MikeOxon

In my previous post, I described modelling of some of the earliest wagons ordered for the GWR in the late 1830s. At that time, much of the railway was still under construction – the complete route from London to Bristol was not opened until 30th June 1841. Information on these early wagons is sparse, although we are fortunate to have several illustrations by J.C.Bourne, which are sufficiently accurate to indicate the main features. Bristol Goods Shed – J.C.Bourne 1842 The late Eddy Brown went through a GWR Stock Account dated 27th.Sept.1840 with the proverbial fine tooth comb, to separate the goods vehicles into various types, depending on their descriptions and features such as Tare Weight. There were 61 vehicles, broadly described as ‘Luggage Wagons’, which he broke down into 5 categories, as follows: 2 x Small Box + 3 transferred to passenger stock 24 x Standard Box 20 x Standard Tilt 10 x Standard Utility 5 x 6-wheel Box The first two categories were covered in my previous post, including the addition of canvas covers to some of the Small Box wagons to adapt them for use as Passengers’ Luggage wagons. Now it’s time to consider the other three. The first 20 Standard Tilt wagons were a type that was to become characteristic of the Broad Gauge and continued to be used until many ended their lives on the Swindon Dump in 1892. Over the years, there were many variations in the style of the raised ends, between which canvas covers carried on hoops could provide a totally enclosed space. These wagons had many uses – for example, according to MacDermot’s ‘History of the GWR’, there were no dedicated cattle wagons until after 1853, the Tilt Wagons being used for this purpose. [N.B. – I have previously modelled a later iron-bodied Tilt Wagon in an earlier post in this blog ] Standard Tilt Wagons - 1840 Although no proof can be found for the 'standard' format having being adopted in these wagons, Eddy Brown considered that the later GWR method of over‑drawing amendments, such as the bonnet-like structures was probably used for this design. I adopted this process of ‘amendment’ for my own models – re-using many of the components from my ‘standard’ Box wagon and adding new ‘bonnets’ and hoops. My first step was to make a digital copy of my entire 3D model of a standard Box wagon. I then placed the model, in ‘Fusion 360’, over a ‘canvas’ image of the Tilt Wagon drawing from Broad Gauge Society (BGS) Data Sheet 403. This confirmed that all the major dimensions were virtually identical. The most obvious differences were the ‘bonnets’ at each end, so I created these as new ‘bodies’ and deleted the previous drop flaps at the ends of my model. This is another advantage of creating my models as collections of individual parts – I do this mainly to make printing easier but it also facilitates changing individual parts for different versions. After drawing one bonnet as shown below, I used the ‘mirror’ command in ‘Fusion 360’ to create its counterpart at the opposite end. My conversion of Box Wagon to Tilt Wagon I used the ‘Pattern on Path’ command in ‘Fusion 360’ to create the planking running around the curved hood of the bonnet – I only needed to draw one plank and the software did the rest. The chassis and wheels continued unchanged but longer springs were fitted to the Tilt Wagons, bowed to run beneath the axles. I created new axle-box assemblies by extruding from the ‘canvas’ in ‘Fusion 360’, then copied the design to replace the four boxes on my previous model. Revised Axlebox with Underslung Springs With these alterations, plus the addition of hoops to support the canvas tilt, I now had a new model as shown below (rendered in ‘Fusion 360’): My 3D model of an 1840 Tilt Wagon. Standard Utility Wagons - 1840 10 of these were built as another variant on the original ‘standard’ Box wagon, designed to be adaptable to a variety of applications. The body sides were reduced to 2’ 6” in height and the strouters were extended upwards to form an Enclosure rail, over sides & ends. The existence of these Utility Wagons is confirmed by J.C. Bourne's Litho, of Bristol Goods shed (shown above), which includes both covered and uncovered versions. These wagons, less covers, were notable for being given over to ‘Goods Train Passengers’, later referred to as 3rd.Class Passengers. Seating was probably arranged with 9 cross Benches 24" apart, seating 6 persons on each, resulting in a loading of 54 persons per wagon. Little modification to the ‘standard’ Box wagon was needed to create my model – narrower top planks and an additional rail. The axle boxes were fitted with underslung springs, as on the Tilt Wagons, described above. My 3D Model of 1840 Utility Wagon (uncovered) I also created 3D views of my models, with the hoops and a canvas tilt cover in place: Two of my 3D models with Hoops and a Canvas Tilt cover 6-Wheel Goods Wagons – 1840 These 5 wagons were substantially larger than the 4-wheel designs and set a pattern that persisted throughout the Broad Gauge period of the GWR. Initially, their field of application was rather limited, because they were too long to be turned on the small wagon turntables that were commonly used, in the early period, at stations and depots for moving stock between tracks – using a mixture of horse- and man-power.. Several of these wagons were adapted for the use of Goods Passengers, for whom seating was provided by 11 cross benches, set 24" apart, each seating about. 6 persons, giving 66 passengers per wagon. Following an accident at Sonning, in December 1841, the Board of Trade report expressed concern that passengers were thrown out on impact. The recommendation was that the sides should be raised to at least 4’‑6" height and this modification was soon applied. It was also recognised that the boxes over the central wheels created a problem with centrally placed drop-flaps. Replacement of these flaps with doors, between the wheels, was another of the modifications in adapting these wagons for passenger use. Further modifications were required later, as a result of the 'Railway Regulations Act 1844', which required “carriages protected from the weather and provided with seats”. The GWR anticipated this change in 1842, by amending the original drawings of these 6-wheel wagons with superimposed outlines of ‘seating and roof’ additions BGS Data Sheet 120 contains an account of the timeline leading up to the building of these ‘Parliamentary’ carriages. This account indicates that the GWR started operating ‘Goods Train Passenger’ services, once the line had reached Reading in 1840. Before that, contractors had offered places to ‘passengers’ in regular goods wagons! The term ‘3rd class passenger’ only appeared later, after the line was completed through to Bristol in May 1841. After this date, new 6-Wheel Trucks were ordered specifically as 3rd class Passenger vehicles, with sprung buffers and sides raised to 4’-6” height. I have previously created a 3D-printed model of one of these 3rd class ‘Parliamentary’ carriages, described in an earlier blog post, and shown below: My 3D-printed model of a 3rd-class ‘Parliamentary’ carriage For my model of a 6-wheel goods wagon, I decided to re-use the chassis design from my earler model, then add a body based on the original low-sided design of 1840. My 6-wheel BG chassis from a 3rd-class Carriage I re-used the ends designed for my Utility Wagon, described above, and lengthened the sides to fit the 6-wheel version. I also re-used the strouters and buffer beams from the shorter version. By drawing on these earlier designs, I did not need to make any completely new parts for the following model: My 3D Model of 1840 6-wheel Wagon (uncovered) That completes my set of models of the wagons originally ordered for the GWR. It took a while for the Board to realise the potential revenue to be obtained from good services, on what they had originally conceived as a passenger railway. As a result, a crash programme of orders were raised, intended to increase the wagon stock to 250 vehicles by the time the line opened through to Bristol. This rapid expansion led to ‘revised’ versions of all the types of wagons described above. According to the BGS Data Sheets, new wheels were fitted with refined open spokes and the suspension springs were deeper in form, but, overall, the bodies and frames remained the same. In addition, some new types of wagon were ordered for specific types of traffic. These included Sheep Trucks, and wagons for coke and coal. These will be the subjects of my next post. Mike

