The Hownsgill Plate Mill started production during the period that our model of South Pelaw represents, and steel plate was an important traffic that we wanted to include on the model. Fortunately this is quite easy to model using 20 thou plasticard cut to shape, and painted with Humbrol blue grey to represent mill scale.

Its really easy to load as well, no scoring chains being used for regular plate wagons because the plate would be heavy enough to be contained by the wagon sides -- although I came across this report of a rather nasty accident that occurred in Sheffield during the second world war when some plate shifted following a heavy shunt.

I have built a range of different 4-wheel plate wagons, from Parkside and Rumney Models kits, but in the last few weeks I have also made up three of the rather excellent Boplate kits from Cambrian models. As long as you take great care with the butt-jointed floor, and add extras like buffers, these make up into nice models. The quality of the plastic body mouldings is really good, and several bogie options are possible.

One Boplate is a vacuum braked example with roller bearing axleboxes, and is looking rather clean.

Billet was another important traffic from Consett, and in my other steel wagon post, I have included some pictures of a billet load for a Bolster C. Here is a completed Bolster D (another Cambrian kit) with a billet load from 0.6 mm x 0.6 mm square section plastic rod.