C126

So can one say a general rule was: 'Vanfits, etc., were used only for non-palleted sundries'? I know there will have been many exceptions, but...

Reading the latest Waitrose Food magazine (March 2024) last night, I was ridiculously excited to come across a South Indian Pineapple Chutney recipe: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/south-indian-pineapple-chutney Seven spices, and asefoetida instead of garlic, but I hope to have a try of it soon. This is for one fresh pineapple's worth, so I must work out what it is in tinned chunks. If anyone else attempts it, please let us know here. Thanks and best wishes.

Sorry for both being dim and dragging this (a little) off-topic, but were not vans without full-width doors (e.g., Vanfit, Vanwide, VIX Ferry-van) loaded with pallets using a man with a pallet-truck aboard? How was the full length of a wagon used if not? Or were pallets not loaded into such wagons? Thanks.

Sorry. 'Read full track diagram' at leisure is the lesson I learn here. Thanks. Yours over-hastily, Neil.

Presumably, the goods train for the siding would arrive on the top platform, then run round via the lower and propel it from the top platform into the siding. So yes, you do need it. However, if you take it out, operationally it might be more interesting in that the goods train arrives on the top platform, shunts forward and then is propelled into the lower platform. Then the loco runs round via the top platform and propels the wagons into the factory siding via the lower platform single slip. Hope this helps/is of interest.

Thanks, Mark. Appears to have fewer cross-braces than the XVA, but these could be added. Certainly better than black planking...

Well, first glaringly obvious mistake is the trestle frame is Railfreight red, not steel. Idiot! https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brtrestlexva/efdb382e However, this picture does show two sheets loaded without padding, etc., between them.

https://www.Bachmann.co.uk/product/mxa-'lobster'-bogie-open-wagon-db-cargo/37-830a Thanks, @Ramblin Rich , this is most useful. I knew nothing about this prototype, let alone the model. Has anyone prised the body off to have a closer look? Scope for future plans...

Good thinking! To be honest, I did not think of looking for a kit. This would give greater 'flexibility', for want of a better word, in fitting a superstructure and subsequent fettling, I would think. Second attempt now starting to be planned... 😀

Despite Mr David Larkin confirming for me the floor of a XVA wagon is an open frame-work, compared to the BDA steel bolster wagon's wooden platform, I am determined to have a means of conveying over-size steel from the manufacturers up north to a small ship-yard south of Atherington East Yard, at Tilling Docks. The wagon would be conveyed at the head of the goods train 'passing through' my goods yard, so I need not consider load handling in my little general sidings. What decided me was if I keep the loaded side facing the viewer, the wagon floor would be obscured largely, and if painted black I hope will not be obvious. So I bought some packs of Evergreen L-shape angle - Nos. 292, 0.080"/2.0 mm. and 294, 0.125"/3.2 mm. and tried to calculate the dimensions of the trestle frame. Taking Colin J. Marsden's measurements from his 1984 BR and private owner wagons, pp.87-88, of an 8'6" high frame at a 48Deg. angle, I drew a scale diagram of the trestle arrangement: However, I made the first of several mistakes in thinking the frame propping the 'loading side' was at a right-angle to it. As one can see from Paul Bartlett's excellent web-site, it is not... https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtrestlexva In blissful ignorance, I made a paper mock-up to balance on the Bachmann wagon, now stripped of its bolsters with a large pair of pliers, and popped a Lima Class 33 diesel in front of it. The trestle stuck out alarmingly above the loco, so I trimmed off six mm. gradually by eye, this being the final length of the main trestle 'stakes', giving a measurement of 40mm. and the supporting girders of 24mm. I cut off three sides of the BDA's 'lip', and painted the edges black. I should have done the whole floor then as well. Then it was just a case of cutting and shaping ten pairs of girders, and making sure they were the correct orientation. I glued the bottom of each to a thin strip of plastic square to provide a second 'mount', and worked from the outside to the wagon centre, lest the spacing appear in need of correction - I thought this would give better scope for adjustment. The gap is 19.5mm. Propping up the 'load frame' against the wagon's edge, I glued on the supporting girders, scraping paint off the wagon floor to allow the Liquid Poly to adhere, and finally the cross-braces on the back. The 'diamond' junction plates are 120g./m2 paper, cut to shape. All was then painted with Humbrol silver, no. 11. One of many errors is the lack of the three 'steps' either side of the larger central one on the 'support side'. I assume owing to mis-measurement and/or over-size plastic angle, these will not fit, so am undecided as to whether to ignore them (they will be hidden by the sheet steel load anyway) or cut away the step or girder to fit. And here is the result in revenue earning service on its way to Tilling Docks, in the yard arrival line. I intend to fit 0.5mm. painted paper strips over the loads for the plastic strapping. I assume each sheet was loaded individually, i.e., there was no 'sandwiching' of steel the same size, but could be wrong. Also there is a hand rail above the steps to add, with painted garden wire. Lessons for the future: use smaller L-shape angle. These were the only two on sale at the exhibition, but are too large; there might be smaller sizes made by Evergreen. Try and get correct measurements (but I do not know how); this might permit the other steps to fit. I hope this encourages others to have a go. My results are going to win no prizes, but I like the look, and it might prompt fate to bring out a ready-to-run version. And my ship-yard can get its steel delivery.

