Minerva announce O Gauge Iron Mink van

[Andy Y]

MINERVA MODEL RAILWAYS ANNOUNCES THE ITS FIRST READY-TO-RUN GOODS VAN - THE

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY IRON MINK VAN IN 7MM ‘O’ GAUGE (1:43.5) FOR 32MM STANDARD

GAUGE

 

 

Minerva Model Railways, the independent company formed by Chris Basten and Chris Klein, announces the production of a fine-scale RTR, injection-moulded 0 gauge model of the Great Western Railway (GWR) Iron Mink steel-bodied goods van in 7mm scale (1:43.5, for 32mm standard gauge). It is Minerva’s first venture into rolling stock and closely follows the release of the GWR 8750 0-6-0 pannier tank locomotive. 

 

 

 

The GWR was a pioneer in the introduction of iron chassis, and logically continued this development to include bodies from the late 19th century. This resulted in the famous Iron Mink, and over 25 years, some 20,000 or more entered service, lasting until the 1950s in revenue and the 1980s in departmental use. The design was so successful that it was copied by several other railways and private wagon builders. Further historical information can be obtained from ‘GWR Iron Minks’, published by the HMRS. The model features a plastic injection-moulded body and chassis, metal-tyred wheels on pin-point axles fitted in compensated axle-boxes, sprung buffers and hook draw-gear with three-link couplings. Three liveries are available: GWR with 25” lettering, GWR with 16” lettering and British Railways unfitted grey. The retail price per wagon is £42.00 including UK VAT. A discount of £2.00 per van is available for orders of five or more models. Delivery of the production models is expected in November 2017. The models will only be available direct from Minerva Models via mail and telephone order, the Minerva website and from the Minerva Models’ stand at selected model railway shows.

 

 

 

Further information is available from the Minerva Models website www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk and you can follow us on Facebook. You can also contact us via email to sales@minervamodelrailways.co.uk or telephone 02920 531246/ 07775 782086

[Andy Y]

Bump

[Miss Prism]

The G W insignia are a trifle too bold, and would benefit from a few shape alterations:

 

 

 

 

[BG John]

No pre 1904 red one with small lettering . I'd have been tempted by one of those, but I can't spend £42 on something that needs repainting, when my wagon collection otherwise consists of secondhand ready made kits costing much less than half that, and any additions will have to be scratchbuilt.

[Miss Prism]

Door faces should be flush with the outside edge of the T-section, not proud. The door rainstrips should be proud of the door faces, not flush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Miss Prism]

1'6" tapered-stock buffers* please, not 1'8 1/2" parallel-stock.

 

* edit: good pic http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_07_2014/post-4465-0-23437500-1406624805.jpg

Edited September 2, 2017 by Miss Prism

[MarshLane]

Really like the look of these - well done Chris and Chris!  I do wish you'd stop temping people to go Great Western tho hehe

 

Rich

[Miss Prism]

It would be nice if the headstock section could be made to look like section, rather than looking like timber. (There could be a tool limitation on this aspect. A taper could be use to ease the tool release angle.)

 

Also nice to have a rivet on the corner.

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Miss Prism

[Miss Prism]

1  Springstop please.

2  If the leaves are to be shown, make it standard 4 and not 3.

3  The front face of the turret top section should slope inwards slightly, rather than being vertical, and this would then enable a better and subtler spring clip representation. The turret recess should have the oiler.

4  The box looks rather big for a Mink. (Is that a 10" x 5"?)

5  The box lacks the flanges and the bolts on the side of the top and bottom bits of the box.

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Miss Prism

[Miss Prism]

I don't think I've seen a Mink with 4-shoe brakes before. Presumably the designer has just done a cut'n'flip'n'paste from one side of the chassis to the other. (No doubt the aftermarket will do DCI and DCIII conversion bits.)

 

The brake shoes themselves look too heavy, rather like later RCH ones, which I don't think the Minks ever carried. The safety loops are generic, non-GWR, but I suspect there might be a tool limitation in this area.

 

The brake ratchet guard shouldn't have holes in its front face, the GWR had teeth on the inside face. (I don't think the GWR ones were 'pinnable' in the normal sense.)

Edited September 2, 2017 by Miss Prism

[N15class]

Very nice Chris's I do not know about the above remarks as I know little of GW wagons. My concern is some brakes are the wrong way pushing the lever down would move the shoes off the wheels.

