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Highland fish.

Buckjumper

Entry posted by Buckjumper

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The Highland Railway's Diagram 12 fish truck was the earliest of three types of open wagon for transporting fish in passenger-rated trains. There seems to be some uncertainty as to the exact livery - some speculate it was painted in goods red, others in passenger green - of course it's possible that they appeared in both if the type was moved from the wagon register to the NPCS register (or whatever it was that the Highland used to differentiate stock).

 

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I was impressed with Pete Armstrong's take on the wagon, but looking at other types of HR stock I thought the Fish Traffic legend should probably have been placed centrally on the door. Pete reckoned the transfers from the HR Soc. wouldn't fit (he was right!), so some judicious slicing up of letters and re-kerning took place, plus a close shave or two of a couple of letters and I think I've just about managed to get away with it. I went for a dual-fitted (piped only) version, which with the safety chains and screw coupling makes for a very busy pair of ends, but also looks slightly comical when juxtaposed with the one brake lever operating a solitary brake block. Classy.

 

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It appears the Highland insulated the barrels of fish with turf (whether individually on the barrels or lobbed on top of the load en-masse, I really don't know). Anyway, my brief was to replicate an empty with a barrel and a wagon sheet, with the suggestion that there had been some broken goods. No doubt in reality it would have all been swept clean after unloading, and the sheet properly folded, but a little modeller's license makes for what is hopefully a little scene that suggests the last trip was a little more eventful than usual.

 

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For the record, it's a Lochgorm brass kit, and I've added WEP compensation units to the 3' 7" wheelsets. Vacuum and Westinghouse pipes were from my spares box so could be from one of a number of sources such as Connoisseur, Alan Gibson or Laurie Griffin. The safety chains and screw couplings are by Laurie, and I added a representation of the door chains from twisted 5A fuse wire. Sprung buffer heads from Slater's, the barrel was from Ten Commandments, and the wagon sheet homemade.

 

No chance of one of these appearing on Basilica, but they are a lovely wagon which could so easily be the raison d'etre of a little Highland layout.

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Mikkel
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Sorry mate, I've just found the original HR notes which state that it was painted red.

 

Fortunately not! ;-)

 

Beautiful work as ever. Am especially impressed by the colouring of the wagon floor. I know what you mean about making transfers fit even if they don't - I agree you've managed to pull it off here. Simply brilliant.

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Buckjumper

Sorry mate, I've just found the original HR notes which state that it was painted red.

 

Fortunately not! ;-)

 

Oi, cheeky!

 

*Rail gun lobs swedes, parsnips and other assorted root vegetables toward the Kingdom of Denmark*

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Portchullin Tatty

I did mine in green, I reckon it was the right answer. Mind you, that only means we ahve both got it right or wrong!

 

The turfs were laid over and an around the barrels, but were likely to be then obscured by a tarp. I rather hanker to do do one without a tarp, so that people can tell me I have done soemthing silly for carrying grass around..........

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webbcompound

assuming the turfs were grass might not be correct. They could well be peat turfs and so shaped like large gold bars only dark charcoal grey.

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Buckjumper

It hadn't occurred to me, and that may well have been the case. Unfortunately I know very little of the workings of the Highland so will have to leave it to others to make a more informed comment.

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