APCM Bagged Cement van in 4mm scale

[macgeordie]

This project has been a long time in coming to fruition. I was asked by a friend of mine if I could produce a kit for the Associated Portland Cement bagged cement van. I thought this was a fairly straightforward proposition so I did some work on it but of course things never work out as you planned and the pandemic didn't help either as the etching company closed down completely for about four months and after that they had a big backlog of work so deliveries are still taking around 6 weeks. As this project has taken four test builds before I was really happy with the model it has taken about a year to get this far. 

Here is a photo of the finished model from the third build.

 

 

Here is a bit of history covering the vans kindly supplied to me by Tim Shackleton.

 

Between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s the APCM company (Associated Portland Cement Manufacturing Co.) operated a fleet of 96 long-wheelbase box vans with a 22T capacity that were purpose built for the conveyance of bagged, palletised commodities. Ordinary Portland cement was a staple, along with more specialised Blue Circle products whose brand names were promoted on the small bodyside panels. Snowcem, for example, had a specific type of chalk used to make the clinker a much stronger white, while Sandtex had additional sand to give the mixed product a textured finish.

 

The vans were initially used to convey bagged product from Swanscombe works – where the special clinker mixes were prepared – to distribution depots around the country. The products they carried were usually destined for buyers who dealt in large volumes but did not have bulk handling facilities, such as builders' merchants. Later the vans were used for transporting bagged cement and Snowcem paint from Oxwellmains Cement Works to Aberdeen, as well as to move empty cement bags from APCM's own printing works near Northfleet to the Uddingston bagging plant.

 

Although the APCM cement vans (coded PVV under TOPS) are best known for their frequent appearances on the Cliffe-Uddingston circuit workings, where they ran coupled to long rakes of PCV Cemflos, they could and did travel to other destinations by ordinary freight trains. A photograph in Colin Gifford's 2019 book Transition shows a pair of newish-looking Blue Circle vans in the consist of an 8F-hauled mixed freight making its way south along the Midland main line through Chesterfield in 1966. The junction with the Hope Valley line (serving the huge APCM plant at Hope) is just to the north. Aberthaw was another APCM plant where the vans could be seen.

 

APCM ordered these vans from the Standard Wagon Company of Heywood, Lancashire between 1964 and 1966. They initially carried APCM numbers BV001 to BV096 but under TOPS became APCM 6201 to APCM 6296. Although in terms of detail they bore a resemblance to contemporary BR-operated rolling stock – the sliding doors are very similar to BR 'Vanwides' – they were an entirely new design and no direct equivalent existed on the main-line network. The owning company classified them as ‘BV’ vehicles, which could well have simply meant "Box Van". They were a common sight in Kent with workings from Swanscombe, Stone (near Dartford) and Holborough but the fact they were vacuum braked meant that with the increasing use of air braked stock they were non-standard – by the late 1970s/early 1980s Blue Circle preferred road haulage. The PVV vehicles were sold to Railease Ltd for their scrap value but the underframes were still serviceable so a number of them were rebuilt as air-braked vehicles, such as 14 PRA 38T covered box wagons built by Standard Wagon at Heywood in 1983 and used for transporting china clay and other powdered materials.

 

There are two of these vans in the hands of Preservation Societies at the time of writing (December 2020). These are:-

BV6253 which is at the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton station, Somerset, and BV6275 which is at the Aln Valley Railway, Lionheart Railway Station, Alnwick, Northumberland.

 

Construction of the kit is fairly conventional at first, this is the basic body shell.

 

 

Similarly, a basic chassis.

 

 

It starts to get a bit more complex as you add the overlays and things to form the angle iron ribbing on the sides and ends.

 

This is the side with the doors in place.

 

 

And here is the end, also with the ribbing and vent fitted.

 

 

 

I'll post more photos as the build progresses.

 

Ian

[macgeordie]

Handbrake levers and associated vacuum parts now in place.

 

 

It's a bit fiddly to assemble but is a pretty reasonable representation of what is actually under the real thing.

Here are a couple of Bob Bage's photos of the underside of  BV6253.

 

 

 

Ian

[macgeordie]

Brake shoes and yokes now in place. I have made provision to fit an MJT compensation unit at one end as long wheelbase vans can sometimes be troublesome. The bracket onto which the unit fits is etched into the floor and can be folded up if required or just left if standard brass pin point bearings are going to be used at both ends. I'm going to fit a compensation unit to this one so there are no pin point bearings in the axleguards.

 

 

Ian

[RBAGE]

Wow! I misunderstood the main APCM comments and didn't realise that this topic existed.

 

The test build is really looking impressive. The under pinnings are looking the business. Just as I remember when I was laid on my back, in Somerset with lumps of ballast sticking into my old bones. 

 

Nice job. Can't wait to get stuck in myself.

[Mick Bonwick]

Hooray!

 

Splendid job, Ian.

 

I've already bought the transfers . . . . . . . . . .

[macgeordie]

Thanks for the kind comments gents, a bit more progress too. The roof is on and the rain strips are fitted.

 

 

I've fitted the buffers as well. These are lovely little castings from the master, Dave Franks of Lanarkshire Model Supplies. The coupling hook is not in place on this one as I am going to fit an operational one and that doesn't need to go in until the thing is painted.

 

 

I'll post more photos in a couple of days, life keeps getting in the way at the moment.

 

Ian

[macgeordie]

The springs are now in place. These are a commission from Justin at Rumney models and are a beautiful piece of 3D printing.

 

 

I've test fitted the MJT compensation unit and it fits nicely on the little bracket etched into the floor.

 

 

 

Ian

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Muy agradable.

