nigel newling

I was advised by a bookseller at the Folkstone show that Mr Larkin was not intending to compile the promised 6th volume, preferring to move his attention to the Speedlink series. I do hope this is not true. This set of books provide my go-to reference for wagon appearance in my preferred era of just post war. Does anyone on here know any better?

Well done Mike. To save me the bother of searching, what brake yoke etches did you use, please? For a model of this excellence, I do think Accurascale could have supplied alternative yokes in their detail pack. After all, they did go to some lengths to make conversion of their Deltic easy. Nigel

Bootiful - but it ain't Winchcombe box. That one is an implant to replace the demolished box. Winchcombe box was right-handed with the stairs leading towards the platform end. Why they could not have rebuilt the donor box the proper way round when it was brought in as a full "kit of parts" I have never understood.

Mine arrived from Derails - express delivery - on Wednesday. Absolutely fabulous models but - narrow gauge. I had considered a direct appeal to Accurascale for an option accessory replacement part 46 (or is it part 47), the brake yoke, with the brake blocks set sufficiently far apart to clear a P4 wheelset. However, I have chosen to ask on here first in order to assess what level of demand there may be. We have already seen several messages about EM conversions which have required surgery, whereas a "drop in" replacement would make life so much easier. If Accurascale have already seen a way to make their Deltics convertible, surely an alternative brake assembly for the siphons is not too much to ask. These siphons are masterclass models and I cannot bear to put them to the knife unless I have to. Nigel

Never mind drop in wheels, what chance we can persuade Accurascale to offer alternative brake yoke mouldings with the brake blocks set at the correct gauge? It will break my heart when I have to take a craft knife to these beautiful bogies in order to get P4 wheels in. Nigel

.... and still no post '36 LNER liveries! So I will have to wait for the batch 3 release I suppose. :-)

It seems very strange that Accurascale have chosen not to include LNER livery variants in their hopper range. I would definitely buy a set of hoppers in post '36 format.

Please Corbs, can you make me one of the happy recipients? :-) These two wagons will form part of my engineering train, as spoil wagons, and, in 1947, would definately have been either side braked. Nigel

There should indeed be a break gear protection spring but, as this chassis is a direct lift by Rapido from their Iron Mink, it does not appear to be available as an add-on for use on the O21. It seems also to have been lost from the preserved wagon which may explain Rapido's decision. For most people, the wagon also needs the addition of the secondary, single shoe, brake, as fitted to 14432. My two post '36 examples arrived in the post this afternoon and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Rapido will make the extra break gear parts available as an accessory pack.

I suspect there will be a queue of new owners who will want to follow the example of the great company and add the additional single side brake to their 925006. Any chance of an add-on accessory pack?

Cooper-Craft Cattle wagon end are the wrong profile or format for most of the W diagrams but they are spot on for Y5 Banana vans so if anyone has some spare I would really like to hear from them. :-)

For interest, I attach a photograph of an engineering occupation at Winchcombe in 1949 It is clearly a GW 4-plank being used to collect spoil during the installation of a replacement cess drain. While it is impossible to see a wagon number, it is clearly an old wagon. It has square cut headstocks and a single side brake with a Churchward ratchet brake guard. It would appear to have the standard modification of a second lever added on the opposite side with one pushrod and brake shoe as there is no visible cross shaft. Definitely an instance of the Rapido model. :-)

Be wary of the BB DC3 brakegear etch. DC3 geometry uses a shallow V iron, resulting in the lower pushrod being almost horizontal and the upper being inclined at a steep angle. CES920/4 has pushrods more suitable for Morton brakegear, being angled equally above and below a centreline passing through the axleboxes.

Have you got model numbers for the post WW2 GW so that I can get my pre order in please? :-)