Sitham Yard

3 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

Apologies if this question has been answered, but I couldn't easily find a reference to it.

Those of you who upgrade the above, where do you get your wheels especially, and other bits and bobs such as flush glazing from?

I've got a few Matchbox vehicles, cars, vans and trucks, which I am having a go at, but the main visual issue is the (undersized?) wheels with their crimped axle ends which I would like to improve.

Is there a supplier I'm unaware of?

 

Mike.

If you are looking at 1.76 models try either Langley Models or Road Transport Images. You may find something suitable.

Andrew

27 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

I’ve got some bus registration plates ( from probably Fox ) to use on some lorries I’m tinkering with. The vehicles are for a fictitious company so thought it wouldn’t matter but is there a difference in the sequence of letters and number that signifies a bus rather than any other vehicle?

If you want details on vehicle number plates and where and when they were issued, see if you can buy a copy of "Glass's Index of Registration Numbers" that covers the period you require. Often available online. Also Road Transport Images do number plates.

Andrew

On 29/04/2022 at 13:36, Thebodger said:

As part of an O gauge layout I am now starting to build I am planning to scratch build a coal tower. I am hoping to start track laying shortly however the loading track needs to be located appropriately for the tower. There is a good selection of reference photos online however I cannot find any plans online. Does anyone have access to plans of a single track coal tower that they would be willing to share before I start trying to create plans from the reference photos? I am not modelling any specific location therefore exact design is not overly important however the layout is LNER based.

If you are willing to have a steel coal hoist rather than concrete Model Railway Journal No.143 has an article with drawings on building Retford coal hoist.

Andrew

Their website says 2-5 weeks for transfer orders and that is probably under normal circumstances. If they have any delays or backlog due to covid or material supply problems then obviously going to be longer.

Andrew

3 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I'm wondering if the answer's "No - BUT the RCH insisted on a certain percentage of Common User coal wagons being fitted with end doors.". Pure supposition as I've no idea what influence the RCH had on any of the Railways' wagon fleets : in theory, any of the Companies could have built no 'ordinary' wagons at all and just relied on Common Users !!?!.

I believe the four companies were required to provide wagons for the common user mineral wagon pool in proportion to the traffic handled by each company (or possibly originating on each company) and therefore the SR had to make their contribution to that pool, all new wagons having end doors.   

I am thinking that there must have been many industrial sites with tipping facilities though some would be side tippers. I have a vague idea that some end tippers may have been able to tip either way depending on which end the door was. Can anyone confirm please?

Andrew 

Suggest the book "An Illustrated History of Midland Wagons Volume 1 " by R J Essery which appears to be available on line (used) at a very reasonable price. This has images from MR through LMS to BR. 

Andrew 

Looking at other steam period photos full brakes seem to be common on milk trains and appear to be the vehicles chosen to carry the guard. No idea if they carried anything else. I would expect churns or other dairy produce to be well ventilated Siphons or similar but don't know for certain. 

Andrew

Referring to "GWR Goods Wagons" by Atkins, Beard & Tourret  confirms 1927 and V21 is correct, at the same time as the length was increased to 17ft 6ins. Note that some earlier vans received replacement new style doors during their lives.

See Paul Bartlett's wagon photos website for examples. If your are modelling BR steam period then "The Acquired Wagons of British Railways Volume 4" by David Larkin is also recommended.

Andrew   

Received an e-mail today supposedly from BT about my direct debit being no longer active and with a button to press to set up a new direct debit. Checked with bank and BT and reported to Action Fraud. Noticed account number wrong and mentions also Vodaphone. BEWARE I expect clicking on the button could give away your bank details.

Andrew   

12 hours ago, RudyProductions said:

So I’ve been looking into the history of goods wagons, specifically, open plank wagons, and now I’m wondering, did any of these pre-BR wagons make it into the TOPs CARKND system? And what sort of identification marks would they have? I’ve been able to glean the first and third letters just from Wikipedia, but I can’t find a comprehensive list of what the second letter would be!

