mikemeg

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' Before I move on with the description of these builds, I should, perhaps, clear up why I have some finished and some only part finished. I bought two of the Dapol kits, way back in 2012, which were rebuilt to the LNER 20 ton brake van and were completed. These were numbered from photos in Peter Tatlow's book and were :- 260922 with unglazed end doors and raised end platforms. 178705 with unglazed end doors and flat end platforms. This van was fitted with spoked wheels when photographed in July 1950 The second of these two models did lose its running boards, which now need to be replaced. In 2015 I bought three more of the Dapol kits and commenced to rebuild these three :- 4472 with unglazed end doors and flat end platforms. This van was one of the CLC unfitted batch. 278704 with glazed end doors and raised end platforms. 278710 with glazed end doors and raised end platforms. Half way through the rebuild of these three, I started to test build etched kits and these three were 'temporarily' set aside. And they have remained 'temporarily' set aside since 2015, hidden away but not forgotten. Anyway, it was high time that they were completed so hence this set of entries in the thread. I'm now making twelve more running boards to add to the four which belong to 178705. Note that the lower of the two running boards, on each side of the vehicle, has a gap in the upstand to fit over the axlebox. Each board is made from .015" plasticard (the running board itself) with an upstand of .010" plasticard. Cheers Mike

Many thanks to jwealleans and jon4470 for the information. I'll have to guess the colour - light lead grey - but, like Jonathan, the running number 4472 is hard to resist. Cheers Mike

Jonathan, Thanks for the posting re the CL brake vans. The only photo I've seen, of one of these CL brake vans, is a black and white photo in Peter Tatlow's book on LNER wagons. Would you happen to know what colour and shade these vans were painted in? As the Toad D wasn't introduced until 1929, then that does beg the question as to when the CL unfitted vans were built? So, some time around nationalisation, a relic of the Cheshire Lines Committee was located which had, mysteriously, escaped the repainting and incorporation into LMS/LNER stock and thus retained its livery, though much discoloured and weatherworn!! Regards Mike

Hi Chas, Yes, no problem. I've just checked the relevant HMRS transfer sheet - LNER Freight Markings - and it does contain all of the necessary markings for the Cheshire Lines Committee. As all of my models are set around mid 1950, then I can just about get away with much of the stock, freight and passenger, still sporting its pre-nationalisation liveries, albeit often in a tired and weatherworn condition! Regards Mike

And so do I, which is why I did the test build of the LRM B16/1 kit twice. Without wishing to restart the debate as to how good (or bad) this kit is, I think I managed to convey something of the essence of these classic North Eastern 4-6-0's. I certainly enjoyed the challenge!! And the two photos are different; look at the dome position on each picture - it differs - as do a few other minor details. One has its original NER boiler, the other the later LNER boiler. Also, the splashers are different, etc. Somewhere else, within this thread, I referred to my first loco spotting trip to York, in October of 1958; over sixty years ago. We saw thirty B16's (of all three variants) that day; almost half of the class. That same day, we also saw some forty of the LNER's (and BR's) Pacifics. Happy days, now long lost in the mists of time. Cheers Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' With the addition of the rain strips the three roofs, made in this batch, are now complete. The rain strips are made from .015" (15 thou) strips, which I cut from .010" (10 thou) sheet, and slightly formed before being stuck to the roof. One end is fixed first, allowed to set and then the other end is fixed thus forming the necessary curve. Once the roof is painted, the full length of each rain strip will be adhered to the roof. So there it is; scratch built roofs for the LNER 20 ton Brake Van! The second of the photos, below, also shows the scratch built running boards. The ones in the kit are both far too thick and wrong for the LNER version of the 20 ton brake van. Cheers Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' Having formed the roofs, then the detailing can proceed. First the chimney base plates are added to each roof, then the chimneys are made up from 1.6 mm brass tube. On these chimneys there was a slightly larger diameter piece at the base of the chimney, which is added prior to fixing the chimney into the base plate. Two torpedo vents are then added to the roof, leaving only the handrail by the chimney and the rain strips to be added. The van shown in the photo, below, is one of those supplied to the Cheshire Lines Committee and will be finished in LNER grey, denoting that it is not vacuum fitted. Cheers Mike

To take the 'serious' part of your posting, first. I do try and tape the piece as tightly as possible to the bottle, avoiding any flats at the edges. At first I did get the unevenness which you describe which problem was seemingly solved by putting the piece through the rollers a few times. I couldn't achieve the necessary radius using the rollers but I did achieve a consistent larger radius. The second stage, using the bottle, then simply tightened an already consistent radius to a tighter consistent radius. If in doubt, resort to the bottle!! As to the second part of your posting, my advancing years mean that I frequently forget where I may have stored my 'constructional accessories - aka empty bottles'; forgetting that my citizen's commitment to re-cycling has led me to dispose of them. But such loss is all too easily rectified!! Regards Mike

