RMweb Premium Popular Post macgeordie Posted June 16, 2018 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted June 16, 2018 I was looking around for a nice, fairly simple subject for an etched kit aimed at the less experienced modeller. I toyed with a number of subjects, but most of the things I looked at had either already been produced by the rtr guys or there was a good kit available from another supplier. After a while I decided on the Palbrick wagon to diagram 1/024 from the first two 'lots' to this design. There was a further 'lot' produced to this diagram later but it had a different underframe with clasp brakes. The first three BR Palbrick wagons were experimental wagons built on the chassis of three redundant ‘Medfits’ in 1950, these were followed by the first proper Palbrick wagons built in 1957 to diagram 1/020 as Palbrick A’s. The different types and diagrams were developed to accommodate different sizes of pallets as required by the various customers. The one I chose to model is the Palbrick B to diagram 1/024 built between 1957 and 1958 at Ashford works. There were 200 wagons to this diagram, in the number sequences B461997 - 462116 and B462447 - B462526. The idea was to try to design it so that the end result would be good enough for the 'finescale' modellers with plenty of detail, but designed so that a less experienced builder of etched kits could still make a good job of it. This is the first two test builds running on the layout. A close up This is what it looked like before all the painting A couple of friends have done test builds for me to iron out any bugs, This one Tim Shackleton built and painted. So far everything has gone as I would have liked, there are a few minor challenges in the build, but nothing too difficult and it can be built without an RSU quite easily. Obviously the more experienced modeller who possess one of these useful devices will no doubt use it but a decent soldering iron and some good Cyano glue is all that is really required. I contacted John Isherwood of Cambridge Custom Transfers and he has very kindly done a sheet to cover these wagons (Sheet number BL56d). I have made provision for an NEM pocket on the wagon so a standard coupling or a Kadee can be fitted and I'm currently building another one which will be fitted with Smiths operational couplings as well. I'll post a few pics when I get that one nearer completion. Ian 29 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 17, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 17, 2018 The final test build is virtually finished now, the castings are all fitted, I just need to fit the handwheels to the wires which represent the threaded rods which operate the pressure plates and also to fit the Smiths coupling. I should get that done tomorrow then this one will be ready for the paint shop. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Richard_A Posted June 17, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2018 Look very nice those Ian, I wonder if they were present in South Wales? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 17, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 17, 2018 Look very nice those Ian, I wonder if they were present in South Wales? I'm not really sure, but I know they were used to carry fire bricks to many steel works so they could well have run to Port Talbot. I'm sure somebody on the forum will know exactly where they ran. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
durham light infantry Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Are you going to ask Dave Franks to do the vac bags for the insides? Mike 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) It looks absolutely superb. They look 4mm scale. Am I right? Edited June 17, 2018 by coachmann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 18, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 18, 2018 Lovely, but can you slow down a bit Ian, I still haven't finished the coke hoppers! Following on from the HUO, which manufacturer is going to bring this one out I wonder?!! Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Lovely, but can you slow down a bit Ian, I still haven't finished the coke hoppers! Following on from the HUO, which manufacturer is going to bring this one out I wonder?!! Mike. Don't wind him up; I think he's safe with this one for now! I'll be up for some of these, Ian, they look the business. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 I'm not really sure, but I know they were used to carry fire bricks to many steel works so they could well have run to Port Talbot. I'm sure somebody on the forum will know exactly where they ran. Ian I think Port Talbot used to draw its silica bricks from a works at the top of the Neath Valley (Pont Nedd Fechan/ Pont Neath Vaughn) . Not sure if they used Palbricks, or road transport. The other big manufacturer in South Wales was Stephens at Kidwelly, who closed by the mid-1960s. None of the photos I've seen of their works had any evident Palbricks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hump Shunter Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 According to some minutes in The National Archives, the users of 48" x 48" Pallets which required the wider Palbrick B were: Appleby Froddingham Iron & Steel Co, Scunthorpe and Guest Keen Ltd, Cardiff. Initial allocations of Palbrick A's at that time (1956) were: Lot 3138 (12 Wagons) Return to OSF Siding Steetley Whitwell ER (6 Wagons), Return to OSF Siding Oughty Bridge ER (6 Wagons). Lot 2668 (388 Wagons) Return to R & M Ltd Trevor WR Via Ruabon (7 Wagons) Return to GKN Henllys Brick Works Cwmbran WR (1 Wagon) (380 Wagon allocations to follow) The remaining Lots were shown for building in 1957/8 and so were unallocated at the time. Later minutes have proved elusive so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Lovely - is there any chance that you could supply the National Archives call number please? I'm down at Kew in a week or two and could usefully add such documents to my list of things to photograph (aside from the material I'm looking at for work). According to some minutes in The National Archives, the users of 48" x 48" Pallets which required the wider Palbrick B were: