Jump to content
 

Recommended Posts

Slightly off topic, but the low open GWR wagon in the foreground of the Huntley & Palmer photo has unusual axleguards, at least for the GWR, in that the springs are inside the guard, and very little of the axlebox protrudes in front. I cannot find one like it in GWR Goods Wagons.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Slightly off topic, but the low open GWR wagon in the foreground of the Huntley & Palmer photo has unusual axleguards, at least for the GWR, in that the springs are inside the guard, and very little of the axlebox protrudes in front. I cannot find one like it in GWR Goods Wagons.

 

Axleguards bolted to the inside of iron or outside of wooden solebars with the springs mounted between them and the wheels are a common feature of many 19th century wagons on the GWR and elsewhere. If you look at Richard's photo of the tilt wagon in post #10, you will see a similar arrangement. You're unlikely to find anything like this in Atkins et al. as they only cover wagons that were incorporated in the diagram book which was first compiled in 1905.

 

Are you sure it is a GWR wagon?  I can't see anything that would make for firm identification.

 

Does the wagon number (29382) indicate in any way whether this is BG or NG?

 

It would if we had the information. I had a check through the BGS data sheet index and found that I don't have any of the ones on tilt waggons, although the sheets that have been produced appear to cover earlier types from the 1840s. I then found an article by Alan Garner on modelling tilt waggons in BGS Broadsheet no 61 in which he says the BG numbers are unknown, but suggests, as a guess, that 1800-2499 might be appropriate. Whether there is any information on narrow gauge numbering, I don't know.

 

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have found this; translated from Dutch, quite a bit of information about the history although no mention of narrow gauge versions.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&ie=UTF-8&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blokpost-nul.nl%2FProject_BG_Tilt_CDJ%2FProject_BG_Tilt_cdj.htm

 

Thanks for finding that, Gareth. Cor De Jong has made many superb BG models and I had lost my bookmark to his old site. His old site had many pages in English as well as Dutch, his English being far better than Google's translation. The information on that page is mostly from the kit instructions, although the NRM drawing is only referenced by number.

 

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've also put this together this afternoon. Width is 7'6", same as the O5 wagon I had on the workbench.

 

Any thoughts?

 

You've been busy!  I'm still thinking about it. 

 

From my examination of the photo (post#10), I think the hoops should go inside the wagon sides. The ends also seem to be inset by the depth of the vertical stanchions.  I've made some preliminary sketches and have also assumed a width of 7' 6".  Because the prototype seems to be of metal construction, I'm planning to do the same for my model.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, Mike, the bonnet wrapper does go inside the sides. This is clear from both Richard's photo and the NRM drawing on Cor De Jong's page. The angle pieces at the top of the sides continues to the ends of the wagon. If you look carefully at the model photos on De Jong's page, you may be able to see the cunning way this is done in the kit. The outer layer of the sides and the bonnets (above the sides) are a single etched piece with all the outside rivet door detail. An overlay with the inside detail is slightly smaller than the outer sides and so provides a registration step for both the ends and the floor. It also ensures that the ends of the sides donot look too thick when viewed from the ends. The whole piece is then wrapped around and soldered to the ends. Unfortunately, this does mean there is an incorrect step at the top of the sides behind the bonnets but, being in shadow under the bonnet, it is only really visible when you know it is there.

 

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

I then found an article by Alan Garner on modelling tilt waggons in BGS Broadsheet no 61 in which he says the BG numbers are unknown, but suggests, as a guess, that 1800-2499 might be appropriate. Whether there is any information on narrow gauge numbering, I don't know.

I notice his guess is for 4-digit numbers, whereas the wagon in #10  has a 5-digit number.   Anyone know if this is indicative of it being NG?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Very nice! You dont fancy making another two, by chance?

D

I'm going to do this one, make sure people agree the general features are right, then make three more.

 

Incidentally, when BG wagons were converted to NG, did they keep their wheel diameter? These were built with 3'6" wheels, are those what I need or would they have been changed to 3' wheels in rebuilding?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I made a sketch from the photo in #10 and scaled it to an assumed 9' 9" wheelbase (39mm in 4mm/ft scale).   When compared with the BGS model, the height of the bonnets is lower.  This suggests a smaller narrower vehicle.

 

post-19820-0-90068400-1404304212.jpg

 

Mike

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think you are right about the lower height of the bonnet, Mike. On my BG IKB/BGS kit the height from bottom of buffer beam to top of bonnet is 34.5mm. Not only is your 31mm more in line with Richard's photo, it also looks more balanced and aesthetically correct, not that that is any guide to what they did in the 1890s.

 

btw, another thought on the numbers question. I don't recall seeing any BG wagon from the 1850s, when they were built, with more than a four digit number, so the five digit number might be an indication of a converted wagon. Of course, they might equally have been renumbered in the BG era. I wonder if there is any information surviving about the conversion lots, unlike earlier c19 wagon registers?

 

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've also measured the Alan Prior (4mm/ft scale) drawing of a BG wagon.  The height from bottom of buffer beam to top of round end is also 34.5mm.  The width of the body is about 34mm (8' 6").  As with the other examples, the end appears to be roughly circular.

 

Mike

Link to post
Share on other sites

I am aware of three 4mm scale kits for BG Tilts.

 

Mike Sharman did a white metal one in 1970s.

BGS had a white metal kit in the 80s

BGS bought the etched IKB kit referred to above and it is currently available via BGS website in 4 and 7mm.

 

Neither of the white metal versions are currently on sale but all produce quite different models.

 

Tilts evolved!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not sure about the Sharman one but, IIRC, the BGS white metal kit was of the earlier 1840 version, itself a development of the 1838 version. I've only seen models built from either of the white metal kits in the corners of small photos.

 

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

Alan Prior's drawing is of the early wagon, it doesn't have the band around the end that is so distinctive.

 

I kept the height of the BG wagon when I made my NG one, therefore it is a bit oblong. Looks a little odd and should probably be round. If I use 9" solebars then the total height is 36mm. I think it would be more visually pleasing with a round end. I suppose it all depends on how they were converted. If they just cut a bit out the middle then it would be more like a gothic arch, if the end is round then they must have rebuilt the whole thing. That must have added to the cost quite considerably.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's worth looking at the Swindon dump photos (in several books including Atkins et al., and small copies here and here on the Steam photo gallery). These and other photos show a range of bonnet widths from none to perhaps three feet or so. I doubt if bonnet width alone is a key to dating their original build.

 

As to how the ends were altered, remember that the stantions are not just decoration or strengthening, they probably cover butt joints in the iron sheeting. The BG version has four sheets making up its ends to about 9'9" wide. Three of these sheets would give a width of 7'33/4". A bit narrow, perhaps, but close enough to an expected inside dimension for a NG wagon.

 

Nick

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

If we are right in thinking that Richard's photo is NG then, comparing with other know dimensions, the wheels appear to be about 41".

 

Nick

My own measurement seems pretty close to 3' 6" for the wheels. (14mm in 4mm/ft)

 

post-19820-0-82228400-1404317791.jpg

Mike

 

EDIT sorry, Nick, I'd misread your measurement as 4' 1", not 41" :)

Edited by MikeOxon
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...