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  • RMweb Gold

I am trying to resist buying a GWR parcels railcar and have looked at the most recent Dapol streamlined offering, which certainly appears amiable.

 

However, I find myself more drawn towards the more angular version, which I know that Lima used to do.

 

My question here is (and apologies if this has already been covered somewhere), has anyone else done a more recent version of the angular railcar (especially the parcels only version), apart from Lima and now Hornby, please?

 

Many thanks.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Might it be possible to use the Lima/Hornby body on a Dapol chassis?  I am not happy with the Dapol model because of the high floor they've concealed the works under, but this would not matter with a parcels car.  

 

What I really want is number 18, Newport Division spare car in the early 50s, photographed on the Cowbridge branch and possibly may have worked in the Tondu area.  It had several inspection panels missing revealing revolving bits of engines, gearboxes, clutches and shafts to the awe stricken gaze of an admiring travelling public; I'm not holding my breath for this in RTR but it's a heck of a challenge, well beyond my modelling capability!  Any (Heljan) takers?

Edited by The Johnster
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There was an etched brass pre-pro version I saw at a Scaleforum many years ago - then Lima brought theirs out and the brass one was never released.

 

You could always look for the K's one ...

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  • RMweb Gold
3 minutes ago, giz said:

 

Simon does some pretty desirable stuff on his site. When I get the other work done, I'll get the chequebook going as well.....

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1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Might it be possible to use the Lima/Hornby body on a Dapol chassis?  I am not happy with the Dapol model because of the high floor they've concealed the works under, but this would not matter with a parcels car.  

 

What I really want is number 18, Newport Division spare car in the early 50s, photographed on the Cowbridge branch and possibly may have worked in the Tondu area.  It had several inspection panels missing revealing revolving bits of engines, gearboxes, clutches and shafts to the awe stricken gaze of an admiring travelling public; I'm not holding my breath for this in RTR but it's a heck of a challenge, well beyond my modelling capability!  Any (Heljan) takers?

What's the point of all the work of trying to shoehorn in a completely different chassis?

Where are you going to hide the motor tower/power bogie?

Be even more obvious than the Dapol "solution"

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  • RMweb Gold

Sorry, I changed tack mid post from the Good Captain's question to what I want, which is irrelevant to the the Good Captain's question, and failed to make this clear; mea culpa!  The Captain can achieve a 1940 angle cab straight side parcels car, No.34, with current chassis detail and good quiet running (compared to the old Lima chassis anyway), and NEM couplers by putting a Lima/Hornby body on a Dapol chassis, or even a Heljan one if Heljan's runs well and they are not going to produce their own parcels car.  The Dapol chassis is a superior performer to the Lima/Hornby one, which is a bit long in the tooth nowadays and blocks daylight through the guard's compartment end windows with it's pancake motor, and has crude moulded drive shaft and bogie detail which the Dapol is much improved on.  The Dapol's underfloor mech, while being objectionable to my mind in a passenger car with lighting and big windows, is no problem in a parcels car.

 

No.18 is another story.  It was a passenger car  built to the 1938 flying banana style but with buffers and drawgear to be able to draw a tail load, which made it suitable for the horsebox traffic on the Lambourne branch, as did it's auto trailer style retractable steps to serve ground level halts.  It was the Newport Division spare in the early 50s and filled in for failed auto services in the area.  It was geared for branch work with a maximum speed of 40mph.  By the early 50s it had lost several of it's inspection covers revealing the workings underneath; it would be a massive challenge to model accurately in this condition, but it would be no use to me in any other condition.  I am unaware of any other branch that might have been used in the Tondu area at this period, and in fact am taking a punt on No.18 ever having been, but I know it spent time at Llantrisant.  Tondu's auto work did not start until the introduction of the regular interval timetable in the Valleys in 1953.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thank you all for your kind comments and suggestions.

 

I shall now consider what to do, as this exercise was primarily intended to be one of retail therapy and weathering, rather than extensive kit construction or modification.

 

In the meantime, there is always the option of some of my loco-hauled parcels vans and a locomotive.

 

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