Interesting. The local works here in Scunny used loads of them at one time, in the days when slag was just tipped. Nowadays, it's "Foamed" in a separate process and used for roadbeds, breezeblocks etc.

Most, if not all ours here, were round, rather than square at the top. Two of ours are preserved outside the current works main entrance, and what used to be a works entrance:icon_sad:

Are you going to model the wire rope used to tip them?

This variety seem to have used chain, just visible in this shot:

http://www.banklands.com/images/YE2869-tipping-slag.jpg

Some is provided in the kit, but I haven't decided whether to try and make 'em work which would require some finer (possibly underscale) chain. In theory this shouldn't be too difficult since all the bits are there. I'll have another look once the main bits of the carriage are fully soldered together. A fiddle, because there isn;'t much in the way of location provided. Nice clean castings however.

Adam

Hiya

I assume these are inside bearings? Why have you added the top hats? Whitemetal is a excellent bearing material anyway.

Cheers

Jim

Hi Jim

They are inside bearings, yes. The top hats were added as they were supplied, the frames were drilled for them and the (1.5 mm) axle would have slopped around otherwise, and without a lathe I didn't fancy opening the wheels for a pair of wagons out to 2mm in order to fit them. As you point out, whitemetal is fine as a bearing - good enough for the real thing indeed - particularly for this sort of thing which won't run very far, or very fast. If I did have access to a lathe and had the requisite skill, I might be inclined to make new wheels of the appropriate pattern in any event.

Adam

Oh I see

Thanks Adam

Jim

Oh I see

Thanks Adam

Jim

Looking good Adam!

Jim/Adam - I was responsible for the kit design, and if I may add a few comments. Regarding the lack of location and provision for compensation - the kit grew out of a personal project to scratchbuild about 20 of these wagons for my slowly evolving industrial layout. Having scratchbuilt one of the ladles, I quickly realised that there had to be an easier way, and ended up making patterns to have the major components cast. These ended up on sale as various people heard on the grapevine that I had done some castings and kept dropping hints that they'd like some as well!! So in many ways the kit reflects my personal preferences - I model in EM and can get away without compensation on such a short wheelbase wagon. However, about the time that I ended up withdrawing the range, I was seriously considering designing up an etched fold-up sub-chassis that would take the place of the piece of plastic (or brass as Adam's using) and carry the wheels. This would have allowed some form of compensation to be incorporated and would have removed the problems of lack of location affecting the squareness of the chassis. Still, best laid plans and all that.....

I do know of one chap from Manchester who built some of these wagons, and managed to make some sprung hornblocks to spring the wagon exactly as the prototype does - which looked very impressive from the photos he sent me.

Secondly, on the whitemetal versus brass point - I agree with you Jim about whitemetal being a suitable bearing material, but I included brass bearings simply because I wasn't sure how people would like a wagon which ran axles straight in whitemetal castings - I had visions of incessant phone calls along the lines of "you've left the bearings out".....

I look forward to seeing how this progresses, and hope you don't mind me addressing some of your points.

Alastair

Hi Alastair

None of this is a particular problem - and I too model in EM so wasn't concerned about the absence of compensation on a 9' wb wagon (there's plenty of weight of course), though simple 3 point compensation would be very easy to devise if the mood took me. I've devoted myself to modifying the wheels to reflect the prototype. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, but that's the subject of the next update,or will be, once I've take the photo's...

Adam