Freightman 7mm Wagons Kits

[Windjabbers]

I recently picked up a unmade Freightman 7mm wagon kit at a show.

 

The kit seems very nice. Does anyone know the full range of kits that were produced. A friend sent me this advert, but I thought there were more LNER wagons? Can anyone advise.
 

Also just wondering what happened to this range? I assume like Imptus it’s no longer available.

 

Thanks

 

David

 

Edited March 25 by Windjabbers

[Peter Eaton]

I hope I can help.

Discontinued about 25 years ago now.

Yes very nice models in their day.

Frank & his Wife selling the kits at 0 gauge shows.

I saw him at I recall Shepshed School shows.

His last kit was a nice BR fish van.

The range seem to be amazingly selling on Ebay at £70 these days.

 

There was a company that I recall had the tooling & set up a web site to produce them later or may just have sold on the then surplus stock.

ABS models cast the white metal underframes for the models.

Peter

IF I could actually get through the shed door I would have dug a few finished models out & photographed them. Could be my Easter challenge there for you

Edited March 24 by Peter Eaton
shed note.

[Hal Nail]

I've bought and then sold a few over the years. They have very fine planking detail and several types not available from Parkside or Slaters

 

Even if the body moulds were still about, I suspect it wouldn't be cost effective to redo all the whitemetal chassis parts in the face of Dapol competition though.

[Michael Hodgson]

5 hours ago, Peter Eaton said:

IF I could actually get through the shed door I would have dug a few finished models out & photographed them. Could be my Easter challenge there for you

The door hinges have probably rusted solid - wettest Febuary on record according to the Met Office.  😄

I haven't been into my shed yet this year either.

 

I hadn't heard of this range, although as I do 4mm and only operate other peoples' 7mm layouts perhaps that's to be expected.

[IanGe]

Hi guys,

As mentioned earlier, these wagon kits were sold by  Frank and his wife at shows and by mail order. I think Frank designed and made the moulds for the plastic bodies and he had a deal with Adrian Swain  ( ABS) to produce the white metal chassis/ running gear etc. At the time, before Parkside entered the  0 gauge kit market  and long before Dapol RTR, these kits were quality products and the best way of creating a fleet of vans. A really good range produced, including varieties not covered by Parkside. As I understand it when Frank died his moulds were scrapped, and then ABS stopped trading when Adrian died, so the range ceased to be produced. Even after these years they are still very good models and hence  they do still turn up occasionally on Ebay for eg £70 a pop. 

Ian

[Hal Nail]

 

10 hours ago, IanGe said:

they do still turn up occasionally on Ebay for eg £70 a pop. 

Or less! One NE van just gone on today. Not sure why the link is so big or won't embed. The problem with a built one is you are a bit limited on how much you can do to adjust the running, short of trying to dismantle it. Not easy to pop the wheels out with white metal.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116119246050?itmmeta=01HSWNVE4BKPXWRFVYGGKYEANC&hash=item1b093f14e2:g:Z~wAAOSwReRmAgor&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8KFc%2B8KNc%2B0rosJb3Sxfxduu6KALcQDYebxx5%2FZfwPLpHHwBJ3nM%2FcxCBDt32nsNEO%2F%2BRX23X%2BlNFc0VajERRoS%2FjNYq0dIVZp5ooszMqfGvoeIgs9%2BxcJ7QQ7AT9wjlRHmh3tpIJR3QqIZD89oIBn1HdZ7e%2FqIj94cngSA26cmOpYHJyQ606zAnK7u5KcdOi8cTZWkx5uXI2VJAXMGoW%2B27F57uFv00g3kGCKhMAUhNlALsE2DTTCpptUaCppY6WTwrTpLmMcFOHbsXpEN8wyw1LBzeAZLygWGDG4ILTe9DedmgzbBObKHFXRdQRwfZ5Q%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5zi7ZXPYw

Edited March 26 by Hal Nail