It’s been nearly two years since I’ve picked up a kit. The reason why was down to a lack of confidence in my own ability. However a recent house move and prospect of employment had given me a new drive for modelling. This has been a project I have wanted to do for a long time since hearing about the Esso Oil Trains to Fawley hauled typically behind a 9F or later by a Type 3 (Class 33). The actual inspiration came from a picture of an N gauge layout were a Crosti 9F was pulling was rake of Esso oil tankers with a shoc open acting as a barrier wagon. Since then I have upped scale to OO and tried to tackle this train before with dire consequences but I decided my interest should not be dictated by my errors so I have returned to tackle it once more.

This is to be my first all kit train including the barrier wagons and brake van, using a combination of Dapol 20t “Esso†tanker wagons and a 20t brake van and Parkside Dundas BR 13t hybar wagon kits and adding various modifications through construction. I know plenty of you will have tackled these kits before and probably know the modifications I will carry out (I’m not a fine scale modeler but I like to add bits and pieces) blind folded but this to show that someone which as little experience as I have that it can be done. So it will be a step-by-step account of the building process. Also I didn’t rush anything; this has been done over a 4-6 month period.

Currently, in order to keep the building rate manageable and for it not to become too tedious I have kept the whole train to 11 wagons. That is two open wagons acting as barriers, eight tankers and the brake van but eventually I hope the whole train will double in size eventually to about four opens, and fifteen tankers!!! (and the brake obviously!).

Details of what I used shall be put up once the inital project is finished!