Dungrange

Any DCC command station should allow you to access the various sound functions. The issue is really how easy it is to access the higher function numbers. On some DCC systems it's one button press for functions F0 - F9 but then two button presses for F10 - F19, etc, which I'd find awkward. It's therefore very much a personal choice as to what you want: what feels good in your hand? As @WIMorrison has said, you really need to be trying a few different interfaces to see what you like: knobs, buttons, touch screen. Personally, I settled on the Sig-na-trak ACE2, partly because you can have all the functions on one screen and you can name these rather than having to remember whether you want to press F18 or F19. The model I've got has now been replaced by the ACE-3 - https://www.glrailways.co.uk/ace-3-dcc-controller-v12-release-model-1820-p.asp. However, there are others out there with similar functionality.

It seems my understanding of the genesis of these wagons is still a little flawed. Rapido's model number 930002 has end vents, which I had assumed meant it was from 1911 or later, but it seems that may not be the case. The image below appears in GNR Wagons pictorial 4 and I note the photo reference in the caption gives a date of 31 May 1905. Assuming that date is correct, that would therefore place that as a wagon suitable for your period. Looking at the extract from Tatlow posted above, it appears that reference to build dates of 1908 and 1911 must relate only to the number immediately proceeding and not the diagram as a whole. Therefore whilst we can say that 39002 - 39100 were presumably built in 1908, that doesn't necessarily apply to 10959 (the subject of Rapido's model), which may well have been built earlier, but I can't say for sure. My conclusion is therefore that either of the two lowest number releases could probably be justified.

Why do some people feel the need post what they are having for lunch on Facebook? It's attention seeking. It's just life. Apart from the fact that most people just think 'so what' - reading that post was a waste of my time. What is the value in me knowing what you've purchased? I'm all for people sharing their opinion of a model, or how it can be improved or converted to a different diagram or a source of transfers for renumbering, demonstrating their weathering skills, etc, but 'Look at me, I've just bought something' doesn't really contribute to a body of knowledge.

I think the first one 930001 no 10956 would be the only one that might be suitable for your time period (ie with roof vents but no end vents), although I can't comment on the number carried. As far as I can tell, the ones with the end vents date from 1911 (including the fruit one) or later. I've found a photograph of 39050 (which is as per 10956), which is dated 1908, but I haven't found a photograph of 10956 to confirm when it entered traffic. However, the relevant image from Tatlow posted earlier in this thread implies that the first of them might not have appeared until 1908, in which case, the answer to your question might be none of them. I guess it depends on how rigid your 1905 date is.

So it looks like those with just six roof vents and no end vents (as depicted by the first model), were far more numerous than the other versions. I can't see much difference between the unmarked version with roof and end vents and the version marked for fruit traffic and given that they don't appear to have been given a separate diagram number, I'm assuming the differences between the fruit and non fruit versions are largely internal. The fact that the number of fruit vans increases between 1922 and 1940 implies that they were converted as demand for fruit vans rose. Interesting that they are titles GN/CLC vans. I wonder if any were marked with CLC and if so, why Rapido aren't producing a CLC liveried van.

Were the insulated meat vans produced for a specific traffic route, or did these travel quite widely? Were these a post-war conversion as well, or were the fruit versions in service earlier and are there known alternative numbers for the ones marked 'Fruit'. I note the reference to 253 Fruit marked variants still being in service in 1941. Final question, I note the models all appear to be fitted vehicles. Was that the case?

Surely the 'premium' version should be P4 otherwise you're not eliminating one of the biggest compromises with 00? Even those working in P4 accept some compromises. If you don't want to go that far, then how does a manufacturer decide on what the 'premium' standard should be? I believe it's the majority of the market. A lot of the ones that don't, may hang out on RMweb, but RMweb doesn't give you a proper sample of the entire market. I'm not convinced. I guess you could always commission a manufacturer to produce a model to your two-tier specification and then see how well the 'premium' model sells. 😀

About your time period. I believe the switch from grey to green livery commenced in 1989. Basically, BP adopted a slightly revised logo in 1989 and I think a few of their wagons were painted green with the new logo for publicity purposes to tie in with the launch of the rebranding. I think these first green tank wagons with revised logo entered traffic in that year, although I've also seen references to 1990. I'm not sure at what date other wagons started to be repainted in green, but believe it was about 1990/91. However, the green livery is largely associated with the early 1990s onwards, because a green example would have been very rare in your 1989/90 time period. Within the post-1989 time period, there are broadly two different green liveries. Throughout the 1990s the wagons carried the BP shield (1989 - 2000 design), but in 2000 BP had another rebranding exercise and from that date, the BP shield started to be removed from the green wagons. I don't think I've seen any photographs of wagons taken from 2004 onwards that carry the BP shield, so I think all green wagons were de-branded over the period 2000-2003. If you do decide to include a single green one in a rake, make sure it has the BP logo on it (otherwise it is a 21st century livery).

My understanding is that the TTV / TTA fleet was originally jointly owned by BP and Shell (hence the markings of both companies), but that around 1976 ownership of the fleet was split between the two companies, so that they each took ownership of 'half' the fleet. I'm not sure that it was an even 50/50 split. After that separation date, there would have been a tendency to remove the logos of the other company, so I'd consider the dual branded version as being suitable for a 1970s era layout, but by the early 1980s it was probably all (or mainly all) BP branded wagons. I'd expect all traces of Shell branding to have gone by the late 1980s.

In more modern times they were BP, operating out of Grangemouth, so I'd assume the ones in the 1980s were also BP (but before they became green).

But these seem to be decorated samples, which implies that KR Models are happy with the tooling with regards vents, hinges, brake gear, roof profile etc, all of which would have been on the first engineering prototype. My understanding of the purpose of a decorated sample is to make decisions on the livery: pick up on things like the 6t / 8t loading weight comment above, are the colours correct etc. Issues with the moulding should presumably have been picked up before they gave the go ahead to produce a decorated sample.

I was also burgled about three decades ago now. The sum I was insured for was reasonably low (I think around £15,000), but so was my claim (CDs, jewellery that belonged to my flatmate, a phone, a credit card - basically a lot of small stuff that could be stuffed in a rucksack). I didn't have receipts for much of what was stolen. However, I do recall the insurance assessor enquiring about the lack of a TV in my flat (and I wasn't claiming it was stolen). I confirmed that there was no TV: I didn't own one. His conclusion was obviously that the value of what he saw in the flat was indeed quite low (and there was a big space in my rack of CDs), so I did get the c£2,000 I claimed for. Obviously I own a lot more 'stuff' nowadays, so I agree with the need to ensure the sum insured actually aligns with the value of the things you own.

The 7mm ones are listed on their website, but like you I couldn't see 4mm ones listed as being available separately.

Any use - https://www.powsides.co.uk/product.php/ner_hopper_wagons_white_lettering/?k=:::794657:0