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Mol's MSC Wagons


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  • 1 month later...

I’ve had no time for modelling recently owing to pressure of work and a lot of time away from home. 

But I’ve got a few days off now, and on the workbench today is a Modern Motive Power kit for an LMS double bolster wagon. It’s supposed to be diagram 1949 but I am going to modify it slightly to represent the previous LMS diagram 1674, and then modify it further to be an MSC ISO container flat.  Several of these were converted from D1674 bolsters in the mid 1960s. 

 

The kit is very finely detailed and so far it has gone together very well despite the large number of small parts. This is how far I’ve got:

09AADB9B-202F-4077-954A-CDC6B7BFDFC4.jpeg.601c99732234b154939c221b4cb5b43f.jpeg

It doesn’t look like much but there must be over 50 parts formed and soldered together to get this far!

 

There were several varieties of MSC container flats with slightly different lengths and wheelbases. At present I’m building 6477, the second wagon in this rake:Frame_containers.jpg.09098f0e317bbc97c01e3ab5ffddf031.jpg

 

I’m planning to do a few different variants of the wagons and a selection of appropriate containers to go on them. I particularly like the open fruit rack containers seen here, even if some of the orange boxes have fallen off!

Mol

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It’s taken me a few hours to put together the coupling and drawbar arrangement, but it’s very well designed and works beautifully, also exactly in accordance with the prototype:

BD74A8C8-73F0-4DDA-971C-3FC5EDE1647A.jpeg.32e7c2cd0478ad6b7a94ea2c6ac4f38e.jpeg

 

So far I’m very impressed with the quality of this kit. It’s reasonably priced too, especially if you consider how many hours it is keeping me entertained!

 

 

 

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I confess that I have struggled with the W-irons. These are laminated from two parts, each of which are supposed to be joggled and then fitted together. Having had a look at a couple of other threads on here including this one...

...I don't think I'm the only person to have had problems here. I think the instructions and diagrams could be a bit clearer as to which way the joggle should be made, and some recommendations or more detail about how best to do it.

 

In the end, I flattened out the components (which I had joggled the wrong way and they had also distorted in other directions) and soldered them up flat. To hopefully avoid any knock-on effects, I soldered a thin brass spacer plate between the W-irons and the solebars, and mounted them a fraction higher relative to the solebars. Read on in a few days time to see if I regret this approach...

 

For the modified body, I am still mulling over two options:

(1) build an entirely new body from wood (prototypical but maybe the grain doesn't scale very well)

(2) use as much as I can from the etched kit, and add some brass sections to represent the wooden baulks.

I haven't made a decision yet, but am erring towards the wooden method.

 

Mol

 

 

 

 

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This is how far I got yesterday:

IMG_6251.JPG.223e25076a38d87965e5289181a80949.JPG

 

The next job is adding the solebar detailing. This is where I need to start thinking rather than just following the instructions, because my prototype might be different. Here are a couple more photos of this wagon type on the MSC Railway.

 

6629 and 6631 in service around 1970 show the two different variants of brake gear as built for the LMS (diagram 1674); 6629 has Morton brakes while 6631 has Long Link:

6629_6631.jpg.67072c538e938cf871eddf6082555c49.jpg

 

The kit has Long Link brakes so I'm modelling a wagon with that type: 6477 seen here, which appears very similar to 6631. If it all goes together well I am tempted to do another one as 6629 with Morton brakes.

6477.jpg.2c9412db946ff8c428225f88e6bfe602.jpg

 

Hopefully the buffer stocks will arrive today; they were missing from the kit but a quick message to David and he's put some in the post for me. That will enable me to finish the headstock area and add the last reinforcing plates.

 

A quick search on the forum found this very helpful illustration of how the springs and axleboxes go together on the MMP kits, I'm going to link it here so I can find it again!

Hopefully I will get to this stage on my wagon soon...

 

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I have made some more progress this afternoon with buffers, solebar detailing and axleboxes, so the wagon can now sit on its wheels. 

0431392C-3501-4DA5-89AF-091BAE28E1F5.jpeg.5f2c12be5872f0e3a6577a2b51b6ab11.jpeg

I decided to leave the fiddly leaf springs until the morning. 

After that, the brake gear is the major remaining task on the underframe.

 

Instead I have made a start on the body, such as it is, which I have chosen to make from wood. The floor is 1.5mm ply scribed to represent planks, while the chunky sill rails are 3x5mm strip wood. That block of brass is just to hold the floor flat for the photo. 

7078547C-A66E-4BA1-9DF2-23D97A199AE3.jpeg.79f2eb0189b57d7cda758f01bfe157d4.jpeg

I still need to add the two middle wooden rails and what remained of the ends, but it’s starting to look the part. 

 

At some stage I need to make some containers to go on them, as I haven’t been able to find anything suitable in kit or RTR form. 

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Thanks BR and Kevin!

I've spent a few hours today creating some transfer artwork for this wagon (and some other similar ones) and a few containers to go on them.

