Not had much spare time lately, and have been doing things other than building wagons. I am trying, however, to clear down the vast collection of half built brake vans.

I managed to get the LNER van ready for painting.

The principle body modification was to replace the inner ends with spares from a Dapol kit of the BR version, fitted with a new planked door (the early vans have no windows in the door), Other body modifications included new wire handrails, bigger ventilators on the roof (although I still think these aren't big enough and will be swapped with larger ones when I can find some) and revised lamp irons. I also added the fixed side lamps.

An awful lot of work, considering I'm going to number this as the vehicle that the Bachmann original is supposed to be representing. These Bachmann wagons are nice but not always 100% accurate.

A while back I put the chassis from a Parkside LNER lowfit under a 3H open to make the fitted version. This left me with the body.

Cut down, and mounted on a Parkside PA16 chassis it makes a reasonable BR diagram 1/001 Lowfit (the kind with a LNER wooden body on a LMS steel chassis).

The various 21t minerals are all now finished.

Chivers Coal 21VB. The Modelmaster sheet for these is now out of print, so the "To work within South Wales and Monmouthshire only" was made of from letters an words on the HMRS wagon instructions sheet. Over several nights to save my sanity.

Parkside 21t riveted mineral.

The welded version (modified Chivers MDV on Parkside chassis)

And lastly the modified Hornby PO mineral