Adam's EM Workbench: Farewell for now

[Porcy Mane]

There's at least one - http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrust.org/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=9223. I've never been able to get near it on various trips to the Glow Warks but it's nice that one clings onto existence, I think it's a vac-braked one too.

 Someone was kind enough to post photos way, way back.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=21264&start=25

Crikey that was eight years ago.

There was a half decent 1953 photograph of a rake of Covhops published in issue 89 of Archive magazine. They have the modified top hatches with two round fillers per hatch. Unfortunately the main subject of the picture,  an Andrew Barlclay shunter of the Purfleet Deep Wharf Co, spoils what would be an excellent wagon photograph. The Covhops were probably carrying product into Proctor & Gamble. (Originally Tommy Hedleys of Newcastle soap works)

 

P

Edited July 23, 2016 by Porcy Mane

[Enterprisingwestern]

The Covhops were probably carrying product into Proctor & Gamble. (Originally Tommy Hedleys of Newcastle soap works)

 

P

Round hatches = sugar = sugar soap?

 

Mike.

[Porcy Mane]

Round hatches = sugar = sugar soap?

 

Mike.

Nah! Tripolyphosphate. The salts used in the manufacture of soaps.

It used to be boiled up in large locked vats. The locks were to satisfy the the men from the revenue as soap was heavily taxed (Not the purchase/vat type tax of today) until Willie Gladstone repealed it 1853.

But then again??? Maybe P&G did manufacture sugar soap at the Thurrock site? I've no Idea what the manufacturing process for sugar soap is.

 

P 

(Not as silly as the Sunlight tax the NER used to try to charge people for if the sunlight entered peoples windows after passing over railway property)

Edited July 23, 2016 by Porcy Mane

[Mark Saunders]

 

P 

(Not as silly as the Sunlight tax the NER used to try to charge people for if the sunlight entered peoples windows after passing over railway property)

BR was still collecting it in the 1950's, this was told to me by my Mother who was in the Booking Office at Percy Main!

 

Mark Saunders

[Porcy Mane]

BR was still collecting it in the 1950's, this was told to me by my Mother who was in the Booking Office at Percy Main!

 

Mark Saunders

Interesting. I've got a few accounts books from Tynemouth and Percy Main. They used to travel in a pouch with the station cash between the station and the accounts dept. at Central. There's no mention of anything like that in the itemisation column. I'm now curious to find out what it would have been listed under.

 

P

[hmrspaul]

 Someone was kind enough to post photos way, way back.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=21264&start=25

Crikey that was eight years ago.

There was a half decent 1953 photograph of a rake of Covhops published in issue 89 of Archive magazine. They have the modified top hatches with two round fillers per hatch. Unfortunately the main subject of the picture,  an Andrew Barlclay shunter of the Purfleet Deep Wharf Co, spoils what would be an excellent wagon photograph. The Covhops were probably carrying product into Proctor & Gamble. (Originally Tommy Hedleys of Newcastle soap works)

 

P

I have several photos of the Tripolyphosphates such as http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brcovhop/e751ddaf  http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brcovhop/e751ddaf

 

Paul

[Adam]

Thanks for the digressions about covhops, very interesting. Meanwhile, I've been pottering about with a couple of things, notably a Parkside 21 tonner which will end up branded for Charringtons coal traffic. The prototype picture (which I can't reproduce here since it's not my copyright) shows a Freight Brown vehicle with boxed lettering, through vacuum pipe but without the vac' bags or brake cylinders - odd. Here's an exemplar courtesy of Paul Bartlett (thanks again Paul):

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/br21thopperweld/h3d4f477e#h3d4f477e

 

As well as that, they'll be brake levers with a reinforcing rib and fabricated open steps, like this one (again, thanks to Paul for recording these wagons and for making these pictures available): 

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/br21thopperweld/h29810564#h29810564

 

This isn't exactly what the Parkside kit provides for but the modifications are quite simple. The end supports in the kit are the plate type, and those required were, I think, angle or channel. They'll be Evergreen strip on mine.

 

 

While it all goes together fairly well, as the last couple I built did, but the interior will need a fair bit of filler.