These are for very early ISO containers (mid 1960s). In due course I'll do some of the classic late 1960s Manchester Liners ones too.

transfers_containerflats_ctc_2011-11-21.jpg.f824f66a0e2bebfbd7d8033761c22f3c.jpg

CTI_Manchester_1969-09-14.jpg.179392aad7760375b83e999886e6ca48.jpgimage.png.cf77c63ee032768cd9d52362b5f32bd5.png

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2 minutes ago, Barclay said:

What a shame they had wooden floors - all that work covered up !

Very true, I need not have bothered with half the underframe detail. But it was actually very satisfying to make and I’ll know it’s there!

The kit comes with a nice etched body for the donor bolster wagon, of which I’ve only used the end stanchions and solebar brackets. The rest will go in the bits box. 

 

I have ordered a second kit the same to do another one. 

 

I’m also doing some etch artwork for the white ‘fruit rack’ containers, and will find some space on that fret to draw some different brake levers for the Morton braked variant of the wagon. 

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I've been working on the etch artwork for the fruit rack containers this evening, as well as a bit more progress on the wagon itself.

Here's the first complete draft of the artwork:

container_etch_2021-11-22.jpg.ed74ef514f0ae286591541a6ab98a85e.jpg

 

For one of  these:

Frame_containers.jpg.09098f0e317bbc97c01e3ab5ffddf031.jpg

 

In spare parts of the fret I've added a load of extra fold-up ISO corner 'castings' to allow me to detail other containers. 

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 This thread of the MSC wagons is wonderful. I like the fact that you are researching this great place and building the different wagons that would have been used in this area.

I do like the skill and dedication you are putting into modelling these kits.

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55 minutes ago, JIM 48DS said:

 This thread of the MSC wagons is wonderful. I like the fact that you are researching this great place and building the different wagons that would have been used in this area.

I do like the skill and dedication you are putting into modelling these kits.

Hi Jim,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your kind words. From your username I guess you're also interested in industrial railways?

The MSC didn't have any 48DS locos but there was one that worked at Metrovick in Trafford Park, connected to the MSC system.

Are you considering an industrial layout?

Mol

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Mol thanks for the warm welcome. Yes I am interested in industrial railways as I find them so fascinating.

I have been looking through your MSC layout which to me is beautifully modelled. The little details such as brickwork and rail side flowers are all nicely done.

I have been thinking about an industrial layout but I would like it to fit in a wrapping paper box.

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15 minutes ago, JIM 48DS said:

Mol thanks for the warm welcome. Yes I am interested in industrial railways as I find them so fascinating.

I have been looking through your MSC layout which to me is beautifully modelled. The little details such as brickwork and rail side flowers are all nicely done.

I have been thinking about an industrial layout but I would like it to fit in a wrapping paper box.

My 7mm scale layout is about 6' long and 18" wide. If you worked in 4mm scale (and Hornby do some lovely industrial locos) then something similar would reduce to about 3'x9". That would fit on the shelf of an IKEA Billy bookcase. Keep it small and simple and you're more likely to finish it quickly and enjoy it. In the past I've had far too many grandiose plans that never gor anywhere close to being finished!

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Mol 4mm scale will be my go to scale as I already have a Ruston 48DS jim and a hattons Andrew Barclay in NCB green. 

I'm certain I can construct a nice little baseboard to fit inside the wrapping paper box using 6mm ply and pine timber for the frame contruction.

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I have spent much of the last two days building the second container flat, and progress has now caught up with the first one.

 

Here are the pair of them. There are subtle differences such as axleboxes and brakegear (not yet fitted):

image1(6).jpeg.d1e2796fe97ba3f50c9d7fe60a9a3693.jpeg

image2(1).jpeg.dd936773f29ed9019129fa832c65c81f.jpeg

 

Tomorrow's plan is to work on the brake gear on both of them, and if time allows then to complete the springs and W-irons.

 

When I've been taking a break from the soldering iron, I have been creating some transfer artwork for some more containers; this is a work in progress:

artwork_rough.jpg.98185b50ebbbf1093b333f46b603361d.jpg

At present I haven't decided whether the red should be printed, or if I will paint the red and just print the white, black and yellow.

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Well this is exciting - my new etches have arrived! These are primarily for the fruit rack containers, but contain a few bits and pieces for other projects too:

E4C24E46-40CC-4EE7-8CA5-DD6843F9CB2E.jpeg.dd65a865b3e66fee88bf3ff389616a39.jpeg

 

Frame_containers.jpg.6a22cb77a462d5559c064e27f0a21ec7.jpg

 

Excellent service from 4Dmodelshop, which I can highly recommend for custom work like these. 

Iain is great at checking the artwork and advising on any changes needed before any money is committed. Great communication too.

The etch quality is superb, and these have reached me less than a week after placing the order. They may not always be the cheapest but you get what you pay for and once again I’m very pleased with the result. 

 

 

 

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