For this first wagon build write-up, I thought I'd start with this GWR 4-plank. For my 1908 period, these represented around 40% of the GWR wagon fleet, so I can hardly have too many. Certainly, whenever I add something exotic, such as a Macaw bolster wagon, I probably need to make a couple more of these...
Given that I need several of these 4-plankers, it is very handy that PECO make an excellent 7mm scale kit for them. The mouldings are crisp, well-detailed and fit together nicely, and the design even includes compensation, with one axle pivoted in a sub-assembly. There isn't much to say about the main part of the build, and everything went smoothly until I got to this point:
My plan was to do this wagon in the earlier red livery - my 1908 period was selected to allow a mix of red and grey wagons, on the basis that the change of livery was in 1904 (see the many threads covering the various debates about the date of the switch if you are interested!). I sprayed the body with a red oxide primer as an undercoat, which came out a bit rough, so I rubbed down the main areas, as you can see in this picture.
I also painted the inside as an experiment with techniques for painting bare, distressed wood. I hadn't planned to use this finish, as I was going to give the wagon a sheeted load of hay, based on @Mikkel's 4mm scale model. However, I rather liked the wood effect I managed to achieve, so I changed my plans - which led to a lot of research and a certain amount of heartache...
My next idea was that the wagon would be left without a load, but I would add a sheet rail. It is unclear if any 4-plank wagons were built with sheet rails, but they certainly were retro-fitted, with one third having them fitted by 1910 according to @Chrisbr:
I made the sheet rail using 1.6mm brass wire, and some strip and sheet brass. To get the flat section at either end, the wire is annealed to red heat and allowed to cool to soften it, then flattened somewhat in a vice, after which it is filed and bent to shape:
The rail fits to the body with a short piece of 1mm wire acting as a pivot, in holes drilled in each end of the wagon. I used the drawings of the RCH standard sheet rail as a basis, as this seems very similar to the GWR pattern - they are available here:
http://www.cs.rhul.ac.uk/~adrian/steam/RCHWagons/images/rch1028.PDF
A couple of things to note - the vertical part of the rail needs to be the right size so the rail rests exactly on the top edge of the wagon side, and the blocks that space out the semi-circular guide are deeper on GWR versions than the RCH drawing shows, so reference photos are important to get this right.
At this point, the next issue arose. I had used the cast number and 'GWR' plates on the wagon provided in the kit - a common feature on new-build wagons in the late 1890s and early 1900s. However, the number plates on the wagon ends were in the way of the sheet rail apparatus. I started searching for wagons that had cast plates and rails, to see how things were arranged, I found examples of 5 and 7-plank wagons, which have the rail mounted higher and so have room for the plate as well, but no 4-plank examples. The only conclusion I could draw was that 4-plank wagons were not fitted with sheet rails and cast plates at the same time, so I decided to remove the plates.
The semicircular guides were made from brass L-angle, bent around a suitable round object. It was quite a struggle to stop the metal twisting while the curve was being formed, and the L-shape tended to open up and had to be bent back. I realised afterwards it would be much easier to form the guide from T-section, and then file off one arm of the T to leave the L-section profile required. I have since tried this method and it is indeed much more straightforward to get the required shape.
The spacer blocks were made from Evergreen strip of the required dimensions. The brass guide, the spacer blocks and the end of the wagon were drilled through with a fine drill, and track pins used to attach the assembly to the wagon. Thin cyano glue bonded everything, and the pin heads and ends inside the wagon could then be cut off. Here is the finished assembly on the completed wagon:
I finished painting the wagon with Vallejo acrylic paints - a mix of 70.957 Flat Red, 70.829 Amaranth Red (actually orange) and a touch of 70.822 German Black Brown. There is yet another big debate to be had about the red colour used by the GWR, and how it weathered, but for another time...
I used the HMRS Pressfix transfers for the lettering, but while I was looking at photos to work out the placement of the various elements, another issue arose - I could not find any photo of a 4-plank open with oil axle boxes, small lettering "G.W.R" and a sheet rail. This led me down a major rabbit-hole, discussed at some length in this thread, for those who might be interested:
The conclusion was that the particular combination of features and livery I have modelled was either rare or non-existant. I could repaint it in grey livery with large 'GW' lettering, but I have decided to live with it, at least for now. The moral - yet again - is to work from a photograph of a specific wagon you want to model. At least I think that's the moral. Maybe it's "don't worry, be happy"...?
Nick.
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