16 ton steel mineral wagons

[Jenny Emily]

One of my favourite types of wagon is the ubiquitous BR standard 16 ton steel mineral wagon. Over the years I have bought nearly every release that Bachmann have produced in their Branchline range, including a number of limited edition triple packs. At last count I had somewhere in the region of 40+ of the things, all factory issue and all differant.

 

I know that I've seen vague comments along the lines of "some lasted on into the early 1990s" but my question is: which types did, and to exactly when? I presume this would have been in departmental service. When were they last used in revenue service? The Bachmann Branchline range covers several different detail variations. When did the pressed steel end door variety last until? When did the ones with top flap doors last until?

 

Currently I use the 37-251, 37-254 and 37-252 and suffix versions on my layout which is trying to be set in the late 1970s/early 1980s. However I would like to know what others released by Bachmann could represent wagons still in use during this period?

[Pennine MC]

 

I know that I've seen vague comments along the lines of "some lasted on into the early 1990s" but my question is: which types did, and to exactly when? I presume this would have been in departmental service. When were they last used in revenue service?

 

Unfitted wagons in traffic (revenue earning) use - 1983. Unfitted in engineers' use - probably mid- 80s. Fitted wagons in coal traffic - 1984/85; in scrap traffic 1987. Fitted wagons in engineers' use - 1991

 

The Bachmann Branchline range covers several different detail variations. When did the pressed steel end door variety last until? When did the ones with top flap doors last until?

 

Pressed end doors, probably mid/late 70s but getting rare a few years before that. Unfitted top flap wagons lasted until the end of unfitted use - proportionately, not as many were rebodied as fitted wagons, although by 1980ish, any survivors would almost certainly have had large areas of body plating renewed. Fitted top flap wagons were proportionately rarer but some did make it into engineers' use

 

As ever, Paul Bartlett's website should be your first call, followed by any of the many standard reference works on BR wagons. This is a big question you're asking, a bit of basic research first will pay dividends

 

 

Currently I use the 37-251, 37-254 and 37-252 and suffix versions on my layout which is trying to be set in the late 1970s/early 1980s. However I would like to know what others released by Bachmann could represent wagons still in use during this period?

 

I'm not even going to attempt to answer that without some idea of what the catalogue numbers relate to - if you compare them to the pics on Paul's site, you'll be able to work a lot out for yourself. And a lot depends on whether you're prepared to do any work on them or whether you'r limited to using them as they come

[Jenny Emily]

Thanks for the reply; it covers most of the areas I needed and was very helpful. It looks like more of the Bachmann wagons than I first thought could be shoehorned into the period I'm modelling.

 

I've trolled Paul's site extensively, and it is very good. However whilst I can confirm through it with dates certain types of wagons, that doesn't help confirming whether those types not shown after a certain point did nonetheless still continue in use. What is clear though from the site is that application of TOPS codes to wagons seems to have been a little hit and miss.

 

37-251 are the unfitted wagons without top flap doors in BR grey and lettered as MCO. 37-252 are fitted versions without top flap doors and coded either MXV, ZHV or COAL VB. 37-254 are weathered versions of the fitted wagons without top flap doors coded COAL VB.

[Pennine MC]

 

I've trolled Paul's site extensively, and it is very good. However whilst I can confirm through it with dates certain types of wagons, that doesn't help confirming whether those types not shown after a certain point did nonetheless still continue in use.

 

I could try to answer that (not tonight though), but it would need more focused questions. It's a fair guess though that Paul had an idea what was getting rare at any given time, and would have pointed his camera accordingly

 

What is clear though from the site is that application of TOPS codes to wagons seems to have been a little hit and miss.

 

Yup

 

37-251 are the unfitted wagons without top flap doors in BR grey and lettered as MCO. 37-252 are fitted versions without top flap doors and coded either MXV, ZHV or COAL VB. 37-254 are weathered versions of the fitted wagons without top flap doors coded COAL VB.

 

That makes more sense (I buy them purely on appearance and what I can make of it, rather than catalogue number). 37251 is a post-1970 rebody, dated further to post-1975 by its TOPS code (and theoretically could have been in use til 1983 , as above). 37252 and 37254 are fitted rebodies (hence suitable til 1987 as MCV/MXV, and 1991 as ZHV). A few COAL 16VB-coded wagons would have lasted into the 80s

 

Bachmann dont as yet do any top flap wagons in post-TOPS condition, so a truly balanced fleet would require some repainting/renumbering. Any Bachmann wagons *without* top flaps but also *without* TOPS codes wont be rebodies, but will be pre-BR construction, wagons which were more or less gone by 1972

[The Bigbee Line]

A couple of questions regarding the Bachmann 16 ton minerals.

