Slaters 6-wheeled milk tank wagons

[hmrspaul]

The ones in the first shot, at STJ, are probably part of the Severn Tunnel rescue train, which was stabled in the Up bay in those days.

 

I have some photos of these - the relatively rare SR milk tank http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/srmilk/e1c6c48e3

ex W2021 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrbrmilktanks/e39b58663

and B3192 http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrbrmilktanks/e3c1f5ef8 which is conserved on the NYMR.

 

There was also a LMS origin tank used at STJ.

 

Paul Bartlett

[Warspite]

They say all sorts of things go on in the Forest of Dean and in railway historical terms it seems that they almost certainly did. Coal, stone, dairy produce, industry and construction plus anything else you care (or dare) to think of!

 

David

 

Not sure whether you saw this, but Michael Portillo's 'Great British Railway Journeys series' tonight covered the area from Lydney to Newport, including a fascinating look at the micro-mines in the Forest of Dean (as well as a ride on an auto-train on the Dean Forest Railway). If you missed it, check out BBC iPlayer. I now want to model a Forest of Dean coal mine in 7mm!!!

 

Stephen

 

P.S. There is also an interesting article on "Rails through Portskewett and Severn Tunnel Junction" in the January 2012 issue of Steam Days.

[Phill Dyson (onslaught832)]

and B3192 http://PaulBartlett....tanks/e3c1f5ef8 which is conserved on the NYMR.

 

 

Paul Bartlett

 

...........& here it is (taken last year)

 

 

I too have a stash of these Slaters milk tanks & a couple of Model Express ones awaiting my attention.

 

Cheers Phill

[David Siddall]

Michael Portillo's 'Great British Railway Journeys series' tonight covered the area from Lydney to Newport, including a fascinating look at the micro-mines in the Forest of Dean (as well as a ride on an auto-train on the Dean Forest Railway).

 

I did miss it Stephen so will definitely catch up on iPlayer, thank you (that area's home turf after all :-) The area between the eastern edge of the Forest and Gloucester is now in my top three location choices - especially since I discovered that the Forest was Class 14 territory: www.flickr.com/photos/geoffsimages/6097015057/!

 

D

[3 link]

Just a couple of photo's of my 6 wheeled tankers, both now finished except for some transfers and weathering .

 

 

 

ATB, Martyn.

[Trevor H]

Very nice Martyn. I'm sure their soon dirty up, look forward to seeing them weathered.

 

Have you filled them with milk for added aroma

[3 link]

 

Have you filled them with milk for added aroma

 

No milk but I have put about 4ozs of lead in them .

 

ATB, Martyn.

[David Siddall]

Just a couple of photo's of my 6 wheeled tankers, both now finished except for some transfers and weathering.

 

As I mentioned on your gallery shot Martyn.... suuuuuuuperb! Just crying out for a little light grime. Now (question), can I build a couple or three that look as nice ;-)

 

D

[3 link]

Hi David,

 

Of course you can they are not that bad, the brake linkage will be a bit taxing the first time but after the first one there will be no stopping you. I will be building some jltrt American 9' bogies next, and these will be fitted to a Scorpio siphon body. These bogies are sprung and have all the extra detail and will certainly take some time to build . If you need any help once you get started on the tankers, you only have to ask .

 

ATB, Martyn.

[David Siddall]

Hi David,

 

Of course you can they are not that bad, the brake linkage will be a bit taxing the first time but after the first one there will be no stopping you. I will be building some jltrt American 9' bogies next, and these will be fitted to a Scorpio siphon body. These bogies are sprung and have all the extra detail and will certainly take some time to build . If you need any help once you get started on the tankers, you only have to ask .

 

ATB, Martyn.

 

Cheers Martyn, may take you up on that... just found a shot of a Hymek on milk tanks at Bason Bridge on the former Evercreech Junction - Highbridge Branch of the former S&D in '69. The perfect prototype inspiration for my project :-)

Edited March 9, 2012 by David Siddall

[Bill]

Just a couple of photo's of my 6 wheeled tankers, both now finished except for some transfers and weathering .

 

ATB, Martyn.

Thanks they look the part - slightly off topic that backscene fits in really well.

