macgeordie

I have another four of these kits going spare, one of our forum members requested them but hasn't responded to my messages. If anybody fancies one please pm me. Ian

Don’t try to solder the pieces in place, just use Evo Stik impact adhesive. The parts are so thin that you will probably just melt them if you try to solder them.

Hi Roy When I designed the BZ chassis, because the springs are behind the W irons, I couldn't use the usual one piece casting. I had to use the castings from Wizard models and as you say you need to drill a hole in each one. It's not difficult but you need to take your time. In a worst case, if you mess it up, you can always buy more from Andrew at Wizard but as I have said, it's not difficult. I assume you have a pin chuck, which is all you need along with a 0.5mm drill. File the bottom of the castings flat before you start so that the drill won't slip off the centre point. You can easily hold the casting in your fingers to drill it. Just drill a small amount at a time and keep removing the drill to clear the whitemetal from the flutes to prevent the drill sticking or jamming. Ian

Hi Paul I have just checked and I have a couple of kits left in stock, I will pm you with details tomorrow. Ian

Everybody who requested a kit should now have them, there are a couple of spare kits left if anybody else wants one. Ian

Another update, I have just received the etches for this kit. I need to get them all wrapped and I also have to roll the roof sections for them all. I should therefore be contacting those who have requested one of the kits in a few days time. Ian

Just a quick update, I still have a couple of these chassis kits left if anybody else wants one. Ian

Just a quick update, I have had the quote from the etchers and the kit price is slightly less than the 35 quid I originally estimated, It has worked out at £33.90. The down side is that they are quoting up to 8 weeks for delivery which is a bit disappointing but there's not much I can do about it. Ian

I took this photo down at the clubrooms yesterday evening on one of the club layouts. It's the two earlier test builds, I painted them with Railmatch 'Early DMU green' with a tiny dash of white added. The transfers are from John Isherwood (Cambridge Custom Transfers). I am going to order the etches for those members who have requested one of these today, I'll order a couple of extra sets in case there are any latecomers. Ian

The vac pipes and lamp irons are now fitted and everything else has gone together as it should. I'l probably be ordering the etches towards the end of next week for those members who have requested one of these kits. If anybody else wants to go on the list please message me before then. Ian

Some additional information has come to light recently which some of you might find useful when upgrading your own models, I have added this to the instructions. Also, I have just had some more etches delivered so if anybody else would like one of these kits please message me. The following information about Stove Rs has come to light following discussions with Steve Carter and others. It expands on and in some cases clarifies the material already given in the chassis kit instructions: Roof details The number of roof ribs on the early D1796 lots was five as opposed to the nine that can be seen in all photographs of the later D2000 vehicles that have been studied. All versions of the Dapol model appear to have nine ribs, regardless of which version they’re numbered as. Moreover, D1796 vehicles had LMS-style shell roof vents rather than those fitted to D2000 stock, which were the BR Torpedo type as carried by the Dapol model. Paradoxically, this issue seems to have become slightly confused between the caption information, images and diagram sketches in the relevant volume of the Essery/Jenkinson LMS Coaches. Footboards and steps All D1796 and D2000 vehicles would seem to have been fitted originally with a full-length solebar footboard that was later split in two and did not continue slightly beyond the right hand end as it had previously. In a couple of later images the footboard is still a continuous run but has been cut short so that it doesn't project beyond the end. In the Essery/Jenkinson book the diagram for D1796 suggests there were two small steps per side located underneath the full-length step but images of newly built vehicles viewed from the voltage regulator side fail to confirm this was actually the case. The chassis kit tallies with images of the prototypes in later days with a smaller step on the non- voltage regulator side and a larger one fitted in front of the voltage regulator, presumably to prevent staff using the voltage regulator box as a step! Bodyside details As built, both diagrams appear to have been fitted with three ventilators per side above each of the glazed side doors – which is as the Dapol moulding has it – but in later images they have been removed. Paul Bartlett's site shows an ex works D1796 M32958M with a paint date of 1949 that only shows two such ventilators, one above each glazed door of the double door sets. In images dating from 1963 and after, all doors vents appear to have been removed so again, the strict accuracy of the Dapol bodyshell is open to question. When it comes to bodyside beading, the LMS Coaches book doesn't show this on D2000 vehicles and yet photographic evidence confirms most vehicles of both lots had beading in various forms. There is an image of a presumably new M32977 (Lot 1091 of D2000) that clearly shows a single band of beading above and below the windows as does the one of M32958 (Lot 669 D1796) in a similar condition so obviously both diagrams were constructed in a similar manner. In later years D2000 vehicles appear with all manner of beading applied in single/double rows in a seemingly random fashion varying from coach to coach. Possibly beading has been added over the years to cure water ingress rather than as a result of the beading being there from new and then removed due to rot. Many images exist of vehicles with no discernible beading but this may be as a result of works attention and the replacement of multiple sheet material with one-piece fittings, thus making beading unnecessary. The conclusion we have reached is that the one-size-fits-all Dapol bodyshell is a bit of a hybrid – certainly as far as its strict accuracy in terms of livery and running number is concerned – but if anything veers more towards a D2000 Stove R in the immediate post-war years. Modellers seeking a more accurate model of a D1796 vehicle at any stage or a D2000 later in its career may need to consider how best to make the necessary modifications. I hope you found this useful Ian

