I have been researching and collecting for a number of years to build Box in 4mm, built the

station building. I did a photo reconisence in the late 1980's, when several of the buildings

on the northside, and the coal office on the south were still in use. I was interested in the

culvert and cattle tunnel, because the view was to be from the North, with Box Hill rising in

the background.

I see a video on Youtube - of an HST125 cab view from Box to Bath that the scene has finally

overgrown with dense woods down to the track bed.

I was drawn as a convenient run to model between Middlehill Tunnel and the A4 road bridge.

However, Cosham looks like a better option with the background rising steeply away from the

trackside: interesting to see the coal siding served by Kilmersdon and Camerton Collieries.

Looks good for a first attempt Ian - I don't think I would want to put mine on public display.

I had much the same experience with escaping axleboxes - it gets easier as you develop tricks to foil their attempts, but there's also a few other alternatives:

• use cast axleboxes instead (and springs too)
  
• make your own - I have done this from plasticard for grease axleboxes
  
• some of the underframe etches foresee this problem, and provide spares or combine axleboxes and springs with solebar overlays.
  

I wouldn't worry too much about building the body before the underframe - I did most of my early models that way, and didn't see any particular problem with that.

You might also like to look at using the 4-plank wagon from the 4/5 plank GWR dual kit as the basis for cutting down to a 3-plank wagon - it has the advantage of no diagonal bracing to hide. For one and two plank wagons the planks should be significantly wider, so I chose to scratchbuild the bodies from plasticard, but you should also be able to proceed as with the three plank, then fill the gaps between the planks and re-scribe as a two-plank.

David

That's a fascinating web site, Ian. Thanks for posting the link. There's much interesting material there, not just from the Box to Corsham area, but from the other sites where Bath Stone Firms worked.

I've noticed that many early stone wagons have dumb buffers. Is this your intention for these little wagons?

...interesting to see the coal siding served by Kilmersdon and Camerton Collieries.

Yes, I noticed that. I'm always interested in finding out about where Somerset coal went. Incidentally, there is also a photo of an Old Mills wagon on one of the wharf pages of the site in Ian's link.

I do wonder about the 1910 date for the photo above, though. I think it could be somewhat earlier. The Camerton wagon in the foreground is an early 4 or 5 plank type with rounded ends and early lettering style. Whilst these may have still been in use in 1910, I've not seen any dated photos to support that,* and they had been using 7 plank Gloucester RCW wagons with the name lettering all of the same height since at least 1898.

Nick

* EDIT: just found an early lettering style wagon in a 1910ish photo and a claim without any supporting evidence that they survived until 1924.

All -

Thanks for your imput - I can only improve I hope!

Dazzler - I know what you mean about Box station - a terrific location. I started building it myself about 30 years ago in 'EM' - and I have a tracing still of the station building. The stone wharf will probably end up as the prototype for the one on 'Ambridge'.

David - Thanks for the comments - I guess I was in too much of a hurry to scratch the itch - I'll certainly bear cyour comments in mind (funnily enough, having posted the article I then spent half an hour paring away the internal strapping!).

Nick - I'm going on a 'half-remebered memory' re the date - the image has been reporduced elsewher - it's just that I was able to get permission to use this version - and I *think* one of them had that date. Cannot find it now.... Dumb buffers might be an idea, considering the lead time on 2mm 'Shop' items. I'm not complaining tho - just grateful that others have the skill & time to produce items like underframe etches etc for us mere mortals!

Regs to all,

Ian

Ian,

The completed wagon looks pretty good to me. My 2mm Scale Association membership will hopefully be fulfilled quite soon, then I can start ordering modern components (the parts I'm using for my current projects all date from the mid '90s at the latest). I just hope you haven't emptied the shop :-)

I have already bookmarked your blogs so that I can keep updated. :-)

Regards,

Ian

having posted the article I then spent half an hour paring away the internal strapping!

Get a graver. It makes these kind of jobs a doddle - well much easier than using a knife. I got mine from Eileens (no connection other than a satisfied repeat customer).

I lost a good number of bits that I had to leave in the carpet when I last moved house. Top hat bearings have a high 'ping' factor.

Hi all -

Ian-

Be prepared for a wait for some items. It is frustrating - and in the 'real world' things like coach wheels being 'Temproarily Out Of Production' wouldn't hack it. In 2mm, where we are grateful for the efforts of a small number of members producing a large nmber of parts - it's time to move on to another project not needing coacg wheels!

It's 'tit for tat' time as I'm following your blog on the 'Metro'.

Rich -

I actually used the tool I designed for removing 'Toad' hand-rails. Made from a ground-down hacksaw blade in an 'Exacto' holder it seems to have worked quite well.

Dave & Rich -

The answer to the 'ping' factor is the jewellers apron. One edge pinned undewr the workbench, the other tied round the waist (just remeber to undo it before you move away!). I had one in my old wokshop - saved countless bits of 'Finney' kits, top hat bearings etc. I was in too much of a hurry to get started & am now paying the price! Guss what's the next job on the (ever-growing) list??

Regs

Ian

The answer to the 'ping' factor is the jewellers apron. One edge pinned undewr the workbench, the other tied round the waist (just remeber to undo it before you move away!). I had one in my old wokshop - saved countless bits of 'Finney' kits, top hat bearings etc.

The shops haven't done the aprons for years though... It would catch any bits that I drop, but when something goes ping it tends to go a lot further than straight down to the floor.

The shops haven't done the aprons for years though... It would catch any bits that I drop, but when something goes ping it tends to go a lot further than straight down to the floor.

I got mine from a shop that specialises in work-related clothing (mine (I think) was a chefs apron. And yes I do appreciate sometimes they go up (and sideways) rather than down but I know my limitations with wot I can cope wiv!

Regs

Ian

The August-September 2010 issue of the 2mm magazine includes an article by Jim Watt, under the name of "Variations on an 1887 Theme", which covers a number of alternative builds of the 1887 RCH kit - including dumb buffers. Though written from a Scottish perspective, some of these may be helpful for your GWR-ish models.

David