Roadrailer

[Darius43]

Recently spotted on eBay and acquired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plan is to clean up the models, replaced damaged and missing parts replace the plastic rail wheels with metal ones and re-paint the lot.

 

Two of the trailers have the road/rail wheel combo and the third is road only.  The AEC tractor kit will be built to accompany it.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited April 23, 2023 by Darius43

[decauville1126]

When you get the repaints done, don't forget that excellent transfers are available from Cambridge Custom Transfers to complete them.

 

https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm

 

Sheet BL20

 

 

[Darius43]

Missing rear doors on the rail borne trailers replaced with scratch built plasticard doors.   Brass bearings affixed and metal wheels fitted to trailers and adaptor bogies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Darius43

[BernardTPM]

Just one small thing. Look at the front vehicle of the Roadrailers in service and it is always just a little nose down.

[Darius43]

36 minutes ago, BernardTPM said:

Just one small thing. Look at the front vehicle of the Roadrailers in service and it is always just a little nose down.

Noted.  I will need to adjust the first trailer support on the adaptor bogie or fit larger diameter rail wheels to the trailers.  Currently 10.5mm dia. rail wheels are provided to the trailers to match the original coarse plastic wheels.

 

I still have to fit the repainted road wheels.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[BernardTPM]

I can't help wondering if someone made a miscalculation on the real thing. That slight tilt always looks odd, but is characteristic.

[melmerby]

Even in the US:

 

[Darius43]

Modified.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited April 23, 2023 by Darius43

[Johann Marsbar]

Coincidentally, I've rediscovered the pair of Roadrailer models that were purchased in the mid 1970's for my layout and, once I have added things like glazing to the AEC tractor units (which my Father didn't bother with..), they can both put in an appearance on the current layout.

The liveries they were painted in are rather unprototypical though........

[Michael Hodgson]

15 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

Just one small thing. Look at the front vehicle of the Roadrailers in service and it is always just a little nose down.

I thought they were just experimental - didn't realise they had actually entered service.

 

The headcode is class 4 - frelightliner (3-2-5) or express freight permitted to do 75 (3-1-1) in 1963.  Were they really up to doing that sort of speed?  Or were they deemed to be freightliners?

[Porcy Mane]

23 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I thought they were just experimental - didn't realise they had actually entered service.

 They never entered revenue earning service. A factory across the fields from me signed contracts to use the service thus giving up a few of their HGV licences and the timetabled workings were published in the WTT's but had the word, "Suspended" in block capitals. This was all reported in the contemporary transport press at the time.

 

There is a dedicated Roadrailer thread hereabouts on RMweb.

 

P

[DaveF]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I thought they were just experimental - didn't realise they had actually entered service.

 

The headcode is class 4 - frelightliner (3-2-5) or express freight permitted to do 75 (3-1-1) in 1963.  Were they really up to doing that sort of speed?  Or were they deemed to be freightliners?

 

1 hour ago, Porcy Mane said:

 They never entered revenue earning service. A factory across the fields from me signed contracts to use the service thus giving up a few of their HGV licences and the timetabled workings were published in the WTT's but had the word, "Suspended" in block capitals. This was all reported in the contemporary transport press at the time.

 

There is a dedicated Roadrailer thread hereabouts on RMweb.

 

P

 

The photo is one taken by Dad, somewhere in my photo thread there is a copy of it as well as in a couple of BRM publications.

 

It was a very lucky shot, we happened to have a family day out, with Dad taking photos, me just watching the trains and Mum looking at wild flowers at Corby Glen and saw the train which Dad photographed.

 

As far as I know it was a test working, I never saw any other Roadrailer workings.

 

David

[Michael Hodgson]

Thanks.  An extremely lucky shot then and very useful.

[Darius43]

Trailer end door surrounds painted and home-made decals applied.  Adaptor wagon handrails added using brass rod and wagon painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that BRS ultimately pulled out of the Roadrailer project but I wanted to recreate in model form the trailers that appeared in photos taken in Marylebone goods yard.

 

Looks like the leading trailer has “straightened” itself.  Will need to investigate...

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited April 23, 2023 by Darius43

[Simon Moore]

These are the only others i have ever seen of these kits. I found the kits in a pile of stuff being thrown out. I have the wagons & a tractor unit for road haulage all unbuilt. Very nice models.

[locomad2]

25 minutes ago, Rhb Simon said:

These are the only others i have ever seen of these kits. I found the kits in a pile of stuff being thrown out. I have the wagons & a tractor unit for road haulage all unbuilt. Very nice models.

 

 

I built one as a teen, box version, found the odd trailer in toy fairs junk boxes to add to small collection, did find a bag one and built it a few years ago, somewhere mentioned it on this site. Read the instructions this time found doors actually open and shut.

[ColinK]

The February 2022 ‘Vintage Roadscene’ magazine includes six photos of the BR Roadrailer.

[Asterix2012]

Did Tiphook rail not try out a more up to date version in the 80’s or 90’s?

[hmrspaul]

13 hours ago, Asterix2012 said:

Did Tiphook rail not try out a more up to date version in the 80’s or 90’s?

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trailertrain

 

Paul

[Michael Hodgson]

If one of these trains failed and assistance was only available in rear, how would this be tackled?

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trailertrain

 

Paul

This is the US equivalent:

Bogies are separate and added as the train is built up.

[Mike_Walker]

NS are now the only operator and that is confined to one service that serves a GM plant in Wentzville, MO some 25-30 miles west of St. Louis.  It's living on borrowed time and is expected to finish when the equipment becomes life expired.

[Michael Hodgson]

The tyres on those trailers look life-expired.  There seems to be hardly any tread.

I assume the trailers are stronger and therefore heavier than ordinary trailers in order to cope with the drawbar load. 

[Michael Hodgson]

5 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trailertrain

 

Paul

I hadn't heard of those.  It's another oddball prototype that would be good to see modelled.

[John M]

On 30/01/2022 at 05:57, Michael Hodgson said:

The tyres on those trailers look life-expired.  There seems to be hardly any tread.

I assume the trailers are stronger and therefore heavier than ordinary trailers in order to cope with the drawbar load. 

3'6" gauge RoadRailers similar to those used in the United States operated in New Zealand during the 1990s. The RoadRailers ran on modified freight bogies and could be marshalled in a train with conventional freight stock. Although originally used for time sensitive intermodal traffic road-rail use ceased after several years, the RoadRailers were used soley as rail wagons in their final years of operation. 

 

The main draw backs appear to have been the lower payload compared to a conventional semi-trailer (chassis to handle rail buffing loads) and operating and maintenance cost of the road transfer gear, apparently the gear was removed following an incident when the road wheels lowered while a train was in transit.