Stoke Courtenay

[St Enodoc]

17 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I'm a big believer in the six degrees of separation, it works with just about anything.

Yes, Brisbane is about 6 degrees north of Sydney, which is just about far enough away...

[checkrail]

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I suspect that is the same article which I read in an old magazine sometime in the early 1980s.

A discussion about that article and a conspiracy with a friend on here resulted in two of these making an appearance.

Forgive my ignorance but what was the prototype?  An absorbed loco?  (There was a long period in the 70s and 80s when I didn't see model railway mags so I don't recall Wing Commander Huxley and his work.)

[AlfaZagato]

3 hours ago, checkrail said:

Forgive my ignorance but what was the prototype?  An absorbed loco?  (There was a long period in the 70s and 80s when I didn't see model railway mags so I don't recall Wing Commander Huxley and his work.)

Yes, I believe that is one of the M&SWJR tanks.   Been talk about it in the pugbash thread.   That line had some attractive power.   Their Fairlie was gone before 1900, though, so no Swindon Fairlie.

[MrWolf]

4 hours ago, checkrail said:

Forgive my ignorance but what was the prototype?  An absorbed loco?  (There was a long period in the 70s and 80s when I didn't see model railway mags so I don't recall Wing Commander Huxley and his work.)

 

It was originally M&SWJR Number 15, a Beyer Peacock 0-4-4 of a type that seems to have been built for overseas and colonial work. I found a picture of two headed for Cairo. They had a couple of strange small wheeled 2-6-0 tender engines too which were originally headed for South America, one of which was Swindonised and served on into the 30s.

[MrWolf]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Yes, Brisbane is about 6 degrees north of Sydney, which is just about far enough away...

 

If it's Sydney avoidance you're after, Perth may be a better bet, or Albany even?

[nigel newling]

Cooper-Craft Cattle wagon end are the wrong profile or format for most of the W diagrams but they are spot on for Y5 Banana vans so if anyone has some spare I would really like to hear from them. :-)

[checkrail]

Road clear now for 8709 to move its train out onto the main line and continue to its next stop, wherever that might be.  We've seen a few trains go past since it arrived at Stoke C. 

 

 

John C.

[gwrrob]

How nice would a brand new GWR cattle wagon from Rapido/Accurascale be.....

[Graham T]

I quite like the Bachmann ones, although I've no idea how accurate they are (not that that matters too much for Chuffnell R to be honest).

 

[Coach bogie]

I get told off for having too many GWR cattle wagons and not enough from other of the big four. They are/were right. I dug out several 1930#s shots of cattle trains and there are a mix of all companies. I have put that right now. Several Geen kits, K's LMS, Parkside NE and I am away. I even have an ex Scottish cattle wagon from obscure cast parts donated to the cause.

 

I reread the Huxley cattle wagon article last night (RM August 78 if you have a Modeller subscription and can access through the online archive) and it shows W1/W5 conversions. Although Brian is altering the Airfix, the same techniques can be used to correct the Coopercraft end profile.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[gwrrob]

28 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I quite like the Bachmann ones, although I've no idea how accurate they are (not that that matters too much for Chuffnell R to be honest).

 

 

I do believe the model is a scale foot too long but it never stopped me from buying several.

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

If it's Sydney avoidance you're after, Perth may be a better bet, or Albany even?

Brisbane avoidance, dear boy!

 

The furthest town from Sydney in mainland Australia is, I believe, Exmouth WA.

[Coach bogie]

42 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Brisbane avoidance, dear boy!

 

 

I agree....at the moment. Rain, rain, rain. Excuse to solder up some more coach body shells.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[Brinkly]

1 hour ago, Graham T said:

I quite like the Bachmann ones, although I've no idea how accurate they are (not that that matters too much for Chuffnell R to be honest).

 

 

The Bachmann one is based on the BR standard design; however, it has one major flaw - it is 4mm too long. Shame really as it is a lovely model otherwise. 

 

I think Geoff Kent wrote a piece in one of his books about adapting the Coopercraft W1/5 kit into one of the more modern variants. 

 

All the best,

 

Nick.

[57xx]

55 minutes ago, Brinkly said:

 

The Bachmann one is based on the BR standard design;

 

I thought it was based on the W12, which the BR one was later based on.

[Brinkly]

9 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

I thought it was based on the W12, which the BR one was later based on.

Morning Ric,

 

It might well be to be fair. I just remember back in 2010 it arriving and everyone being delighted till someone ran a ruler over it! 
 

Looking in the Atkins book it is incredibly similar to a W12, but it’s still 4mm too long - if the W12 is 18’ -6” over the headstocks.
 

The end panels on the Bachmann model are 2mm too long. It also rides on BR w-irons not RCH one: very picky of me I know! 
 

I was always under the impression Bachmann sold it as ‘BR standard’ and then applied GWR branding. 
 

Warren Shepherd does produce a W12 kit in etched form. I haven’t built one myself but it does look good. 
 

If you can overlook it being too long, then it’s a very useful addition to a wagon fleet, but I found running them along side the Airfix kit, they just looked very odd! Similar to the old Mainline LMS vans compared to the Parkside kit - the Mainline/Bachmann model being 4mm too short! 
 

