LMS 40t Brake Van

[Richard08]

In pursuit of the weird and wonderful of the wagon world Sanata dropped this off during a test flight for the new reindeer (Eric, apparently). Now I've got to get on with the Dogfish to make room, no more '"Oh, this/that needs doing instead" - I got a bit dispirited with the leaf springs being castings and not the expected working ones, which leaves the W irons somewhat flexible. Some tiny spacers fixed that so time to press on.

[Richard08]

And to the 40t van. This is what is in the box.

Nice etches and cleanly cast white metal parts bodes well.

And actual spring buffers. Things are on the up

This is my first Gladiator kit, a name I seem to recall goes back many moons. Attempting to be diplomatic rather than critical, I was aware/under the impression that their kits are not exactly for beginners. If nice tabs and such to aid assembly is your bag, then this may not be for you. It does all fit well though, so it's a bit of a "how do I hold this while fixing" rather than difficult per se. The instructions give one possible assembly sequence, but note that the builder may have an alternative strategy. That'll be me then. Having cleaned up and folded the cabin parts I concluded, rightly or wrongly (time will tell!), that by assembling all the bits that can only fit one way, and squarely first, then the ends make sub units that can be fitted to the sides knowing they must be of the right dimensions. Well, it sounds good. So far at least, all is well.

[Bigmet]

That'll be quite imposing among the average size grouping wagons. Why such a large body though? Several rocking chairs will fit on each veranda for summer guarding, and a smaller cabin would be cosier for the winter...

[Richard08]

That'll be quite imposing among the average size grouping wagons. Why such a large body though? Several rocking chairs will fit on each veranda for summer guarding, and a smaller cabin would be cosier for the winter...

It's more imposing than the Queen Mary, that's for sure! I gather these were used on one line only with very steep gradients, so it may be they took along extra Guards/Shunters to speed up incline working. Apparently they were custom built to replace pairs of 20t vans, so maybe the 'size' was to replicate these size wise.

Meanwhile... my first absolutely 100% square wagon body, not even the slightest rock. This went a lot better than I was expecting - a couple of large ty-wraps held the sides to the 'end' assemblies and having tucked in the corners so to speak everything just clicked in place.

[Bigmet]

That makes sense. Very neat build.

[Richard08]

Bar a coupe of fragile parts (it's getting a good bath tomorrow) the body/chassis is complete (roof goes on after painting and gazing, access and all that). I actually got to use actual handrail knobs. Somehow that seems significant. Hey ho. Enjoying this kit.

[Richard08]

Then the underside of the cabin/chassis. The bogie carriers fitted perfectly, just a bit of a shove and self-holding for soldering. So nice when that happens, and all continues to be square. It's the under cabin steps next. Could be fun, there's measuring involved. The screws seem awfully long...

[Dad-1]

I'm so impressed with your brass kits.
Wish I had the courage and dared to try one.

Geoff T.

[Richard08]

I'm so impressed with your brass kits.
Wish I had the courage and dared to try one.

Geoff T.

It's not rocket science. You can build plastic kits and know how a wagon goes together, just need a bit of practice soldering

[Richard08]

On to the bogies, and Interesting Times. With this kit there is enough room (i.e. not trying to drill out the entire axle box just leaving a hole) to fit roller bearings. It's a thing I have... So in they go.

All good there. The cross-member between the bogey side frames fits into sockets in the side frames, a little lip indicating the depth so the ends seat snugly and accurately. Soldering one side while holding the other with a band to see how the wheels will relate to the brake blocks, a bit of a discrepancy became apparent. Even allowing for the rim of the intended 'top hat' bushes sticking out a bit (which roller bearings obviously don't have) the axles have significant sideways play and flanges are likely to hit said blocks and spoil the van's running. No worries, some spacer washers will sort that. If necessary I'll 'dish' the washers a bit so they only rest against the inner race. Only where have the dammed washers gone... Oh well, more ordered from Slaters (don't suppose I'll see them before Christmas, bah humbug). Then the more Interesting problem. There's some rather less substantial cross-members (that carry the brake blocks) each end of the bogey which are intended to fit between the sides, but in fact are just the right length to fit across the ends (below, it's not really that obvious in the photo). These have rivet detail right at the ends, so don't look as though they are intended to be modified. However, if fitted the way shown in the instructions both the main cross-member and wheels would just fall out. I'll do some more staring just to make sure I'm not missing something, but then out with the file to shorten them.

