Westerham, + Weald. Tarmac surface for the platform

[Twright]

An amazing change, in such a short time as well, well done.

[Alister_G]

Agree with Tom, the transformation in such a short time is amazing, and your attention to detail is brilliant.

[Jaz]

I have yet to hear of anyone being done for stealing coffee stirrers....but after reading this...I think it is only a matter of time.

However, after seeing Westerhamstations' efforts....I think I will be having a go....no not at nicking stirrers at using them......Kal has acquired some....after this recent discussion I shan't be asking their origins.....

[southern42]

I have yet to hear of anyone being done for stealing coffee stirrers....but after reading this...I think it is only a matter of time.

However, after seeing Westerhamstations' efforts....I think I will be having a go....no not at nicking stirrers at using them......Kal has acquired some....after this recent discussion I shan't be asking their origins.....

 

Pre-used stirrers on Tender's work bench from all those refreshment places at/en-route to model railway shops and exhibitions,  preserved railways and regular train journeys.  No need to steal, folks..... :nono: :nono:

 

[Adams442T]

The road surface in the coal yard, particularly pictures 4 & 7, et seq, above is just superb.  So often layouts are let down by unrealistic surfaces with 'straight out of the box' over glossy vehicles plonked down.  This restrained simple scenery is a great credit to you.

[westerhamstation]

Brasted Station goods yard never had a goods shed, it only had three sheds, one of these was an old L.B.S.C.R van body left on it's W irons with some wooden steps leading up to the sliding door. this was in the yard from the 1930's until 1965.

   To make the van body, I have used one of the last surviving bits from my old Triang train set, an old GWR van which had ended it's days at the bottom of a box of bits. It was badly warped and the roof had gone missing, using it for size I cut some card for the walls, and cut the buffers and coupling hooks off of the chassis. Next the ends of the body were cut off and saved, the planks on the ends ran horizontally, these need to be changed so that they are vertical,  plasticard  was used to create the vertical planking. Some picture of progress so far, and a picture of the old L.B.S.C.R. van body. It's ironic that the chassis, and bits of body that I am using are older than what I am modelling.

[mclong]

I am not entirely sure this was a L.B.S.C.R van . Vertical planking on the end is not a brighton feature and the vertical strapping on the sides should be mid way between the door  and the end. This could be an ex SER van from a batch built by an outside builder .

[westerhamstation]

Hi, and thanks for your posting, the information about the van at Brasted came from two sources, one was from the Kent Rail website http://www.kentrail.org.uk/brasted.htm

and the other was from the David Gould book (The Westerham Valley Railway) page 27. I have tried to find another image of that type of van but with no succes, it will be interesting if anyone else can shed some more light on this, thank you for your interest all the best adrian

[Jaz]

Looks interesting...shall be interested to see how this develops.

[ronstrutt]

I am not entirely sure this was a L.B.S.C.R van . Vertical planking on the end is not a brighton feature and the vertical strapping on the sides should be mid way between the door  and the end. This could be an ex SER van from a batch built by an outside builder .

 

It would, I think, be odd for any van to be built with vertical end planking. The strapping would always need to be at right angles to the planking to provide structural strength. I suspect that Adrian has, perhaps unwittingly, recreated in miniature what happened to the original van, in that replacement vertical end planking was added on top of the original after withdrawal when the original began to perish. If you look closely at the photograph the vertical planking seems to stand proud and overlap the headstock. It would, of course, have been far easier to apply the replacement planking vertically than horizontally. The side, too, will have been significantly altered - presumably the original van had outward-opening doors which were replaced by a sliding door. Unless there is a photograph of the other side of the van, we will never know.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Ron, thanks for that, those reasons that you have given make a lot of sense, and would explain why I can't find a picture of one, and also why it has vertical planking on the ends as it would have been easy just to overcover the old planks that way giving it some strength. The nearest picture that I could find was of one being refurbished on the Bluebell Line

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/wagons/lbsc_box2.html

                   all the best Adrian

[mclong]

It would, I think, be odd for any van to be built with vertical end planking. The strapping would always need to be at right angles to the planking to provide structural strength. I suspect that Adrian has, perhaps unwittingly, recreated in miniature what happened to the original van, in that replacement vertical end planking was added on top of the original after withdrawal when the original began to perish. If you look closely at the photograph the vertical planking seems to stand proud and overlap the headstock. It would, of course, have been far easier to apply the replacement planking vertically than horizontally. The side, too, will have been significantly altered - presumably the original van had outward-opening doors which were replaced by a sliding door. Unless there is a photograph of the other side of the van, we will never know.

Vertical planks on the ends is not unusual in fact it was standard on the GREAT CENTRAL, the LMS and LNER had several designs. The planks would overhang the headstock and would be screwed to it. Why would anybody go to the bother of repositioning the strapping .Also the planks on the end fit perfectly, it would be difficult  to get planks of the exact width. Apart from the door this van was built like this. Does anyone know when it when it appeared in the yard ,if it was pre 1923 it could only be of SECR origin. post 1947 it could come from any railway in the country.