These Bourne illustrations are often the only information we have, confirming the existence of variations amongst the early GWR wagons. These seen in the Bristol litho are a slightly later design, with narrower top planks and extended strouters supporting a top rail. These were described as 'Utility Wagons' and were intended as multi-purpose wagons that could be used as Box or Tilt wagons or for goods passengers. Both 4 wheel and 6 wheel versions were built. There are plenty more BGS Data sheets for me to work my way through 🙂

Another thought is to alter a model to have open doors, then place it at a loading dock. I have that set up at North Leigh, where there is a rake of modified Airfix cattle wagons, of which one is loading at the cattle dock.

My hope is that my posts will encourage others to have a go at creating their own models. When I first started scratch-building, I thought it would be too difficult - I'm not a 'practical engineer' type of person. It was a pleasant surprise to find I could 'roll my own', initially with brass sheet and then with computer-controlled aids, leading me into 3D computer modelling. It is my personal challenge to explore how to do these things. I am pleased to be allowed to use Fusion 360 software at no charge, on the condition that it is for personal use only and non-commercial. I don't wish to do anything that could jeopardise that concession. All that is basically a long-winded way of saying 'no' - I have not considered distributing my models in any way.

As I replied to Annie, I have designed the parts so that they will be printable. My current problem is that I already have more models than I can find uses for. I keep toying with various layout plans but still cannot settle on a single idea 🙂 Mike

I must give credit to the painstaking research carried out by the late Eddy Brown. His data sheets and the publication 'Broadsheet' provide ample reasons for anyone interested in the period to join the Broad Gauge Society. It was your thread, Annie, that made me realise how much of the pleasure of modelling can be gained through use of 3D-modelling software. It provides the means to appreciate how these early designs developed from their road-vehicle origins into the styles that persisted well into the 20th century. I have laid out the parts in such a way that they will all be printable, once I decide what to do with them all! Mike

Why stop there - it's an infinitely recurring decimal, so keep typing ...

