SR Conflat A

[Jack P]

Hello again collective Southern mind,

 

I'm writing to you this time to ask if anyone can point me in the direction of an appropriate kit that I could nab the underframe from for a SR Conflat A. Or if there is an actual kit available from somewhere for this. 

 

Also interested to see any kitbashes or RTR modifications that have resulted in your own Conflat!

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

Edited September 4, 2019 by Jack P

[Adam]

Assuming you mean the conflat B (per the SR branding: https://hmrs.org.uk/photographs/12t-conflat-b-sr-39327-vacuum-brake-undloc-ca1938-side-sr-insulated-container-f742-in-background.html). Tricky - they had a 9' wheelbase with 17' 6" over headstocks chassis and SR patent brakegear and RCH 'W-irons' which I'm not sure is a combination that's readily available. The brakegear can be had, I think, from Masokits, in etched brass and obtainable only by old-fashioned mail order by cheque (https://traders.scalefour.org/masokits/ - as Mike Clark makes very clear, this is his hobby, he conducts it how he wishes). There's a drawing in SR wagoons vol. 4.

 

I've occasionally thought about making one but can't really justify the fiddle... (Maybe the longer Conflat D, which lasted better and are more attractive/useful in my view).

 

Adam

Edited September 3, 2019 by Adam

[Wickham Green]

David Geen VERY nearly got round to putting one of these variants in his range but couldn't find anyone to master the castings for him ........ though I'd have thought most castings would have been available elsewhere if he'd wished : unfortunately the obvious - ABS - brake gear is probably only available on Ebay now and David's retired anyway.

The longer Conflat D may or may not appear from MARC models at some time.

[Jack P]

Thanks chaps!

 

15 hours ago, Adam said:

Assuming you mean the conflat B (per the SR branding: https://hmrs.org.uk/photographs/12t-conflat-b-sr-39327-vacuum-brake-undloc-ca1938-side-sr-insulated-container-f742-in-background.html). Tricky - they had a 9' wheelbase with 17' 6" over headstocks chassis and SR patent brakegear and RCH 'W-irons' which I'm not sure is a combination that's readily available. The brakegear can be had, I think, from Masokits, in etched brass and obtainable only by old-fashioned mail order by cheque (https://traders.scalefour.org/masokits/ - as Mike Clark makes very clear, this is his hobby, he conducts it how he wishes). There's a drawing in SR wagoons vol. 4.

 

I've occasionally thought about making one but can't really justify the fiddle... (Maybe the longer Conflat D, which lasted better and are more attractive/useful in my view).

 

Adam

 

Adam,

 

That book is the reason for this call! I must've got my wires a bit crossed,I realise now that the Conflat B was clearly the more common one. Looking at plate 50 in SR Wagons Vol. 4 there's a Conflat A, (or atleast the branding on it says conflat A) listed as Diagram 1382 but without vac brakes. It looks like the brake arrangement is morton brake gear - possibly a cambrian kit underframe will suffice.  

 

As for the B's, i'm sure that a cambrian chassis is an okay place to start, but i'll need to modify the brake arrangement. 

 

On the D's the length and the J hangers are putting me off, i'm not sure my scratchbuilding is up to the task yet!

 

10 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

David Geen VERY nearly got round to putting one of these variants in his range but couldn't find anyone to master the castings for him ........ though I'd have thought most castings would have been available elsewhere if he'd wished : unfortunately the obvious - ABS - brake gear is probably only available on Ebay now and David's retired anyway.

The longer Conflat D may or may not appear from MARC models at some time.

 

That's a real shame, I managed to get about 15 of his various remaining southern wagons a while ago. While I haven't got around to building them yet, they're certainly very very nice castings and look like they should be fun to build!

 

The brake gear should be possible with some etched brake parts from Wizard, and some scratchbuilding. It will be fiddly, but so was my Queen Mary, and I think that came out ok!

 

[Adam]

Hi Jack,

 

I'd forgotten about the unfitted ones (not sure that they made it to BR, you see) and the short fitted ones ended up branded as Carfit due to their lack of proper container fixtures; the lashing instructions for securing containers to them seem to involve an awful lot of rope... As an SR modeller, you can probably justify one - Geoff Kent made one of the fitted ones and detailed it in one of his wagon books (part 3, I think). They're fiddly.

 

Adam

[Jack P]

Adam, 

 

I think (think) that i've managed to sort out everything I should need to have a go of building some of these. Those 'illustrated history of southern wagon' books are invaluable. I'll have to check out Geoff's books!

 

 

[Fat Controller]

6 hours ago, Adam said:

Hi Jack,

 

I'd forgotten about the unfitted ones (not sure that they made it to BR, you see) and the short fitted ones ended up branded as Carfit due to their lack of proper container fixtures; the lashing instructions for securing containers to them seem to involve an awful lot of rope... As an SR modeller, you can probably justify one - Geoff Kent made one of the fitted ones and detailed it in one of his wagon books (part 3, I think). They're fiddly.

 

Adam

I've only seen one of the longer versions, loaded with a single B-type container; it looked as though the local WI had organised a 'knitting bomb' using rope.