 

For example, an unfitted five plank wagon would be an O_O. The first letter indicating it’s an open wagon, the last indicating that it’s unfitted. But that’s about all I’ve found.

 

Thank you for any assistance in advance!

Have a look at Paul Bartlett Wagons website. Plenty of examples some revenue, some departmental.

Andrew

Can anyone tell me please if these are recyclable? I am currently disposing of my magazines as I have a digital subscription and therefore access to the archive. For the time being at least I have kept a few articles of particular interest but I need the space.

The magazines can obviously be recycled but I am not sure what the binders are made of. I can see card but I am not sure what the blue surface material is.

Andrew    

34 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said:

I need some 7 mm/ft wagon brakegear but am having problems finding a supplier other than an etching from Eileen's Emposium.

Any suggestions please?

Jonathan.

Depending on what you require some of the ex ABS items are currently available from David J Parkins at clearance prices.

Andrew

1 hour ago, 62613 said:

Brings up another question; would it have been possible to see wheels of different types under the same wagon, i.e split spoke at one end, and solid spoke at the other?

 

Certainly. There have been various photos published over the years. From memory probably all BR period. Could also be disc wheel one end.

Andrew

1 hour ago, Wickham Green too said:

Split spoke wheels consist of three elements : the spoke units ( consisting of a 'loop' of two 'half spokes' plus section of rim ), the centre boss and a tyre ....... I believe solid spoke wheels were exactly like a loco wheel - namely a single casting incorporating boss, spokes and rim with a tyre shrunk on.

My understanding is that until relatively recent times (1980's perhaps) all types of wagon wheel each had a separate tyre that was shrunk on and when that had worn down to a defined limit just the tyre could be replaced. BR used a lot of old wheels including split spoked with new tyres because at times there were steel shortages with 1952, I think, being the worst year for shortages. 

Andrew

11 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

The equivalent of this for acrylic paints is to use hairspray between the paint coats. Simply wet the top layer and dab with a stiff brush to make the small chips.

See also the book Weathering Rolling Stock by Tim Shackleton.

Andrew

12 hours ago, 41516 said:

Yes, they appear in the background occasionally, mostly in shots in and around Burton-on-Trent unsuprisingly.   I've yet to find a good picture of a D1817 in BR days with a clearly identifiable number, despite a lot of looking*, so the comments in LMS Wagons Vol 1 remain largely true..   Here's an example that I can think off directly, with the D1817 off on the left hand side. 

 

It's highly likely all D1817s remained unfitted (built with either side/independant brakes). They disappear from the photo records in the mid/late 1950s and as they had a 9ft wheelbase they would therefore  not meet the requirements of the 1955 modernisation plan for fitting vac brakes.  Their disappearance is at the same time the ex-MR and ex-LMS cattle wagons used for ale traffic also vanish in the late '50s great cull of unfitted stock .

 

They were also never lettered 'Beer' and should be 'Ale' in BR days, despite what Parkside provides (BEER VAN only in LMS grey), as below over three planks on the left hand:

 

Ale

12T**

M189XXX

 

*I have thoughts on this that requires more research and possibly an email to the LMS Society.

**Speculative. can't confirm if 10T or 12T, 12T stated in The LMS Wagon

 

Railway Bylines December 2008 has a clear photo of M293705 which is puzzling as the number does not correspond with published information. Incidentally British Railways Illustrated September 1997 has an article on the replacement of a signal at Bath Green Park in June 1956 and one of the Ivo Peters photos shows an apparently freshly painted LMS cattle wagon, unfitted but number unreadable, marked ALE which is the only photo known to me. Markings similar to above except ALE is on fourth plank up, then a gap and other markings on the bottom two planks. 

