RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted February 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Hello all, Yesterday I received from Parkside Dundas the first test mouldings for the N Gauge Society's next kit, the KSA wagon. Two versions are being produced: Kit 54a builds the wagons in their original form as Rover "Cube" vans, while kit 54b depicts them as rebuilt recently with the covers replaced by stakes for timber traffic. The original Cube wagons operated between Rover plants with RfD then EWS haulage, they were subsequently taken into use for Anglo-Scottish traffic and operated by DRS for Malcolm's. They have been seen as far apart as Exeter and Mossend, and some are now in use on the Continent in France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland carrying mineral water, among other things. The rebuilt stake wagons are in use with Colas and because of their visual appeal are often photographed in the railway press. Colas operate timber services to Chirk from Teigngrace, Baglan Bay, Ribblehead and Crianlarich. The test mouldings were supplied in black plastic, which presumably is what Parkside had in their machine at the time, however the production kits will be in grey (I am investigating whether the stake wagon might be supplied in red, with the stakes moulded white.) The kit will comprise plastic moulded ends, floors and sides with a cast resin hood (54a) or plastic moulded stakes (54b). Both will be supplied with one-piece injection moulded bogies and NEM couplers fitted to the bogies. Handrails, locking bars, lashing loops and handbrake wheels will be etched, as will the "bars" across the cutouts in the ends of the timber wagon. 54a will include a cast resin hood, and both models will include full decal sheets to produce either the original Rover cube or Malcolm's repaint, or the NACCO timber carrier. Having built up both types I sprayed them with grey primer just to show the features better. As the hood for the cube wagon has not yet been mastered I fabricated a simple card placeholder to give a rough idea of the wagon's finished appearance. Kit 54a QRover Cube wagon first build: Kit 54b KSA timber carrier first build: The mouldings are very good for a first shot, with just a couple of small tweaks required to ensure best fit when building. The issues identified so far are that the bogie ride height should be very slightly reduced and the mounting holes for the stanchion parts on the timber carrier need to be opened out slightly. Parkside appear to have got the dimensions and proportions almost exactly right compared to the drawings - the model scales out as follows: Length over headstocks: Prototype: 21700, 1:148: 146.6, Model: 146.8 Width: Prototype: 2614, 1:148: 17.7, Model: 17.8 Height: Prototype: 3955, 1:148: 26.7, Model: 27* *This will be corrected when the bogie ride height is adjusted slightly. Most of the decal work is done, and now Bernard Taylor of TPM is mastering the hood section for us. It is intended that this kit will be ready for lauch at the NGS AGM in May. cheers Ben A. Edited February 28, 2013 by Ben A 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted February 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi Ben , Good and quick work ! Will the stanchions be available separately - hope so anyway. (Got cold shoulder when asking about Osprey castings from chairman). . Nodoubt Bernard`s work will be top notch and a fine set of etchings for metalworks. Hopefully 10 will look good on Templedean with pair RFD 47s ( one dead in train to be correct !! ) - two were diagrammed to prevent line block and failure to deliver on time to Longbridge such was importance of contract to railway in the 90`s. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted February 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hello Robert, I see no reason why the stanchion castings should not be available separately - what did you have in mind for them? Dapol ferryvan conversion to have a go at the "other" timber carriers? Annoyingly I think the Dapol ones are the wrong type! cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westie7 Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hello Robert, I see no reason why the stanchion castings should not be available separately - what did you have in mind for them? Dapol ferryvan conversion to have a go at the "other" timber carriers? Annoyingly I think the Dapol ones are the wrong type! cheers Ben A. This looks great, Cant wait. And yes I think the Dapol Vans are wrong type for conversion, bummer Rgds Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu from EGDL Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 (edited) Hi Ben, Looking good so far.....I place complete trust in yours and Bernard's ability to make the final tweaks to ensure as accurate a model as possible.....looking forward to building both versions in good quantities. Regards, Stu in OAKN. Edited February 28, 2013 by Stu from EGDL Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM Dave Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi Ben, Looking good. However please get Parkside to look at cooling times on the tool as I notice the sides are bowed, and its a simple cure to put right while moulding but almost impossible once made. HTH Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted February 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hi Ben , I have already "butchered" some ROCO wagons into timber wagons by using OTA stanchion sides- left with 4 RRA runners! But would enable making a better match for a short COLAS train. Dave right about Parkside Dundas and bowed sides - I have had several kits in various gauges that are like that now I know why. I have found the type and softness of plastic varies. But that is part of the fun of modelling. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted February 28, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 28, 2013 Hello Dave, Thanks - I should have mentioned the slight bow to the sides. I suspect that test shots are "squirted" after another project using any warmed plastic still in the barrel of the moulding machine because in the past I have noticed slight colour streaking or distortion on other projects. The good news is that Parkside seem to optimise pressure/temperature/speed for the production run as their mouldings are straight in my experience. However just to be on the safe side I will be sure to draw their attention to the issue. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkie Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 These look great, cant wait for more updates.. How many of these would you see coupled in a rake for Rover group? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted March 1, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hello Porkie, When in Rover use, I don't know if there was a fixed rake length. They were used for carrying car parts, which were not heavy but bulky, so the wagons were *relatively" light meaning that pairs of RfD 47s could haul quite a few - this photo shows a rake of 18. http://www.flickr.com/photos/yorkshires-finest/5603365548/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Here are at least 14: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yorkshires-finest/5589613208/sizes/l/in/pool-1055235@N22/ And 19 in this consist: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yorkshires-finest/6709590663/in/pool-rfd%7Cyorkshires-finest However, because these wagons are very long (nearly as long as a Mk3 coach) it won't take many to fill up an average layout! cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelW Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi Ben, They do look good, and a decent rake of them will look impressive. Only problem though, how much will I need to save up? Do you know roughly what the kits will cost? