Vintage Wagon Chassis Restoration Project

[cessna152towser]

This is not the first of these which ahs come into my possession but I have a mental block in recalling the name of the maker of this chassis kit.   Solebars are metal and the floor is clear plastic with diagonal ribs.

Can anyone identify please?

[mossdp]

These are ERG wagons. Bodies moulded in clear plastic with distinctive X shape strengthening of the base.

[Il Grifone]

The underframe has had replacement wheels and Peco couplings fitted (the latter have lost their hooks). They were supplied with a rather crude and overscale 3 link coupling. I believe the plastic is perspex. It is rather hard to stick the parts together reliably.

[MikeCW]

This looks the same as a number of wagons kindly given to me by a friend who knows of my eccentric interest in 1950s/60s model railways, They were bought and assembled by his late father for use on his Hornby Dublo layout.

 

They seem identical to the chassis in Cessna's photo: metal solebars, clear base, diagonal ribs and nut and bolt fixing for the coupling.

 

I was fortunate in that the original box for the "Guards Van" came with the wagons. It is branded as a "New Rex" kit which, given the comments above, I assume to be an ERG brand?  Two things about the box are noteworthy: the advice about the chemicals to use as adhesive (supporting David's comment about the difficulty of sticking the perspex parts together); and the "HD" notation which I assumed (perhaps wrongly) to indicate that the wagon was supplied with either mountings for Hornby Dublo couplings or the couplings themselves.

 

In the box were some of the bits and pieces which modellers tend to accumulate.  Perhaps the 3-link couplings are ERG originals?  I don't think that the fish hook came with the kit.

Edited March 1, 2020 by MikeCW
Punctuation

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Carbon tetrachloride!

 

Also used by Tri-ang Railways as track cleaning fluid for the track cleaning wagons, OO and TT gauges. Not a really good idea now!

 

Thawpit cleaning fluid!

 

Both are not very nice!

 

I thought that chloroform was also an adhesive for Perspex?

 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by Sarahagain
housekeeping, spelling, etc...

[Il Grifone]

Chloroform is also not very nice! I don't remember the recommendation of carbon tetrachloride as adhesive for the ones I purchased. Perhaps it had been dropped?

 

The kits have been variously 'Rex', 'Masterpiece', and 'ERG'. Those are indeed ERG couplings. The spring is far too strong - I usually use one per wagon and connect a coupling to each end. As supplied, the slot in the headstock is too short to take the coupling shank and heavy cutting gear is needed the buffers are also a tight force fit. Neither was within my youthful capabilities, but K's (buffers) and Peco (couplings) came to my assistance. Mine are now fitted with 3 links and any Peco couplings have been salvaged for use on something better.

The 'HD' refers to the wheels. They could be ordered with either HD or BRMSB wheels, either a rather nice spoked type with a steel tyre or a rubbish disc wheel in Bakelite - the flanges of these are often chippedThe only couplings were the 3-links. There were 3 types of van (van, meat, or fish - I've never worked out which is which*), 5 and 7 plank opens, a 16T mineral (riveted), a tank wagon, cattle truck and brake/guards van. The cattle truck was later replaced by a bolster wagon with strip-wood to make the sides, ends, and bolster, plus wire for the stanchions.

*The vans came in crude, sliding, and hinged door versions. All three can be seen in Sarah's photos. The mineral wagon has the side on upside down!

I have a box for individual components (wagon sides 7d each IIRC), so presumably the bits were available separately. The price was around 3/- plus 3d p&p (other times when the P.O. was a public service and not a profit making enterprise).

[Prometheus]

There are an extraordinary number of these for sale on eBay right now: unmade and in seemingly mint condition sealed boxes.

 

Tony

[Il Grifone]

These?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-OO-scale-rolling-stock-parts-some-ERG-pieces/193358467607?hash=item2d05101217:g:rS0AAOSwvoZeVRQ9

 

There are also these which may be of interest:-

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ERG-Wagon-Kit-Template-SR-10-Ton-Tarpaulin-Wagon/303435117742?hash=item46a62474ae:g:ej4AAOSwSw1eE555

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-Vintage-OO-Litho-papers-Hamblings-ERG-Booklet-Cardboard-Rolling-S/153852937800?hash=item23d2598648:g:kt8AAOSwHc9eXte5

 

Good luck trying to build the SR open wagon - the card parts are very basic!

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Il Grifone

[locomad2]

Interesting, there suddenly lots of these wagons and especially parts shown, about at toy fairs, model railway shows in north west England and north wales. The bent metal tag which holds peco coupling I've seen boxes full of them and thanks I now know what they are for which makes them handly for converting such stock to peco or HD coupling 

[Il Grifone]

There should be a shouldered pin* which fits through the coupling and then the bracket. It is then held in place by a spring clip. In later versions of the coupling, the whole thing is replaced by a rivet.

 

* Similar in form to the pin that holds a Dublo coupling. A 4MA (or 4BA or 5/32" Whitworth) nut and bolt will fulfil the same function.

[Prometheus]

On 04/03/2020 at 11:38, Il Grifone said:

These?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-OO-scale-rolling-stock-parts-some-ERG-pieces/193358467607?hash=item2d05101217:g:rS0AAOSwvoZeVRQ9

 

 

Apologies, I missed your post on Wednesday.

 

No, not that one, although I did see it.

 

The ones which caught my eye were in unopened still-sealed boxed [as the Rex one, further above] for about a tenner each. They have all gone now though, either sold or back in their owners drawer. Had they been a fiver, I'd have bought one to put in the club's 'heritage' display cabinet [a huge affair full of all sorts of nonsense].

 

Tony

[Il Grifone]

A fiver does seem about right! (Though if they went at a tenner?)

I  bought 4 or 5 of the things for that. True they were assembled and it was a boot sale and quite a few years ago.

[5050]

I've got 2 ERG tank wagons, one built, the other still in pieces.  I doubt I'll ever do anything with them!

 

 

[Il Grifone]

Those look more like a product of Hambling's (a step up from ERG!).  The underframe units are definitely Hambling's & the tank looks like a copy of Dublo.  The bodies of ERG wagons are all plastic.

[5050]

2 hours ago, Il Grifone said:

Those look more like a product of Hambling's (a step up from ERG!).  The underframe units are definitely Hambling's & the tank looks like a copy of Dublo.  The bodies of ERG wagons are all plastic.

Got it wrong again Dad!  It all gets very confusing once you get to my age.  Never mind, I'll have plenty of time to brush up on my vintage kits etc. over the next 4 months.................

[Il Grifone]

It all dates from a long time ago....

[Il Grifone]

I found these on Ebay

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OO-Gauge-Job-lot-Wagons-inc-Open-Wagons-and-Brake-Van/114159965571?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225076%26meid%3Df65c3c807419440f9d0c9af5588961ab%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D153876637553%26itm%3D114159965571%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWeb&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985

 

Leaving aside the seller's description and price (no comment! - Fifth Amendment*), these are a couple of ERG vans (including the rubbish first one) and what looks like the sad remains of a Kenline ex GC van. There's also a 7 plank open, but no sign of the 'brake van' listed in the heading.

 

* My daughter said it doesn't apply over here, but it's convenient....

 

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Il Grifone