Brake levers now in place and the springs are fitted. This is a 3D printed item from Rumney Models. This side of the van has the Morton clutch fitted.

I fitted the van roof and the roof edge detail today. The edge detail was actually just a cover to go over the rollers, presumably to keep the dirt off and stop the rails clogging up. Ian

I assembled the rest of the brake gear today, so the shoes and yokes are now in position. The shoes are a fold up assembly as you can see here. Ian

Hi Stewart Yes I will make this kit available when I have finished this test build and assuming I am happy with it. Everything has gone together well so far but I never release a kit until I am happy everything fits as it should. I have used a lot less nickel silver in this kit as the cost of the nickel silver etches I use in the kits has virtually doubled over the last year, consequently, I expect this kit will probably come out at about 35 quid. If you want to go onto the list please message me as it is easier for me to keep track of everybody that wants a kit that way. Ian

I've opened the book on this one now, so you are on the list Mike. I got a bit more done today, the brake operating parts are now in place along with the buffers. Next job is the brake shoe assemblies. I haven't fitted the brake hand levers yet as they make it more difficult to fit the springs later in the build. Ian

I got a bit done on the chassis today. The solebars have an overlay which saves having to press out lots of rivets. The axleguards and wheel bearings are in place. The little pegs on the upper side are the door guides. The next job is the vacuum cylinder and the NEM pocket. The latter can be left off if working couplings are to be fitted. I'll post a couple more photos tomorrow showing the progress. Ian

Hi Mike I have no concrete proof of when they changed the springs from 'J' hanger to standard types but photographic evidence suggests they probably started around 1969 or 1970. Needless to say this would have been done on an Ad Hoc basis as and when a van was either repaired or modified for a new role, they wouldn't have all been done at the same time so mixing vans with both styles in one bloc train on a layout depicting post 1970 would be perfectly acceptable. Ian

Hi Mark Here is a bit more text from that which my friend researched for me, it explains a bit about the vans subsequent use etc. Alas the experiment with palletised IZAL traffic was not a great success. Within a few short years at least some of the vans were being used to carry parts for the Ford Motor Company between Dagenham and Halewood, marshalled indiscriminately with Ford's altogether larger blue-liveried, 35ft long, 20ft 9in wheelbase diagram 1/235 Palvans. Almost certainly the diagram 1/221 vans in Ford service retained their IZAL green livery, by then very shabby and travel-worn while some kept their original logos; others carried Ford branding. A number of these pallet vans also worked on the Campbells soup traffic out of Kings Lynn, Norfolk and there are photographs that appear to show them repainted in what may well be plain bauxite livery, branded PALVAN, but there's no compelling evidence to suggest any of them definitely joined the general revenue fleet. The TOPS code was VPV and according to Paul Bartlett they were out of revenue service by 1976 or so, although some were subsequently seconded to the engineers or employed as internal users (the Ministry of Defence took a few, repainting them pale green) and lasted into the early 1990s.