 

 

Hornby's most recent effort - for one of the riveted versions of these hoppers - does all this rather well. The weathering, by the by, was simply a series of enamel washes, matt 100 and metalcote gunmetal, followed up with black weathering powders. I'm still quite pleased with it. The same method probably won't work with a welded body, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

 

Adam

 

 

 

[Brinkly]

Lovely weathering Adam, cracking result.

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

[macgeordie]

Very nice work Adam. The side framing is very similar to the 24.5 ton coal wagon and by co-incidence I've just started work on some drawings for that one. The end frames on the 24.5 tonner are of channel construction, the same as the sides.

 

Ian

[Adam]

Way back when (ok, 2014), I embarked on a hare-brained idea of kit bashing a couple of wagons. The end of a rather protracted project is always satisfying and so it is with this pair of rod coil conversions. These Coil S have led me a merry dance over the last few years requiring rebuilds, rethinks and several bouts of despair at ever starting the wretched things. The most recent round was brought about by the loads; coils of steel rod are the very devil to model and, having toyed with mucking about with fuse wire, I gave up and bought some very reasonable resin mouldings from DUHA (courtesy of P&H Models - usual disclaimer, but excellent service). These are designed for HO but are about the right size for my purposes.

Here's one as supplied - the colouring is less than convincing as I'm modelling new coils!

 

 

An idea of what they should look like can be had from Paul Bartlett's galleries: BR Rod Coil S - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brrodcoilksv/h2c79f5fb#h2c79f5fb

 

I've spliced several together and repainted them with Humbrol no. 53 gunmetal followed up with dark and rust coloured washes with abit of dry brushing to follow. My pair are modelled shortly after conversion in 1970 (my modelling era cut off) so are - relatively - clean.

 

 

 

 

There will be no more.

 

Adam

 

 

[Fat Controller]

Way back when (ok, 2014), I embarked on a hare-brained idea of kit bashing a couple of wagons. The end of a rather protracted project is always satisfying and so it is with this pair of rod coil conversions. These Coil S have led me a merry dance over the last few years requiring rebuilds, rethinks and several bouts of despair at ever starting the wretched things. The most recent round was brought about by the loads; coils of steel rod are the very devil to model and, having toyed with mucking about with fuse wire, I gave up and bought some very reasonable resin mouldings from DUHA (courtesy of P&H Models - usual disclaimer, but excellent service). These are designed for HO but are about the right size for my purposes.

Here's one as supplied - the colouring is less than convincing as I'm modelling new coils!

 

CoilS9.gif

 

An idea of what they should look like can be had from Paul Bartlett's galleries: BR Rod Coil S - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brrodcoilksv/h2c79f5fb#h2c79f5fb

 

I've spliced several together and repainted them with Humbrol no. 53 gunmetal followed up with dark and rust coloured washes with abit of dry brushing to follow. My pair are modelled shortly after conversion in 1970 (my modelling era cut off) so are - relatively - clean.

 

CoilS10.gif

 

CoilS11.gif

 

CoilS12.gif

 

There will be no more.

 

Adam

And very nice they are; I remember seeing a lot of these at Longport (Stoke-on-Trent) in the late 1970s/early 1980s. I think they were carrying wire coil for tyre-making. The yard also used to receive heavier coil, which went to somewhere in Stafford; this travelled in converted Plate wagons.

[Adam]

It's a hot day with good light and I'm working from home. So in my screen break, I've done a little weathering on things that are to be presented as 'clean' because recently built or converted. The Coil Rs, following running trials, have gained some rubbing blocks to level the bogies at one end and thus to keep the buffers level too. They seem to have been converted in the very late '60s and the Thomas Hill 0-6-0DH  it's buffered up to was built from c. 1970 and thus exist at the very margin of my modelling period. Both are thus fairly clean.

 

 

The weathering consists simply of washes of matt chocolate, metalcote gunmetal and a touch of matt leather, applied and then mostly cleaned away. So long as you're careful, keep the paint thin and are prepared to take a look in really good light to make sure that the treatment is even, without brush marks and puddles of pigment, it's a very effective way of weathering something simply.