Following my stock review , I realised that, although I have quite a good selection of early broad-gauge carriages, there are relatively few examples of early goods wagons. While thinking about the possibilities, I looked at the contemporary pen and wash sketch by J.C.Bourne, which shows three types of early broad-gauge wagons, including one with wheels outside the body sides and a tilt cover. For more information and drawings, I turned to the invaluable set of Data Sheets that were produced by the late Eddie Brown for the Broad Gauge Society (BGS). Although these are extremely informative, they are written largely in note-form using typescript, which can be a little difficult to follow at times. With the help of these Data Sheets, however, I could identify those in the above sketch as two types of early ‘Box Wagon’ and an early ‘Horse Box’. Horse Box The Horse Box is one of the few early wagons that I have already modelled. The original design of Horse Box was one of those Broad-Gauge oddities, in which the wheelbase of 6 feet was shorter than the track gauge! It is one of the early vehicles illustrated in Whishaw’s ‘Railways of Great Britain and Ireland’, 1842. My 3D-model of an early GWR Horse Box, 1838 (see my blog post for construction details) Box Wagons The history of the early GWR goods wagons is somewhat confusing, since thy are variously labelled as ‘Box Wagons’, ‘Luggage Wagons’, or ‘Utility Wagons’ depending on their mode of use at the times they were recorded. Eddy Brown teased out some their ‘life histories’ by comparing details such as Tare Weights from the various stock lists. It was a period when railway wagon design was developing rapidly from their farm-cart origins The first wagons ordered for the GWR were a batch of 29 ‘box wagons’ built in 1838/9. According to the BGS Data Sheet 401, five of these were described as ‘small box wagons’ There are no known drawings but one of these appears in J.C Bourne’s engraving of Pangbourne station. Extract from an engraving by J.C.Bourne This illustration is of particular interest because it shows that these were some of the very few vehicles that conformed to Brunel’s idea of placing narrow vehicle-bodies between the wheel-sets. These wagons show their farm-cart origins in the sloping sides, supported by struts known as ‘strouters’. The floor planks ran lengthwise, like a farm-cart, and there were drop-doors at both ends as well as in the sides. To create a 3D-model, I followed my usual method if tracing over the drawings in the BGS Data Sheet, which I imported as a ‘canvas’ into ‘Fusion 360’. I then extruded the panels and their details to form ‘solid bodies’. I used the ‘mirror’ option in ‘Fusion 360’ to create the opposite sides and ends, which avoided having to produce the planking details twice! After extruding the various parts from the side and end elevation drawings, as appropriate, I brought them together within the software, as shown below: Extruding a 3D-model from a ‘Canvas’ in ‘Fusion 360’ Once the modelling is complete, ‘Fusion 360’ offer the capability to ‘render’ the 3D-model in appropriate colours and under controlled lighting conditions, to give an impression of how the eventual printed design will appear. The rendering option in 'Fusion 360' can be very effective and I have seen some superb examples, where other people have created complete scenes within 'Fusion 360'. So far, I have only touched the hem of the possibilities that have opened up, but it’s something I intend to pursue further. My 3D model of GWR Small Box Wagon, 1838 ‘Standard’ Wagons The other 24 wagons in the initial order became known as ‘standard’ box wagons. BGS Data Sheet 402 states that the Traffic Committee's Stock Account for 6th.October, 1840, listed 22 wagons being allocated to London and 4 to Bristol as’ Box Wagons’, plus 3 known as ‘Luggage Wagons’, for use in Passenger trains. The ‘standard’ wagons were longer and also abandoned the Brunel concept of placing the body between the wheels, which resulted in greatly increased carrying capacity. In fact, the internal volume was doubled in these wagons, from 6.31 Cu.yards (4.82 m3) in the small wagon, to 13.55 Cu.Yd (10.36 m3). In those early days, when ‘lower-class’ passengers were not encouraged, it is evident that, by September 1839, several of these wagons had been fitted with bench seating to carry ‘Goods train passengers’. After a serious accident at Sonning on 24th December 1841, it was recommended that the sides of the wagons should be raised, to reduce the likelihood of passengers being thrown out in the event of a collision! I created my model by using exactly the same procedure as for the small wagon; in this case extruding from Data Sheet 402. In fact, I was able to re-use some parts, such as buffer beams and cross members, for this larger wagon. Although the body sides were placed outside the wheels, they still sloped outwards towards the top and were supported by strouters. My models of the ‘small’ and ‘standard’ GWR Box Wagons Placing my models together shows vividly the increased volume in the larger design. Notice that the wheels protruded into the load space and were boxed-in in the prototypes.. In fact, this was a feature of GWR wagons that persisted for several years, until the Brunel dictum of ‘large wheels’ was finally abandoned. I suspect that those wheel-boxes were frequently cursed by the people loading the wagons. No doubt @Mikkel could create an amusing story about a package that got lost in the corner behind a wheel box 🙂 A Model Trio As a final flourish, I decided to use my models to re-create the scene sketched by J.C. Bourne in the early 1840s. Note that there are some additions on the wagons he sketched. The small wagon has an over-all tarpaulin, supported by hoops, while the standard wagon has raised side-rails, which may have been for the carriage of animals. My three models arranged as in the J.C. Bourne illustration Mike

Steady on, there!!!