You seem to be getting better at this kit malarkey Ian!!

 

Mike.

[macgeordie]

11 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Muy agradable.

You seem to be getting better at this kit malarkey Ian!!

 

Mike.

 

Yes, and to think it all started nearly 20 years ago with an Anhydrite wagon 

I take it all is well with you and yours in Spain, stay safe.

 

Cheers

Ian

[57xx]

Following. Way out of my modelling era, but always a joy to behold your work!!

[macgeordie]

Well, it's more or less complete now, I just need to get the livery painted and decals applied.

 

 

A number of members have asked to go on the list for one of these. If anybody else wants one, please pm me over the next week or so. I will be ordering the etches for these kits at the end of the holidays.

 

Ian

[RBAGE]

Corr! These look spot on. Super job Ian.

[RBAGE]

Greetings of the day to Ian and all his readers.

 

Happy kit building. 

[RBAGE]

For prospective kit builders and modellers, I have posted photographs of the preserved wagons in the APCM thread.

I'll post more here to help.

[Mad McCann]

Oh, this one is seriously pushing my buttons, Ian! A train could get costly mind! 

 

Davy.

[RBAGE]

17 minutes ago, Mad McCann said:

Oh, this one is seriously pushing my buttons, Ian! A train could get costly mind! 

 

Davy.

Aye! But just think, it's not like getting a wagon out of a box and sticking it on the track, you've also got the enjoyment of building them from what looks like a smashing kit. And when you're finished, these wagons will be yours.

I'm starting with 6. The chances are that more will follow.

[RBAGE]

2 hours ago, Mad McCann said:

Oh, this one is seriously pushing my buttons, Ian! A train could get costly mind! 

 

Davy.

Aye! But just think, it's not like getting a wagon out of a box and sticking it on the track, you've also got the enjoyment of building them from what looks like a smashing kit. And when you're finished, these wagons will be yours.

I'm starting with 6. The chances are that more will follow.

 

This is the look I'm going for. How many can you count?

I just hope the loco doesn't meet the guards van on my roundy-roundy.

I must apologise. There is absolutely no need for me to repeat myself.

Edited December 27, 2020 by RBAGE

[Mad McCann]

5 hours ago, RBAGE said:

Aye! But just think, it's not like getting a wagon out of a box and sticking it on the track, you've also got the enjoyment of building them from what looks like a smashing kit. And when you're finished, these wagons will be yours.

I'm starting with 6. The chances are that more will follow.

Concur fully with that! 

[Mad McCann]

5 hours ago, RBAGE said:

Aye! But just think, it's not like getting a wagon out of a box and sticking it on the track, you've also got the enjoyment of building them from what looks like a smashing kit. And when you're finished, these wagons will be yours.

I'm starting with 6. The chances are that more will follow.

 

This is the look I'm going for. How many can you count?

I just hope the loco doesn't meet the guards van on my roundy-roundy.

I must apologise. There is absolutely no need for me to repeat myself.

Just a few then. Think you've made Ian's Xmas! 

[macgeordie]

Just a quick update for those who have requested any of these kits, I have now received the etches. I will get them wrapped over the next day or two and roll the roof sections to go in the kits, which will take most of tomorrow morning. I will contact everyone who I have on the list over the next week or so. If you haven't heard from me by the middle of next week, you are not on the list.

There should be a couple of kits left over as I ordered a few spares just in case, so if anybody else wants one please pm me. Needless to say it will be on a 'first come first served' basis.

 

Ian

[Gilbert]

While looking for something else in my Flickr I stumbled across this photo. S&DRT at Midsomer Norton in 2016

[Gilbert]

With thanks to Ian I offer my "box-opening" photo. All looks good and arrived swiftly.

 

Edited February 22, 2021 by Gilbert

[Nimbus]

2 hours ago, Gilbert said:

With thanks to Ian I offer my "box-opening" photo. All looks good and arrived swiftly.

Looks like it puts some of the "Pros" to shame!

 

The Nim.

[macgeordie]

Just a quick update gents, I have been in touch with everybody who has requested one of these kits, so if you haven't heard from me, you weren't on the list. Two of the people who requested kits haven't responded yet so if I don't hear from them within the next week there will be a couple of kits going spare.

 

I have been building another one of these vans myself from the latest batch of etches and have made a couple of small changes to the instructions. The changes are purely to expand information already in the instructions on the CD's I sent out to make things clearer. I suppose it is a case of 'familiarity breeds contempt' but I actually made a mistake myself because I didn't read the instructions properly and this revised version highlights the potential problem area. I have attached a copy of the revised version for those who want it.

 

Ian

APCM _PVV_ instructions.pdf

Edited February 26, 2021 by macgeordie

[zr2498]

2 hours ago, macgeordie said:

Just a quick update gents, I have been in touch with everybody who has requested one of these kits, so if you haven't heard from me, you weren't on the list. Two of the people who requested kits haven't responded yet so if I don't hear from them within the next week there will be a couple of kits going spare.

 

I have been building another one of these vans myself from the latest batch of etches and have made a couple of small changes to the instructions. The changes are purely to expand information already in the instructions on the CD's I sent out to make things clearer. I suppose it is a case of 'familiarity breeds contempt' but I actually made a mistake myself because I didn't read the instructions properly and this revised version highlights the potential problem area. I have attached a copy of the revised version for those who want it.

 

Ian

APCM _PVV_ instructions.pdf 80.51 kB · 9 downloads

Thanks for the update Ian, which I have downloaded. Would you be so kind as to let us know where in the doc the changes are so I can mark up the original (already printed).

Dave