No pre-grouping layout would be complete without a P.O fleet.

These three wagons represent the current status of the fleet. More wagons will be required to reflect the loads carried, crushed stone, lime, coal, coke and fluorspar. Given that limestone and fluorspar are ingredients in the steel industry I'm planning to add a few steel work wagons to the fleet.

Coal was mined locally at Ladmanlow but of poor quality and used only at lime works nearby (Grin quarry). This coal was transported in old, life expired wagons provided by the LNWR, reportedly painted red, which would offer some relief from the greys so prevalent at that period.

No real surprises as these are all Slater's kits. The two wagons left open have been fitted with Poppy's Woodtech ( www.poppyswoodtech.co.uk ) wagon interiors which, in my opinion, really lift the wagon. They still need a bit of weathering to tone them down.

Unfortunately Poppy's don't do an interior for the 5plk wagon yet so I've used a 6plk and cut it down, it fits nicely but the end stations are out of line.

It is only noticeable if you look closely, and given the overall improvement I am happy to put up with the error.

One issue I have with modelling the 19th century is that information on P.O wagons seems scant. It is easy to back date later wagons but the turn of the century saw wide scale consolidation in the coal and steel industry as smaller pits fell by the wayside and investment was concentrated on large sites.

But then having to dig out the information is something I find interesting. All the same if anyone can recommend an information source for 19th century P.O wagons I would be grateful.

There are plenty of partial in various books but no colour information, for some reason I have been unable to locate a colour image........

One thing I do need to do is build some dumb buffered wagons. The introduction of the 1887 RCH specification spelled the end for these wagons, however in the timeframe modelled a significant quantity of wagons with dumb buffers would still be in use.

I have one of the HMRS resin bodies in the kit pile awaiting an undercarriage to help address the balance.

The final wagon was the first 0 gauge model I built around 20 years ago.

At the time I didn't even possess a file so was built with virtually no equipment. At the some point the wagon spent a period sat on a window ledge in the sun (we do get some occasionally!) and has warped slightly.

I am hoping these sins will be adequately hidden by the sheeting.

This sheeting simply newspaper cut to size and folded then painted with dilute PVA. The wagon is first covered with Clingfilm so the paper and PVA doesn't stick to the wagon. It can then be removed for painting. The process is described by Gordon Gravett in MRJ 227.

Once the PVA had set the paper was sprayed black allowed to dry and talc brushed into the surface with a paint brush.

The wagon still needs tie ropes on the sheeting, lettering and weathering to match.

I am assuming the wagon is transporting slacked lime form the kilns. This lime reacts with water producing a large quantity of heat so had to be kept dry. There are tales of wagons bursting in to flames mid-journey as the load had got wet. In later times wagons with sheeting rails were used to help shed the water and in modern times tank wagons and covered hoppers are used still transporting lime from the region.

One job that does require doing on all the wagons is the removal of the awful plastic brake guide and replacing with a finer, drilled etched version.