The Wagon and Carriage shop - dirty wagons

Entry posted by drduncan August 29, 2015

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In a well ordered and just society I would be able to blame Gareth. The fact that I can't is annoying me somewhat and I think that deep down he (Gareth, whose default fault assuages so many wrongs and set backs) is avoiding any blame just to vex me. But I suppose then he is to blame for something...

:yahoo:

On that happy note on to the dirty wagons that are 'fresh' - if that is the right word - from the paint shop.

It's worth remembering how dirty the old railway was (and the modern one is more than a little skanky too). Even the Edwardian railways couldn't keep humble fright stock clean - it very rapidly become dirty, even in the Elysium fields of the green and pleasant lands served by the GWR (Gods knows what it was like up in the dark satanic mills of the north - black and white pictures don't do the muck justice). Soot, filth and rust soon covered wagons, and that's before we deal with

1) inconsistent paint mixes and

2) weathering through oxidation and fading.

And don't forget the chalk marks that seem to adorn almost every wagon.

So if your little Disney land has immaculate wagons in ex-works conditions its probably time to get out the paints and practice your dry brushing and if you have one, use of an airbrush...

Here are the latest attempts to get the muck spread around:

This trio are all 4 plank opens (no diagram number was ever given to these examples)

This is a very faded V6 Iron Mink. It's also got the lettering in the wrong positions (deliberately on my part - can't say what the signwritter at the time thought he was doing). Don't believe me? Have a look at John Lewis' lovely little book on the Iron Minks.

And an N13 loco coal wagon.

Here are three different 'Minks'. 16280 is a V12 (non vacuum braked example) with twin end louvre ventilators, 16685 is a V12 vacuum fitted DC3 braked example with an offset V hanger together with twin end louvre ventilators, and 93182 is a V16 vacuum fitted DC3 braked wagon with twin end bonnet ventilators. They all started off as Coopercraft V4s - the main differences between all of these wagons is brake gear, wagons ends, and buffers. I think you can get 21 different diagrams (or subsets of diagrams) from the humble Coopercraft V4 7' 6" kit so watch this space.