 

Adam

[Adam]

Since I'm on a bit of a roll, here's yet another long-running project which has reached completion which is all the more embarrassing since so little needed doing to it! The subject is a nice little Oxford Diecast model of a Bedford J1, Lomas bodied ambulance, produced from the mid-60s for a decade or so. Matchbox did a version and it's remarkable, btw, how conservative ambulance design was. This was done up in St John Ambulance colours because I was a volunteer with them for about 10 years until, for a variety of reasons - commuting mainly - I had to give it up. Now, living in London, the siren call of free Lord's Test Matches may win me back! Anyhow, the livery was rather specific for Royston division so that had to be painted out and the elaborate double lining removed. I'll probably replate it at some point, but a coat of Halfords matt lacquer, some wing mirrors and some 'Glue 'n' Glaze' lenses for the lights will do. I've also fixed the axles and trimmed a flat on the bottom of the tyres to give an impression of mass. All this took minutes spread over three days: I've had the model for about five years!

 

 

 

Obviously, it will be kept clean, but it does require some weathering. 

 

Adam

[Fat Controller]

Nice work. I believe it was Lomax who sent new ambulances by rail from Fratton until the mid-1970s. There's a photo in one of the wagon photo-albums.  When these ambulances were superseded, a lot went to schools and similar as minibuses- our school had one from 1972.

[Adam]

Nice work. I believe it was Lomax who sent new ambulances by rail from Fratton until the mid-1970s. There's a photo in one of the wagon photo-albums.  When these ambulances were superseded, a lot went to schools and similar as minibuses- our school had one from 1972.

 

All the gen I've found suggests that Lomas were based at Wilmslow, Cheshire. There's some catalogue images here:

 

http://www.rtrehearn.plus.com/lomas_ambulances.htm

 

The Navy had some of these ambulances so they could well have been delivered to Fratton? Searching for defunct commercial vehicle bodybuilders is not straightforward: I've found no end of information about gyms, but precious little about chassis cabs! Camper vans of various types have always been a popular use for redundant ambulances as well as minibuses - some more recent St John vehicles are intended to be convertible between the two uses, though for a variety of reasons - not least the earning potential as ambulances - it's generally cheaper to hire a minibus and train volunteers to drive them as required.

 

Adam

Edited August 29, 2016 by Adam

[Adam]

And so, 'something else' turns out to be hoppers again. The Parkside version inches onward and, although much of the work is invisible - a bit of filler on the insides, some tidying up of the top corners with scraps of plastic and superglue - you can see the first stage in the changes needed in the end hopper supports can be seen.

 

 

And is joined by a Hornby version. As can be seen, this has been subject to a bit of redetailing so as to represent a Metro-Cammell-built vehicle with different plating arrangements and reinforced corners (strip cut from 5 thou' sheet superglued in place):

 

 

Replicating the end handrails is a treat to look forward to. They will hopefully look a bit like this:

 

 

North East trip 1966 by David Harvey, on Flickr

 

That's all for now,

 

Adam

Edited September 30, 2016 by Adam

[Adam]

And after an hour's work, some Archer's rivets and a start on the handrails:

 

 

The Parkside hopper has also gained the first of its handrails and the vac' pipe. I made this in two parts with the joint hidden by the centre vertical strut. It was less fiddly than I suspected it might be - the bracket was cut from brass shim. The nearest strut failed to survive the assembly process so has been carefully reinstated with a bit of Evergreen strip (oversize and trimmed and sanded back):

 

 

Meanwhile, the next mineral has been started, a dia. 1/107, reworked from a (very cheap) secondhand Parkside kit for a two-door MDO with the aid of a couple of venerable Airfix 16 tonners which gave up their side doors and end door. This one will go on a Rumney Models chassis, but eventually: I only started this because I was waiting for the rain to stop this morning.

 

 

Adam

Edited October 2, 2016 by Adam

[Adam]

These 21 tonners had lots of variations around the handrails at the ends - and Dave Bradwell's etches provide most of the bits required (except the wire and patience to execute them). This is probably the most involved and, mechanically, the way in which they were done is quite interesting since they all jig and bolt together: here's the 4mm version using five bits of wire for each set. In real life, all these components were separate. 

