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I'll do something when I get nearer finishing, I'm trying to leave space in the thread for others, rather than dominating the OP's thread with my posts. Going back to the raw material, these are on ebay, with the bodies made to look similar to the BR 1/221 Izal Palvans. Would be worth a revisit of the idea with shortened chassis and widened body.

Paging @jonhall to the thread.

Opposite end of the spectrum! My last picture was a tad misleading, as they are the bits left over. As with a previous picture, the roof profile is pretty good for some L&Y prototypes, including the big vacuum braked bogie vans, and making one was a bit too tempting to resist. This will be one of the first 50 build c1902 with the single doors. Why? Well, I had some Ratio bogies from a job lot of bits and the big L&Y on the HMRS transfer sheet won't use themselves... Only roof and ends used this time - Sorry! You could reverse the original sides and join multiple bits together, but some of the plastics seem to drag/delaminate and not take a nice scribe. With something like this, the plank lines really do need to be as straight as possible or it will leap out. Placed together, need to order L&Y buffers, horizontal vac cylinder and axleboxes from Wizard and then think about how to do the turnbuckle underframe.

You missed all the action on page 4... Because I could is the answer and I enjoyed it!

Any updates on your bodgery? I really want to see what other people can produce from such lowly feedstock. Round 2 has begun....

Tamiya yellow cap or orange cap (extra thin) might also be more available in local hobby shops. Edit - Also has the in-built brush to avoid cross-contamination with other things, as with other Tamiya products. https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87113limonene_cement/index.htm

It looks like a Chinese type that appears under various different names (the top feed version through Expo, as mentioned above). https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-gun-Fengda-FE-134K-nozzle/dp/B01984GEOY

Roof profile is also suitable for some interesting L&Y prototypes...

The Ticknall Tramway, should anyone want to find out more. Sadly, by the time No.14 got 'home', the last 'big' bit of the B&ALR, sheds at Swad had been demolished. If it wasn't the wrong gauge now, it would be nice for it to have a day out on the surviving lines outside what was Ashby Station. Having always lived close to the former route, it's very high up on my time-travel list to walk around the corner and catch a tram out to Swadlincote or beyond...

Across a few fields perhaps? ('The Switchback' between Winshill and Newhall, the only part of the route to depart from the roads for any distance).

Not yet - they only have limited stock. https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/wizard-models-news/ 12/12/22 Closure of Eileen’s Emporium – we have good stocks of most of the Bill Bedford items we sourced from Eileen’s, but once sold out, further supplies may take a long time. Buy now if you want them!

And one of mine (I suspect this is 1507):

My Kellogg's van had the clear plastic strip inside, so it's a factory fit.

WIth rain druming on the windows and thunder and lightning in the sky, there was a terrible cry as another one arrived. With a lot of other odds and ends to be chopped up, so don't expect anything soon, the inspiration isn't there yet. For anyone intending to play along at home, some extra thoughts. One and a bit sides would give enough to create a standard pallet sized doorway (as modelled by a Bachmann VDA), with the ends trimmed down a touch. Some more though to create a Vanwide+ perhaps, or maybe go the other way and cut the chassis down to 12ft WB, akin to the air braked ODA pipe wagon conversions. On the other hand,checking against GWR Goods Wagons, the roof profile is excellent-to-reasonable for a range of GWR Iron Mink related wagons....

Related to the thread returning to detail vs cost and buying vs building, in his thread, @SteveyDee68 had posed the question of 'What can be done with the Hornby long wheelbase van?' which has plagued train sets since the 1970s and is generally seen as unredeemable junk. As a bit of a low-cost challenge, I thought I'd have a go at chopping one up and seeing what could be made out of one, ideally with nothing bought in extra. I did have to use a few kit spares (brakes/brake levers, springs/axleboxes), but then these were only necessary as I chose to cut down the original air-braked chassis rather than replacing it with something more suitable from the start. I ended up creating a plausible gunpowder van. I didn't bother with the hundreds of rivet/bolt heads! Here is the result, painted to resemble internal user wagons at ROF Glascoed, as photographed by Paul Bartlett. 100% accurate to any particular prototype? No. As good as current RTR? No. 'Layout wagon'? - I think it could sneek into a small layout without betraying where it came from quite happily. Ultimately, it cost me nothing but time and was an enjoyable diversion from the norm, making something I really don't have a use for!

GWR Mink F would be worth looking at. Slightly wishful at the moment as that was the one body I have and I'm not buying another unless I find a very cheap one.

The only bits I didn't use were the sides (but could have done - saving for next time) and what was snipped off the chassis! Can't see what more I could have saved. Chassis, buffers, all Hornby still. Only 'new material' was the sides, springs, axleboxes brakes/brake levers and then misc strip for details. Merely the best....so far.

~Fin~ I might have gone a bit far beyond 'thought experiment'... As a semi-freelance van, the paint scheme came from some of the ROF vans at Glascoed photographed by Paul Bartlett: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/rofgunpowder/h3E56D6E#hc1af5a0 How wrong I was back on Page 2. Brake levers spares from Cambrian. Halfords rattlecan black with various shades of grey washed and dry-brushed over. You can barely tell I didn't bother with the bolts at more than about a foot, which is good! This has turned out rather nicely and was a bit of relief from 'serious' prototype modelling and good practice for weathering things that are black and clean-ish. If I hadn't shown the 'in progress' pictures, would anyone believe it's a Kellogg's van?

Might suggest you have a look at the current T&Cs for ordering from Modelmaster and google some of the closed/locked threads that have appeared here before making an informed choice.

Stantions to be shaped once they dry off and a few of the rougher bits to sort and it'll be as far as I take it before painting. No way am I going to add a lot of bolt detail to the sides, end, roof..... not for this.

Total rubbish these vans, can't do anything with them, fit only for the bin..... For what started as athough experiment, this has gone on quite quickly. Side/corner strapping, brakes and roof strips next, then some primer, then some finals odds and end. Need a paint scheme too... Thoughts so far: 1. As soon as I knew I was going in a gunpowder van direction, I should have selected a prototype and not just bodged on with a freelance van. Next time... 2. Reusing the doors made life much harder 3. I should have done something with the headstocks to stop me keep knocking off the end stantions. 4. Reusing the Hornby chassis is also making more work for little gain, except for saying it can be done. Edit: @SteveyDee68 Do either of your vans have a bit of a wavey roof, dropping in the middle, or is it likely to just be damage from the PO on mine?

Posted these photos in a previous Open C thread. Was a kit I picked up part built, with the brakes cut down from ABS parts. As recieved: Bit blurry, sorry, but shows the bare basics With etched levers and a few other bits. I think I have 4 more bodies in various states. They are out there for not a lot of money.

Progress.... Chassis now cut down to 16'6" over headstocks and 9ft WB, the w-irons reshaped (except one below to try and prove it's the same one!), roof widened a touch. If I was using 'all parts of the buffalo', I'd recycle the sides, but I'm keeping those for another day.

Nice to do a bit of myth busting. The chassis I have is also made of a nice plastic that cuts and takes glue well, which bodes well for bashing.

Chassis Even on the craptastic Silver Seal square axle wheels buffer height is fine, perhaps a smidge high as checked against a Bill Bedford buffer height jig and a Hornby Shark. Certainly not several mm out as has been mentioned up thread. If anything, the shark buffer height is higher and I don't recall there being problem with it? Anyway, snippy snippy with the Xurons...