[2ManySpams]

But apart from all the observations people like it then...

[Great Western]

Oh to be so perfect and knowledge aye...jez

[Miss Prism]

But apart from all the observations people like it then...

 

I like it. I also had some observations. If I didn't like it, it wouldn't have been worth making some observations.

[2ManySpams]

I like it. I also had some observations. If I didn't like it, it wouldn't have been worth making some observations.

Just checking!

[BG John]

I like it. I also had some observations. If I didn't like it, it wouldn't have been worth making some observations.

I wish you hadn't said that. You were doing a good job of convincing me that it wouldn't be worth buying a red one, even if it was on offer!

 

I know that grey with 25" letters is within my period, but I can't really justify having one at all when I'm supposed to be modelling the Kent & East Sussex, and haven't yet got any local (K&ESR, LBSCR or SECR) wagons! But a red one arriving around my birthday would be rather nice!

[Miss Prism]

 

 

 

[BG John]

swindon-improved-wagon-red-small.jpg

Are you sure it's the right red?

[Andrew Young]

Like the look of these (even with any imperfections) much simpler than fiddling around with an etched brass version which I'm not that keen to do.

 

Just wondering how easily one could be bashed into a gunpowder van.....? Don't know enough about GW Wagonry to tell.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[wagonman]

Like the look of these (even with any imperfections) much simpler than fiddling around with an etched brass version which I'm not that keen to do.

 

Just wondering how easily one could be bashed into a gunpowder van.....? Don't know enough about GW Wagonry to tell.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

 

 

There were, from memory, "improvised gunpowder vans" that were modifies Iron Minks but the proper Cones had square corners so very different.

[wagonman]

I have a problem with the brake push rods on the GWR versions being the wrong way round. But then I'd probably end up replacing all the underframe stuff anyway as I'd need sprung grease axleboxes for starters, and handed brake shoes, and...

Edited September 3, 2017 by wagonman

[Miss Prism]

This is from the original V6 GA, with a single lever brake on two shoes. The diagram is misleading, in that it confuses the view from the non-lever side with the view from the lever side. (No cross-shafts were fitted with this type of brake.) From the lever side, the brake rods should therefore be right over left. The diagram shows the single pillar support on the inside of the shaft. Brake blocks are the original style.

 

For the post-mid-1920s '3-shoe, levers on both sides' arrangement, the following pic, courtesy of davidbr, is a good illustration. There is no cross-shaft. Note the pillar support, on the inside of the shafts, on both sides of the vehicle. The brake blocks seem to be the later 'reversibles'. Note the door catches, fitted at an unknown era. (mid-1920s??)

 

 

 

For pre-1904 5" G.W.R and pre-1920 25" G W fans, 'single lever, 2-shoe, right over left' will therefore be the norm.

 

The number of V6s retrofitted with DCI and DCIII is thought to have been small.

 

 

[Miss Prism]

Btw, just to add to the confusion, some 'Iron Minks' were non-GWR, built by outside contractors. The blue circle ferroconcrete ones had heavier springs, Ellis-type boxes and double vees:

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/hatton/gwrhj2260.jpg

[gardenwall]

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrb1787.htm      lower right seems to have a similar buffer beam end to the Minerva model, but not the same buffers.

 

Speaking to Minerva yesterday, I got the impression that the minks were pretty much ready to go, I don't know how much room for manoeuvre they still have. They were pretty keen to keep this a secret until ready to go - possibly a result of the 57xx duplication experience.

[Compound2632]

 

This is from the original V6 GA, with a single lever brake on two shoes. The diagram is misleading, in that it confuses the view from the non-lever side with the view from the lever side. (No cross-shafts were fitted with this type of brake.) From the lever side, the brake rods should therefore be right over left. The diagram shows the single pillar support on the inside of the shaft. Brake blocks are the original style.

 

lever-brake-arrangement.png

 

 

The right-hand side of the drawing is looking from the longitudinal centre line outwards towards the far side; the left-hand side is looking directly at the near side. It's sort of drawn with the single-sided brake gear on the far side, except that the draughtsman has felt obliged to show how the V-hanger, brake hanger and safety strap are fixed to the solebar on both views, and hence ended up drawing the left-hand brake block as if it were on the near side. I'm sure this made perfect sense to the drawing office staff and the works foreman at the time but I appreciate it could be confusing if you're not so familiar with how a wagon works.