Dad-1 - Workbench - West Bay Wagon Works

[Dad-1]

A running test on my co-joined single bolster wagons.
I doubted that a load across the two wagons would work. Would it cause
derailing ? Would it move so much it comes off ?
Certainly I doubt you'd ever fix a load and have it work, but here 3 large
plastic girders can shuffle as the gap between the wagons changes going into
a curve, or straightening up.

https://youtu.be/7DjKS5Bsw2k

LNWR wagons not everyone's choice, but 4 wagon kits for around £26 with
wheel sets and decals included pretty good in this day and age.
Oh yes I still have to put decals on !! Have to test they work before adding.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

I'm becoming rather slower than usual - Blame the heat and my age.
Anyway this Saturday morning it's raining so I decided to try to put decals on one of
the Peco/Ratio bolster wagons. I can't find any definitive information, but have pieced
together suitable number, if not exactly factual.
The supplied decal sheet can't provide what I needed, but having a HMRS Pressfix LMS
wagon sheet here I had all that's needed. These are not the smallest numbering set available,
but certainly the smallest I could work with. Remember each individual number is a separate
decal and must be aligned upright, in a straight line, with equal spacing !!
The blunt fact is they should be tighter together, but as each subsequent digit is added there
is a very real danger of pulling off what's already down !! Plus trying to match each side.





The first picture shows the permanent link part. While this may look rather insubstantial I've
had this just hooked in one side without the final top ring bearing and pulled 18 wagons.
It obviously does the job.

I can only do one wagon before my eyes are too tired.

Geoff T.

[ChrisGreaves]

The identifying 'shock' striping on the corrugated ends has come out well though. ...

Please and thank you: What is "shock stock", and what is "shock striping"?

My first guess would be that shock striping is an indicator (a white stripe) applied to rolling stock to indicate that a wagon must not be shocked; that is, such a real-life wagon should be handled tenderly. No slamming it into a stationary rake, and especially not as the leading wagon of a rolling rake being added to a train ("consist").
If my guess is close to accurate, then I would think that refrigerated vans (with delicate power machinery), track maintenance carriages (with delicate instruments) and the like would be candidates.

Thanks
Chris

[Bufferstop]

A bit more than simply "should not be shocked". The body to chassis fixing allowed the body to move to mitigate the worst of any shock. The van bodies would be six inches shorter than their standard counterpart, allowing up to three inches of movement against the shock absorbing mechanism. They were identified by the stripes to indicate that they shouldn't be hump shunted. I suspect that was one rule not followed if the knew what was in them and there was no one around. Guards brake vans could have a similar chassis if the company was being beneficent.

[Dad-1]

Well, I suppose they Should treat these wagons with care when shunting, but
I don't think that was the idea, although it became obvious that such stock had
contents that could easily be damaged by rough handling.
Shock absorbing stock was developed to protect sensitive goods by having the
goods carrying section mounted via springs to the chassis. This meant that the
van, or open wagons body was shorter than standard, while the chassis were
of the standard length.
Many wagons had warnings on them advising No Hump shunting, No loose shunting,
but were not shock absorbing and needed care in handling.
Freight stock is interesting !!

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

The identifying 'shock' striping on the corrugated ends has come out well though. ...

Please and thank you: What is "shock stock", and what is "shock striping"?

My first guess would be that shock striping is an indicator (a white stripe) applied to rolling stock to indicate that a wagon must not be shocked; that is, such a real-life wagon should be handled tenderly. No slamming it into a stationary rake, and especially not as the leading wagon of a rolling rake being added to a train ("consist").
If my guess is close to accurate, then I would think that refrigerated vans (with delicate power machinery), track maintenance carriages (with delicate instruments) and the like would be candidates...

The shock absorbing idea is very dated, with a mechanism on the wagon as described above, and relates to the last 30 years of the steam worked railway in the UK. Freight handling was pretty crude with most wagons small four wheeled types, and run in trains which might run to 80 wagons, and these might not be (fully) automatically braked with at least some of the wagons 'loose coupled' and having no brakes operable by the train crew when running. (If memory serves the last train crew to die on the UK's railways from a runaway of a freight with no automatic brake was as late as 1979...)

[Mountain]

In my area, loose coupled wagons were still to be seen in use right up to the late '80's if I remember correctly, if not the very early 1990's? Growing up here listening to the distant or not so distant clanging of buffers was part of life. It was only when they went and we did not hear the sound that we missed them.

[Dad-1]

I've put this in my Workbench thread as pretty well all of these wagons have been covered in
here as they were built.
I didn't add in the video what they are, but I have a few minutes now so here we go :-

https://youtu.be/Uc2EpaU1rXs

Dapol cattle wagon
Parkside Ex-GWR Mink 'G'
Dapol Petrol Tank - The actual petrol tanks were a few scale mm longer on exactly the same chassis
Dapol Heavy Oil tank
Dapol 16T mineral with chalk load
Dapol Press-Twin
Dapol Presflo
Parkside Shock Van
Red Panda Sand Tippler
Parkside Coal Hopper
Parkside 16T mineral
Cambrian 16T mineral
Dapol 16T mineral with doors that open
Parkside 21Ton coal
Dapol Lowmac with Oxford Tractors
Ratio 12T Ply Van
Parkside 21T Plate
Dapol 10T Fresh Meat Van
Dapol 10T Ale Van
Dapol Brake Van with Train-Tech tail lamp.

