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Lima Bogie Tank Wagons


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Hello I was wondering if the old Lima bogie tank wagons are of an actual prototype?Im assuming they were of a european type with the end handrails and small standing platform.Can they be attacked and turned into anything half reasonable?I was wondering if they could be converted into some type of china clay wagon?Has anyone else on here done any conversions with them?

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Is this the HO item? I'm looking at some amazement at one such, carrying a livery of bright blue with yellow stripes and a bold image of a cow, branded in white 'milk'. Unfortunately the data panel tells me that it is for Benzine/Benzin/Essence/Petrol, Which makes one wonder what Lima's people put on their cornflakes.

 

The end brake platform really identifies it as non-UK. Even with that deleted I canot quite align it with any UK proototype, but doubtless someone somewhere sometime ran a vehicle that bore some resemblance.

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Thats the ones I think 34,they came in some garish looking liveries.I was looking through my Ferry Wagon book this arvo (once I found it) and there are a few wagons that with a bit of work on the Lima wagon a passable representation could be had I think.Ok so it may not go well with the rivet counters but I fancy having a go just to see what could be achieved.

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  • 7 years later...

I have recently bought a couple of these Lima HO tanks with a view to seeing if I could make them into a vaguely convincing representation of a couple of ferry tanks to run on Clackmannan Goods. Not going to win me any points at P4 gatherings but they’ll give a bit of variety to the freight comings and goings on the layout.

 

First assessment was that the buffers were too close together and the bogies were both too close together and rubbish. The chassis measured up as an acceptable width for 4mm scale so I set about hacking. One tank came with a top loading hatch, platform and access ladders while the other didn’t so I removed them. I also removed the underframe trusses as they looked a bit unrealistic.

 

It’s a huge simplification to say that ferry tanks come on two main types of bogie. German ones come on a type of bogie commonly seen on VTG steel wagons and Cargowagon vans and flats. French wagons tend to run on French made Y25 bogies which are also fairly common on UK domestic stock. I had two pairs of Bachmann Y25s from their BDA wagons going spare so I’ve used them. New bogie centres were estimated and mounts made and glued into position. Getting P4 wheels in involved much filing of the bogie frame and trimming of the brake shoes to create enough clearance.

 

Work is now centred around making the underframe look realistic. LMS RIV buffers have been fitted along with brake and discharge equipment from S Kits and ferry lashing rings from 51L and label clips from Colin Craig.

 

Still to do are new end platform handrails and steps, RIV screw couplings and solebar level handbrake wheels.

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Hi all,

I have one of those tank wagons. I used it with my South African Garret as a water wagon for the engine. Not prototypical but it looked good. If I remember rightly it was labelled as a Gulf oil tanker originally. No need to ask me why a South African Garret was running round a British railway. It just did..... LOL

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I started work (But never got round to finishing) on a couple of these based on an article called "The ECCI Blues" from the October 88 Railway Modeller, WHich focused on three different Bogie tank wagons used by ECC.  With some basic reworking and replacement OO guage bogies they make a passing resemblance to the former Crossfield  TCA Bogie tanks as seen here at https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/crosfieldchinaclaytca

 

Ideally the ends would need rebuilding (which is where I stalled) to be more correct and the area around the bufferbeams needs rebuilding but as with most projects you can take it as far as you want.

 

Cheers Trailrage 

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Here’s a couple of photos of one of my tanks to show how they are coming along.

 

The other tank I’m working on seems to have quite a bit of twist in the chassis. Has anybody worked out how to get these tanks apart so I can see if I can straighten it? Can’t see any screws so I’m assuming the upper part of the tank is glued fairly strongly to the bottom of the tank/chassis moulding.

post-7228-0-33038600-1544017429_thumb.jpeg

post-7228-0-74154600-1544017445_thumb.jpeg

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I remember Hattons flogging these off five for fifteen quid or something like that in a yellow (Shell?) livery.  This was probably the thick end of twenty five years ago when I used to send them a order form and a cheque!!  I painted ten of them in a pseudo National Power blue and grey livery to give my then brand new Lima NP 59201 something to haul.

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Found these lovely looking models on Flick. Scratchbuilt mind you but these are the wagons the RM article on converting the Lima HO Models were based on.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129566999@N08/18333363799/in/album-72157652176041094/

 

Cheers Trailrage

Edited by TRAILRAGE
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Tricky to split are these little bugg*rs. They split along the line of the black chassis moulding and the (part) tank barrel

My "Marcel Millet" put up quite a fight and there was a bit of collateral damage, but in the end nothing a tad of filler won't sort.

The yellow "Shell"? version just fell apart with only a minute amount of glue on the bottom of the end domes.

Neither were screwed in the places provided that you would expect them to be, so maybe it is screws or glue?

 

Mike

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WOW!

 

Only yesterday I was looking at one of these and wondering what on earth can I do with it, preferably in HO. I was considering starting a thread on here (search didn't find this thread) and now I don't have to.

 

Yayy!

 

Thanks Wummyock (only 7 years late)

 

But my question to throw in the mix, are they of any particular European prototype or just freelance? If so what's the nearest thing to them?

