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BR/WR O33 Fitted Wagon Sheet Rail


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I'm building, rescuing really, subject wagon, a Parkside kit:

 

https://anticsonline.uk/N425/N1322/N2311/N2384_o-gauge-GWR-goods-wagon-kit-peco-parkside-slaters/1945280_Parkside-O-gauge-kit-PS27-GWR-12T-Open-Wagon.html

 

It was given to me (I won't buy kit built wagons) and it was so bad I almost put it in the "forget it" box.  However, wagons deserve to be properly built so I am doing that.  I have replaced a lot of parts that were unsalvageable.  You call it Frankenwagon.

 

GWR of course installed the sheet rail but I'm wondering if BR removed these and when.  I know that the sheets tended to rot out the wooden boards on the ends and BR installed steel channel on some wagons (as I have).  The wagon is intended to be in the mid 50s era.

 

John

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2 hours ago, brossard said:

GWR of course installed the sheet rail but I'm wondering if BR removed these and when.  I know that the sheets tended to rot out the wooden boards on the ends and BR installed steel channel on some wagons (as I have).  The wagon is intended to be in the mid 50s era.

 

John

 

Well, I guess it depends - the images in Paul Bartlett's galleries - https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/gwropenmerchandiseowv - show these wagons late in life, critically, after the survivors were vacuum fitted which seems a reasonable point for a sheet rail to be removed. Having fitted steel channels you might want to consider vac' brakes as well?

 

Adam

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I did check Paul's site and found pictures of them in departmental use.  The pics tended to be taken in the '80s so are probably not representative of the situation a few years after nationalization.

 

The wagon is going to be vac fitted, my plan was to install a GWR type of stand pipe but perhaps it should have a BR type of lower vac pipe.

 

John

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The steel channels were due to loads moving in transit and were originally allocated to certain duties with the user, destinations, etc painted on the side.

 

Something like "Pipes to work to XYZ only". I think it was Staveley even though Staveley was on the LMR.

 

I can't remember the source though. I think it was a post war/early BR measure due to a lack of suitable wagons and a lot of building/infrastructure work going on.

 

 

 

Jason

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Makes sense, if the wagon is loaded with steel, it might go through wooden boards.  Thanks for that info.

 

I think it logical to assume that these wagons would have their sheet rail apparatus removed?

 

John

Edited by brossard
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11 hours ago, brossard said:

The wagon is going to be vac fitted, my plan was to install a GWR type of stand pipe but perhaps it should have a BR type of lower vac pipe.

 

GWR built these fitted as well as unfitted so some had the upright vac pipes.

 

Western steam in colour, Ballantyne, p60, 1964 steel channel and sheet rail on one, all wooden no rail on another & a 3rd one has a rail but cant see the ends.

 

What I dont know is when replacement buffers and axle boxes tended to happen - as you point out Paul Bartletts photos are excellent and show lots of variations but these may have happened after my late 50s era.

 

Edited by Hal Nail
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56 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

 

 

GWR built these fitted as well as unfitted so some had the upright vac pipes.

 

Western steam in colour, Ballantyne, p60, 1964 steel channel and sheet rail on one, all wooden no rail on another & a 3rd one has a rail but cant see the ends.

 

What I dont know is when replacement buffers and axle boxes tended to happen - as you point out Paul Bartletts photos are excellent and show lots of variations but these may have happened after my late 50s era.

M

 

 

Thanks Hal, now I'm getting more and more confused.  I'll just have to make a decision, chances are, whatever I do, I won't be proven wrong.

 

I built one of these a while ago with wooden ends, standpipe and sheet rail.  I always like to add variation to wagons.

 

John

Edited by brossard
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OK, I think I have found an answer.  In Geoff Kent's "The 4mm Wagon, Vol 1", there is a picture on P22 of O33 W135941.  This has standpipe and no sign of a sheet rail.  It has wooden ends also.  It has BR axleboxes so I will have a stab at producing these.

 

So comforting to find a good picture.

 

John

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6 hours ago, brossard said:

OK, I think I have found an answer.  In Geoff Kent's "The 4mm Wagon, Vol 1", there is a picture on P22 of O33 W135941.  This has standpipe and no sign of a sheet rail.  It has wooden ends also.  It has BR axleboxes so I will have a stab at producing these.

O33 was the GWR fitted version so had standpipes. O32 was built unfitted but retro fitted by BR in 50s so had the low type. Apart from that they looked the same.

 

I think ftting of channel was random (ie where damage had occured) as was removal of sheet rails.

 

So you can find any combo but a photo always adds reassurance!

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Hal, yes, standpipes.  I was thinking that perhaps some of the wagons may have got the BR type of lower vac pipe over the years.

 

So, now I have a good photo, I shall copy that.

 

It is always good to throw ideas around.

 

John

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1 hour ago, brossard said:

I was thinking that perhaps some of the wagons may have got the BR type of lower vac pipe over the years.

 

Well that's quite possible but its already hard enough without BR interference being throw in :)

 

What buffers are you using? I tend to sand the Parkside ones to a closer approximation of GWR ones

 

Most of these wagons on Paul Bartletts site have 5 1/2 planks with a thin one inserted instead of the usual extra wide one. I assume that's a more recent practice when repairs were needed.

 

There are also a lot of O37s in his photos and I cant spot any differences between these and the earlier diagram so thats an easy variant and an O42 which has BR style W irons although just realised these could be a later repair.

 

 

Edited by Hal Nail
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As I said earlier, confusing.

 

The Parkside buffers are usually RCH.  The GWR buffers are more slender and did not have prominent ribs so I have LMS van buffers which look a lot closer to the drawings I've seen.

 

I never thought of modifying Parkside buffers.  I'll take a look.

 

Yes, I noticed a lot of O37s and couldn't any difference either.

 

John

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1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

 

There are also a lot of O37s in his photos and I cant spot any differences between these and the earlier diagram so thats an easy variant and an O42 which has BR style W irons although just realised these could be a later repair.

 

 

 

The 037 diagram is 1943 and they had "hardwood sheeting". This means the sides and ends are thinner than on the 032/3s and the internal length and width correspondingly longer and wider. Surprising idea that the expensive hardwood was easier to come by than softwoods at that time! I rather doubt this would have been continued when the planks were replaced and could account for some appearing to have planks of varying thickness, such as https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwropenmerchandiseowv/e1b6c53b8

 

Paul

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20 minutes ago, hmrspaul said:

 

The 037 diagram is 1943 and they had "hardwood sheeting". This means the sides and ends are thinner than on the 032/3s and the internal length and width correspondingly longer and wider. Surprising idea that the expensive hardwood was easier to come by than softwoods at that time! I rather doubt this would have been continued when the planks were replaced and could account for some appearing to have planks of varying thickness, such as https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwropenmerchandiseowv/e1b6c53b8

 

Paul

Brilliant thanks. Do you happen to know where they actually built with 5 1/2 planks as opposed to 5 but with one half again higher than the rest, (which has either split or been replaced)?

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37 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Brilliant thanks. Do you happen to know where they actually built with 5 1/2 planks as opposed to 5 but with one half again higher than the rest, (which has either split or been replaced)?

Surely this can be seen from the photos in the appropriate books?

 

Paul

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John,

Has your Morton clutch (the comma) dropped a little? Should be on the pip at the apex of the v, which is meant to represent the end of the crank, so that the comma engages with the brake lever and turns the crank the other way.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, brossard said:

I had to do a bit of scratch building to represent the clutch.  You're not supposed to notice. :angry:

 

John

 

Ha! Well you know, if you keep setting the bar high....

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