TonyA

If they were available for sale and could be converted back to original condition, I would be interested. I believe bufferbeams with jacks may be available from Gramodels as they already do a Warflat kit. Tony

To expand on what Paul says, two lots each of 20 brake vans were built for the MoS in 1941/2. They were a modified version of the SR 25T van, the most noticeable difference being the two vacuum cylinders mounted on the end platform. 24 vans remained in the UK and 16 were sent to the Middle East and Persia. One van was seen at Quishon, Israel, in 1988 and may be preserved. Of the UK vans, many were modified in some manner by the army over the years and at least 10 went to preserved lines. Two were sold to BR (LMR) in 1949 and were numbered M360327 and M360328. One still exists at Longmoor Camp with a couple of other army wagons as part of FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas) training ground. However, neither the wagons nor the track they stand on have any connection with the original Longmoor Military Railway. It is probably a vain hope but it would be nice if someone could produce a conversion kit to produce an MoS van from the Bachmann model. Finally, here is an example I photographed at Longmoor in August 1964. Tony

If you are modelling a block train of Churchills, make sure you remove the air inlet louvres and other fittings specified to be within the loading gauge. See here for instructions. http://www.movcon.org.uk/History/Documents/DID/D-MCHS%200140.htm#Special Instructions Tony

It is difficult to be certain from the amount of the Parkside kit that is visible in the photos but there appear to be significant differences in the models. Firstly, the frames are much deeper on the Gramodels version and both the buffer shanks and jack mountings are bigger. Secondly, the fishbelly part of the frame on the Parkside model appears to start much nearer the centre. Without measuring the models and comparing them against published drawings such as those in Railway Modeller March 1996, it is difficult to be certain. It is possible that these differences are due to the Parkside model being the WW1 version and the Gramodels being the WW2 version. However, I am not convinced that this is the whole story and I would not like to say which one is more accurate. The correct height from rail top to deck top is 4ft 1¾ ins, or approximately 16.5mm in 00. Finally, do not worry about the damaged buffer. Many Warflats had the tops of the buffers removed after damage from vehicles running over them. Tony

Thanks for the encouragement. I have found my photos from Beverley and confirm that the RNAD wagons were from there. Tony

Paul, There is a photo by you of a similar van, WD47444, at Ludgershall in Vol. 16, No. 1 of the HMRS Journal. The caption refers to “the LNWR designed vans built for the WD in 1917-18â€. It also refers to further information in Vol. 14 No. 5 and Vol. 7 No. 5. However, I have not seen either of these issues so cannot comment further. Tony

I am nervous about offering this information as a first post in the forum but here goes. I saw WD47877 when it was an exhibit at the Beverley Museum of Army Transport from where I took the following notes. “This van has always worked for the Army. Vans give protection from the weather and pilferage. Note the lower door which acts as a loading ramp. This box or closed van was used for the movement of small stores. Loading and unloading was facilitated by the use of the hinged bottom flap, which when lowered on to the platform, formed a bridge for the passage of sack barrows then used in freight handling. The wagon was constructed for the War Department in 1918 by Cravens Railway Carriage & Wagon Company Ltd of Sheffield. The wheels were made by Miller & Company of Edinburgh in 1917. This particular wagon arrived at the museum in February 1986 from the army depot at Bicester having been transferred from a depot at Didcot in 1956. Beyond this date the history is difficult to establish due to the renumbering of equipments that occurred in the mid 1950s.†Although I cannot confirm it from photos, I believe that the two RNAD vans are from the same museum. If so, they were described as follows. “...two very unusual small closed vans built in Rotherham in 1913 and used in Royal Naval Armaments Depot, Gosport, for the internal movement of small consignments of explosives within the Dockyard. They feature sliding, opening roof sections to allow loading by crane.†Tony