Penrhos1920

Yes I hope to produce a complete kit and also of the other Crocodile I'm making. The end platform top has a overlay with all of the rivet detail and there are overlays for most of the side details and around the corners. Here I've folded up the one piece bogies and I'm setting the ride height.

Just to say that I'm currently working on the Crocodile etches which I've written about in a different topic:

Having folded the end platforms up, the next step is to tin the top and part of the sides ready for the overlays. The ends and girders are joined together with tabs and slots. Each piece has a tab that needs folding 90deg and a slot for the opposite tab. I'm really impressed with myself as only the tinyest amount of removing the cusps was necessary for the tabs to locate snuggly in the slots. (this is the first time I've used tabs and slots. I did do an etch for this crocodile many years ago, but that was a bit of a disaster as it wasn't strong enough to hold even itself up! This etch is almost redesigned from the bottom up) The tab that protrudes through the end plaform side will need to be filed flush for the side overlay to fit. At one end only, the inside tabs also need to be filed flush so that the well can slide in. It pushes all the way to the unfiled tabs at the other end.

Build of a C11 has started. But why go to all the trouble to design an etch for a C11? Well in 1920 the C11 was the second most numerous Crocodile on the GW. The most numerous was the C12 of which there were 12 built in 1909. 10 C11s had been built int 1906. The C11 was the earliest of the type V design that actually survived into the 1920s. It has a unique design of bogie that is 1' shorter than the "standard" design that was used under all later Crocodiles, 40t coal wagons and Macaws. First up is the floor and ends of the well. There's just one piece to overlay here, so a nice and simple start: Followed by the side girders. I've designed a little jig to hold the 3 pieces together. The top and bottom pieces have little grooves that locate the middle part in them. I found it easier to hold the 3 pieces in a vice sitting on the resistance unit return electrode rather than trying to hold them directly. The end platforms are one piece with overlay for most of the rivets. But there are a still a good number of them to press out. There are 6 of them on the inside of the piece that needs pressing to opposite way to the others. Because of the way the part folds, it will be easier to fold the 2 folds that form the inner side of the platform before forming any of the rivets, then pressing the rivets and finally folding the sides and outer end. The folds half make themselves if they are scored a few times first.

83831 was from one of the earlier N27 lots so I doubt it was built with Morton brakes. If it was from the last lot I’d say it was possible. But I can’t understand why it would have been converted unless the breakgear had been severely damaged.

Are there any 4mm South Wales pregrouping plates in what you’ve got?

P19s were condemned between 1956 & 1960. Only 5 appeared get converted to departmental service. P14s were condemned between 1953 & 1959. Again only 5 made it into departmental usage, no’s.DW 315, 150016-8/88.

Whats that roof made of? It’s rippled.

More goodies in the post this morning. Looks like I’m going to be busy. I’m putting the coal wagons on one side and starting on these etches.

Later Collett gangway stock was blanket withdrawn in 1964 / 65. Hawksworth stock only last 3 or 4 years longer.

Yes the last Collett non gangway stock was taken out of service in 1963. Most going in the previous 3 years. Even the Hawksworth non gangway stock also disappeared in 1963.

I think I’ve got the wrong mates!

The lead in about 1.8mm. So the floor is about 2.4mm total thickness. The biggest problem with this is that the bottom 10 thou styrene allows the solebars to flex more than usual and some extra rigidity is required. Best done by adding a couple of crossmembers.

There’s more action on the work bench. The loco coal wagons are starting to take shape. I don’t use the Coopercraft floors. Instead I put a piece of 10 thou flush with the bottom of the sides. I use some 15 thou as spacers under the location pegs on the ends. Then a piece of lead covered by another piece of 10 thou. This method gives a solid body that weighs just right. As I said earlier these kits are too narrow so I splice a piece of 30 thou into each corner. The N13s & 19s have rounded corners. The N20s & 21s have square corners with rivets.

What I don’t know is if the body was the same for the 13” and 18” heads?

