Brake gear missing?

[7013]

I just received two wagons I had on order from my local shop of the 5 plank wagons that are marked Chipping Norton Co-operative Society. When I got home I noticed what looked like the brake gear had been broken off on one side. I took the wagons back to my shop, they looked through the wagons and almost all were like that except one or two which had what appeared to be part of the brake gear on one side. Anyway thinking that the batch was broken I got a refund. Now on looking at two photos (in the Banbury & Cheltenham Direct Railway) of the wagons, one appears to show brake gear on both sides the other looks like it has brake gear on only one side. Can anyone throw any light on the subject? I hurriedly phoned my local shop and asked them to put my two wagons back on reserve just in case they were constructed with brake gear on one side only.

[Garry D100]

Hattons ones look the same http://www.ehattons.com/stockdetail.aspx?SID=33239

[Fat Controller]

It's quite likely that the wagon was built with brake gear on one side only- the requirement to have brake gear operable from either side of the wagon didn't appear until about WW1. Prior to that, wagons were often only fitted with one brake shoe, and that on one side only.

The requirement to have brake gear operable from either side was met either by having two complete sets of levers and shoes (the 'Independent' brake) or brake shoes on one side, with a cross-shaft and clutch arrangement allowing operation by levers on either side (the Morton brake). The former was used when bottom doors or hoppers precluded a cross-shaft. Morton gear remained in use until the end of unfitted wagons- the majority of the several hundred thousand 16t minerals built by BR were fitted with it.

[craigwelsh]

The Dapol mould is a bit of a joke anyway, its been discussed in this area before where the exact details and rulings on brake standards was given.

[DaveF]

By 1911 wagons new built wagons had to have brakes on both sides (Essery, Midland Wagons Vol1, OPC).

 

 

Wagons built before then were supposed to be converted from brakes on one side only to both sides, there were various cut off dates for conversion but sources differ on whether all were converted before the wagons were scrapped. Photographic evidence should be sought!

 

There are many photos of wagons with brakes only on one side. A lot of wagons were built with even the brake lever only on one side - think about pinning down brakes before descending inclines such as the Lickey.

 

As a further note dumb buffered wagons were allowed on public railways until the end of 1913.

 

David

[7013]

This wagon is supposed to be new tooling, I must say by modern standards it is not the most impressive I have seen, it looks very plastic, which it obviously is, but the sole bar detail is not what I would expect from a newly tooled model, the printing is good but I am not sure the No10 is where it should be. Anyway if it is confirmed that is how the wagons should be then so be it, but it looks like a moulding has been made then the brake gear on one side snapped off to make the wagon as it was for a pre WW1 wagon, It makes you wonder how a firm can make the Silver Bullets to a high standard and the come out with decidedly average rendering with this one.

[craigwelsh]

Previous discussion was here:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/13798-9-wagon-chassis-oo/

 

I don't think its meant to be a modern standards item, just something cheap but 'older looking' to use for all the PO livery commissions Dapol churn out. Its probably a bit like the Hornby Railroad range for Dapol and that is fair enough if its helping to support their modern quality range.

 

The buffers and axleboxes are not authentic as well as the points you raised and the printing is normally reduced in colours on these though this one may have been in just white.

 

Bachmann produced a much better wagon with their 1923 5-plank and its a pity Dapol didn't do an accurate 1907 wagon (though they would still have to produce a specific one as that spec was even more varied in application than the later one, having less standard components specified). It would have been more expensive for Dapol and probably for those who commission these sorts of wagons too.

[7013]

It is advertised as new tooling perhaps they should say new below average tooling