 

Andy

Edited by SM42
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WOW!

 

Only yesterday I was looking at one of these and wondering what on earth can I do with it, preferably in HO. I was considering starting a thread on here (search didn't find this thread) and now I don't have to.

 

Yayy!

 

Thanks Wummyock (only 7 years late)

 

But my question to throw in the mix, are they of any particular European prototype or just freelance? If so what's the nearest thing to them?

 

Andy

They probably are based on a prototype, probably of a tank intended to carry pressurised gases (there's a 'parasol' on the upperworks, and no top fillers etc), but exactly which prototype, I wouldn't like to guess.

Have a look at Anton Kendall's site for an idea of some of the variety:- https://www.tosh-railways.com/Wagons

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Thanks for that FC

 

I had spotted the parasol so it would end up white with an orange band regardless.   I wonder if there is an easy way to remove it (as it's moulded on.)  Only thing then is some Piko spare bogies

 

I have already perused Anton Kendall's website which I found by accident doing some pre RM Web research. What an excellent resource it is. 

 

No joy yet but some possibles and I've only really looked at my country of interest. Must look at some other nearby countries. The search goes on. 

 

Andy

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Guest teacupteacup

I have a couple of these chappies somewhere, must be kicking 40 years old.  I might do them up a bit!!!  Im trying to find a prototype-ish photo of what these can be turned into, but if someone finds one first, please post the link!

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Hi Folks,

 

I like the look of these Ermefer tanks, one of the bogie types looks a fairly sound basis for a conversion, better still there is a weight diagram for measurements to be checked by;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ermeferwine

 

This link has the type of tank in Lyddrail's post above;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/vtgiciammonia

 

 

Gibbo.

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Hi Folks,

 

I like the look of these Ermefer tanks, one of the bogie types looks a fairly sound basis for a conversion, better still there is a weight diagram for measurements to be checked by;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ermeferwine

 

This link has the type of tank in Lyddrail's post above;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/vtgiciammonia

 

 

Gibbo.

 

Nice find of pics, I hadn't see those.

Thanks.

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Nice find of pics, I hadn't see those.

Thanks.

Hi Lyddrail,

 

Your tank certainly looks the business compared to the photos, excellent conversion by yourself there.

 

Paul Bartlett seems to have so many photos I could go bog-eyed looking at all of them !

 

Gibbo.

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Hi Folks,

 

I like the look of these Ermefer tanks, one of the bogie types looks a fairly sound basis for a conversion, better still there is a weight diagram for measurements to be checked by;

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ermeferwine

 

 

 

First thing I thought of was the Emefer wine tanks, I think the sun shield needs to go, but it might actually be neater to add a plasticard wrap to the rest of the tank to bring the diameter out to match.

 

I do have a few generic 'ferry tank' platforms etched in Nickle Silver for sale £3 a set if anyone if planning something similar, it includes the ferry rams-horns and hoops

 

post-336-0-00247000-1545294345.jpg

 

post-336-0-71337600-1545294357.jpg

 

And if you want to build a older Cambrian multi part y25 bogie then I have an etch for that as well. £2.50 for a pair - again including some ferry fittings in a space.

 

post-336-0-88760400-1545294739_thumb.jpg

 

Jon

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  • 1 year later...

 

Inspired by Dave's I had a look at one of these myself, I decided the tank barrel was pretty suitable for the Ermerfer wine ferry tanks, but that the sunscreen had to go, I took a surform to the top of the tank in the end! Then 2020 hit with flood fire and pestilence, so not much happened until earlier today.

 

image.png.47840daf65d5a3999a19431447405121.png

 

 

I took the databoards off and filed the gussets until they were all at the same angle, then added a skirt in 20 thou plasticard, so that the bottom of the skir was at the bottom of the solebar.

 

A second example in the foreground. As you can see the solebars are actually longer at the platform end, I discovered that I needed to shorten one end, and leangthen the other.

 

image.png.96a34f7a7c1599f051e6e09830f4d420.png

 

I felt this made the skirt too tall and too wide, so off it came again

image.png.af05d88425fcf4728dd87f9071b34bb5.png

 

I then removed all the solebar that protrudes below the platform floor, and tried again - I think this is a better proportion.

 

Now sitting on y25 bogies, Cambrian mouldings over my own etched inners, they are still loose, but the bogie centres definitely needed to come out towards the bufferbeams. The ride height will need to be increased a little as well.

image.png.50a1b25c428161150730d523e7ccbb1d.png

 

Jon

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I am liking this very much, Jon, having quietly procurred several of these beasties to represent "generic" ferry wagons for a planned layout. Will follow your build closely for ideas!

 

I notice your etched platform in use at the end; are these still available from you as per your post in 2018? (I assume if so that the price will have increased, of course!) If so, I believe I should quickly order a couple of sheets worth!

 

Steve S

 

Edit:

I should really put my glasses on - of course I need to order sets of platforms, not "sheets" ... couldn't see where the etch splits for individual platforms!

Edited by SteveyDee68
Stupidity
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