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Scalecraft Roadrailer


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It is a flat wagon that was developed but alongside the box vans and was the only one ever made. I have made a model of the flat wagon; I shall post some pictures sometime over the weekend.  It ran with the same underpinnings as th box wagon.

 

.... and the loads are, I believe, period air compressors; used to operate the changeover system between road and rail.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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It is a flat wagon that was developed but alongside the box vans and was the only one ever made. I have made a model of the flat wagon; I shall post some pictures sometime over the weekend.  It ran with the same underpinnings as th box wagon.

 

I know about the flats, and there were two of them, as I tested one at the Cowley factory in the 60, see my first post in this thread. 

 

But back then someone said that they'd never fitted the running gear to either of them and that they'd were scrapped before the box RRs. 

 

I made a model of one too.............

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.... and the loads are, I believe, period air compressors; used to operate the changeover system between road and rail.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

They look massive, or are they just really well packed?

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.... it is not just a compressor, it's a complete little 3 wheeled truck (as below) and proportionally I would say that sheeted down it about the right size for one of the black lumps, perhaps there were two of them ?

 

gallery_34954_4587_112654.jpg

Those little, three-wheel tractors were often to be found in warehouses (railway and other), either working solo or with a train of trailers behind. When we racked-out the old Kaleidoscope warehouse in Banbury, we fitted one with a Burco boiler and large teapot, to save having to traipse several hundred yards for a brew.

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Those little, three-wheel tractors were often to be found in warehouses (railway and other), either working solo or with a train of trailers behind. When we racked-out the old Kaleidoscope warehouse in Banbury, we fitted one with a Burco boiler and large teapot, to save having to traipse several hundred yards for a brew.

Useless info time - That looks like a Brush "Pony" electric truck with the compressor on it. There were two of those trucks sitting under the roadbridge by Loughborough GCR loco works a couple of weeks ago..

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  • 1 year later...

“Brush Type 4 diesel locomotive D1514 heads a test train of 51 ‘Roadrailer’ vans near Cuffley in April 1963.’Roadrailers’ were vans that could either run on steel railway wheels or rubber-tyred road wheels but never went into commercial service.”
 

https://www.dugdalecentre.co.uk/media/Making Tracks Exhibition.pdf

 

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The Screengrabs of  footage I posted on the last page also appears on British railways 1948-1994 from Goods to railfreight DVD. But a little bit more footage of a lengthy run past and the number is clearly visible as D1514. I think it is the same occasion as reported above. Its from British transport films but not one that has been released on DVD yet, I think it is rail report 4. Does anyone recognise the station In the aerial screengrabs? Could it be in the Cufley area?

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  • 3 years later...

Those members who took an interest in this thread will probably be aware that the production Roadrailers differed from the two prototypes in several respects.

 

One of these differences was in the detail of the sideframes carrying the road and rail axles.

 

Close-up photographs of the prototype sideframes are relatively easy to source, but the same cannot be said for the production ones.

 

I have a feeling that I have seen such an image at some point, but I cannot now recall where.

 

If anyone is able to point me at such a photo, I would be extremely grateful.

 

Many thanks in anticipation,

John Isherwood.

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