TSL ferry wagon from Rivarossi 'Schuttgutwagen'

[47137]

I wonder if anyone recognises this? A Rivarossi freight wagon, refinished in the livery of a TSL ferry wagon. Someone has done the work to a very high standard, I thought it was a new model when I first saw it. A member of the RMWeb gave it to me last year and I think it deserves a topic.

 

- Richard.

 

[jonhall]

It looks like the old Rivarosi/Jouef model, and Fox do transfers for it.

 

Jon

[Fat Controller]

It was a Jouef model, long before they got involved with Rivarossi. Some were made at Jouef's factory in Ireland and, during the 1990s,  bodies could be picked up as separate items on Model Irish Railway's stand at exhibitions.

Sadly they're too short for 4mm scale; when I did some, I cut the body in two, then spliced in a section from another body. The roof is also wrong for the type used to carry china clay, having representations of sliding hatches, rather than a swinging lid. I made these out of plastic sheet.

If anyone's ever tempted to model the Grainflow type, then the bogie grain hopper that Electrotren did is a useful starting point. Fox do transfers, IIRC.

[47137]

6 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

...

If anyone's ever tempted to model the Grainflow type, then the bogie grain hopper that Electrotren did is a useful starting point. Fox do transfers, IIRC.

 

Please, what is this Electrotren model? A part number would help a lot. I don't really understand what you mean by the Grainflow type but maybe this will become obvious when I see the Electrotren model.

 

I should probably add, I'm looking at this model from a 1:87 point of view. I bought a sheet of the transfers thinking I might apply them to a better example of a 1:87 scale, cross-channel (anchor symbol) wagon. Such a wagon to be either a RTR or modified RTR model.

 

- Richard.

[Neil]

I think it's 5600, 5601, 5602 or 5603 (depending on livery) that may interest you. Not sure if they're currently available new.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Neil

[jonhall]

4 minutes ago, 47137 said:

I don't really understand what you mean by the Grainflow type

 

 

 

There were two common covered powder hopper types in cross channel traffic, the 'polybulk' had 5 internal compartments, a swing roof and was shorter (most similar to the model pictured), there was also a similar 'Grainflow' lettered wagon that was longer, and only had 3 internal compartments, and was filled through hinged hatches. 

 

Jon

[Fat Controller]

Herewith the Grainflow type:- https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/grainflowpolybulk 

and the 'Polybulk' :- https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/polybulk

I've not seen the Electrotren one listed since Hornby took them over, alas. They were to an odd scale, somewhere between 1:76 and 1:87, with their bogies almost exactly to 1:76 scale.

[47137]

2 hours ago, jonhall said:

 

There were two common covered powder hopper types in cross channel traffic, the 'polybulk' had 5 internal compartments, a swing roof and was shorter (most similar to the model pictured), there was also a similar 'Grainflow' lettered wagon that was longer, and only had 3 internal compartments, and was filled through hinged hatches. 

 

Jon

 

2 hours ago, Neil said:

I think it's 5600, 5601, 5602 or 5603 (depending on livery) that may interest you. Not sure if they're currently available new.

 

Looking at Paul Bartlett's photos for what he terms diag. E561 (not in my diagram book), the 'Grainflow' wagon was branded 'Grainflow Polybulk'. So I have:

 

Prototypes:
Grainflow (branded 'Grainflow Polybulk'): longer, 3 compartments, roof hatches
Polybulk: shorter, 5 compartments, swing roof

 

1:87 RTR models:
Electrotren: longer, 5 compartments, swing roof
Joueff/Rivarossi: shorter, 3 compartments, roof hatches

 

The Fox transfers are for a TSL Polybulk. They omit the 'Grainflow' lettering. I know this, because they are the only British 1:87 sheet in the Fox range, and I've got them in front of me :-)

 

So - if I suppose it is easier to shorten a RTR model than to lengthen one (it needs one donor not two), and I tackle what I can finish off with the Fox sheet, I should get hold of one of the Electrotren models. Keep the 5 compartments and the swing roof. Take slices out to make it shorter, and make the whole body lower and narrower, and end up with a Polybulk. A 1:87 version of the Bachmann 4mm model 38-425. I could buy / borrow a Bachmann model to use it as a drawing.

 

Conversely (but possibly an easier model to make), I could take two Rivarossi models and chop them to make one longer wagon, make the body lower and narrower, and end up with a Grainflow Polybulk to E561.

 

Or accept my present model (first post) for what it is :-)

 - Richard.