1965 until the bridge opened, and possibly at the very end of the steam era as well, and were also used on some vacuum braked Motorail services, usually branded along the sides, for which the Oxford car selections are ideal; you really need a coupla caravans and dormobiles in there as well for this, though, and overloaded roof racks on some the cars.  We're all going onna...

 

Even the freight distribution trains, while carrying cars from one manufacturer at a time obviously, mixed and matched the models for UK distribution, so a train from Dagenham would have a mix of Escorts, Escort vans, Cortinas, Capris and Granadas further broken down into saloons, estates, and so on, all in different colours, presumably that day's output to order for Wales and the West at Severn Tunnel.  A train of cars of all the same model would also feature a variety of colours, but could be relied upon to be export traffic for Newport, Cardff, or Avonmouth docks; this traffic now uses Portbury in massive ro-ro freighters like floating blocks of flats going up and down the Bristol Channel; they bring cars in from the Far East mostly these days, though, the UK car export market is more or less moribund and the little specialist sports car trade we export goes in normal containers, anonymously.

 

Two survived for some time on the Severn Tunnel Fire/Emergency train, stabled in the old car ferry loading bay at Severn Tunnel Junction, the idea being that you could drive fire engines on to them do deal with an incident in the Tunnel.  Gwent Fire Service and BR had occasional drills with this, mostly on Sundays when there were diversions around Gloucester.  

 

For some reason I always seemed to get into trouble working these, failing with a Class 25 out of fuel and a train of MG Midgets for export from Newport Docks in Box Tunnel on one, to be rescued by a Western which failed at Bristol East Depot, and which turned out the be the wrong way round at Alexandra Dock so we had to run around (we had a 37 and a dead 25 and 52 on the train by now) and run up to Rogerstone, what remained of it in 1973, and run around again to approach Alexandra, and then again working with a Severn Tunnel crew who were quite embarrassed to let themselves down with posh Canton guard though it wan't their fault with a 37 which had stopped to pick a pilot for me from Reading on a train of empties going to Greenford (Dagenham eventually, but Greenford as far as we were concerned).  The loco pulled up on the up relief in Reading station at about 3 in the morning, and died; and that was the end of sports; nothing could get her going again and eventually a 31 was purloined from somewhere to tow us to Greenford and dead to OOC, the only time I ever went there in my railway career.  

The ex LMS coaches, ex LNER coaches and ex GWR coaches were freight vehicles. Some ex BR Mk1 underframes were freight and some were rated as passenger stock for Motor rail services. The ex BR Mk1 carflats ran on BR Mk1 coach bogies, not freightliner bogies. The Oxford Rail model is based on a 60ft LMS CK underframe, it is a freight vehicle.

 

See the Barrowmore clubs site for coach and wagon diagrams and Paul Bartlett's photos.

[mikeharvey22]

The ex LMS coaches, ex LNER coaches and ex GWR coaches were freight vehicles. Some ex BR Mk1 underframes were freight and some were rated as passenger stock for Motor rail services. The ex BR Mk1 carflats ran on BR Mk1 coach bogies, not freightliner bogies. The Oxford Rail model is based on a 60ft LMS CK underframe, it is a freight vehicle.

 

Certainly a Freight vehicle. But it appears to be 240mm over buffers, and about 225mm over headstocks.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/111578-oxford-announce-carflat-additional-liveries-and-sound-options/?p=2805199

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/202876/Oxford_Rail_OR76CAR001_60ft_Carflat_car_carrier_in_BR_bauxite_and_black_livery/StockDetail.aspx

[mikeharvey22]

A couple more carflat variants released:-

 

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/new-in

[Richp1976]

Does anyone know when the blue Motorail variants are due? TIA 

[phil gollin]

A couple more carflat variants released:-

 

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/new-in

.

 

Does anyone know what happened to the "A" versions ?  Even when first announced they only had the base number and the "B" version.

 

I ASSUME that they will produce the "A" version as a special for some shop, does anyone know ?

 

.

[The Johnster]

The ex LMS coaches, ex LNER coaches and ex GWR coaches were freight vehicles. Some ex BR Mk1 underframes were freight and some were rated as passenger stock for Motor rail services. The ex BR Mk1 carflats ran on BR Mk1 coach bogies, not freightliner bogies. The Oxford Rail model is based on a 60ft LMS CK underframe, it is a freight vehicle.

 

See the Barrowmore clubs site for coach and wagon diagrams and Paul Bartlett's photos.

 

I meant that the cartics shared bogies and brake gear with the freightliner flats, not the carflats which, as you say, used whatever bogies came from the coaches they were built from, which IIRC were BR1 for the carflats I remember used on Motorail and some of those in freight use at Severn Tunnel.

[rob D2]

Would these have taken MG products from Abingdon in late 70s/ up to about 1980 ?

[Fat Controller]

Would these have taken MG products from Abingdon in late 70s/ up to about 1980 ?

They would; there was a web-site containing some photos, but it seems to have diasappeared. They must have improved the tonneau covers, as photos from earlier days showed a wonderful selection of CCTs for this traffic.

[Phil Bullock]

So here they are in use on their designated traffic - wouldn't want the car flat police round, its bad enough being persecuted for running LMS vans!!!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9dIYaq2Tug&t=31s

 

Hee hee

 

Phil

[The Johnster]

Would these have taken MG products from Abingdon in late 70s/ up to about 1980 ?

 

I remember them being used for export traffic Abingdon-Cardiff (and Newport) docks with MG midgets as well as MGB and MGB GT, LH drive and with the US style headights.  These ran a specials as required, though, not as a regular service, and Cartics were used as well as Carflats.  This would be the early to mid 70s and possibly too early for your period.

 

At Cardiff, they went on to the dock via Tidal Sidings, and were loaded to the ships on the south side of the Queen Alexandra Dock, craned on not ro-ro in those days.  Some may have gone out through Avonmouth as well.

[rob D2]

I remember them being used for export traffic Abingdon-Cardiff (and Newport) docks with MG midgets as well as MGB and MGB GT, LH drive and with the US style headights.  These ran a specials as required, though, not as a regular service, and Cartics were used as well as Carflats.  This would be the early to mid 70s and possibly too early for your period.

 

At Cardiff, they went on to the dock via Tidal Sidings, and were loaded to the ships on the south side of the Queen Alexandra Dock, craned on not ro-ro in those days.  Some may have gone out through Avonmouth as well.

 

Interesting stuff.

I have a vague memory of paddling by the Thames at abingdon and hearing a train clanking up the branch, might have been coal by then though in about 80/81. But like a lot of my youth I can't be precise if I imagined it...

[MG 7305]

I am glad that it has been confirmed that these were used on the Abingdon MG car trains. I used to spot at Radley station in 1970-72 and I would see the D63xx and empty carflats come off the main onto the branch and see the loaded trains go back the other way towards Oxford. I have the D63xx and am now making a serious investment in carflats and Oxford Rail MGBs and MGBGTs (when will a modern Midget appear?) My (real) MG TC is rather out of period but a model of it is on a road over bridge!