I've finally got the IZAL Palvan to a point where I will be happy with it. I've been working on this one for over a year but 'Life' keeps getting in the way. I'm currently working on the final test build but here are a couple of photos of the last test build. A friend of mine did some research for me and this is the text he produced, for which I am very grateful, it's a far better job than I could have done. In the late 1950s, British Railways were keen to respond to higher customer expectations and changing trends in freight transport. They launched a number of initiatives designed to stem the steady leaching of goods traffic away from rail to road. One of these was the use of sliding-door vans specifically designed to carry palletised goods, then a relatively new form of freight handling and offering a true door-to-door service. A number of different wagon designs were developed, one of the most visually striking being the batch of 250 vans built in 1960 for IZAL. Best known for their pungent-smelling (and famously non-absorbent) toilet paper, IZAL was a company described in an advertisement for the British Industries Fair as a 'Manufacturers of Chemical Products for use in Hygiene Including: Disinfectant Fluids and Powders, Insecticidal Fluids and Powders, Liquid Soaps, Cleansers, Antiseptic Toilet Rolls, etc'. The chemicals used in these products were a by-product of the coke-making processes associated with the South Yorkshire steel industry. Based at Chapeltown between Sheffield and Barnsley, IZAL was a subsidiary of Newton, Chambers & Co of Thorncliffe. The parent was primarily an engineering firm and will be known to enthusiasts as the builders of the stock for the Eastern Region's 'Anglo-Scottish Car Carrier'. The IZAL vans, however, were produced in BR workshops at Derby and were owned and operated by BR – the customer livery was just that, and they were never true 'private owner' wagons. The fleet was delivered in 1960 as a single Lot of 250 wagons, the number sequence running from B782274 to B782523. The vans were plywood bodied with flat wooden bracing and unusually they ran on 11ft wheelbase steel underframes; they were 18ft 9ins over headstocks and 22ft 2in over buffers. They were fitted with Morton 8 shoe vacuum-operated brakes with handbrake levers on each side. As built they had J-hanger spring suspension but photographic evidence shows that this was changed to conventional spring suspension later in their lives. Full-height internal partitions divided the load space into four equal sections with a sliding door to each, which without modification would have limited their usefulness in subsequent applications. Reflecting changing patterns in freight distribution, we understand the IZAL vans were usually seen in traffic in block formation or in short rakes. The vans were labelled with the IZAL company logo and painted in that company's vivid shade of green, with logo in bright red and white. A good guide to livery colours is the otherwise wholly fictitious 12T ventilated van in IZAL livery issued by Peco between 1966 and 1978. All Dia 1/221 vehicles were branded on the left-hand central door "RETURN TO CHAPELTOWN, E.R.". Photographs of them – especially in IZAL service – are uncommon but a useful selection is available onlne at https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brizalvan The body is made up in layers to represent the structure of the sides and doors. Similarly the ends are made up in the same fashion. This is the main bodyshell assembled with a central partition to give it strength. The ends have ribs which go below the headstock and to simplify things I have added overlays to replicate a lot of the rivet work behind the ribs and on the outer edges of the van ends. There are a number of parts which replicate the door fastening mechanism and lock bolts. I will post more photos as the build progresses, I have started on the van chassis but not got very far yet. Ian

I wanted to Join RMWeb premium so have been to the World of Railways site, registered and paid my £12 fee but when I go to the integration page I get the message below. I have cleared cookies and browsing history etc as suggested. Ian

I was directed to this site by a friend of mine which should be very useful for metal components. http://www.metalsmith.co.uk/metals-materials.htm Ian

I'm really saddened to hear that the business has gone down Derek. Eileen's was my first choice for many of the materials I supply with my kits. It will be hard to find another supplier as reliable as yours. Ian

That's strange, according to my list I haven't sent you a kit. I sent you a pm a couple of weeks ago to which you didn't respond. Can you please pm me with your details so I can check what is going on. Ian

Hi Roger, I have sent you a pm. Ian