 

 

 

What these close ups show is that I haven't yet removed the part line of slight flash from the top flange; it also shows how rough the surface finish of the moulds for this wagon are. Horrid.

 

Here's a rough sketch (and an even rougher scan), showing the trick bit as modelled. The key element is the handrail that forms the 'L', a right angle between the end and side. On the model this is one piece of wire - an 'L' with a slight joggle in it as the sketch shows. On the real thing this was clearly two pieces, with eyes formed on the outer ends which were secured to the top of the little drop link with a bolt. The transverse rail seems to have been threaded at the ends and a nut mounted inside the drop link and the last piece of the handrail that comes up from the deck. 

 

 

Basically, what I did was to do the top 'L's first, solder the drop links - simply a tiny etched piece with a couple of holes in (Dave Bradwell supplies these with his chassis and detailing etch) in place at a slight inward angle per the real thing. Then I added the transverse rod, with the brackets threaded on loose. Once I'd solder the wire in place I superglued the brackets to the hopper and once the glue had set, I soldered the brackets to the transverse wire. The last bit of the puzzle, the rails up from the deck, were glued to the deck first and then trimmed so as they sit behind the drop link. These were then - extremely carefully - soldered in place. This was much less of a fiddle than it sounds.

 

Adam

[Horsetan]

....(Dave Bradwell supplies these with his chassis and detailing etch) ....

 

I hope that one day he might consider supplying the 21T hopper chassis in its own right, not just as one part of a 5-wagon detail pack. Gets a bit expensive when you want five chassis, and have to buy parts for 25 wagons to get there!

[Adam]

I hope that one day he might consider supplying the 21T hopper chassis in its own right, not just as one part of a 5-wagon detail pack. Gets a bit expensive when you want five chassis, and have to buy parts for 25 wagons to get there!

 

You pays your money and takes your choice; it would certainly want complete new artwork and is unlikely to be all that much cheaper. It's certainly a very efficient etch - most of the fiddly bits fill odd corners - and there are so many variants that you would struggle to leave much out - some end platforms perhaps bu that's all. I've used almost all the other bits on other models.

Adam

[Porcy Mane]

I hope that one day he might consider supplying the 21T hopper chassis in its own right, not just as one part of a 5-wagon detail pack. Gets a bit expensive when you want five chassis, and have to buy parts for 25 wagons to get there!

At £10.00 for a single chassis kit that includes enough detailing parts to upgrade a further three wagons (of various diagrams from different prototype manufacturers) you're getting a bargain.

 

If you'r desperate for just a single underframe you could always order a B28 chassis from Rumney models to go under a Parkside.

http://website.rumneymodels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/B.28_21T_Hopper_Wagon_Chassis_Instructions.pdf

 

If you're urge is just for springing and you are feeling exceptionally stingy you could use some of  Mr Bradwells spring plates. A simple and discrete method once blackened.

 

 

Cheap as chips; although the fact you get four wagons worth on one etch for £2.00 might be enough to put you off.

Whatever happened to your philosophy of trying to stash as much stuff as possible to keep you occupied in your afterlife?

 

P

[Barry O]

buy some of the detailing etches from Judith Edge Kits - it has the steps, the hopper operating doors as well as the steel handrail brackets

 

Baz

[iak]

Nice to see other people thinking along the same lines as me.

The Bradwell spring plates are ideal fot the Hornby 21T beasties - experiments pending. Bradwell/Ambis details

As for other lines of thought/hoppers:

Parkside kits on Rumney chassis'with Bradwell details when useful.

Dapol historic lumps on Bradwell chassis/details.

Much fun for the future methinks... WIBBLE!

[iak]

buy some of the detailing etches from Judith Edge Kits - it has the steps, the hopper operating doors as well as the steel handrail brackets

 

Baz

Did nae ken these existed?

Hmmmmm

[Adam]

buy some of the detailing etches from Judith Edge Kits - it has the steps, the hopper operating doors as well as the steel handrail brackets

 

Baz

 

First I've heard of these Baz, not that it matters immediately but I am out of cranked hopper door levers (though I have plenty of steps).

 

Adam

 

Adam