I might do a similar train of GWR wagons, with the odd LMS, LNER and Southern. A pre Nationalisation job.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

About a week ago I came across a kit in a bag. By the time I got the camera out I'd
already started.







It was/is a Ratio GWR van, didn't take me long to make up. Decals missing, but anyway
as I trimmed off the sprues the old brittle tie bar between the 'W' irons snapped. As a
result I made up as unfitted V24, many GWR unfitted didn't have the axle guard tie bars
although these were retro fitted when BR added vacuum brakes. 142569 was from around
1940 production, decals were a mixture from HMRS GWR & BR sheets, plus Fox.

With the 'new' prices for wagon kits I'll continue to clear up my unmade stocks of around 10
wagons and 4 coaches. Coaches will be left to last, I'm a freight man.

Geoff T

[Dad-1]

Over the last couple of months I've made 8 wagon kits. Starting in July with the
Red Panda sand wagon.
The latest, awaiting painting and decaling is a Cambrian Kit No.1, a GWR ballast
wagon from 1938-9. Mine has been made as a GWR version with the DCIII brakes
each side. Later production had Morton brakes to one side only and that version
lived into the BR period. I still have to paint & decal.





Seen in the centre of the Red Panda sand wagon and a Ratio GWR 12 ton van.
Now happily circulating around St Oval at the head of a 16 wagon train.
Note a VERY small amount of lead under the coupling mountings giving an empty
weight of just under 20 grams, more than adequate for hauling up to 30 wagons.

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Always look so much better after painting and decalling.



Currently at least a dozen wagons due for weathering, can't put it
off much longer. Also remembered I have 4 wagons still awaiting
decals from a late 2019 building session !!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

A 'NEW' kit, something of a rarity in this day and age.
The new Peco Parkside 13 ton BR North East region 13 ton coal hopper is a wagon I've wanted for
some time. Hoppers are not easy kits to design, tool-up for, or even make up !!
I bough 2 as soon as the initial stocks hit the shelves, just before the big (as a %) price increases.
I've now started :-



I've not followed their progression chart as I believe that it's not the best way. This is because when
making up the chassis I wasn't happy that things were quite as square as they should be and they show
the hopper being built up onto the chassis. I built the hopper loose and then attached to the chassis
after scraping a few thou to get a tighter fit.
Last evening I painted inside the hopper, initially as an undercoat as the lower hopper is moulded in
black plastic with the hopper main body in grey plastic. My fitting job must have helped as after the
paint I can't see any light coming through any joining seams. In addition my Humbrol #128 satin grey has
covered well enough for no need to do a second coat - an unexpected bonus.

Another diversion from the recommended build sequence was to add the two short wire grab rails to
the end platforms. No measurements were given as to the free length as is often given on their kits.
This is 6.5 mm, the turned down ends are less specific as if you use a fine drill to open out the prepared
holes there is room to hide marginally long ends. The other wire grab rails will be added later.

I hope to do more tonight and am tempted to start the second one. So far looking very good !!

Geoff T.

[Bigmet]

One detail you might want to include if the wagons are to represent in service appearance is the rusty and dented 'batter' or 'bang' plates which were provided for the teemer to unstick any of the load which didn't drop freely out of the hopper.

[Dad-1]

Ahh Bigmet,

You've just answered a question in my mind as to why these wagons have
reinforcing plates along the lower sides. I could see no structural reason.
They are there, just don't show up in that photo. Now should I try to scratch
away on their surfaces to replicate dents ?
My reference material photograph is of one in very good condition !! I note
that they were also used for sugar beet at some time in Eastern England.

I assume these are your beating plates.



Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Not managed to do much tonight, but added all the wire grab rails.
Now don't expect to do as suggested in the instructions !!
Threading a wire through to keep all in line sounds a good idea, but is simply not practical. To put a small drill 'Just' large enough
to feed a wire through will almost certainly split it's way out on some of the 8 holes. Anyway even if you manage that how do you
bend a wire through 90 degrees that's threaded through 4 supporting brackets.

My answer was to try & keep one hole intact on one major support. Get all the wire bent before hand, with 2 x 10.0 mm legs off
the hopper side leaving a 31.0 mm centre. Feed through the one intact hole while getting the two ends located onto the little
anchor marks on the hopper sides brackets. While doing this make certain the wire fits into the other split bracket. With the
end wire in perfect line with the headstocks, fix in place with a drop of Cyno glue at each location. When set feed the small upper
brackets onto the wire at the split hole. Manipulate into place and fix with Cyno glue to both the wire and locating marks on the
hopper end. Here are my results :-





Oh and that end grab wire that you put on early.



I can't help much with the one upright rail, that was bent by eye without the taking of specific measurements.

Not a lot to do, but more painting under the hopper sides before I add brakes and the Peco own design NEM coupling pocket.
At the moment it is very light, even with the additional parts it won't get to 15 grams. That should be enough for a train of
up to 12 wagons to stay firmly on the tracks. If you want loaded wagons no problem, burry some weight deep in the hopper.

Geoff T.