Oxford announce 12T Tank Wagons

[sandwich station]

14 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

But didn't Esso have the first ones?

 

Also, the Airfix kit only came with Esso transfers, though I understand others have become available since Dapol took it over.

 

John

 

 

Esso and Regent used them. I've asked that question on here before somewhere.

[gwrrob]

Well I bought my first ever Oxford Rails product and apart from the couplings sticking out way too much, I will fit the three links supplied, it doesn't look too bad to a blind man on a galloping horse.

 

[Dunsignalling]

25 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

Well I bought my first ever Oxford Rails product and apart from the couplings sticking out way too much, I will fit the three links supplied, it doesn't look too bad to a blind man on a galloping horse.

 

To give due credit to Oxford, I think it's a contender for best OO r-t-r tank wagon, and (IMHO) the chassis gives it a good edge over Bachmann's recent anchor mount jobs.

 

It's slightly scary to think that it's other main opposition would be the venerable 20-tonners still made by Hornby, which were decades ahead of the field when first introduced by Airfix/GMR over 40 years ago.

 

Hint to the industry: Yes, I would like this to become a competition! 

 

John

[Pteremy]

I don't know how accurate it is (in a rivet counting sense) but the underframe is certainly a thing of beauty, really capturing the 'skeletal' look of the real thing. 

[Mark Hamlin]

Loving my Carless example. Just check out the finesse of the tie down straps

[Nile]

Here is another comparison photo, with a similarly attired Bachmann tank.

 

The 3-link couplings are a nice touch, and work.

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, Mark Hamlin said:

Loving my Carless example. Just check out the finesse of the tie down straps

 

 

Nowadays of course, the green lobby says we've all got to get a Petrolless Car.

 

I have one of these tankers on order.

 

[Dunsignalling]

12 hours ago, Nile said:

Here is another comparison photo, with a similarly attired Bachmann tank.

 

The 3-link couplings are a nice touch, and work.

Wow, that really shows off the great leap forward Oxford have achieved over the Mainline-derived models that form the majority of Bachmann's tank wagon output. These may or may not be perfect to the last rivet but, IMHO, they do for r-t-r tank wagons what Hornby's rebuilt Merchant Navy did for r-t-r locos. 

 

Next, we really do need somebody to come up with an Air Ministry tanker in 4mm to compare with those produced for O Gauge by Dapol. 

 

Having already done the R&D for the big ones, Dapol clearly should, but if they won't, on this showing, it's pretty evident there's another outfit that could.

 

John

 

 

[Mark Saunders]

The Air Ministry tank is a serious omission from the current 4mm scale selection as they were sold on to the oil companies after the war and appeared in their liveries. 

[gwrrob]

56 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Wow, that really shows off the great leap forward Oxford have achieved over the Mainline-derived models that form the majority of Bachmann's tank wagon output.

 

 

 

I couldn't resist a comparison shot to highlight that point.

 

[Mark Saunders]

The problem with the comparison of the other manufacturers models is the comparison of apples and oranges given also that the Oxford model is as far as I can tell the first that was developed as a tank rather than using a pre existing chassis!

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

The Air Ministry tank is a serious omission from the current 4mm scale selection as they were sold on to the oil companies after the war and appeared in their liveries. 

Air ministry tanks, weren't they to existing 1928 RCH designs? Or are my books on tank wagons all wrong?

[Dunsignalling]

55 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Air ministry tanks, weren't they to existing 1928 RCH designs? Or are my books on tank wagons all wrong?

 

Essentially, yes. However, as with the RCH "standard" mineral wagons, there would have been options within the specification. Thus, RCH "standard" wagons were constructed to conform to the overall specification, but aren't necessarily identical to one another, or to the ones built for the Air Ministry. 

 

It's basically a catch-all term for the ones that were dispersed widely through the oil industry post-WW2. If you say "Air Ministry" more people will know which wagons you are getting at than if you say "RCH 1928 pattern".

 

Also, of course, the RCH spec was issued not too long before the Depression hit, during which it's likely that existing wagons were more than sufficient to meet traffic demand. That wasn't really over until about 1937, so there may have been relatively few constructed before the Air Ministry adopted the design. 

 

John

Edited August 30, 2020 by Dunsignalling

[Pteremy]

The classic Modellers BackTrack article describes them as based on a 1938 Shell-BP design, which was '..a refinement..' of the 1927 RCH design. A key difference/innovation in the Air Ministry orders was the provision of a catwalk and ladder. Initially two small catwalks either side of the filler cap, subsequently one longer one. But not all of the tank wagons built for the Air Ministry had a catwalk, so there was quite a lot of variation. Post war conversions saw catwalks and ladders added where absent, and some catwalks repositioned. So all in all a lot of variety for some willing manufacturer to make a fortune out of.

