More wagons to roll

[Paul821]

Here is my second (or is it second and third) entry in this GB, as it is a bit more mainstream than my first. Encouraging to see a number of threads started for model railways so my additions are:

 

 

Both of these will have a place in my WW2 themed never ending diorama, and before the end of this GB I might add  couple more.

 

The brick wagons were built to carry bricks from the Fletton brickworks in Peterborough to KIngs Cross goods yard, but during WW2 they were repurposed to carry rubble from the blitzed areas of London to provide hard core for the many airfields being built at the time.

 

Tom understand the purpose of the trestle wagon you need to know about "loading gauge". Many people know about four foot, eight and a half inches as the UK gauge but what is more important is the overall loading gauge set by the edges of platforms, the size of bridges and tunnels etc. This gives the space in which all items carried on the railway had to fit. Those who know the London Underground will appreciate this, all the underground is 4' 8." inch gauge but the trains on the pure tube lines are much smaller than those on the Circle, Metropolitan and District lines - they have different gauges, both of which are smaller than the general main line gauge.

 

This site explain it better than I have

 

https://www.igg.org.uk/rail/2-track/02track3.htm

 

Simple geometry says that the diagonal across a rectangle is longer than either the height or width, the trestle wagon makes use of this  fact, which meant that items such as aircraft propellers could be carried by train. More commonly items such as glass plate might have been seen on them.

[PeterB]

Nice kits - I rather think I have the Brick waggon in my rolling stock in the roof but I never built a trestle waggon. I was unaware of the wartime use you mentioned for the former. I believe I also have a kit built ex NER Rectank A which was built during WWI to transport the early tanks.  Back in the those days the railway companies seem to have been happy to build specialist rolling stock for all kinds of loads, unlike the modern "one size fits everything or we cannot carry it" philosophy

 

Pete

Edited April 12, 2023 by PeterB

[Paul821]

On 4/12/2023 at 3:52 PM, PeterB said:

Back in the those days the railway companies seem to have been happy to build specialist rolling stock for all kinds of loads, unlike the modern "one size fits everything or we cannot carry it" philosophy

Pete

This down to the ending of the common carrier status of the railways when in 1962 BR was no longer a common carriers by rail or inland waterway”. This act of parliament relieved the British Railways Board of its obligation to carry any goods offered to it—an obligation which had been operative since the passing of the Railways Clauses Consolidation Act in 1845. Now loads are only accepted if they are profitable and cover the entire costs including any new  rolling stock.

 

Oddly the only exception to this is probably the carrying of Nuclear traffic where Direct Rail Service (DRS) is the only fully nationalized railway company.

 

However there have been some interesting wagons built since 1962 such as these

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/kirowswitchcross

 

which could be the modern version of a trestle wagon.

[PeterB]

Hi Paul,

 

I had forgotten that. Of course anybody with a large enough layout based on that early period could have a veritable of multitude of different types, not to mention all the variations on private owners waggons. I live in the South Wales valleys and early in the last century there were probably over 40 coal mines in the area. Even post grouping GWR could be modelled with a dozen or more different owner names on coal trucks, but although plenty of kits are/were available I never quite got round to it, though I may have an "Ocean" one from up the Rhondda Valley I believe, though it is of course a fairly common name.

 

Pete 

[Graham Boak]

The idea of the private owner waggons was that they had to be returned to the owner and were not to be used by anyone else.  In the runs between the mines and the docks then there would be long strings of these waggons, all with the same name on, shuffling backwards and forwards.  I've little further knowledge of these GWR operations, but although there were indeed a wide variety of such names you would not see many of them in a single train.  Wartime would be a different matter, where such niceties went by the board.

 

In a goods train, however, you might see examples marked with any of the big 4 groupings, though again the majority would be from a single operator.

[Paul821]

So I have finally landed on dry land after my time at sea in the Salty Sea Dog GB, and am ready to start on my three builds here. I say three but I have eyes on a couple more railway wagons.

