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Kenline Wagon Kits


Barclay
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Fascinated as I am by historical items with a finescale leaning, I picked this up the other day:

 

WP_20200803_11_10_04_Pro.jpg.2c298f41ff43fec09e5cd71afaa5abeb.jpg

 

I'm aware of Kenline but it's a little before my time. I wonder if anyone knows when they were produced, and whether they were of specific prototypes? 

This pack contains parts for 2 wagons, LNER it says, but having referred to Mr. Tatlow's bible, it seems that the LNER produced no such wagons. The small illustration on the header card suggests that the 5 plank wagon, which has no diagonal washer plates, is a coal wagon, and the other is a 3 plank dropside. So there appear to be 2 options - they are of pre-group prototypes, or they are basically freelance. Any information gratefully received ! 

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They date from the late sixties/early seventies. The first series consisted of embossed pre-printed card parts: the second series had various white metal parts added. Most were of specificprotypes but, for instance the SR open wagons were a LBSCR (IIRC) wagon with curved ends and a sheet rail and a 3 plank. I built one of the latter at university, but only later discovered that it is actually a MR prototype (as modelled in white metal by K's). The excuse apparently is that some of the SDJR examples ended up with the LSWR.

All of the single wagons have prototypes, though the GWR and LNER vans are identical apart from livery I gather the LNER version is ex-GER. The GWR one has the diagonal bracing upside down.

 

The LNER open wagons are another version of the MR 3 plank (ex M&GNR ?) and the 5 plank could be (don't quote me!) of NER origin (though they preferred hoppers) or possibly GER.

 

I gave up trying to cut off the mouldings on the ex-L&YR fish van, my GWR MINK D ended up on a Dublo underframe and the ex-MR coke wagon on a Peco underframe. All were scrapped with the advent of Kits from Ian Kirk and Slater's.

 

Kenline castings are very good IMHO, but the card body kits are really an introduction to scratch-building.

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I am fairly sure that I used Kenline white metal castings for the running gear, brakes etc for the SDJR goods stock I made in the '60s & early '70s. I wasn't too picky about the correct axle boxes or brake arrangements, although I tried to use the correct length springs. They were nice sharp castings and although I couldn't be sure which of my surviving rolling stock has Kenline parts I am sure some are still around. The bodies were scratch-built. I couldn't afford full kits at that time.

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45 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

They date from the late sixties/early seventies. The first series consisted of embossed pre-printed card parts: the second series had various white metal parts added. Most were of specificprotypes but, for instance the SR open wagons were a LBSCR (IIRC) wagon with curved ends and a sheet rail and a 3 plank. I built one of the latter at university, but only later discovered that it is actually a MR prototype (as modelled in white metal by K's). The excuse apparently is that some of the SDJR examples ended up with the LSWR.

All of the single wagons have prototypes, though the GWR and LNER vans are identical apart from livery I gather the LNER version is ex-GER. The GWR one has the diagonal bracing upside down.

 

The LNER open wagons are another version of the MR 3 plank (ex M&GNR ?) and the 5 plank could be (don't quote me!) of NER origin (though they preferred hoppers) or possibly GER.

 

I gave up trying to cut off the mouldings on the ex-L&YR fish van, my GWR MINK D ended up on a Dublo underframe and the ex-MR coke wagon on a Peco underframe. All were scrapped with the advent of Kits from Ian Kirk and Slater's.

 

Kenline castings are very good IMHO, but the card body kits are really an introduction to scratch-building.

Thanks for pointing me in the  right direction! My kits have sides of 1mm ply with brass and white metal details so look worth using.

 

The 3 plank looks like a Midland Railway D305 8 Ton, which just fits my timeframe. Time to do some research on NE and GER coal wagons...

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I have a few packets of Kenline odds and sods in my boxes of bits, mostly brake ger. 

 

When I worked in the Kings Cross shop in 1968/69 we used to stock a range of Kenline stuff including the full kits. Bodies were embossed cardboard with cast underframe bits.

Edited by roythebus
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I recall purchasing quite a lot of Kenline castings c.1986-87  (from an address in Leicester IIRC) and using them in my first scratch-built M&CR and FR wagons. I soon graduated to ABS and MJT parts but I still have some packets of  the various 'L' and 'T' section ironwork and pre-cut plasticard strapping - I'm always pleased to find a packet of these items in rummage boxes at shows and collectors fairs.

Edited by CKPR
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  • 3 months later...

Hi fellows,

 

Checked this out as until two weeks ago I had not touched a Kenline kit since c1969.  

 

However, two of the Southern open wagon pair kits came to hand and are already built, if not yet with the detail bits like strapping added.

 

Enjoyable, but some of the castings, in what I suspect are later kits (I understand Kenline continued to produce into the 1990s), were not as good as those very finely cast individual items like 'W' iron/axle boxes I used under my own card bodies for my never to be finished 4mm layout.

 

image.jpg.9eb75a4d3b7acf78a55c0420d98240b9.jpg

 

They are just right to go with a Hornby Peckett W4 and a Dapol tar wagon, for use on a small shunting layout.

 

Maurice

 

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When I started in 7mm narrow gauge, Pete Lindsay of the Exeter Model Shop recommended I start with Kenline wagon parts.  As Maurice says, they were excellent finely cast parts and I used quite a few under my first scratchbuilt wagons and vans.  I've probably still got a few somewhere.

All the best,

Dave.T

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