[Wickham Green too]

.... and/or the aftermarket suppliers.

[26power]

9 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

The problem with the comparison of the other manufacturers models is the comparison of apples and oranges given also that the Oxford model is as far as I can tell the first that was developed as a tank rather than using a pre existing chassis!

 

With regard to the last part, presumably it depends if you are limiting comments to a specific time period, and/or “type” of wagon?  Aren’t the Heljan class A and B tanks models of the whole vehicles?  I.e. the same prototype as the Airfix kit.  I do not have any of these, as too modern for my interests.

 

Class B thread on here:

Class A thread on here:

Same, I would assume for the more modern TTA tank wagons by Bachmann, and various more modern bogie tank wagons by various suppliers.

 

[Dunsignalling]

21 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

The problem with the comparison of the other manufacturers models is the comparison of apples and oranges given also that the Oxford model is as far as I can tell the first that was developed as a tank rather than using a pre existing chassis!

Which is something the other manufacturer was quite at liberty to do, and all of them will now probably have to when developing new tank wagon models.

 

My point was that Oxford have produced a game-changing model within OO r-t-r. The difference can be likened  to apples and oranges in more senses than you intended it.

 

John

[gwrrob]

1 minute ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

My point was that Oxford have produced a game-changing model within OO r-t-r. The difference can be likened  to apples and oranges in more senses than you intended it.

 

 

Yes the quality is there and I'm now scratching my head wondering why they didn't do it with their 7 plank coal wagons.

[bigherb]

37 minutes ago, gwrrob said:

 

Yes the quality is there and I'm now scratching my head wondering why they didn't do it with their 7 plank coal wagons.

That is true of all manufactures. Even Bachmann have made a few pups, even they had a few goes at getting the 7 plank right.

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, gwrrob said:

 

Yes the quality is there and I'm now scratching my head wondering why they didn't do it with their 7 plank coal wagons.

Just working up to it?  Oxford are fairly new to the game, after all, and on this evidence, they've learned fast.

 

Compared with their earlier efforts, The tanks seem to be built up to a standard rather than down to a price, although the latter is still very reasonable for what's on offer. Let's hope that continues.

 

Now I've seen what they can do, I'm eagerly anticipating their GE van, and the cranes. 

 

John

[gwrrob]

2 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

Now I've seen what they can do, I'm eagerly anticipating their GE van, and the cranes. 

 

 

Absolutely. Not long to wait either.

[gwrrob]

On 22/08/2020 at 12:54, Dunsignalling said:

 

I'm using the Kadee #18 with the clips shortened and will glue them in along with the necessary packing. Those who want to shunt round No.2 radius curves will need  the #19.

 

 

Just come across this problem and they don't actually clip in and are loose so gluing is the only option if using them. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

11 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Compared with their earlier efforts, The tanks seem to be built up to a standard rather than down to a price, although the latter is still very reasonable for what's on offer. Let's hope that continues.

I think at the start Oxford thought they could get away with something looking similar to the prototype as in many of the Hornby/Dapol cheaper offerings from old tooling.

They came a bit unstuck with the 7-plank which is a minefield anyway as traders/collieries came and went or changer ownership. Then most had some kind of on-site repairs by either the owner, local C&W or repair contractor. By BR times few would be in anything like original state.

The LNER Cattle Wagon was another faux-pas, basically using the 9ft underframe from the 7-plank which meant that the version produced was virtually extinct by the time BR came about. Then there was the use of the same design for both sides when it should be a mirror image. Fortunately a scalpel and some Evergreen with a bit of filler and weathering can produce a decent model for a reasonable price. I paid about the same as a Parkside kit for mine 

The tank wagon does seem to be an improvement on the early offerings and is still a good price compared with the superannuated Bachmann version

[gwrrob]

On 31/08/2020 at 13:19, gwrrob said:

 

Just come across this problem and they don't actually clip in and are loose so gluing is the only option if using them. 

 

A update to this and if you remove the nem coupling supplied by OR you can replace it with a Bachmann one if you take a smidgeon or a gnat's cock in old money off the wedge fitting. Then fitting a Kadee 18 in is a good match height wise to other rolling stock. I reckon a 17 would work on generous curves but I don't have any in stock to check.

[gwrrob]

I believe two more releases are imminent on these in Benzol By Products and the Graham's Golden Lager versions.