Weeding my 'model railways' box-file to-day, I found a few cuttings that might be of subsidiary interest to builders of this wagon: Model Rail, January 2001 - 'Truly exceptional : modelling Britain's biggest rail loads', Harold Smith. Describes building various wagons and loads, including Transformer B901801 from Triang R242 Weltrol bogies and the body from styrene sheet. Railway Modeller, August 1997 - p.355. Infuriatingly, I do not have the rest of the article, only this page (last), showing a model of a Transformer wagon, sides built around a styrene sheet sandwich of 2mm. aluminium sheet. Daily Telegraph, n.d. [1984?] - 'Gun-guard' claim for Navy A-waste on secret train, David Graves. 2x9 col. inch article responding to a Friends of the Earth news report, that, "... based its claim on leaked confidential British Rail documents. The documents, handed to the group's Avon branch consisted of a route map, emergency procedures in case of an accident, and a list of hospitals along the route able to cope with radiation cases." I will try and find the date of this, but am off work at the moment. Railway Magazine, September 1996, p.43 - letter from reader asking for identification of "EMU type unit" PPX99151. The editor explains it is an escort vehicle, with 99150. Railway Magazine, October 1995, p.77 - picture of support coach 99153 by Colin J. Marsden, caption, "... unable to obtain authorisation for operation on Railtrack. Together with sister vehicle No. 99152 ... both are now at ABB Crewe awaiting attention." Hope this is of interest, at least with the Transformer wagon models' building techniques being of assistance to future modellers.

Andy - So sorry to hear about your change in circumstances. I hope things work out for the best with you and your family. I wish I had space for the layout, and hope it finds a good home. Thanks for telling us all about it over the years. Best wishes to you all for the future.

Thanks for the brief chat at Abingdon last weekend. I did not like to waste your time, because I thought it might be in the videos to which you directed me. However... I am still wondering how you chose which shade of grey to paint each item. Did you pause the film at relevant 'stills' to take note? Or take an educated guess? Just curious. I confess I was in tears by the end of the film when I saw it for the first time a few years ago; I am a sucker for 'weepies'. It is a splendid, original idea, and a lovely layout. Look forward to seeing it again soon somewhere. Thanks and best wishes, 'Lean' (Neil).

