RTR Mineral Wagons

[PenrithBeacon]

In the opinion of RMwebbers which of the RTR mineral wagons are accurate and to what degree?

 

Regards

[brossard]

I would have to say Bachmann produce the most accurate mineral wagons.  I have been displeased and disappointed with some Hornby and Dapol examples recently.  Both manufacturers are inconsistent with their accuracy - sometimes making brilliant stuff but other times making inexcusable compromises.  Both Hornby and Dapol have done 9' WB minerals with a 10' WB underframes and bodies lengthened in proportion.  I could forgive the incorrect underframe since replacements are relatively easy to do.  A grossly inaccurate body is another matter and not something that can be reasonably corrected.  For this reason, as attractive as some liveries are, I will pass on Hornby and Dapol wagons in future.

 

Probably the best way to get accuracy and variety in mineral wagons is to go for kits.

 

Phew, I think I better go lie down now.

 

John

[Mark Forrest]

Any chance you can narrow the scope of your OP; wagons for carrying which minerals in which era?

['CHARD]

If you're looking for rake quantities in OO, then I'd have to say Bachmann, without hesitation.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

And again, I think you are pretty safe with Bachmann, whatever the period the mineral designs available are good. The brake arrangements on some of the BR 16 tonners have been 'eccentric', but this is readily corrected.

 

Hornby have a couple of reasonable 20/21T double side door coal wagons, deriving from the old Airfix range. A steel bodied GW design, and a wooden sheeted LNER type. The latter needs the topmost plank cutting away to reduce the sides to correct height and number of planks, an easy mod..

[brossard]

I agree about the 20T minerals.  I have a few Dapol models that are acceptable, despite the moulded brake gear.

 

John

[PenrithBeacon]

Any chance you can narrow the scope of your OP; wagons for carrying which minerals in which era?

Coal,12t wooden bodied in the prime interest, but hoppers if anyone has any gen. Accepting that the Dapol & Hornby are historically a bit naff are the current offerings to scale?

 

Regards

[Mark Forrest]

Coal,12t wooden bodied in the prime interest, but hoppers if anyone has any gen. Accepting that the Dapol & Hornby are historically a bit naff are the current offerings to scale?

 

Regards

Bachmann's wooden bodied are definitely the best of the RTR bunch, pretty sure most of the others have dimensional inaccuracies of one form or another.  The Dapol and Hornby offerings are (IIRC) passed down from the Airfix and Mainline ranges of old and are in most cases stretched to fit a 17'6" underframe.

 

The Hornby and Dapol 20T hoppers have a similar heritage, can be turned into something half decent with some work, but IMHO the Parkside kits are a better option.

[corneliuslundie]

A small clarification. The 1923 RCH 12T mineral wagon was 17ft 6in over headstocks but on a 9 ft wheelbase. 16ft bodies are to an earlier RCH standard. What Hornby and others did was to put a 10ft wheelbase chassis under a body which should have had a 9ft wheelbase chassis - presumably so they could use an existing moulding.

 

One option therefore if you like the body moulding but the chassis is naff is to replace the chassis. Chassis only kits are available. 

[jwealleans]

Yes, Bachmann for the RCH 1923 mineral wagon.  See how those below compare:

 

Cambrian (not even the best kit out there, but can be made to look pretty good):

 

 

Bachmann:

 

 

I use them interchangeably.  The Bachmann moulding has the top strip clips on which I think were a postwar addition so would have to be removed if you're using them on a prewar layout.

Edited October 18, 2018 by jwealleans

[wagonman]

A small clarification. The 1923 RCH 12T mineral wagon was 17ft 6in over headstocks but on a 9 ft wheelbase. 16ft bodies are to an earlier RCH standard. What Hornby and others did was to put a 10ft wheelbase chassis under a body which should have had a 9ft wheelbase chassis - presumably so they could use an existing moulding.

 

One option therefore if you like the body moulding but the chassis is naff is to replace the chassis. Chassis only kits are available. 

 

No it wasn't. The 1923 Standard 12-ton wagon was 16ft 6ins over headstocks on a 9ft wheelbase.

[corneliuslundie]

You are right, of course. Sorry. Looking at Ince Waggon Co book, 

 

1887 - 8 or 10 tons, 14 ft 11 in over headstocks

 

1906 - 8, 10 and 12 ton 15 ft over headstocks

 

1923 - 12 ton 16 ft 6 in over headstocks

 

There was also a 1903 spec for a 15 ton wagon, 9 ft 9 in wheelbase, 18 ft over headstocks, but not many were built.

 

So you can't really use a 17 ft 6 in body at all and be accurate.

 

Jonathan

[wagonman]

You are right, of course. Sorry. Looking at Ince Waggon Co book, 

 

1887 - 8 or 10 tons, 14 ft 11 in over headstocks

 

1906 - 8, 10 and 12 ton 15 ft over headstocks

 

1923 - 12 ton 16 ft 6 in over headstocks

 

There was also a 1903 spec for a 15 ton wagon, 9 ft 9 in wheelbase, 18 ft over headstocks, but not many were built.

 

So you can't really use a 17 ft 6 in body at all and be accurate.

 

Jonathan

 

Quite. The 17ft 6in underframe, later with 10ft wheelbase, was adopted by most companies for merchandise wagons, and by Hornby and Dapol for everything, alas.

 

Which brings us back to the advice to use only the Bachmann models – or kit build...

[PenrithBeacon]

Thanks to all who have replied and the advice will be taken. I can't help but wonder though why 'Wessex Wagons' use the Dapol wagon instead of the Bachmann for their PO wagons.

 

Regards

[Fat Controller]

Thanks to all who have replied and the advice will be taken. I can't help but wonder though why 'Wessex Wagons' use the Dapol wagon instead of the Bachmann for their PO wagons.

 

Regards

Probably because Dapol will do smaller batches (Bachmann have something like a 500 item minimum for a special run), and also do them in the UK, so the turnround is shorter.

[petethemole]

There were 17ft 6in OH minerals with 9ft WB, but quite rare. I have references for a steel underframe wagon of pre-1923 origin and a wood u/f coke wagon. The former can be done with a Cambrian kit u/f (or Parkside?) and RTR body.

 

Pete

[The Johnster]

To update, you can now add Oxford Rail minerals to the list of accurate, 9 foot, wheelbase mineral wagons.  Nothing wrong IMHO with Hornby's 21ton steel hopper and LNER double door 20ton wooden mineral.

 

Might be worth mentioning, for those trying to work to prototypical loadings, that the 16 ton rating is for a medium loaded wagon, something that almost never actually ran as mineral wagons were always fully, 'heavy' loaded.  In the case of the BR standard steel '16 tonner', the fully loaded weight is 21 tons.