One fundamental choice, which depends on how you view the hobby, is whether you intend to model things yourself or draw heavily on off-the-shelf and ready-to-run (RTR) items. A lot depends on whether your interest centres on the modelling itself or on running trains.

Langley have a selection of various types, sold in pairs - https://www.langleymodels.co.uk/awd1/index.php?route=product/search&search=wheel A road coach really needs steerable front wheels and shafts, usually carried on a pivoting fore-carriage. Also a seat for the coachman. I have modelled Brunel's Britzka and described the various components of the fore-carriage. see https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/entry/25349-brunels-britzka/ Mike

A long way from NZ to Moscow 🙂

I wonder how many of the real loco idiosyncrasies are captured by the software? Some engines suffered from poor valve events or badly laid out steam passages. In some, the problem was in the firebox, such as a tendency to collect clinker, leading to fall-off in performance on long runs. Any comments, Annie?

I know the problem of fitting layers together from having used layers cut with a Silhouette Cutter. Yours looks splendid. There's a steam railcar at Didcot (Railmotor No. 93, built 1908 to Diagram R, Lot 1142), which I've had the pleasure of riding in a few times

Are imaginary numbers appropriate for imaginary lines?

For any model to look so good under close photographic scrutiny is remarkable - splendid work.🙂 My only concern is that your brickwork looks much more interesting than the real thing, seen on earlier photos in this thread, where the texture is far less pronounced.

The class divisions between servants in pre-WW2 British society were almost more marked than those between their masters! There's a flavour of it in Eveleyn Waugh's 'Brdeshead Revisited', when Lord Marchmain returns from Italy and his retinue of servants have to be amalgamated with those already at the English estate: "Plender and Wilcox became Joint Grooms of the Chambers, like Blues and Life Guards with equal precedence, ... the senior footman was given a black coat and promoted butler, the nondescript Swiss, on arrival, was to have full valet’s status; there was a general increase in wages to meet the new dignities, and all were content." When Lord Wilcote ordered his special train then, in addition to the Family Saloon, he required a tri-composite, to ensure that the divisions could be carefully maintained. In my blog post, I commented that "I expect the greatest fun was enjoyed in the 3rd class section, where the young maids would be making their first trip to London." Mike

Yet another skill for railway modelling 🙂 - steel making methods. Mike

My impression from driving through South Wales is of rather messy structures full of smoke and steam and with lots of tall towers and chimneys. Attribution: Chris Shaw / Port Talbot Steelworks /https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

On interesting variant of GWR autotrains was the use of some 517 class engines encased in 'coach-like' cladding, as seen in a photo at Trumpers Crossing halt. Could make an unusual model! Apparently, some auto-fitted engines were painted brown, as a less complex method for making them 'blend in' Mike

Sounds good. I;d be interested to know more about how you prepare the artwork for 3D-printing brickwork

Done! It's hard to see how we are going to get out of the various messes the human race is in but we can only hope for some pleasant surprises. Happy New Year!

4 hours to go here still but it does seem to have stopped raining. Fireworks crackling all around and upsetting our neighbour's dogs. Just started on a bottle of Cloudy Bay Pelorus which, in my opinion, beats most Champagne 😀

It's the track-building that has held me back from a proper broad gauge layout. It's not just the style of baulks and bridge rail but the fact that the early GWR liked 6-wheel (or even rigid 8-wheel) vehicles - both wagons and coaches - which create difficulties as soon as you have any curves! I've created a couple of track types, one based on real timber baulks and another on 3D printed bases but both only for use in small display cases The Broad Gauge Society (BGS) supply bridge rail and have investigated the possibility of supplying baulk road bases, although I'm not sure if that has progressed. I have the impression that you are thinking of modelling later broad gauge days, so remember that most of the broad gauge had gone by 1872, when all the lines West of Gloucester into Wales were narrowed, and almost all the rest was mixed-gauge. By the time Joseph Armstrong arrived at Swindon in 1864, the writing was on the wall for the broad gauge. Very little broad gauge stock was produced in later years and what there was had narrow bodies designed to be easily converted to run on standard gauge. In the final years before 1892, the only broad gauge trains were the West of England expresses. Mike

perhaps Annie can give the rest of us a sneak preview of how 2024 is feeling? Mike