magmouse

13 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

That SWAG meeting sounds to have been good. Perhaps I should make more effort...

Actually, it was the meeting of the S7 Group at Albury, where you would of course be most welcome. Given your previously expressed concerns about being press-ganged into joining the senior service scale, though, you might want to approach with caution!

Nick.

Thanks, Mike - that means a lot given the high standards you set for the rest of us. It was great to meet you yesterday and see some of your superb wagons in real life.

Nick.

Thanks Chris - glad you liked it.

Nick,

Thanks, Mikkel. The paint is an automotive red-oxide undercoat, from Halfords. Where I had to repaint the inside, I used Revell matt 37 enamel, which is a close match. The colour then gets pushed about a bit with the oil paint - my palette includes Indian red and yellow ochre, as well as black, white and burnt umber. With that mix I can go towards pink, orange, or a darker, richer red. In the case of this wagon, I did that a bit on the inside, but not much on the outside, where it is mostly greys, warmed up with a bit of yellow ochre and burnt umber.

Nick.

Thank you - I am pleased with this one. I’m getting to grips with the artists’ oils for weathering, and liking the results. Using the brass for the axle box covers also worked well, I think.

Nick.

Thanks Mike and Graham - yes, I’ll be bringing poles and wagon to the S7 meeting in Albury at the weekend.

Nick.

Thanks, Duncan - much appreciated.

Nick.

18 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

there's a Beatles theme in the blog posts this weekend

I misread that and for a moment thought you meant:

Nick.

Thanks, Chris. I find these kinds of project very satisfying - finding an everyday detail from over 100 years ago and translating it into model form.

Nick.

Thanks, Louis - hopefully the positive effect is not just down to the photography!

12 hours ago, Schooner said:

Now, how's about a nice little layout to run them on...?!

Well, quite....

There is the possibility of something in the current attic room (aka box room, junk store, room of doom...). Planning permission will be required, as well as considerable preliminary works to prepare the space. Other domestic projects will need to be completed first, to raise sufficient 'capital' - watch this space, but don't hold your breath.

Nick.

1 hour ago, Mikkel said:

I've just had a look in Kelley's Great Western Road Vehicles, and found on page 255 a 1926 drawing of No. 2079, which has an outline that looks identical/very close to the original outline of 583 above (with upper body panels stepped out above the wheels).

I need to expand my library (again!) - at least, I will do when I get to doing road vehicles for Netherport. I wonder how far afield the GWR pantechnicons travelled by rail, if at all?

Thanks for the additional info -

Nick.

The added benefit of using brass tube for the tumbler shaft is that comes with the kit - originally intended for the buffer shanks, with drawing pins for the heads.

Nick.

Thanks for the additional info, Mikkel - I'd forgotten about the drawings in Janet Russell's book. I wonder if the 1920 picture of 583 actually shows a replacement vehicle, given the same number (as with wagons). The shape and construction of the 'china box' (the lowest part of the body, between the wheels) is quite different. If they are the same, the rebuild would have been substantial, with few original parts in the new version (also seen with wagons and locos, of course).

Nick.

Thanks, Mikkel, for the reminder about your technique - which was a key influence as I developed my own method.

Nick.

Thanks, Rich - very interesting to hear about your experience, if disappointing that you haven't made it work so far. Please keep us updated with any further attempts you make - I am sure I won't be the only one interested.

Nick.

Thanks, Mikkel.

39 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

And that rope must be the tightest I have seen, very impressive.

The wonders of elastic! The EZ Line is stretchy, so you can give it a couple of turns around the tie-off point, pull it tight, and dap on a tiny drop of thin CA glue to lock it in place. I guess in 20 years it might all go slack...

40 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

I always feel compelled to paint the whole thing, whether sheeted or not, but from a rational point of view it is pointless of course.

I know the feeling - but at least this way you have something to grab hold of, and can get it painted in one go.

Nick.

8 minutes ago, wenlock said:

Lovely modelling and it certainly dwarfs that poor little GWR two planker!

Thanks, Dave, and yes, they grew them big up north! Actually the diagram 84 types also dwarfed the earlier LNWR wagons. 

Nick.

1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said:

Very nice work! 

Thank you!

