A couple of weeks ago Honley Tank was visited by friends from the Bodger's Brow team and I had all three layouts up and running; that's Birch Vale & Bowton's Yard, which are S4 track & wheel standards, and Wheegram Sidings which is EM.

This quickly threw up the fact that I had insufficient brake vans to run all three at the same time, particularly so for the S4 layouts.

So as a rest from that awkward Crab conversion, I decided on a mass production of LNER style brake vans. Now that raises what I consider some interesting facts which came up when, a few years ago, I came to convert some old Rosebud/Kitmaster BR brakes that I had built to OO gauge in the early 60's.

When I built the OO versions I thought that BR had simply copied the LNER design, so I simply built the kits as per instructions, but with metal wheels rather than the kit's plastic ones, but then I painted and lettered them in LNER livery.

Years later when I came to put 18.83 wheels on these, I did more thorough research which showed my 1960s thoughts to be incorrect. These were, incidentally, original Rosebud kits that had cost me the princely sum of two shillings (10p today)!

The biggest visual distinctions between LNER and BR builds are the LNER's shorter steps, - they stop about halfway along the outer platforms, - and the double brake shoes of BR compared to very long, single shoes on the LNER version. Also, earlier LNER Toad Ds did not have visual weights on the outside platforms. Ballast weighting was originally by cast iron weights in the body or underframe but this was changed to concrete slabs on the platforms as the war effort claimed prior demand on iron.

All LNER owned Toad Ds were vacuum braked - (not sure about BR; can any one confirm?). however the LNE built quite a large number with only hand braking, but these were purchased by the Cheshire Lines Committee.

It is therefore possible to have a whole array of Toad Ds but each one being different to the others, and that is my aim in this project:

1. Short steps; no weights; no vac. brake; long brake shoes; grey livery; ex CLC.

2. Short steps; no weights; vac. brake pipes; brown body white roof; ex LNE.

3. Short steps; weights; vac. brake pipes; long brake shoes; brown body; white roof; ex LNE.

4. Short steps; weights; vac. brake pipes; long brake shoes; brown body; brown roof; BR (with ex LNE number).

5. Long steps; weights; vac. brake pipes; double brake shoes; brown body; brown roof; BR number.

There are two others possible but a bit more research is needed. I'm sure that the LNER concrete weights did not have the inner corners missing as did the BR ones. These give access to bolts holding body to running gear~(? I think?), but I can't find them on pics of LNER builds. BR may have built them without vac brakes and these may have been in grey livery.

The kit is still available from Dapol and is listed at £5.50. A snip if you want to get involved in this type of kit modification and, in my view easier and more fun than trying to modify Bachmann's efforts. Oh! Their LNER version has the wrong brakes!

That's enough for now. Next time I'll relate how I gave the five guard's vans a sprung chassis.