Wonderful work as always @Mikkel . Yellow was seen as 'decadent' from the 1870's onwards, I think stemming from the 'yellow-back' books. https://artuk.org/discover/stories/colour-in-the-victorian-era-a-new-chromatic-age

@The Stationmaster Sorry; my reply of great wit and superlative erudition has just vanished in a browser crash, but what I meant was a tongue-in-cheek compliment in that the exhibition felt so broad in interest and well run I hoped something bigger could be undertaken. But we have seen how much work Warley took, so I think we can be happy with what we had this year. Thanks to the young steward who was happy to escort me to the Sports Hall with my usual lack of direction. Much appreciated. May I just advertise the public transport ease of access: X2 or X3 'bus from Oxford town centre (St Aldate's southwards) every ten mins., 25 min. journey, and a 12-15 min. walk up Bath-st from Abingdon town centre to the college. £2 each way, and a double-decker to enjoy the views. And I saw a shop with 'that type-face' on my way there: The left-hand bay had it in raised letters, but it was hidden by the awning.

Sorry to be so late in posting this, but there are another couple of photographs published: Marsden, Colin J., Rolling stock recognition : 2 : BR and private owner wagons, Shepperton : Ian Allan, 1984. p.113. "... photographed passing Plymouth station during August 1978." (by Les Bartram). This shows it without the radio-line 'prongs' and un-loaded, and Marsden classes it as "PXV". Another was the header to an article in a mid-1980's C.N.D. magazine (Campaign ? Sanity ?) titled, "A load on my mind [by?] Ray Buckton, General Secretary of ASLEF".* The photograph caption reads, "What this monster is no one will officially say. But it went right through the middle of Leeds" [presumably to have its escort coaches' gas-bottles changed. 🙂 ] I tore the top out for the photo and did not keep the whole page. This shows it with 'prongs' and loaded. I will try and track down the C.N.D. mag details and keep you posted. * Bib. details found : Sanity : voice of CND, 1982, October, p.33.

Please may I add my thanks to all concerned for the show. My 'search strategy' needed adapting to the venue - the corridors were very crowded at times - compared to a single, open venue (like the Sports Hall), but I saw all I wished, and did not get lost too often. I was struck by the huge range of layouts and their high quality. I hope visitors were inspired by at least one to join the hobby if not modelling already. Also, the 'N' gauge layouts were wonderful: very impressive what can be done in such a small scale to-day. Look forward to visiting next year, and it made up for being unable to get to Ally Pally in a couple of weeks. Many thanks to you all. Have you considered doing a larger event in a few years, perhaps at a National Exhibition Centre a little further north...?

Sorry to read this. I was going to compliment the venue on the wide selection of reasonably-priced cakes and drinks. Brownies, chocolate crunch slab, lemon short-bread(?), and more. But with the constant queue at the counter, I ate at mid-day Saturday.

Top Yard was the fan of sidings the other side of the main line northwards, east of the main line and adjacent to a parapet wall that overlooked the 'slope' line down to the Lower Yard, where your photos were taken. I think Montpelier Sidings were for the carriage sidings. Top Yard is still there, north of the junction for the east coast line, and is slowly getting over-grown. See my recent pics of Lower Yard as it is now if interested:

Bother, sorry, not the type I meant, but I saw this at Tunbridge Wells Central in 1983. Perhaps this type could have been used. Seemed a rarity to me at the time.

There was a rarer flat-roofed varient made up of 2x2 panels, the front right a door and in the wall opposite two windows (one each panel). I can not find a photo at the moment, but I have a kit. N.b., it is not the L.N.E.R. one (that came in at least two sizes).

Just found this one on Flickr, that I remembered: N.b., crash over-ride bars at ends (at least I assume that is what those two prongs are for?!).

Saw a model of this on a layout at one of the Gaydon exhibitions recently, livery was pale khaki and white 'inner third'. Chatted with the modeller - he had made the bogies (and everything else) from scratch. Looked wonderful. I will try and find the name of the layout. 'Devonport Road'.

Does anyone still fly model rockets, or are they banned as well? I was one of the first members of the grandly-titled "British Space Modelling Association" years ago. They'll be stopping one playing with home-made pulse-jets next...

Any chance of some photos, please?