1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said:

Most of my sheeted wagons and containers have been done with the Tunnock's Wafer wrapping (laminated foil and paper) and it is possible to join 2 of these to make a larger sheet. Baking parchment backed with foil is also available in much larger sheets but isn't so tasty!

I am aware of some people using the Tunnocks wrappers, but for me the choice of material is restricted to what I can print onto. Some people hand paint the lettering, which can be OK for later, simpler designs, but with the complexity of this LNWR design, and the GWR one for my period, printing is the way to go. It might be possible to do one big waterslide transfer, of course....

1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said:

I have successfully used tiny M1 washers superglued to the sheet (inside) to provide a robust roping eye which can take enough force to pull it taut.

That's a neat idea.

1 minute ago, Mol_PMB said:

I wonder whether the LNWR would have used two overlapping sheets to cover such a long wagon effectively?

Yes, when the load was taller - for example:

https://lnwrs.zenfolio.com/p148651598/ebf55e5ab

But for a load that doesn't go above the height of the sides, there would be a huge amount of the sheet hanging down below the curb rail, needing to be furled up.

2 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Were there instructions about the correct method of sheeting a low load in a high-sided wagon? 

In the GWR General Appendix to the rule book, there were instructions on sheeting, including the need to avoid puddling wherever possible. I assume the same would have been true for the other railway companies, including the LNWR. However:

This is an excerpt from https://www.midlandrailway.org.uk/derby-registers/DY1697 although the links seems to be broken at the moment.

Nick.

1 hour ago, Northroader said:

It looks as if the upper body panels are stepped out above the wheels.

Good spot - I hadn't noticed when looking on my phone yesterday, but you are right.

Nick.

Great photo. Interesting that the wheels are outside the body, without wheel arches. Presumably the body is narrower than the other types we have seen. 
 

Nick

Photos showing pantechnicons loaded on wagons don’t seem to be all that common. The ones I have seen show them loaded on agricultural implement wagons, rather than well wagons (crocodiles, hydras and loriets, in GWR-speak). So, for example, the photo here:

And the glorious picture at the top of this page:

http://phils-pba-hstry.com/archer-cowley--co/archer-cowley--co-photo/archer-cowley--co-history/acco-containers-on-railway.html

As well of course as the LSWR example you posted, Mikkel.

I suspect most 4-wheel well wagons would be too short for a Pantechnicon, and you can’t end-load onto a Crocodile or similar.

Nick.

29 minutes ago, Northroader said:

I did a Duncan Models pantechicon in 0 scale

I have one of those in the kit stash, with a Scorpio diagram G8 GWR implement truck to carry it. Your experience is a useful reminder to check the loading gauge clearances carefully.

Nick.

14 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

This Web Site could be useful for fonts.

Thanks, Chris - that's very useful. Having said that, care is needed as signwriting styles are not the same as print fonts, but there is presumably some correlation as styles change over time.

Nick.

Very lovely work, as always, Mikkel, and a delightful continuation of your 'narrative' approach to modelling. I am looking forward to seeing what stories and characters we may encounter when Bailey's pantechnicon arrives in the good yard at Farthing.

For anyone considering loading a pantechnicon on a wagon, as in Penlan's example posted by @jwealleans, it is worth noting that the roof boards were either removable or in some cases hinged to fold down. This reduced to height, to keep within the loading gauge.

The HMRS website has their archive of images with quite a few examples of pantechnicons, which are useful for liveries. Also, pantechnicons feature in this discussion on the closely-related topic of 'lift vans' (early containers intended mainly for furniture):

Regarding the number of horses, in the pictures I have found, two seems standard. I haven't found any pictures showing four, and given the main use of pantechnicons was the transport of furniture and household effects, I suspect the load would never be that great. I write this in the hope that someone will prove me wrong, and so expand the body of available evidence!

Nick.

Hi Graham,

No, I didn't, though there should be something. I am imagining these are carrying wine, come by sea to Netherport from France via Cherbourg.* They might then have end bungs, which you probably wouldn't be able to see if they were on the ends that are facing each other. A lame excuse, I know...

Nick.

* if I am feeling especially fanciful, the explanation is that in Nether-world, the branch line down to Netherport departs the mainline at Wanton Abbas - the town being named for the local abbey. There is another abbey of the same order in France, which - by reason of an ancient debt - sends wine to the English abbey every year.