Signaller69

Work has started on "Big Arch Shed" J94 "Ebbw". Old Dapol "Warrington" bought cheaply for the project has been dismantled for paint stripping. The paint on these models has always been susceptible to damage through grease and oil and had already peeled in places; this is the result after the first course of "Modelstrip" application. Photo also explains the join in the lower saddle tank sides due to the fairly substantial mechanism. Some nice detail on this 80s loco, the wheels being the worst aspect of the model in my view, but for the price I can live with it, I didn't fancy doing the complex paint finish of the real loco on a brand new DJ Models loco to be honest! Shopping with RT Models for chimney, buffers etc next.

Another budget project. Reworked Dapol Steel Open (Sand) wagon converted to Dia. 1/049 "Hybar". The Dapol wagon mates the old Hornby Dublo Steel Open wagon body with their standard basic unfitted chassis. I picked the dia 1/049 as it uses standard Vacuum fitted Morton brake gear, (link here: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/bropencoilkyv/h12a452b6 ) meaning the original chassis could be retained, with modifications, which do lift it over the original a little. Most of these LNER designed Steel Open wagons use the 8 shoe LNER Brakegear, hence choosing this particular diagram to model. Chassis work involved fitting an ABS vac cylinder and actuating rod, axle guard tie bars and door springs. Body work required scratchbuilding the tarpaulin bar (piano wire and plasticard) and associated fittings on the wagon ends (from Evergreen plastic section & tube), plus the fitting of lower body strengthening gussets (Evergreen half round rod) and scoring the exposed floor plank ends below them (these features of the real wagons, together with the crude plates welded to the bottom of the body to secure it to the chassis, gave them a particularly untidy appearance!). My ancient trusty Woodhead Transfers sheet provided lettering etc, copied from my chosen photo on P.44 in "British Railway Goods Wagons in Colour" (Hendry/Midland Publishing), with weathering/rusting applied using Acrylics as per previous posts.

During painting and after weathering. Kaydee couplings still to be added.

Cheers, prior to starting this thread I did do a search on here with the tags "BR", "Mk.1" and "Express Parcels" but didn't see anything that matched, but it sounds like that thread would be handy now lol! :-)

Interesting posts gents, thanks for all the contributions. So it seems Brute circuit vans (and I'm guessing Brute trolleys came in in the mid to late 60s) were initially the main recipients of Express Parcels branding. I know SPV's received the lettering at the latest by the very early 70s, not sure how they fitted in with this traffic, if at all? Still hoping someone can produce evidence for a blue/grey Mk.1 BG with this lettering early 70s, though I suspect generally the Mk.1s were lettered thus after replacing the older LNER/LMS etc vehicles, and then mainly the all blue examples, initially at least?

Door springs and knock plates added, along with a revised brake lever "handle" in position. Photo shows the ends better too.

Jumping the gun but produced transfers for the S&T open on my old computer tonight, took a bit of playing with fonts and sizes but pleased with the result, just need to varnish them now to seal the ink.

Brilliant, love these sort of projects which combine recycling old models whilst at the same time producing a model that is either not available commercially or much improved over the original model, not to mention not costing an arm and a leg (hopefully!). Will watch with interest!

A quickie project I've been wanting to do for a while, a rare BR S&T unfitted open wagon, Lot 2608, Diagram BR1/619 built Wolverton 1955. Only 6 were built (DB997300-997305) with wooden planked drop sides and steel ends, strangely no known code name. But they seem to have ended up on spoil duties in Scotland (based Rutherglen), lasting into the 1970s. An unemployed Airfix 21T hopper wagon supplied the chassis which appears to be very close, if not spot on for this wagon judging by the main photo I was working from ( p58 of BR Departmental Rolling Stock, A Pictorial Survey - D. Larkin/Bradford Barton). 2mm planked and plain Plasticard of varying thicknesses make up the bodywork. The ends should feature lots of rivets so I may get hold of some 3D rivet decals, though I may just paint it as is and go heavy on the rust during weathering! Not perfect maybe but fun to do. Progress so far:

Wow, that second one is quite a find!

Agreed, MTK did a useful and similar sheet with useful Freight stock of the period markings too. The PC (now HMRS) sheet 15 is very good I find for blue / blue & grey coaching stock.

Funny enough I had that Mopok sheet in the late 80s, forgot about it until you mentioned it. Thanks! :-)

Also found early blue/grey BG conversions such as 1968 Trailer Luggage Vans (TLV) to work with SR MLV's (renumbered S68201 - S68206, SR waist height MW pipes fitted), also another BG (M81387) with all the door droplights plated over (noted as post 1971); both these retained BR1 bogies and were repainted blue/grey but without "Express Parcels" lettering.