Is it a commercial product or something you created?

[3 link]

Hi Bill,

 

It is a commercial product and I notice there are now quite a few suppliers that do the back scenes, the one I have used came from Gauge masters down in Sussex.

 

ATB, Martyn.

[Pathfinder]

Hi,

 

As a new guy here can i add a little about S Wales milk trains ? As a teenager in the 70's in Cardiff i used to see a lot of them ! The main line ones from West Wales used to recess in the large depot on the up side next to Canton around 6pm where a reform and attachment of the tanks coming down from Marshfield would happen, then with a new crew and sometimes a new loco it would depart for London around 20.30. The 'Marshfield' was the trip from the small yard on the up side halfway between Cardiff and Newport. A loco would go off light from Canton around teatime, pick up the tanks, go forward to Ebbw Junc, run round come back to Canton around 7 and add to the train from Whitland. Early 70's this would be a Hymek, after the WR got 25's these were the usual loco but 37's could always stand in.

Facilities at Marshfield were basic, just a hardstanding for tankers to draw along side the tanks and load. Weekends could find the milk train sitting alongside platform 1 (now platform 0 ) at Central in the afternoons, and i used to notice how many different designs of tank there was, i even wrote down a few numbers !! sadly these notes have gone AWOL over the years :-( Loco on the Whitland was either a Western or a WR duff.

 

John

[Warspite]

Hi,

 

As a new guy here can i add a little about S Wales milk trains ? As a teenager in the 70's in Cardiff i used to see a lot of them ! The main line ones from West Wales used to recess in the large depot on the up side next to Canton around 6pm where a reform and attachment of the tanks coming down from Marshfield would happen, then with a new crew and sometimes a new loco it would depart for London around 20.30. The 'Marshfield' was the trip from the small yard on the up side halfway between Cardiff and Newport. A loco would go off light from Canton around teatime, pick up the tanks, go forward to Ebbw Junc, run round come back to Canton around 7 and add to the train from Whitland. Early 70's this would be a Hymek, after the WR got 25's these were the usual loco but 37's could always stand in.

Facilities at Marshfield were basic, just a hardstanding for tankers to draw along side the tanks and load. Weekends could find the milk train sitting alongside platform 1 (now platform 0 ) at Central in the afternoons, and i used to notice how many different designs of tank there was, i even wrote down a few numbers !! sadly these notes have gone AWOL over the years :-( Loco on the Whitland was either a Western or a WR duff.

 

John

 

John

 

Great first post and welcome to the forum! Some really useful information here.

 

As you may have gathered from some of the earlier posts on this thread, quite a few of us are fascinated with the operation of 1960s/70s milk trains, including, of course, in South and West Wales. I mentioned John Vaughan's book The Power of the Hymeks earlier and there are some great photos around Cardiff and Newport including a cracking one at Marshfield showing D7080 shunting milk tanks (page 93). This clearly shows the hard standing you referred to.

 

You've now got me thinking South and West Wales again! Just a shame class 22s weren't regulars there.

 

Stephen

Edited April 13, 2012 by Warspite

[David Siddall]

You've now got me thinking South and West Wales again! Just a shame class 22s weren't regulars there.

 

Ah ha... if you were to however think the 'Marches' (east Wales) there is evidence for their regularly working around Gloucester, also around the Worcester area. Couple of useful ref's http://www.miac.org.uk/class22.htm.

 

BR Video Productions No 167 (www.brvideos.co.uk) also quotes: "We see NBL D63xx Class 22s shunting at Coleford and Boscarne Junction plus extensive footage of D6346 shunting at Charlbury!". Looks like there are plenty of Class 22-friendly location options... and several of them (with the possible exception of Coleford?) could be likely sources of, or destinations for milk).

 

David

[Warspite]

Ah ha... if you were to however think the 'Marches' (east Wales) there is evidence for their regularly working around Gloucester, also around the Worcester area. Couple of useful ref's http://www.miac.org.uk/class22.htm.

 

BR Video Productions No 167 (www.brvideos.co.uk) also quotes: "We see NBL D63xx Class 22s shunting at Coleford and Boscarne Junction plus extensive footage of D6346 shunting at Charlbury!". Looks like there are plenty of Class 22-friendly location options... and several of them (with the possible exception of Coleford?) could be likely sources of, or destinations for milk).

