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GWR Ale Wagons


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Hello guys.

 

Recently I have asked a friend to turn one of my Bachmann GWR W12 Cattle Trucks into an GWR Ale Wagon. Before I have this done though, I wanted to know if they actually used the W12 diagram for this traffic?

 

Garethp8873.

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Guest dilbert

Dia. W1 vehicles were used for conversion to ALE wagons (and were allocated to dia. V30) - like the W1/W5 kit produced by Coopercraft...dilbert

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Dilbert is spot on - the Coopercraft kit built to W1 is an easy conversion to the Park Royal brewery dedicated ale wagons - i had a couple on Brushford, in those naive years before i saw the error of my ways on modelling the GW!!

 

Seen here in the middleground near the goods shed.

post-6679-0-38203700-1312235641_thumb.jpg

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They must have though used some of the W12 Cattle Wagons for this traffic though. I doubt all the W1 Cattle Wagons would have been suitable for this traffic. I did look up on the GWR Modelling website and they do say that the Dapol kit can be converted to the Ale Wagon as well. Also on the Goods & Not So Goods website, the user uses again the W12 diagram.

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They must have though used some of the W12 Cattle Wagons for this traffic though. I doubt all the W1 Cattle Wagons would have been suitable for this traffic. I did look up on the GWR Modelling website and they do say that the Dapol kit can be converted to the Ale Wagon as well. Also on the Goods & Not So Goods website, the user uses again the W12 diagram.

 

GWR Goods wagon (Atkins et al) only records W1 converted to V30 ALE with some W10 converted to Y10 fruit vans. Yes you could convert a Dapol kit. It would be a lot a work and involve new bits - essentially you would be converting a W12 to a W1. Never ever make a model of someone elses's model and expect it to be correct. Always check the real thing.

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Some of the W10's (total 130) were converted to Fruit Traffic (Y10) in 1939. Most of the wagons transferred to ALE traffic (originally for Guinness traffic in 1939) reclassed as V30 were from Lots 464/476/651. The W12 (essentially a W11 with vertical planked doors and holes) were not produced until 1929. It seems less likely that these newer vehicles would be converted to ALE. Of course there may have been further conversions post nationalisation and they might have used redundant W12s. But in GWR days there were ample W1s available for conversion to this traffic.

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I must admit I feel further confused as I have just found this link where they are selling an GWR Ale Wagon which has three numbers:

 

- 38622 which we all know well.

- 38659

- 186461. This to me is a number I would relate to a GWR W12.

 

What I think I am going to do is do some research and find out.

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Guest dilbert

GWW gives the total number of W1s built (under various lots) at 1,260 vans. The estimate GWW gives for the number that were converted for ALE transport (dia V30) as "at least 100".

 

I must be missing something here : surely the best way to approach this would be to take the Coopercraft kit, build it, paint it and apply appropriate decals that are available - there's no major modification required. Another way would be to take the Dapol RTR Cattle or Ale wagon - it's basic and would need detailing applied to upgrade (if you're interested), but not impossible. Hacking around with the Bachmann model seems a lot of extra work for not a lot ...

 

Re. 186461, I wouldn't associate that running number with a dia. W12 - 106xxx would seem more reasonable...dilbert

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GWR Goods wagon (Atkins et al) only records W1 converted to V30 ALE with some W10 converted to Y10 fruit vans. Yes you could convert a Dapol kit. It would be a lot a work and involve new bits - essentially you would be converting a W12 to a W1. Never ever make a model of someone elses's model and expect it to be correct. Always check the real thing.

 

Note also that the photo of a W1 converted to ALE in Atkins et al (the single volume edition) shows the ends converted to the later pattern angle bracing instead of the earlier W1 cross bracing. Perhaps this is what has encouraged others to make an approximate V30 from a W12 by simply changing the upper side doors to the earlier form. It still wouldn't be right in several other respects but, equally, its worth remembering that a V30 is not just a W1 with "ALE WAGON" on the sides.

 

Nick

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