Look what has arrived today. Printed parts for the C11 and C4. There are bogie springs, axles boxes and rectangular and round 18" long wagon buffers. A little while ago I order some etches from PPD: There are 2 crocodiles here; the lower half is for a C11 which inculdes an etched bogie as it had a unique 4'6" design. The upper half is for a C4 design of which there were 2 varients, so it inculdes parts for both types of end platform. The C4 used a standard 5'6" bogie so the etch is designed to use the Cambrian C73 bogie kit. I can't wait for the etches to arrive!!

Look what the postman has brought !! Presents. Well not proper presents as I've had to buy they, but it is a nice box from Shapeways. And for the first time ever I think I can say that I'm more than 95% happy with what has arrived. First up I have some GWR Self Contained Buffers for wagon by @Guy Rixon. These are for a future GWR vans project where I will be fitting 13" steel buffer heads. But I'm wondering whether they can be fitted with 16” or 18” heads for bogie wagons? For some of my Crocodiles and 40t loco coal wagons? Next up also for some GWR vans are OK Axlesboxes and wagon buffers by @billbedford. These are also for the GWR vans project, there are a lot of Coopercraft van kits awaiting the knife! Next up are some GWR Dean 10' bogies by Stafford Rd Models for the coaches that were started only a year ago at the beginning of Lockdown. I've only bought 2 pairs as I already have another whitemetal pair for the third coach. I like these, but I'm going to have to fit stepboards and I'm worried about making strong joints to this plastic. And now the next item out of the box are some detailing parts for my range of etched GWR Crocodiles that should be appearing soon. There are the bogie springs and I've just noticed that there are only 2 instead of the 4 required. Then there are 8 axleboxes, 4 rectangular buffer housings, 4 circular buffer housings, and lastly buffer heads/shanks. I'm still waiting for the etches to arrive but as soon as they do I'll be pushing everything else to one side to get on with them. I've got sufficent etches ordered and printed bits here to build 2 off C11 crocodile and 2 off C4 (one of each varient) but I must check that I have the correct Cambrian bogies to hand. The C11 was the second most common design of crocodile (10 built in 1906) after the C12 (12 built in 1909) which I've built a pair from the old Mainline RTR and the C4 was third in the popularity stakes ( 6 built in 1909 during the transition phaes from type V to type VI). And last up is the roof and chassis for the ANDR coaches I've been taking an equally long time over. The roof has been modified to fit around an etched body. 4 corner screws will allow it to separate from the body. Half of the holes are for ventillators and the other are for lamps, all are whitemetal castings. Inside the roof will be 8 tiny leds for the lights including 1 over each veranda. The chassis is in 2 parts as it will be built 'inside' the bottom of the body. I don't know what this has been printed in. I thought I'd ordered white strong flexible, but it's something shaded grey and you can just about see the layers have been made diagonal in the first photo.

I'm surprised that NE or GNR coaches haven't been mentioned. I remeber reading somewhere that the GNR was keen to keep people in their own coaches; I half expected to see that there were through coaches from Bradford via Leeds, Doncaster Grantham, Nottingham and Derby.

Were they all LSWR coaches or a mix?

What do you call cheap printer paper? I had a look for 60gsm and couldn’t find any.

Yes Summer 1925, via R Carroll and BR coaches email group.

Did many/any through coaches reach South Wales pre 1923? I’m thinking did the Midland, LB&SCR, LNWR or NE operate a brake compo or brake third and compo to Cardiff or Swansea? I’ve got a GWR though coaches programme for 1925 that lists just a few: LMS compo and Van Third from Manchester - up to 4 trains on some days, LMS Van Third, compo, Van Third from Liverpool The only LNER coaches were whole trains and then only the Barry - Newcastle on alternate days and Sheffield- Swansea on alternate Sundays. Compare that to the through coaches to the West Country where the list is enormous!

I’ll tell the wife to do that!!

Do you also have the E141 drawing please? I’m still building a D110, E142, C61 set which has got me stumped for the battery boxes, magneto, and brake cylinders. I know there are some GAs in York but I haven’t managed to get there. PS D110 = D109 minus a compartment, E141 are E142 are very similar with the compartments in a different order.

Apparently it’s on its way to half way between Darlington and Doncaster! Not for the faint hearted!! It was bad enough when a 104 turned up on a Sunday Chelmsford to Liverpool St service.