 

David

 

Now, you're not helping!

 

Diesel Hydraulic Heyday looks very tempting. Just visualising "extensive footage of D6346 shunting"!

 

Must concentrate on modelling, must concentrate on modelling, must concentrate ......

 

Stephen

[David Siddall]

Now, you're not helping!

 

Must concentrate on modelling, must concentrate on modelling, must concentrate ......

 

If prone to distraction you should, of course, studiously avoid this pic, which I just happened to find on RMW itself. And totally ignore this one... which, whilst it contains no references to tankers whatsoever, suggests a livery variation that would look rather splendid at the head of a rake... maybe a bit clean and shiny for the 'rustmeister' though ;-)

 

D

 

PS: Spent many, many happy hours in the 70s' sitting at exactly the spot from which the latter photo was taken - wish I'd not lost my 'Instamatic' snaps ;-)

Edited April 14, 2012 by David Siddall

[Warspite]

If prone to distraction you should, of course, studiously avoid this pic, which I just happened to find on RMW itself. And totally ignore this one... which, whilst it contains no references to tankers whatsoever, suggests a livery variation that would look rather splendid at the head of a rake... maybe a bit clean and shiny for the 'rustmeister' though ;-)

 

D

 

PS: Spent many, many happy hours in the 70s' sitting at exactly the spot from which the latter photo was taken - wish I'd not lost my 'Instamatic' snaps ;-)

 

Now that's just not fair!

 

You're quite right - the second one is just a bit too clean for me. But that B&W shot is a classic.

 

I've just got to face it. My prototype area has to include one of these beauties.

 

If only Dapol ........... perhaps if we all wrote begging letters?

 

S

[David Siddall]

Now that's just not fair!

 

You're quite right - the second one is just a bit too clean for me. But that B&W shot is a classic.

 

I've just got to face it. My prototype area has to include one of these beauties.

 

If only Dapol ........... perhaps if we all wrote begging letters?

 

Ooops, sorry 'bout that... ;-)

 

Have a feeling it might be several years even if Dapol were to say 'yes'... so have gritted my teeth and committed to squirrelling away £100 a month for the next six months for the forthcoming kit from JLTRT plus wheels, motor, Delhrin drives etc... :-/

 

I suspect the condition of this one's probably more up your street? In addition to the grime it looks like its been uses as a roost by a flock of incontinent pigeons. Or if you prefer blue (unusually with a small yellow warning panel), I'll bet you'd have hours of fun reproducing the clout this one's taken under the cab window ;-)

 

D

Edited April 14, 2012 by David Siddall

[Rugd1022]

It depended on the era. Up until the mid-50s, churn traffic was still being carried so some trains would include a mix of tankers and NPCCS for carrying the churns. The GWR built siphons for this traffic, not sure about the other big 3. I believe churn traffic was stopped in 1956 or 57 (if anyone knows the exact date I would be interested to find out). From then on, milk trains would usually consist of just tankers and BG of some sort for the Guard. From 1968 this changed again so that the Gaurd could ride in the loco and practice of running a passenger-rated brake vehicle with milk trains came to an end.

 

Milk trains could be mixed, particulraly in the country. Hemyock and Saltash are examples of services that were routinely mixed with passenger traffic at least as far as the junction. Some mixed trains ran right into London. The longest lasting example I know of was the United Dairies Creamery at Moreton-in-the-Marsh. This did not merit its own train so the milk tankers were usually attached to the rear of an up express to Paddington.

 

A great thread this!

 

I was all set to jump in with the livery for D7005 but Trevor beat me to it...! Anyhoo, mention of the 1968 change in the rules concerning Gaurds riding in the rear cab reminded me to dig out the trusty Bradford Barton WR albums (as if I needed an excuse), as post '68 the Penzance and St. Erth milk trains still had BGs attached regularly, photos of which are in the 'Cornwall's Mainline' album. H.L.Ford took most of these photos in March and April '72 and as well as BGs, they often ran with Syphon Gs right up to the end when the last Cornish milk train ran in the Summer of 1980. The only downside to these particular photos is that they were taken a few months after the last four 22s were withdrawn, hence there are none at all in the book! Mind you the Westerns and Warships certainly make up for it.