So progress has hit the buffers a bit until Slaters deliver or the aliens return the missing washers (and that handwheel that's still MIA).

[Bigmet]

...With this kit there is enough room (i.e. not trying to drill out the entire axle box just leaving a hole) to fit roller bearings. It's a thing I have...

Just out of interest, is there a measurable performance benefit? I am interested because the 'full size train in OO' practise on my layout requires every vehicle to roll away from rest on a true 1% grade, and ideally on a 0.5% grade; this last is reliably achievable by running steel pinpoint axles in brass for a few months, and subsequently adding a little PTFE spray lubricant annually.

[Richard08]

...With this kit there is enough room (i.e. not trying to drill out the entire axle box just leaving a hole) to fit roller bearings. It's a thing I have...

Just out of interest, is there a measurable performance benefit? I am interested because the 'full size train in OO' practise on my layout requires every vehicle to roll away from rest on a true 1% grade, and ideally on a 0.5% grade; this last is reliably achievable by running steel pinpoint axles in brass for a few months, and subsequently adding a little PTFE spray lubricant annually.

I'm trying to get, just as something to play at, a loose shunted wagon to come to a stop nicely. Most of my wagons will roll off on their own accord on any sort of slope, but they come to a halt quite suddenly when stopping, whereas a loose shunted wagon takes quite some time to come to a stop (so to speak). The QM van has the usual brass bearings and is an excellent runner, but it looks like the LMS van will take a lot less effort to move. Not that it matters on my layout, but I just like tinkering. So far I've discovered that roller bearings have to be dead square to the axles to get any benefit. And that the OD of the bearings isn't actually 4mm... more 3.8mm.

[Richard08]

Having made washers out of spare brass bearings the first bogey is complete. I've been surprised, and indeed caught out, by the castings. I guess the label 'white metal' covers a whole range different alloys, but these ones are incredibly soft. Light handling during assembly manged to bend them, even the side frames, one of which has a crack through it (now patched up). Anyhow, 'tis done. The steps are probably meant to stand out a bit further but geometry intervened, the either stick out at a crazy angle and clear the axle boxes or 'look right' and finish up slightly under the axle boxes, which isn't really right. I've gone for the latter on the basis of aesthetics and practicality (more robust for handling). This one has Peartree wheels, the other will have the blackened Slaters ones in the background. I don't suppose mixing wheels will (should?) matter, but with the season getting more is a slow process and I'm impatient.

[Richard08]

A productive day, and the olive oil in the kitchen is starting to demulsify. Severe danger of getting warm is on the cards. I forgot Slaters wheels have larger axles than Peartree, but with seasonal delays I concluded it was best to plough on using the Slaters with their brass bearings. This turned out as an opportunity to compare one bogie with roller bearings against one with brass. Result : the roller bearings are notably better, but unless I ever get to run my dream trains - 41 tipplers (MSV) or 37 Procors (PGA) - probably not worth the candle. Meanwhile..

With both bogies done it was time to fit them...

Yep, those screws were indeed a tad long. Obviously, now it's mobile, it's play time. I mean testing time. WIth the roof just plonked on for photographic effect, here it is against the QM van.

I haven't set the ride height yet, there's springs, so it's sitting a bit weirdly on the bogies. It's a very odd looking thing, due to the short wheel base bogies I think.

[Richard08]

I found a couple of photos of these vans. Going to have to rework the handrails! The ones on the van sides on the prototype look like they have no clearance behind, a bit odd.