Andrew 

3 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I suspect the 1960 Appendix requirement might, indeed, have superseded 'XP' branding ...... but exact wheelbases were indicated long before that.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that the 1960 General Appendix was the first General Appendix issued by BR. Before that I think that the GA's issued by the big four remained in force with amendments or supplements being issued by BR. The XP markings appear to have only started in the late 1930's although restrictions on vehicles to run in passenger trains would have been in force before that.

Andrew 

3 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I suspect the 1960 Appendix requirement might, indeed, have superseded 'XP' branding ...... but exact wheelbases were indicated long before that.

No the 1960 General Appendix sets out the requirements for 'non-passenger carrying Coaching Stock or Braked Freight Stock' to run in passenger trains and specifically states 'Four-wheeled vehicles conforming to the above requirements and having a wheelbase of 10ft or over are marked "X.P." together with the wheelbase.'

I believe that at that time only a relatively small number of trains exceeded 60 mph and this was marked in the Working Timetables as mentioned above.   

I have no knowledge of what happened later.

Andrew      

20 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I'm not sure it's that simple ....... looking through Vol 3 of Historic Carriage Drawings, you can find 'XP' marked vehicles with wheelbase of between 10'0'' and 23'6'' - which would be allowed to run in exactly the same types of train !  Certainly anything below 10' would not be 'XP' rated - but why was an exact measurement required for those which were ?

Restrictions applied if under a certain length. BR General Appendix dated 1960 states vehicles with wheelbase less than 15 feet must not exceed 60 mph. Marking vehicles with the exact wheelbase gives scope for varying this restriction which may have happened over the years.

Andrew    

8 hours ago, jimwal said:

Identical to LMS D2108. 

 

Source: 'An Illustrated History of LMS Wagons' by R J Essery.

                Volume One   (pp60/61).

Not quite identical as the photo shows BR axleguards, not standard RCH ones as used by the LMS. However it is quite possible they were changed during the later life of the wagon as other late 1960's or 1970's photos show wagons where this change has taken place. So wagon in photo could be from either diagram. 

Comparison of photos in "An Illustrated History of LMS Wagons Volume 1" and in David Larkins new book "The Acquired Wagons of British Railways Volume 4" shows both 2 part and 3 part corrugated ends

Andrew. 

The above two images plus two more are in David Larkins new book The Acquired Wagons of British Railways Volume 4.

Andrew

3 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

"LMS design sliding door vanfit numbered in the internal user series as 041253, at Norwich, 7th February 1984."  by Jamerail

 

 

This is the variant built by BR to Diagram 1/200. Note the extra plank at the top of the body side.

Andrew 

2 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

More from "Ernies Railway Archive". A mixed lot at Tipton St.John. The footbridge was at the southern end of the station.

 

Your best guesses please for the following...

(1) presumably the train nearest us, on the right, is on that track because it has arrived from Sidmouth town and is facing towards Sidmouth Junction?

(2) what loco, coaches and wagon?

(3) what the train further away on the left is doing? Perhaps it's another service from Exmouth, just leaving the station, also heading towards Sidmouth Junction?

 

 

Portions from Sidmouth and Exmouth were combined at Tipton St. Johns to form one train to Sidmouth Junction and vice versa so that may be happening here.

Andrew 

I am looking at a book "Classic Commercials in Colour" by B.S. Watson which appears to be available online at a reasonable price and is recommended. Many interesting photos taken in the 1960's and 1970's including a 1947 registration Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) Chevrolet C15 still in use by a jobbing builder/joiner in 1964. Makes me realise that vehicles like this that spend a lot of time stationary on site can last a long time due to their low mileage.   

Andrew

Nice to see RMweb back congratulations to all concerned. I am looking at published photos of Leyland Retriever and Hippo both purchased by civilian transport companies 1947. The Retriever (rated 3 ton by military - same as Austin K6) has civilian type twin tyres on the rear axles but military tyres on the front axle. The Hippo (rated 10 tons by military) has civilian tyres all round with twins on the rear axles. Both have flat bodies with mudguard on each wheel. Another popular 6 x 4 in the same weight category was Foden DG6.