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted March 1, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hello Michael, The price isn't fixed yet, but the timber wagon will be cheaper than the cube as that has an additional resin component. The autoballasters are £19.75, so I imagine these new models will be in that region. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkie Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Thanks Ben, I was thinking of using 10. As my layout is only 8ft long. Did they always run double headed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted March 1, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hello Porkie, Most photos in RfD days suggest they were, and Robert's post above (#2) suggests the second loco was provided to guarantee the train kept to time because of the importance of the Rover contract. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portpatrick Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Yes I was taken by the timber carrier when the notice appeared in the Society journal. Oh dear more money to spend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 1, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 1, 2013 (edited) Hello all, Test etches for both Kit 54a and 54b have arrived. I posted this photo in a different thread but thought it appropriate to put it here too! The smaller frame is for the Rover version - the etched parts comprise just the end locking bars, hools and handrails, hand brakewheels and small lashing loops/hoops etc. The larger frames show the timer carrier etches, which have more parts. As well as the above there are two different ends to allow all three variants to be depicted, along with tensioning ratchets (20 per side!) and strenthening fillets for the stanchions. Unfortunately, they couldn't be moulded because of limitations of the tooling. The lower edge of the etch frame is a jig to assist drilling the holes for the tensioning ratchets; fitting these is going to be a bit of a bore but I am afraid there wasn't really any other way to do them; as they are quite distinctive! There are two frames because I am testing the size of a couple of the components and the production run will use the best-fit versions. The more altert may have spotted the bonus items on this etch too! Instructions too have been completed, however we are still awaiting the master for the van body for the Rover version, which is being produced for the NGS by Bernard Taylor. cheers Ben A. Edited September 1, 2013 by Ben A Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium acg5324 Posted September 2, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 2, 2013 The more altert may have spotted the bonus items on this etch too! Gradient posts....nice are they going to be sold separately Ben? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 2, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2013 Hi Andy The etch at the very top is a set of separate posts. I will suggest that it is sold as a separate item by the shop. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calnefoxile Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Looking good Ben. Are you bringing them to TINGS for us all to gawp at?? Regards Neal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 3, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 3, 2013 Hi Neal I'll do my best to get a set put on some mouldings for the display stand. My difficulty is that I am working everyday this week, away from home for some of it, so may not have time! cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calnefoxile Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Hi Neal I'll do my best to get a set put on some mouldings for the display stand. My difficulty is that I am working everyday this week, away from home for some of it, so may not have time! cheers Ben A. What, burning more schools down in Manchester See you at TINGS.... Regards Neal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 14, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 14, 2013 Hello all, I have had a chance to test the etches for the timber carrier. A few small modifications have been made ready for production. The end locking bars, hook and handrail etches in position. I decided to fit these before removing the parts from the sprue to make for easier painting. The open slat etch fits on the rear face. The etch has raised sections to "self locate" in the holes in the moulding. The body parts are moulded in self-coloured red. The top of the deck needs to be painted grey, so it was masked off and sprayed with Halford's grey primer: The ends need to be painted black, so after priming with grey they were sprayed with Halford's matt black: The raised sections at each end were added during conversion to timber carriers - I believe they cover sections of the deck mechanism that it was not viable to remove. They're black, so the deck section was remasked and sprayed: Finally, the masking tape was removed and the model is ready for assembly. Next the ends need to be glued to the deck, and then the stanchions added and the small detail parts. Once this is done I can finish the instructions, sign off on the etches and we can get ready to release the kit. Some might prefer to paint the sides of the model red, but the model was designed to allow anyone to achieve a decent finish and I think that once varnished, adorned with decals, revarnished and weathered the "plasticky" look will disappear. cheers Ben A. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 15, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 15, 2013 Hello all, Just an update on the test build... The main shape of the wagon is complete, and the kit has been designed to be painted as you go, so it takes shape quite quickly. The timber conversions have a row of twenty ratchets along each side. While designing the kit, I toyed with the idea of having these moulded, but they aren't present on the original van versions and, for cost reasons, we could not afford separate side tools. To avoid people having to remove them - and taking chunks out of the wagon - the best solution seemed to be to fit them separately, so they are included as etches. They are very small and fiddly and I can understand some people will just leave them off. First, 0.4mm holes are drilled in the side using a template on the side of the etch. This is best done before the wagon is built. Here are the ratchets ready to be fitted - with a draft of the instructions. I used a pencil with a blob of blue tac to pick them up... Then a tiny drop of superglue.. And in they go. To fit the ratchets for both sides of the wagon took about 90 minutes. This cruelly enlarged photo shows that some aren't quite level but from normal viewing distances they look good. Fitting them is a bit tedious but I couldn't think of another solution! The final job will be to fit the other fine details -lashing loops, buffers etc and the stachions which are are self coloured in white. I haven't fitted them yet because the deck has decals which need to be added first. We haven't had the decals yet so there will be a break now before I can complete the build. Once done, and all checked, the kit will be ready for launch. cheers Ben A. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Looking forward to getting a rake of these, though I'll be after the covered ones I think. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted September 15, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 15, 2013 Hi David, The covered ones are a little further away as we are waiting for the hood section to be mastered for us by Bernard Taylor. I know he's made a start but I think his house move has slowed progress a little. Once I have something tangible to show I'll post it here. Cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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