Just so. A justification for emptying the bottle; for a part filled bottle simply doesn't allow for this technique to be used. It has to be an empty one. As you might imagine the development of this technique, perfected as it was over quite a protracted time, did involve considerable personal sacrifice. But I survived the development process and am now far more proficient in the provision of the necessary 'tools' to undertake this process. Many thanks for your postings and do, please, continue. Regards Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' Next task, in this rebuild, is to make new roofs. The roof moulding in the kit, while dimensionally correct, is far too thick, so I cut new roofs from .015" plasticard and then form them using a 'tried and tested' method which does utiiise an otherwise discarded product. The blanks are first rolled through the boiler rollers and then finished off by being taped to a wine bottle, which is then filled with very hot but not boiling water. Once cooled, the roofs now have the correct curvature. The roofs in the photograph are simply placed on the models but not stuck; there is a lot more detail to add to them before fixing. Cheers Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' The next stage of the brake van rebuilds is to make new cabin ends, which will allow the flush glazing and will match the vintage of the prototype being modelled i.e. whether the cabin had solid or glazed doors. Once made and before they are glazed and assembled, I paint the ends inside and out. Much easier than when they are in place on the model. The appropriate cabin ends can then be added to the model, once the painting and glazing is completed. On the photo, below, the guards ducket has also been glazed. The brake yolks, made from .020" x .020" plasticard strip, are also visible on this photo. The grey end was for a model of one of the vans built by the LNER for the CLC (Cheshire Lines Committee) which were unfitted i.e. handbrake only and were painted in LNER freight grey. Some of these vans did pass into BR ownership. Cheers Mike

Ah, those signals. I spent quite a while working out how to scratch build those great lattice signal bridges and gantries in 4mm scale. Eventually I came up with some techniques which seemed to work, though most of them carry later LNER upper quadrant arms, but the structures are pure North Eastern; well actually McKenzie and Holland. The first photo, below, is the very first signal model that I built but it did embody some of the techniques developed for the much larger models. Photos 2 and 3 are models of structures which once stood at Hessle Haven, when this place just oozed North Eastern and LNER. Now, of course, all of these are gone and are now merely memories and black and white photographs. But as purely functional pieces of equipment, they were lovely things and the railway scene is the poorer for their passing! The long signal bridge - photo 4 below - is a model of one which stood at Scarborough Londesborough Road. This signal bridge, which was supported both at the ends and around one third along its length, actually spanned some 96 feet and the model is some 380 mm long. This bridge was built in two sections which were then joined at the intermediate post. Perhaps not the largest 4mm signal model ever made but it's up there somewhere! As there are, nor were, any detailed drawings of any of these structures, then the first phase, in every model, was to produce a 4mm drawing of the structure. Drawings which I still have; see photo 5 & 6. Yes, the North Eastern is reasonably well represented by r-t-r models but there are no Raven Pacifics, A6's, A7's, A8's, BTP's, B15's, B16's, C6's, C7's, D17's, D20's, F8's, J21's, J24;s, J25's, J71's, J73's, J77's, N8/9/10's, Q5's, Q7's, T1's etc. And as I model to P4, any r-t-r models would need new or at least modified chassis. So plenty of scope for the kit and scratch builder. Cheers Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' Ok, so at least a couple of folk would like a little more info on this conversion, so here goes! Firstly, a very short history lesson. The LNER introduced the long wheelbase 20 ton brake van in 1929, to be used at the tail end of fitted freights in order to provide a smoother ride. An initial 20 were built which were based at locations where long distance fitted freights emanated from - Kings Cross, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Marylebone, York, Glasgow, etc. These initial examples had steel sheet end platforms and unglazed doors, though the ends of the cabin were glazed. This was the basic format for a number of years. Due to a shortage of iron and steel, during World War II, examples built during this period had end platforms which were raised to accommodate concrete as ballast. This modification stayed in place after the war and as part of the British Railways standard design. These later LNER built vans also had the end doors glazed as well as the cabin ends. A small angle iron truss on the underside of the solebar was also added. So to the Dapol kit. This represents the British Railways standard 20 ton brake van, based on the LNER design but with modifications. Also, much of the detail on this kit is moulded on i.e. handrails, lamp irons, etc. So the first task is to remove all of the moulded detail - I sand it off with very fine emery paper. Once removed, then the planking lines can be replaced, by scoring with a compass point, where this moulded detail has been removed. I also drill new 0.3 mm holes to accept new handrails at this time. The solebars, which are plastic mouldings, I also modify by thinning the webs down and by 'excavating' some of the channel with a needle file. Then a .010" plasticard strip is glued into the solebar, which has the rivet detail, works plate and the body support brackets - see the photo below. If one of the earlier brake vans, with steel end platforms, is being modelled then the ends of the floor on the kit must be removed and replaced with plasticard (.015") before assembly as in the photo below. Once all of this removal and reshaping has been done, then the body and the solebars can be assembled. I also add the wheel bearings (pinpoint), wheels, brake hangars and shoes at this point. Buffers can also be added - I use ABS white metal LNER long fitted freight buffers - at this point. So the photo below shows the results of these processes. To be continued. Cheers Mike

LNER 20T BRAKE VAN 'TOAD D' Here's another rebuild which was posted on a previous incarnation of RMWeb. Before I embarked on the loco scratch and kit building 'fest', I spent quite a while building wagon kits, mostly the Ian Kirk kits. In the course of doing this and because many of the kits were LNER wagons, I obviously needed to build at least one of the very distinctive LNER 20 ton brake vans. However, there was no kit available to build one of these; the nearest thing, available, was the Dapol kit for the British Railways standard 20 ton brake van, which design was based on the LNER version. So, armed with Peter Tatlow's excellent book on LNER wagons, within which were detailed drawings of the LNER 20 ton Brake Van, I acquired a number of the Dapol kits, intent on re-working them to represent their LNER forebears. Anyway, the result of these efforts is shown below and is my attempt at representing the very distinctive LNER 20 ton Brake Van. If anyone is interested then I will describe the various modifications and additions made to these kits to produce this model. And yet another of those clear blue, cloud free days at Hessle Haven! Cheers Mike

LNER J25 Next up for painting is this one. This was the test build for the North Eastern Kits LNER J25 and will be yet another model of a Hull Dairycoates loco, as it was in mid 1950. Might just do this one as it was on the day after it returned to Hull from a general overhaul and repaint at Darlington Works. Cheers Mike