 

Now that I've dug the books out and read through this thread again, I've half a mind to try one of the Slaters kits, even though I'm (mostly) a 4mm man.... infectious isn't it?

Edited April 15, 2012 by Rugd1022

[Fat Controller]

A great thread this!

 

I was all set to jump in with the livery for D7005 but Trevor beat me to it...! Anyhoo, mention of the 1968 change in the rules concerning Gaurds riding in the rear cab reminded me to dig out the trusty Bradford Barton WR albums (as if I needed an excuse), as post '68 the Penzance and St. Erth milk trains still had BGs attached regularly, photos of which are in the 'Cornwall's Mainline' album. H.L.Ford took most of these photos in March and April '72 and as well as BGs, they often ran with Syphon Gs right up to the end when the last Cornish milk train ran in the Summer of 1980. The only downside to these particular photos is that they were taken a few months after the last four 22s were withdrawn, hence there are none at all in the book! Mind you the Westerns and Warships certainly make up for it.

 

Now that I've dug the books out and read through this thread again, I've half a mind to try one of the Slaters kits, even though I'm (mostly) a 4mm man.... infectious isn't it?

It's probable that the Siphons/BGs were being used for some other perishable commodity, rather than churns; butter, cheese, clotted cream, or even....pasties.

There's a photo in one of the mags this month, in an article about modelling Kensington Olympia, with a photo of an 09-hauled milk train at Vauxhall- the formation is a couple of tanks and an ex-LMS BGZ. What surprised me was that the photo was taken in 1975; I'd watched the Whitland milk pass my school every day from 1966 onwards, and had never seen a van in the formation after about 1968.

[d600]

Hi im building one of these 6 wheel lms tanker kits i was wondering what is the best way to build the ladders and how wide,there is no mention of this in the instructions there is a brass jig on the fret but again no mention of what this is for can anyone help.

 

cheers

Edited April 18, 2012 by d600

[3 link]

Hi im building one of these 6 wheel lms tanker kits i was wondering what is the best way to build the ladders and how wide,there is no mention of this in the instructions there is a brass jig on the fret but again no mention of what this is for can anyone help.

 

cheers

 

Hi d600,

 

The brass jig is used as a gauge to hold the two sides of the ladder apart while you solder the strings ( sorry ex-fireman talk ) treads in place, this can be a bit fiddly as there is quite a bit of play in the jig, so use a bit of Blu-tac to hold it all together rather than singe the old fingers . Let us know if you need anymore help, this is what this forums for .

 

ATB,

 

Martyn.

 

P.S. The strings, treads or what ever you like to call them are just pieces of brass wire supplied in the kit.

 

P.P.S I did do a build thread on another forum and on looking back at it I did show how to build the ladders up, I'm not sure how to do a link but try this it seems to take you to the right place http://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/3-links-work-bench.1397/page-2#post-32459

Edited April 19, 2012 by 3 link

[d600]

Hi thanxs for the info and the link it did work the other thing is where do you fit the pipework at the front there is no mention of that bit either,i think the instructions are a bit poor this is the first o gauge slaters kit ive built i must say i prefer the parkside ones lol.

 

cheers

[3 link]

Hi thanxs for the info and the link it did work the other thing is where do you fit the pipework at the front there is no mention of that bit either,i think the instructions are a bit poor this is the first o gauge slaters kit ive built i must say i prefer the parkside ones lol.

 

cheers

 

With reference to the Slaters kits, I think once you have done a couple you will find it gets easier as you will get to know their way of thinking, also the 6 wheeled tankers have a lot more detailed parts than most of their wagons and are a more complex kit to build.

When you say pipework, do you mean the vacuum pipes ? You should of had a plan of the underside to show where the pipe runs go, if you have not you can go back to the link on the build I did, and there is a photo of the completed underside including brake linkage as well.

Let us know how you get on,

 

Martyn.

 

P.S. If you need to see the photos a bit larger on that link then you will have to join up which would probably be of interest to you as there is a lot of 7mm stuff on there anyway.

Edited April 19, 2012 by 3 link