[ronstrutt]

Vertical planks on the ends is not unusual in fact it was standard on the GREAT CENTRAL, the LMS and LNER had several designs. The planks would overhang the headstock and would be screwed to it. Why would anybody go to the bother of repositioning the strapping .Also the planks on the end fit perfectly, it would be difficult  to get planks of the exact width. Apart from the door this van was built like this. Does anyone know when it when it appeared in the yard ,if it was pre 1923 it could only be of SECR origin. post 1947 it could come from any railway in the country.

Gould says the 1930s. His edition 1 includes a picture dated 5 May 1934 and the end planking looks fairly new then.

 

It seems unlikely that the Southern would have acquired a GC, LMS or LNER van body when, presumably it had plenty of old ones of its own, so we can probably rule them out.

 

Having flicked through four volumes of Southern Wagons, albeit quite quickly, and not having seen any with vertical planking that the SR acquired from its predecessors, I think I will prefer my original theory until someone comes up with a photo of a Southern v-p van. A van withdrawn in the 1930s would have been in pretty rough shape. Being left out in all weathers in Brasted Yard with little maintenance would have left it pretty well rotting away.

 

A close look at the picture in Gould edition 1 shows that the vertical planking overlaps the right-hand corner strapping, a feature which I have never encountered elsewhere. The strapping always goes on top of the planking.

Edited March 29, 2014 by ronstrutt

[mclong]

Gould says the 1930s. His edition 1 includes a picture dated 5 May 1934 and the end planking looks fairly new then.

 

It seems unlikely that the Southern would have acquired a GC, LMS or LNER van body when, presumably it had plenty of old ones of its own, so we can probably rule them out.

 

Having flicked through four volumes of Southern Wagons, albeit quite quickly, and not having seen any with vertical planking that the SR acquired from its predecessors, I think I will prefer my original theory until someone comes up with a photo of a Southern v-p van. A van withdrawn in the 1930s would have been in pretty rough shape. Being left out in all weathers in Brasted Yard with little maintenance would have left it pretty well rotting away.

 

A close look at the picture in Gould edition 1 shows that the vertical planking overlaps the right-hand corner strapping, a feature which I have never encountered elsewhere. The strapping always goes on top of the planking.

In Mike King's Southern wagons pictorial page 138/9 shows the other side of the van complete with sliding door .It states that it is one four supplied to the SER by Metropolitan RCW Co in 1878. Grounded in 1919.

[westerhamstation]

In Mike King's Southern wagons pictorial page 138/9 shows the other side of the van complete with sliding door .It states that it is one four supplied to the SER by Metropolitan RCW Co in 1878. Grounded in 1919.

Hi, thanks for that information, does the picture show any background detatil of the goods yard, and what condition the wagon was in. all the best adrian. 

[mclong]

Hi, thanks for that information, does the picture show any background detatil of the goods yard, and what condition the wagon was in. all the best adrian. 

The picture is close up and shows the van is supported on piles of bricks 3 piles per side . The van looks to be in good condition, possibly freshly painted . Photo taken in 1950, also shows hoop top fencing in the foreground. One correction to my last post, van  was grounded in 1913 not 1919. There is also a distant photo of one of these vans involved in an accident at Sevenoaks 1884.

[N15class]

I am not entirely sure this was a L.B.S.C.R van . Vertical planking on the end is not a brighton feature and the vertical strapping on the sides should be mid way between the door  and the end. This could be an ex SER van from a batch built by an outside builder .

To me the end planking is not original, but boards over the original end. if you look they come over the buffer plank. not how it should be. I expect the end was rotten and they did not think it worth doing the job properly.

[Andrew P]

The coal has been delivered and unloaded into the coal drops, target signs for the lamposts on the platform have been fitted (printed on the computer,  stuck to thin card, and cut out with a scalpel). A new coal merchants sign without the apostrophe has been fixed back in place, and two pictures of what it was all like back in November, just so you can see what's happened since then. Next item to make is the grounded van body in the goods yard. 

Love those superb pics of the Coal yard, really rural, brilliant.

 

Bodge

[westerhamstation]

Many thanks to mclong and ronstrutt for all that information about the grounded van body, It never fails to surprise me the depth of knowledge available on rmweb and for information so freeley given. Anyway some more work on the van has taken place, it has been clad with plasticard and the chassis  Some thin card has been painted for the roof, the plasticard has been sanded with a nail board, which just gives it a very slight texture.

[westerhamstation]

Brasted grounded wagon wasn't actually on the ground as it rested on six brick pillars, and still had it's W irons in place, so the next job is some wooden steps up to the door, and some pillars for the wagon to rest on, you can guess what the wooden steps and landing are made from!

The brick pillars are wooden formers covered in brick paper.

[Jaz]

Looks interesting..........

[jcredfer]

What's that saying?     .....................    how does it go now?  ..............   Oh come on, - you know   ..............

 

 

....................   Oh yes, of course   .................................................   Progress is often made in little steps   .......  

 

 

 

Yes - I know  ....   one of the worst yet   .......   who says things can only improve with practice  ...   PPP = PPP, rides again ....  

[westerhamstation]

It's old, it's neglected, it's past it's best. No not me, the grounded wagon at Brasted Station. Here it is in all it's faded glory, ready for the last journey to Brasted Goods Yard to quietly rot in peace.

[Alister_G]

Excellent, you've really captured the colour and feel of the old beastie.

[Jaz]

I think that your modelling skills are exceptional.....

Love the colour and the hint of rust....

 

.......................................................................................................fancy making a nice dog????