Bowaters TTA tanks

[RSLR]

Hi,

My next project will be modelling some Bowaters TTA tanks and I would like to change the chassis for something abit more presentable and the some replacements for the outdated 'chunky' ladders and walkways. Does anyone know where I can get replacement chassis and ladders/walkways?

 

Any input is greatly appreciated

Cheers, Reece

[Fat Controller]

You could probably use the ladders and walkways that S-Kits do for the petroleum TTAs. For the chassis, it would be worth seeing if you can get hold of the equivalent Bachmann chassis, which appears on a number of vehicles apart from tanks. A quick glance at Hatton's site suggests the current cheapest offer is on ZKA Limpets:-

 

OO Gauge (1:76th)

38-086A

Megapack of 8 34 tonne ZKA Limpet open ballast wagon in Departmental grey

More than 10 in stock.

These were built on redundant TTA chassis.

BARGAIN

Our Price: £42

[The Fatadder]

Chassis wise, the best way is to mount them on Bachmann TTA/Limpet/POA chassis.  Off the top of my head I cant remember if it has bottom unloading gear (which may be useful on the TTA chassis.)

I have modelled four of them (see my workbench thread on the last version of Rmweb.)

 

Off the top of my head you remove the locating lugs, glued the two body halfs together and then filled in all of the locating holes for the walkway.  Once it was all sanded to shape I sprayed blue (mine were modelled in STS livery, and I think off the top of my head I used ECC blue).

 

Once painted they were glued to the Bachmann chassis.

 

I have made a start on drawing up a custom etch for the walkways, however now that I am modelling 1947 I doubt I will get round to finishing it off.

[RSLR]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the input!

Rich I particularly enjoyed reading your posts on the old RMweb when you were first posting them! as I used to follow your threads. Although I was a little disappointed after that we never seen a update of your china clay layout since after they finished with the old RMweb.
Seemed abit of a shame in my opinion as we lost a few really good modellers who couldn't get their heads around the new site. Lost a few great china clay layouts too.

I would use the Bachmann chassis although they are the incorrect type, I was sort of thinking of upgrading the aging Hornby mouldings although I'm having problems locating any etchings/kits for brake gear or suitable detailing parts - Not like I can hurt anything just by seeing if they can be upgraded, I noticed on the old RMweb that Andrew Ullyott aka Ullypug just used the Hornby chassis modified and fitted with P4 wheel sets for use on his layout Wheal Elizabeth.
I have all the time in the world so I started removing the chunky bits from the outdated chassis just to see. But it may be worth getting the Bachmann chassis and living with the imperfections that my Bowaters TTAs will have the incorrect chassis seeing as I would be the only one who would ever notice (perhaps).
Hornby/Tri-ang did mould their chassis to the correct type but they're missing some of the odd details and is abit chunky in places (mainly in the places I'm chopping off so not so much a problem) although I feel it's worth the experiment and abit of time wasting. Maybe I'm just more of a 'retro modeller'

Here is a pic with most of the chunky bits cut out -

 

 

If I was to do the chassis this way they would require
- New wheels
- Suitable brake shoes
- Suitable brake gear components
- Buffers
- Couplings
- Pipes
- Headstocks reconstructing from plasticard

By which time I could have gotten the Bachmann chassis, but to convert them to the correct type they would too need similar treatment.

I'd be interested to hear a few opinions on the subject

Cheers, Reece

[RSLR]

Hello,

Just thought I would do a summery of TTA chassis after wasting approximately 12 hours (two evenings) on the internet searching on the same subject - In that time I've only found one post stating something along the lines of what I'm about to go on about.

The chassis I'm modelling looks like this

The 'incorrect' chassis variation available for later Tank wagons from Bachmann looks like this

Because it is a later variation of chassis (saving the techno stuff from my post) it does not include some very distinctive features of the prototype I'm looking to model.
For Example the brake gear and suspension springs (and associated brackets) are of a different type

 Side A

  Side B

The Hornby standard chassis looks like this. They are the correct type at least for Side B although however crude and are exactly the same on both sides.


I'm no wagon or BR chassis Diagram expert but as a railway modeller I make observations. as well as being relatively new to modelling tank wagons.
Now the Hornby Bowaters China Clay Slurry wagon is very far from perfect (due to age) it does not meet today's standards although if not perfect as I'm not a perfectionist of rivet counter as such, the aging wagon could be brought up to a reasonably good standard that wouldn't look out of place behind a 21st century loco.

The main details I take note of the wagon that require work are the following:

- Buffer beams
- Buffers
- Brake Pipes
- Brake Gear
- Wheels
- Ladders
- Catwalk/Walkway
- Unloading gear (pipe underneath)

Imperfections that would stay:

- Diameter of the main tank
- Slant of bottom of tank (although maybe reworked to look presentable)
- Bulk of chassis unit ie W irons, Springs, Frames.
- Springs

Under Consideration:

- Brake Shoes

Questions for you/others:

- Is a kit available for this type of chassis?
- Is any of the Brake Gear of this type available as etchings/kits?
- Is the Unloading Gear available as a kit?

I think that about sums Stage 1 of the project up.
Any advice or input is most welcome

Cheers, Reece

[Adam]

Hi Reece

 

I think you may be a bit confused; what you can see are detail differences - the brakegear is functionally identical and in the same positions - the 'V' Hangers and spring hangers varied between builders. Some opted for bolting the V hangers on the outside, some to the inside, but the arrangement of the linkages and the sel-adjusting bits seem to have been the same regardless of what sort of thank was mounted to the chassis and when it was built. Differences include the brake fittings (Vac', Air, both) and springs - many had replacements of a different type at a later date. I'm not sure when these clay tankers were built [Edit: 1966 by the Rootes Group and 1971 by IMC Hartlepool], but the Bachmann chassis is correct for oil tankers built by, for example, Pickering c. 1964-5. I reckon that most of the first generation of 4 wheeled, power-brake fitted private owner tanks (only some of which were coded TTA under TOPS) had a variant of this chassis so it's hardly surprising that there were differences. How far off is the tank diameter? It looks about right from pictures so far as I can tell.

 

To your questions:

 

1. There has (I think) been a whitemetal underframe as a replacement for the Hornby chassis from Appleby Model Engineering but which pattern of brakegear/spring hangers that supplied I've no idea.The availability of the Bachmann version more or less killed any market for reviving that. An etch providing for alternate brake hanger fittings would be a useful thing but I'm not aware of one.

 

2. Bits of the brakegear can be had brakeshoes (from ABS, for example - no website or web ordering; there are good reasons, or MJT - not quite right), and there are aftermarket suppliers of brake levers (AMBIS Engineering, Masokits, the Scalefour Society all do etchings which could be adapted for these wagons - these are a fiddle but make a difference to the appearance). MJT do make some suitable sprung OLEO buffers - only really worthwhile if you're using 3-links - (as do 51L, who do a few other bits and pieces which might be useful - available via Wizard Models). 

 

3. No - you'll have to scratchbuild from bits of rod and tube.

 

It depends on the value you put on your modelling time but I can't help but think that adapting the Bachmann chassis would get you a better result - if representative rather than 100% accurate -  in a fraction of the time. Doing all the required mods of the original chassis for a rake of these would be deeply tedious...

 

Adam

[jonhall]

I've been thinking of copying the tank bodu in resin to fit onto the Bachman chassis, but the lack of decent roofwalks was more of an issue than the not quite right chassis. As others have said, there is no 'standard' TTA chassis, all the builders had their own variations.

 

Jon