Appleby Froddingham Iron & Steel Co, Scunthorpe and Guest Keen Ltd, Cardiff. Initial allocations of Palbrick A's at that time (1956) were: Lot 3138 (12 Wagons) Return to OSF Siding Steetley Whitwell ER (6 Wagons), Return to OSF Siding Oughty Bridge ER (6 Wagons). Lot 2668 (388 Wagons) Return to R & M Ltd Trevor WR Via Ruabon (7 Wagons) Return to GKN Henllys Brick Works Cwmbran WR (1 Wagon) (380 Wagon allocations to follow) The remaining Lots were shown for building in 1957/8 and so were unallocated at the time. Later minutes have proved elusive so far. All best, Adam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 18, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 18, 2018 I had a message from one of my friends who knows a lot more about 'The Real Railway' than I do, I'm basically just a modeller who likes to model railways. This was his comment about Palbricks in Wales. Palbricks ran anywhere there was a demand for palletised bricks. The brickworks in the Elland (near Huddersfield in West Yokshire) area specialised in bricks for locomotive fireboxes and they were dispatched in Palbricks to sheds all over the country. I can remember seeing them in the goods yard at the station – there was a separate covered loading bay for the brick traffic. I got the wagon more or less finished apart from painting today, I'll post a couple of pics later. Ian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 18, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 18, 2018 Handwheels fitted and coupling test fitted now so this one is ready to paint. I have fitted an Instanter coupling to this wagon just to test the fit. It should be a screw link coupling but I didn't have one in my box of bits so I used this one instead. It will be removed and the correct one fitted after it is painted. I have started a list of those members who have requested one of these wagons, if anybody else wants one please pm me and I'll add you to the list. Ian 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 With Bachmann doing the Freightliner flats have you thought about doing the kit as an adapter? Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 18, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 18, 2018 With Bachmann doing the Freightliner flats have you thought about doing the kit as an adapter? Mark Saunders Hi Mark This version isn't suitable as the converter wagon, most of them were from Palbrick C's and had different brake gear. Apart from that the floor was removed so they were open framed, it could be redone but it's virtually a start from scratch job. To answer some of the questions above, Mike of the DLI, I'm not going to ask Dave to do the vac bags, he is too busy already. Coachman, yes it is 4mm scale. Mike in Spain, don't worry, I've only got one more project on the cards which is the Siphon G to diagram O.33 and then I'm seriously thinking of taking a break till the rtr guys catch up with me again !!! Ian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted June 21, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 21, 2018 There doesn't seem to be a lot of photographs showing Palbricks in a train, so I thought I'd show this one. It was taken by Tim Shackleton in 1961 and shows a train of new Palbricks coming from the works with a 9F in charge of the train. Ian 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 21, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 21, 2018 On the Waverley Route by Robert Robotham has several pictures of a northbound freight hauled by 61294 with 4 of these wagons at the head. They're all in the Colour Rail catalogue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted June 22, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2018 There doesn't seem to be a lot of photographs showing Palbricks in a train, so I thought I'd show this one. It was taken by Tim Shackleton in 1961 and shows a train of new Palbricks coming from the works with a 9F in charge of the train. img522b.jpg Ian Must resist. Nonononononononono. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 25, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2018 Steam Days December 2002 p.736 has a colour photo of two in a train behind a 9F near Oxenholme. It's a rear 3/4 view from above with the palbricks in the foreground, though slightly blurred. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 So Scalefour News appears and this picture of a new kit sits there all tempting... Very tasty Ian, I shall be in touch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium macgeordie Posted July 3, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2018 I've had the attached photo showing a 9F with a couple of Palbricks in the train sent to me by a friend. We have tried to trace the copyright holder without success, so we apologise in advance if this causes any annoyance. Ian 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 A curious omission from Hornbach.... And a likely candidate from Oxford Rail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 A curious omission from Hornbach.... And a likely candidate from Oxford Rail. Too short an operating period, too few liveries, too complex to make a reasonably priced model. But a shame as a drawing was published nearly 35 years ago. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJCT Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Too short an operating period, too few liveries, too complex to make a reasonably priced model. But a shame as a drawing was published nearly 35 years ago. Paul A drawing of a "Palbrick A" by E.B.Trotter was published in Plans Page of the Model Railways Constructor for August 1958. The accompanying photo showed an ex-works example with the running number, tare etc and "Return to.." branding painted on the removable side panels. Presumably that idea didn't last long...! Alasdair 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 57xx Posted July 5, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 5, 2018 Too short an operating period, too few liveries That shouldn't bother Oxford, they would probably run a few off in 1920's PO liveries. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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