Cambrian Catfish

[hoover50008]

Hi

 

Can anyone suggest suitable metal replacement buffers for the Cambrian Catfish wagon please.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

E

[Tim Dubya]

Can't help you myself but I know of a man who can,  Dave at Lanarkshire Models & Supplies  very helpful chap.

 

Cheers

[hoover50008]

Can't help you myself but I know of a man who can,  Dave at Lanarkshire Models & Supplies  very helpful chap.

 

Cheers

Thanks Tim contacted LMS very helpful and good service, buffers now ready to fit,

 

E

[brian777999]

I am going to build a few of these kits (black with yellow lettering) so I thought I would put my questions here rather than start a new topic :

 

1. How many of these wagons would normally be in one ballast train ?

 

2. What other wagons would be in a ballast train ?

 

3. Would the brake van always be a ''shark'' brake van ?

 

4. What is wrong with the plastic buffers that come with the kit ?

 

5. Parkside Dundas sell the transfers for these wagons (M8152) : does anybody know how many wagons can be done with this sheet ?

 

6. What sort of loco would be used on such a train in the BR (early crest) period...I was thinking of a Jinty ?

[chrisf]

1.  It depends on how much ballast was required for the job.

 

2.  Wagons to take away spent ballast [Grampus or similar], possibly wagons to carry old and new sleepers, possibly a lowmac or similar of an excavator is needed and possibly a crane.

 

3.  No.  If the train is going from the quarry to a PW depot or yard there is no need for the Shark's ploughs.  The ploughing might also be done by an excavator.

 

4.  Probably too puny and fragile, though I cannot speak from experience.  If you prefer sprung buffers something other than plastic is almost always a better starting point.

 

5.  If they are like the Modelmaster minipack, two or possibly three.

 

I'm pretty sure that there were wide variations across BR so this is an open invitation to those who know what they are talking about to join in the discussion!

 

Chris

[Wheatley]

1. How many of these wagons would normally be in one ballast train ?

 

Anywhere between half a dozen and a dozen would be typical.

 

2. What other wagons would be in a ballast train ?

 

As Chris's answer, it depends on the job. You don't need a lot of other wagons though, a typical weekday job would be tipping ballast for tamping or packing later. Hoppers would leave a long line of ballast in the 4 foot or along the shoulders for the tamper to follow up overnight, alternatively you could shovel piles of small fines off for measured shovel packing by men later. The further towards the 1960s you get the more mechanised it gets. Tipping ballast could be done between trains, you just need a long enough gap to do it.

 

3. Would the brake van always be a ''shark'' brake van ?

 

Only required if ballast was actually being tipped but they could be used at other times if no ex-traffic brake was available. There weren't common though, and their movements were tightly controlled.

 

4. What is wrong with the plastic buffers that come with the kit ?

 

Not bad but not hi-fi.

 

6. What sort of loco would be used on such a train in the BR (early crest) period...I was thinking of a Jinty ?

 

Some sheds had elderly locos kept for odd jobs, pre-grouping 0-6-0s for example, but a dozen Catfish and Dogfish is getting into 300 ton trailing load territory. Some used anything out of the goods link, some used anything especially at weekends. There's a Derek Cross picture published of a Royal Scot ("Bunsen" I think) sitting in the loop at Southwaite on the WCML on a Sunday ballast job.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

 

 

4. What is wrong with the plastic buffers that come with the kit ?

 

The bufferheads are dimpled, acceptable on Cliff Richard but not on a ballast wagon.

It's a bit of a faff to fill and smooth them, especially when a better/easier alternative is available, although to digress slightly, such as the sturgeon buffer, fettling the Cambrian buffer is the best option IMHO.

 

Mike.

[TheSignalEngineer]

3. Would the brake van always be a ''shark'' brake van ?

 

Only required if ballast was actually being tipped but they could be used at other times if no ex-traffic brake was available. There weren't common though, and their movements were tightly controlled.

 

.

And being a short wheelbase to fit in the plough gear they were somewhat rough riders. Not liked by guards at much above ploughing speed.

[TheSignalEngineer]

 

6. What sort of loco would be used on such a train in the BR (early crest) period...I was thinking of a Jinty ?

Walsall DCE sidings trip was worked by 2P 4-4-0s (40646 was one of them) around 1960.

[Daniel W]

Its also worth pointing out that not all Catfish carried the buffers featured on the kit, most of the later wagons built in the early sixties carried oleo buffers. 

[brian777999]

Do the Cambrian kits have holes in the buffer beams for easy fitting of new buffers ? Some wagons kits have the buffer housing moulded on.

 

Hoover : which buffers did you decide on for your wagons ?

[cheesysmith]

Fitting replacement buffers is easy, having done some myself. A flat bladed scapel is perfect for it, with a touch of superglue to secure. Also, a set of roller bearing axleboxes from slimrails (avalible as spares with a quick email) replacing the originals removed with a flat bladed scapel leaving the springs is also a simple conversion. A tip I haven't seen anybody else suggest is get some loom bands (a kids craze from,last year, going out of taste, so going cheap). These little plastic bands on the outside of the w irons /axlebox hold them with just the right tension to hold the wheels securely but loose enought to roll freely.