Run and even number of both in a train mind, and it would still be the right length! 
 

All the best,

 

Nick. 

[The Fatadder]

54 minutes ago, Brinkly said:

Warren Shepherd does produce a W12 kit in etched form. I haven’t built one myself but it does look good. 

It makes for a very nice model, I have built one so far (with another on the bench to build.  I have also built a W12 using the Airfix kit as a basis (and a lot of work) I had planed to build a couple more before Warren's kit appeared.

[57xx]

8 hours ago, Brinkly said:

Morning Ric,

 

It might well be to be fair. I just remember back in 2010 it arriving and everyone being delighted till someone ran a ruler over it! 
 

Looking in the Atkins book it is incredibly similar to a W12, but it’s still 4mm too long - if the W12 is 18’ -6” over the headstocks.
 

The end panels on the Bachmann model are 2mm too long. It also rides on BR w-irons not RCH one: very picky of me I know! 
 

I was always under the impression Bachmann sold it as ‘BR standard’ and then applied GWR branding. 
 

Warren Shepherd does produce a W12 kit in etched form. I haven’t built one myself but it does look good. 
 

If you can overlook it being too long, then it’s a very useful addition to a wagon fleet, but I found running them along side the Airfix kit, they just looked very odd! Similar to the old Mainline LMS vans compared to the Parkside kit - the Mainline/Bachmann model being 4mm too short! 
 

Run and even number of both in a train mind, and it would still be the right length! 
 

All the best,

 

Nick. 

 

Hi Nick,

Leaving the over-length aside, that is a given either way, looking at the underframe, I hadn't noticed the W irons being wrong (not picky, it's good observation!). Now you've got my attention there, I can see the axleboxes look wrong for a W12 too so I erring on your statement of it being based on the BR version to be  true. I'm not sure what they're supposed to be but look neither like RCH or GWR OK boxes.

Edited January 20, 2023 by 57xx

[MrWolf]

On a related matter, as the cattle wagons I have to build up are ancient kits, what is actually wrong with the ends on the Cooper Craft W1/W5?

[Brinkly]

3 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

Hi Nick,

Leaving the over-length aside, that is a given either way, looking at the underframe, I hadn't noticed the W irons being wrong (not picky, it's good observation!). Now you've got my attention there, I can see the axleboxes look wrong for a W12 too so I erring on your statement of it being based on the BR version to be  true. I'm not sure what they're supposed to be but look neither like RCH or GWR OK boxes.

A bit of a ‘lash-up’ as my old man would say! 

[gwrrob]

There’s always the Falcon Brass nee Jidenco brass kit for the masochistic types on here.

[Coach bogie]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

On a related matter, as the cattle wagons I have to build up are ancient kits, what is actually wrong with the ends on the Cooper Craft W1/W5?

Roof profile is wrong. Should be flatter. It can be corrected by altering the radius but you lose the frame detail at the top. I managed to replace with microstrip rivetted with a track pin, but not as crisp as the tooled ones. Saying that it is hidden by the roof lip. Making a new thinner roof makes a big difference. I out out from a food tin (cheaper than buying a sheet of brass). It is also a bit narrow but that is not really noticeable. The kit represents a later version with the bottom slat filled in over the brake handle. This was after staff complaints having to touch a "soiled" brake lever.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[BWsTrains]

23 hours ago, Brinkly said:

 

The Bachmann one is based on the BR standard design; however, it has one major flaw - it is 4mm too long. Shame really as it is a lovely model otherwise. 

 

I think Geoff Kent wrote a piece in one of his books about adapting the Coopercraft W1/5 kit into one of the more modern variants. 

 

All the best,

 

Nick.

 

I'm no expert or masochist in these matters and for reasons forgotten, I settled on buying a couple of Dapol Cattle wagons (4F-020-037) which for some reason haven't entered into the conversation here.

 

How are these considered? They look good to my eye, only issue I found being getting inside to install weights and stock.

Edited January 20, 2023 by BWsTrains
typo

[MrWolf]

38 minutes ago, Coach bogie said:

Roof profile is wrong. Should be flatter. It can be corrected by altering the radius but you lose the frame detail at the top. I managed to replace with microstrip rivetted with a track pin, but not as crisp as the tooled ones. Saying that it is hidden by the roof lip. Making a new thinner roof makes a big difference. I out out from a food tin (cheaper than buying a sheet of brass). It is also a bit narrow but that is not really noticeable. The kit represents a later version with the bottom slat filled in over the brake handle. This was after staff complaints having to touch a "soiled" brake lever.

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

Thanks for the information, I might just replace the rooves if I can tackle the strapping issues neatly. I've got a couple of broken MINK wagons I can practice on.

ISTR reading about the filling in of the vent /washing out slot over the brake levers.

I can imagine that being a problem, cow or sheep muck is a tolerable nuisance, it wipes off, but pig muck follows you around all day, unless you can have a proper wash and if you get it (or any of the others) on the clothes you're spending 12 or more hours in.... Bleh.

[MrWolf]

I remember reading David Tisdale's article on creating a much earlier short wheelbase cattle wagon with an overall length of about 14 feet from a Cooper Craft item on a 9ft WB chassis. I can't remember what diagram number it was, but there's a drawing in J. Russell's book on GW wagons.