 

But to the brick wagon - well it's just a box on wheels, and the sprue shot looks like this:

 

 

at least the Peco reissues of these models now includes decals. Construction should not take too long.

[Paul821]

Although I took the sprue shot yesterday it was only when I started building the wagon that I noticed that I only had 2 axle/wheel's supplied. As I brought this from a shop in Cromer, North Norfolk, I don't think I will enforce by consumer rights and return it to the shop as it is a  5+ hour return drive. 

 

I have written to Peco and explained the situation and will see what they come up with.

 

Also I have started the kit - I have often wondered what happens to you consumer rights if you discover a missing part some time into your build. 

 

Started just means the ends are on.

 

being held upright by York Modelmaking squares.

[PeterB]

This sort of thing has happened to me 3 times, all with Airfix. The first time it was their brand new Mosquito back in 1957 and when I sent off the complaints slip they sent back a complete kit by return of post - now that is what I call customer service but of course their accountants would have a fit these days. The second was their Hercules in 1971 when I complained that the fuselage parts were warped. They replied asking me to send the parts back to them for a replacement which I suppose was fair enough but they took so long I had managed to straighten them out in hot water and the kit was half built. The final example was much more recent, when I finally got round to building a 2010 reboxing of their Hampden to replace the one I built when it was released back in 1968. When I finally opened the box about 10 years later the glazing for the lower gun position was missing, though in fairness I could have lost it I guess. As the kit was so old and no longer in production they would not play, but in fairness did sell me a replacement, though it probably; cost about £5 for the single part - not the sprue.

 

In your case the wheels are probably a fairly standard part still in production so you may get lucky but I suspect they may want to be paid.

 

Good luck.

 

Pete

[Paul821]

On 4/26/2023 at 9:36 PM, PeterB said:

In your case the wheels are probably a fairly standard part still in production so you may get lucky but I suspect they may want to be paid.

Peco came up trumps, i go an email back first thing Monday (which was the first working day after I sent my email) apologising and saying the wheels were in the post, the arrived Royal Mail 48hr service two days later.

 

The hiatus in this build is down to the Grain Silo and three days off Blitzbuilding.

 

The is a very easy kit so after a few hours today:

 

 

it's ready for the paint shop. The only issues were the bogies. They are moulded in a very soft plastic and I was not sure that standard poly' cement would work. If fact I am still not sure so they are not attached to the body - I will check tomorrow.

 

I mentioned the Grain Silo earlier, as this is rail served it need a wagon, so I am adding this one to the build, a buy-it-now of ebay as a reasonable cost with free postage. The sender actually posted it first class, so good service there.

 

 

this must be an early issue as it comes with the silver wheels unlike the later Parkside, then Peco, issues which have blackened wheels. Will not be strating this one until after the trick and trestle wagons are complete.

[Paul821]

While painting of the brick wagon progresses onto the Trestle Wagon, with the sprue shot

 

 

 

it was only after I opened the kit that I discovered, that although the label says LNER Trestle wagon these are actually a post war rebuild of some LNER bogie wagons. So technically not suitable for my diorama, Having said that similar wagons were in use in WW2 so this will probably become a WHIF.

 

First problem is that the sole bars have a number of injection pins on them

 

 

Most of these are not a problem and cannot be seen, but the ones next to the axle boxes just happen to come up against the supporting bar on the underside of the floor, so need trimming back.

 

 

 

[Paul821]

This is becoming a slow build, partially due to gardening needed attention on these longer and warmer days. Hopefully it will pay off in the summer /autumn with a freezer full of fruit and veg,

Added another wagon to the mix:

 

 

a grain wagon for the silo diorama.

 

The current state of all the wagons is:

 

:

along side is the Diamond T asphalt tanker with is also part of this GB. 

 

 

[Paul821]

The wagons are still rolling along

 

 

but they will not get finished before the deadline for the end of this GB.