 

I note the comment that any wagon without top flaps and without TOPS code would be pre BR construction.  I've looked on the net and cannot find anything definitive.  Any ideas on number series?  I have wagons with no top flaps that I want to run in 1962.

 

The same wagons seem to bow inwards more that the bodies with top flaps.  Has anyone tried to resolve this?  One option being to use a wooden core for a loaded wagon.  The other option is to make a wooden 'slightly large shoe horn' to fit in the wagon when stored, removing for empty running.

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[stovepipe]

These links may be useful for the first question.

 

http://windcutter.wordpress.com/page-108/

http://www.ltsv.com/w_profile_041.php

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

If you have a bowed inwards wagon you want to reset, then warming the body alone while it is held 'straight' by a former, and a quick plunge into cold water to set it would be my thought. I would experiment using a fan oven, incrementing temperature in 10C stages from 80C until the minimum temperature to achieve the reset is detected. (Start cautiously, as the calibration of a domestic oven ain't necessarily that accurate or the temp setting so precisely maintained.)

 

Reason for using a fan oven is that the air movement will effect a rapid and even heating of the target, combined with a set temperature, whatever it may actually be. I have done some of this sort of stuff with a hot air gun (and even hair dryers) but this is altogether riskier. Because the wagon is painted you won't have the change in surface reflectivity that occurs in most thermoplastics as they go 'resettable' to guide you. That's why I choose using an oven with a settable temperature for painted items.

 

Bear in mind too that a temperature that works on one product, may not work on another. No guarantee that the same grade of polymer is in use over the product range, batches, time...

 

Good luck, expect the odd failure while experimenting to find the ideal temperature.

[The Bigbee Line]

Thanks for that. Too chancy for me. I think I'll load the bowed examples and pick the straightest to run empty.

[Clive Mortimore]

A couple of questions regarding the Bachmann 16 ton minerals.

 

I note the comment that any wagon without top flaps and without TOPS code would be pre BR construction.  I've looked on the net and cannot find anything definitive.  Any ideas on number series?  I have wagons with no top flaps that I want to run in 1962.

 

The same wagons seem to bow inwards more that the bodies with top flaps.  Has anyone tried to resolve this?  One option being to use a wooden core for a loaded wagon.  The other option is to make a wooden 'slightly large shoe horn' to fit in the wagon when stored, removing for empty running.

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Hi Ernie

 

The 16 ton minerals without top flaps consisted of wagons that were welded and riveted bodies.

 

The welded ones were built for the Ministry of Transport and the LMS. Many were built with pressed steel doors but these over time were replaced by welded or riveted doors of BR standard design. The ex MOT wagons were allocated BR diagram 1/102, numbers 13001 to 25500, 27001 to 27500 30251 to 32550, 32701 to 33000, 33501 to 37500 and 38501 to 38580. There were some batches of mixed dia 1/102 and 1/104 37501-38500, 38581 to 39500 and 57651 to 61200. Diagram 1/104 had top flaps. LMS wagons were built to LMS diagram 2109 Numbered M616001 to 618599.

 

The riveted versions were MOT wagons and LNER. The first of the diagrams 1/101 and 1/113, dia 1/113 was the same as 1/101 but was given to those wagons supplied to France post war and later sold back to BR. Diagram 1/101 were numbered 11851 to 12750 and 1/113 199000-199307. The next diagram was 1/103 and this was the riveted version of diagram 1/102, numbered 25501 to 27000, 27501 to 27750, 28751 to 29600, and 32551 to 32700. Like the diagram 1/102 there was a mixed batch of diagram 1/103 and 1/105 wagons numbered 39501 to 41350.  Diagram 1/105 had top flaps. The LNER wagons were built to LNER diagram 188 numbers were E270005 to 270704, E271305 to 273104, E274579 to 274978, E279209 to 280208, E287689 to 289188 and E28889 to 291688.

 

All of these diagrams when built had bottom doors except the LNER wagons, which meant they were fitted with double brakes because the shaft across the underframe found on a Morton brake would foul the bottom doors. The LNER wagons also had double brakes.

 

Details from Peter Fidczuk's series of articles in Modellers Backtrack.

 

David Larkin in Model Trains, June 1982 also list some re-bodied wagons to diagram 1/102 from diagram 1/100 (the slope sided minerals), and diagrams 1/101 and 1/103. There were also some diagram 1/102 wagons re-bodied with top flaps making them 1/104s.

 

There were a few P numbered ex private owner wagons, mainly riveted design but a few welded. David Larkin articles in Model Trains shows a P numbered welded 16 ton mineral with top flaps and bottom doors, very similar to a diagram 1/104.