Ian Major Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 (edited) Mikkel, I have had a look through my books for some dates plus some other maps. My above potted history is obviously a gross over simplification of a complex history that included the infamous "Battle of Mickleton Tunnel". The OWW was opened piecemeal up to 1855. It became the main part of the West Midland Railway 1860. The West Midland was absorbed in to the GWR 1863. L&B station was opened in the 1880s. I did see the exact date in a records book in of all places Stockport Library. I should have noted the date. My ancient brain does not retain dates very well now. The signal box was built 1884 which would probably be about the same time as the station. The lockup appears on the 1903 map along with the weighbridge but no stable building. Thus far I have not found a build date. It appears however to be well within the GWR days. As you put it it could have been a local design. I am not sure whether the yard predated the station. The nearby Aldington sidings (which never had a passenger station) was in existence before 1882 according to Mitchell and Smith. To get an idea how important these small goods sidings became, in GWR Goods Wagons / Atkins, Beard and Tourret they describe the Dia Y3 fruit vans (1911/12) including the statement "at least 200 vans were specially earmarked for return to Pershore, Aldington Siding, Littleton and Badsey and Evesham". The traffic reached its peak about 1923 falling away to nothing by 1964. (I will leave your thread alone now! ) Ian. Edited September 3, 2020 by Ian Major 3 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 The "battle of Mickleton" sparked my interest and a quick Googe gave http://www.vaguelyinteresting.co.uk/the-battle-of-mickleton/... an account of the "Battle" which, for me, threw a new light on Brunel's attitude if things didn't go as quickly as he thought they should . 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted September 3, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 3, 2020 Many thanks Ian and Don. Railway history is never boring! I didn't know the details of the OWW coup - or of the battle of Mickleton. Interesting descriptions of the battle in Don's link. I note there are two versions. I think believe the former version more than the latter 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Major Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 Mikkel/Don, I have just read the item linked by Don. I possess (at least) two books that describe the "Battle". One is in LTC Rolt's biography of Brunel. The other is in Vol 1 of "History of the Great Western Railway by ET MacDermot (revised by CR Clinker). The MacDermot book was published in 1927 at (I believe) the request of and with the assistance of the GWR directors. Work on the history started at the time of Grouping. The MacDermot version is the most detailed and it appears that the account extracted from Terry Coleman's book is an embellished version of this! Ian. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Mikkel Posted September 5, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted September 5, 2020 Onwards with the modelling. I've started a Diagram Q. These were GWR provender wagons, built in two lots. Mine is the 1903 variant with diagonal bracing, using the Coopercraft kit. From the period when transfers and good wheels (Gibson?) were included. As usual, the build involved modifications. The Vee hanger on these wagons was significantly off-center, towards the right. The instructions don’t mention this. So both vees were cut off. The solebars need shortening, and the end brackets must therefore also come off. Here is the original solebar (top), and a modified one (below). Then, sides and ends. The locating pips for the floor were removed. They make the floor sit too low, and the solebars in turn end up beneath the headstocks. Body and chassis assembled. The styrene section inside is temporary, to keep those high sides from bowing inwards. The plate glass is from a bathroom scale. It’s great for wagon building, but my weight has gone up. As provided, the brake gear does not take the off-center Vee into account, as this trial fit shows. So the brake gear was modified to suit. Looks a bit odd, but that's what the drawing and text in Atkins et al shows (photos of these wagons are very rare and poor). The DC1 brakes were cobbled together using parts from the Bill Bedford etch (recently withdrawn). Despite poring over prototype photos, I (and at least one other) still haven't worked out how all the parts on the etch were intended to fit together. So this is again a compromise, but not too far off photos I think. The Coopercraft buffers have a habit of breaking, so I thought I’d try these from Lanarkshire models (no affiliation). That’s the status for now. Paint job and plumber's hemp next. 21 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted September 5, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2020 I have a couple of these, built up, in the collection of GW wagons I was given by a fellow club member, for whose 1950s period they were inappropriate. I've been pondering what to do with them. I soon discovered that there was no hope of backdating to the 1888 (?) batch, there being significant dimensional differences. Can I justify one in a c. 1903 GW train in the West Midlands, bringing provender from Didcot for the local company horses? A sheeted open seems more probable. It would be very easy to end up with all six wagons - the kits are ten-a-penny (too many at the price!) on Ebay. In which case one has two options: a diorama of the Didcot provender store a diorama of the Swindon wagon paint shop the week this batch was being turned out. There's also the question of plates vs. painted numbers. This has been discussed recently (your thread or mine?) with attempts at image enhancement of the notorious Didcot photo but I can't remember the conclusion. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsalDan Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Without wanting to derail the thread, now that DC1 brake etches have been withdrawn, are there any alternatives available? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brassey Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 40 minutes ago, MonsalDan said: Without wanting to derail the thread, now that DC1 brake etches have been withdrawn, are there any alternatives available? There are the Morgan Design underframes sold through the S4 Society which cover all variants of the DC brakes. They are complete underframes not components. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted September 5, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2020 1 hour ago, MonsalDan said: Without wanting to derail the thread, now that DC1 brake etches have been withdrawn, are there any alternatives available? Hand-bodgery? Second half of post: Not exactly finescale but "in the dusk, with the light behind her". 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted September 6, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2020 19 hours ago, Compound2632 said: Can I justify one in a c. 1903 GW train in the West Midlands, bringing provender from Didcot for the local company horses? A sheeted open seems more probable. I haven't seen any information on whether the Qs were used at special locations or in particular trains. There were only six of the 1903 design, so in principle a sheeted open was far more common for provender (my Q will be accompanied by a four-planker). On the other hand, if the Qs were used fairly freely, then surely at some point one would have turned up in the West Midlands 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted September 6, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2020 (edited) 18 hours ago, MonsalDan said: Without wanting to derail the thread, now that DC1 brake etches have been withdrawn, are there any alternatives available? Apart from the suggestions above, a Silhouette cutter could probably do most of the parts fairly well, if you know someone with one of those. As can be seen from these photos of the Bill Bedford etch below, the main parts are not that complicated to draw up I think. (full build here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/22513-modified-coopercraft-gwr-4-plank-open-with-dc1-brakes/) Edited September 6, 2020 by Mikkel 13 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Flymo749 Posted September 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted September 6, 2020 19 hours ago, MonsalDan said: Without wanting to derail the thread, now that DC1 brake etches have been withdrawn, are there any alternatives available? Hi Dan, Without wanting to promise too much, too quickly, literally yesterday I had some sheets of new etchings arrive for my 5522 Models range. As well as the GER bits which are the main subject, around the edges of the etch I stuck some bits and pieces for my own modelling. As well as some parts like LNWR wagon number plates and GWR buffer steps, I have done a few tests of a GWR DC1 brake lever. This is for my own modelling purposes, as I have a fair number of CooperCraft kits to either build from kits or to upgrade my past efforts. These two GWR O5 wagons are either restored (with new brake gear, awaiting weathering to blend in): Or a new build showing the various bits (the brake gear from ABS, brake lever is Bill Bedford, brake safety loops and rear straight bar from scrap bits of brass) unpainted - this will be one of the infamous red wagons when painted: So I'll be doing a test build of one of my own DC1 levers in the next day or two to go on future wagons. I'll definitely be adding the straight back support, and the safety loops to each etch, to save making them from scratch. Indeed, at the last minute I stuck some brake safety loops on the etch as a test, given how fiddly these had been to bend up using tweezers: These parts are all drawn from the original GWR General Arrangement drawings. I can't remember if they came from an issue of GWRJ, or from the "Bible", but they are all absolutely true to scale. I've designed them for my own modelling needs, so they are intended to be at the correct height when the wagon floor is at the correct prototype height, IYSWIM. Anyway, I'll see how I get on. Pass me another wagon kit nurse, I'm going in... Cheers Paul 24 1 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted September 6, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 6, 2020 @Flymo749, I'd be in for a dozen or so sets of the DC1 etchings, if you're minded to make them available. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flymo749 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 On 06/09/2020 at 17:43, Compound2632 said: @Flymo749, I'd be in for a dozen or so sets of the DC1 etchings, if you're minded to make them available. Give me chance to play around with them first What I mean is that having drawn up the basics of the levers that I needed, the next step is to decide how far I go down the road of drawing up full brakegear, with the pushrods, shoes, v-hangers, etc. I suspect I'll end up doing all of that, as it will look better at the end of the day than whitemetal or plastic, and my spaces box has a surprising lack of 9ft brakegear... Cheers Paul 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Mikkel Posted September 27, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted September 27, 2020 The provender wagon has now been painted. I didn't spend much effort on the weathering, since the double sheeting will cover most of the wagon. Got the Sprat & Winkles mounted too, for once not 'postponed' Here it is with a 4-plank (also DC1 brakes) on the stable block layout. Them were big wagons! I have found the plumber's hemp (in the last box I looked of course), so that's next. PS: The weighbridge is done, build summary in the blog: 20 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simond Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 The wagon’s big because Provender ain’t heavy... like crisps. many years ago, I had a holiday job in a cash & carry where the fork lift driver didn’t make allowance for the double-width pallets that were used for deliveries of industrial quantities of boxes of bags of crisps. Anybody with a modicum of common sense would have driven with the truck leading and the load behind, but not our ‘Arry. The bang when he crashed was impressive, there were crisp bags and crisps raining down for a good five minutes... there was a story that he’d run over his own foot, once, too... atb Simon 5 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Nice job with the Provender wagon. I use three link couplings (possibly for similar masochistic reasons that I use a seventy year old motorcycle as daily transport) I like to get them fitted as early in the build as possible, partly because they can be a P.I.T.A. to fit, but mostly because there's less vulnerable material in the way. I usually fit them to the buffer beams straight after the dry run stage of assembly. As for chumps with fork trucks, we had a guy underestimate the tail swing of his truck near a wall and tried to push it away by sticking his leg out as if pushing a rowing boat away from a bank. The word, gentlemen, was "Snap". Luckily the surgeon saved his leg. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfaZagato Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 I'm lucky never to have injured myself or anyone else with a lift, nor have I seen truly serious injuries. Boy, though, have I seen some property damage... I love the provender wagon. I've been eyeing the N-gauge offering from Great Western Replicas. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted September 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2020 (edited) Many thanks gents. Oh I would have liked to see that rain of crisps Regarding couplings, yes it is also dawning upon me that couplings aren't necessarily best saved till last. Although in this case at least I remembered to fit them before the "liquid gravity", which otherwise fills up the required space. That however requires certain measures to allow the S&W weight to swing freely, and avoid it getting clogged up in pellets and PVA - so I built a 'box' for the coupling weight. Oh dear, look at the width of those push rods. Good thing it doesn't run this way up. Edited September 28, 2020 by Mikkel 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemonkey presents.... Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 Lovely looking wagon, what a monster compared to the 4 plank wagon. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted September 28, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 28, 2020 Isn't the advice to avoid using PVA with lead weights? 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted September 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2020 37 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said: Isn't the advice to avoid using PVA with lead weights? Liquid Gravity is usually steel or iron. But they do look suspiciously like tiny Malteasers. Expect the wagon to float off... 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemonkey presents.... Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 (edited) I recently purchased some liquid gravity and used glue n glaze to fix. Had the exact same colouration. Inspiring Mikkel. Very much tempted to make up one of my kits for a red version, love it. Edited September 28, 2020 by Bluemonkey presents.... additional 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike morley Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Worsdell forever said: Liquid Gravity is usually steel or iron. Just stuck a magnet into mine. Whatever it is, 'taint ferrous. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Worsdell forever Posted September 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, mike morley said: Just stuck a magnet into mine. Whatever it is, 'taint ferrous. You probably got the Malteasers 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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