Thanks Paul for that very useful list, looks like its going to be a strip the lettering or full repaint job then, probably the former. The earliest photos of ANYTHING carrying "Express Parcels" branding that I have found in my not too extensive library thus far is a LNER pattern BR SPV (ex fish van) E87160 in 1972 and Mk.1 CCT (M94411) noted as working the 'Brute Circuit" trains in 1977 with "the Express Parcels lettering not usually found" so perhaps it was only then in ascendency. I have a photo of an all blue Mk.1 BG on the Oban line in 1972 but without such lettering, and the same goes for all the blue GUV and CCT vans that I can find around this time.

Thanks Dave, interesting thought. I remember seeing these BGs in the early 80s quite a lot, even turning up on Euston passenger trains sometimes, suspect the Hornby one I bought may be too late for "Crinan" (set c.1970) but would be great to know for sure before I remove the lettering. . . :-)

Looks great Nick, very Beatles colour scheme on that 66!

Any thoughts anyone?

Looking good. Is the rectangular building in the 5th photo a water tower? Only ask as I saw a similar structure in a photo c.1968 at Thurso, although semi derelict. Also the shot with milk tanks intrigued me, I am led to believe milk ran from Dingwall to Kyle for the islands, though carried in churns usually in 4w CCT/PMV vans attached to a passenger train at Dingwall (although this could be an error by the photographer, I suspect the churns MAY have carried water for the stations and Signal Boxes en-route, rather than milk, but I'm not sure). Nice work anyway! :-)

Lots of inspiration and superb modelling on this thread, great stuff! Some of my own efforts, taken from my "Crinan" thread, most of what is seen in the photo below is scratchbuilt ie the Canal-side cottage, the Yacht, the swing bridge and the landing stages, mainly from plasticard sheet and Evergreen plastic sections. Fine sand was used to pebble dash the cottage, along with Wills windows and garden fencing. The yacht hull was made from a 3 layer sandwich of thick, soft plastic based board I was given years ago (a form of foamboard I think) used in the sign making industry, which is easy to cut and sand to shape but is also easy to glue with UHU. The stowed sail is formed from Milliput around the plastic rod mast/boom which is braced with brass wire. The fenders are short lengths of plastic tube with fine fuse wire to "tie" them to the safety rails.

Anyone know when this lettering was introduced? As per the photo, used on some BR blue/grey (and I think plain blue) BG's. Am I right in thinking it was around 1970 or was it much later? Thanks.

Always nice to see a 114 in particular, not familiar with that particular SYPTE livery variation so thanks for posting!

Finally ready for "Crinan" are the 3 Hornby "Insul-fish" vans shown earlier, weathered as per various photos c.1970 representing the then rapidly reducing pool of vans still in use for fish, though I left the Hornby numbering intact.

Finally got hold of Hornby's only BR Blue/Grey Mk.1 coach from the current range, the R4646 "Express Parcels" Full Brake (BG), which I only became aware of through a Hattons advert a few months back. They and just about all other suppliers sold out pretty quickly it seems and Hornby themselves have sold out too. Found this one on Amazon, full RRP £24.99 but free postage which sealed the deal. Finish is up to Hornby's usual standards, I have yet to check how the colours compare with Bachmann's blue/grey Mk.1's. Hopefully Hornby will do the rest of their Mk.1 range in this scheme as this coach has evidently sold well. This will be added to the list of projects awaiting detailing/weathering. As will be noted Kadee no.19 Long NEM couplers have been fitted already (Hornby's bogie mounted NEM pockets are much more suited to these couplings than the Bachmann cam mounted versions in my experience).

Latest wagon to receive work, an old Mainline Bogie Bolster 'C' relegated to the S&T dept (fishkind name "Prawn"), with dismantled signal load. New handbrake levers fitted, along with modern Hornby wheels and Kadee no.5 couplers, otherwise a straight repaint and reletter with a mild dose of weathering, copied from a photo in a Departmental Stock book. It will run with the Sturgeons pictured earlier.

Not done much on the layout as rolling stock and Crinan have taken precedence, however today I picked up a cheap and tatty, but nice running, Dapol J94 at Colwyn MRC's exhibition in Llandudno: If that is a serial number on the box it is indeed a very early one. It will be stripped down, receive a standard chimney and be refinished as "EBBW", one of the Talywain stud, whose wheels were allegedly so worn it could only work in the confines of the yard area. The "interesting" livery will be a challenge as shown on the cover of Irwell's book here: https://www.irwellpress.com/acatalog/SOUTH-WALES-COVER.jpg May take a while this one!