Brake Vans
Entry posted by wiggoforgold
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I havent done a blog entry for a while. I suffered a detatched retina in my left eye a couple of yearsago. I recoved from that, was about to post a blog entry, and I suffered a detatched retina in the right eye, so everything has been on hold until I could see the keyboard.
I have managed to do a bit of modelling though, although I've got a number of unfinished projects where I can't yet see clealrly enough to do fine work, such as the EE type 3 which has been awaiting bogie brake cylinders for the last two years - the parts are in my "to do" box but I can't see to fit them! This situation has hardened my resolove to do a few experiments in "O" gauge.
Anyway, I've made some brake vans. The van in the picture is a standard BR 20t van, built from the Dapol kit. I like the Dapol kit. Despite being about fifty years old, it looks corrects, and fits together perfectly. There's a couple of errors, the best known being the roof, which is a mirror Image of what it should be. Its a bit chunky anyway, and I replaced mine with a new roof of 20thou plastic card, formed to shape round a jam jar dunked in boiling water. I fitted new vents from MJT, and the chimney is from a bit of brass tube.
The other error is the duckets, which I believe are not quite the right height (I'm not sure if its too low or too high) A lot of the models I've seen don't bother to change this. I didn't either.
Running gear has been upgraded. I find that even in OO, long wheelbase wagons benefit from compensation, so mine has MJT W irons. I sanded off the kit W irons, keeping the springs and J hangers, but cutting off the axleboxes (these can be kept if desired) Replacement axleboxes from MJT were fitted. Wheels are Bachmann.
The buffers were replaced with MJT sprung Oleo buffers. The rest of the mdel uses the kit parts
The body was sprayed with Precision LNER wagon oxide (I didn't have any BR bauxite) and the underframe was painted with Tamiya NATO black. Fox transfers were applied. Weathering was a wash of heavily diluted artists oil colour (burnt umber) followed by drybrushing various shades of earth and grey.
I then relaised I had forgotten to fit the grab rails to the outer ends of the veranda, which still await fitting
The van lurking in the background is an Ex LNER "Toad B" whch has scratchbuilt sides with Airfix/Dapol duckets on a Parkside underframe.
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