4mm An EM Workbench: Mini-Signwriting (rough)

ullypug

Western Thunderer
Looking forward to reading my copy which arrived today.
As to the EM mafia, there’s no proof I was ever involved. :)
 
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Osgood

Western Thunderer
I have to say despite being captivated by the development of Morfa Sidings in the monthly EM Gauge 70’s updates, there is something quite special about perusing a well-written and illustrated article in print.
 
Chapman & Son (RCH ex-PO)

AJC

Western Thunderer
After an awful lot of nothing much some more wagons. The first is really a bit of set-dressing for the layout, an old wooden-bodied mineral with an open door to be parked up in the vestigial goods yard or for coaling one of the industrial locos. More or less straight Parkside, this:

RCH_Mineral_Open_Door_001.jpg

Note that the brake is on, but not fully on, something that seems quite normal. The second is more like hard work, a Parkside Pipe. The body is a very nice moulding indeed, but the chassis less so, being generic (and thus having the wrong axleguards) and also lacking the various ancillary details, like brackets, door springs, door controllers, etc. This is roughly the halfway stage:

Pipe_Morton_001.jpg

As @Overseer has spotted the curb rail should be inset slightly, though unlike his 7mm example, the 4mm version seems to be the correct height (more here: 7mm - Pipe dreams). There are many, many more details yet to add, which may explain why I've only built one of these before: they take a lot of effort. These include lots of tie-down/rope cleats (there were three different patterns, often mixed on each wagon), lamp irons, door chains, door controllers and probably one or two other things I can't remember at this precise moment. The one thing that is complete is the brake rigging. This Pipe was one of the early batches that had Morton clutches and push rod brakes. Most had lifting links, others LNER-style 8-shoe brakes and the last built had LMS-style 8-shoe brakegear which seems like a lot of variation for a type which numbered just shy of 2,000 wagons. All these variants can be seen in Paul Bartlett's galleries, as ever: BR 12ton Pipe Wagons SOV ZDV ZDW ZGV ZRV ZSP

Adam
 
You wouldn’t want the brake lever to go to the bottom of the guide in real life Adam. If it did the brakes would be out of adjustment and probably wouldn’t hold the wagon. Definitely a green card job. CG W4 if I remember correctly from my TOPS days.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
This Pipe was one of the early batches that had Morton clutches and push rod brakes. Most had lifting links, others LNER-style 8-shoe brakes and the last built had LMS-style 8-shoe brakegear which seems like a lot of variation for a type which numbered just shy of 2,000 wagons.
Adam
You have made me look at the books and Paul Bartlett's site again. I am pretty sure all the early hand brake only Pipes (Diag 1/460) built between 1949 and 1955 had lifting ink brakes. The Morton brake was used after 1955 on some of the lots and all the Morton brake ones seem to have been vacuum braked from new. The 50 wagons built for newsprint traffic (Diag 1/462, Lot 3070, 1957) had numbers in the B484xxx range instead of B740xxx or B741xxx so appear first in Paul's photos.

Another detail I have just noticed is the Diag 1/461 wagons had the door control springs on the hinges instead of next to the hinges. Not that I am planning to build one anytime soon.
 
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AJC

Western Thunderer
Hi Fraser - you're quite right, having actually had a minute to check the books I see what you mean. The whys and wherefores I can ignore for the moment and if I just follow the photos and have a relatively spruce wagon five years or so after construction. A newsprint load would be quite impressive, wouldn't it? Not that this is what I have in mind!

Adam
 
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garethashenden

Western Thunderer
Adam
The 50 wagons built for newsprint traffic (Diag 1/462, Lot 3070, 1957) had numbers in the B484xxx range instead of B740xxx or B741xxx so appear first in Paul's photos.

Newsprint? Really? Out of all the things that need to be kept clean and dry I'm surprised newsprint was transported in open wagons. I reaslise there are lots of differences between UK and US practice, but in the US its the best, newest, most watertight boxcars that get dedicated to newsprint traffic, so I find the idea of putting it in an open wagon quite strange. But if that's now they did it then I guess that's how they did it.
 

AJC

Western Thunderer
Newsprint? Really? Out of all the things that need to be kept clean and dry I'm surprised newsprint was transported in open wagons. I reaslise there are lots of differences between UK and US practice, but in the US its the best, newest, most watertight boxcars that get dedicated to newsprint traffic, so I find the idea of putting it in an open wagon quite strange. But if that's now they did it then I guess that's how they did it.

Well all the lorries on that traffic from the likes of Bowaters and Aylesford in Kent were flatbeds, with loads wrapped and tarp'ed, like this Maudsley (not even tarp'ed in this case!):

London

To be honest, something like a Pipe is exactly what I'd have expected in a UK context with the extra length accommodating the bulk of the (relatively) low density load. I just didn't know until today that this is what was used.

Adam
 

Paul Cheffings

Active Member
Hi

That’s exactly how the paper was delivered to the company I work for years ago. Now it’s delivered with the reels on their ends in a curtain-sided trailer.

We also have a paper plant in Kent at Sittingbourne.

Cheers

Paul
 
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Chapman & Son (RCH ex-PO)

AJC

Western Thunderer
This is verging on the whimsical, but why not? I happened upon the fact that Powsides did some suitable transfers for a Croydon coal merchant that happens to share my surname (no relation) and so the die was cast. Now the transfers are actually for a GRC&W five plank - I suspect on hire - s0 this is profoundly unlikely, but it's my model and it'll be well-faded and -weathered in time like the earlier 'Staveley' wagon I did. The instant 'lift' adding letters gives makes a significant difference and it's much more exciting than the other (dull) ongoing modelling project which is making track panels for a Salmon.

RCH_Chapman_001.jpg

RCH_Chapman_002.jpg

Now, as penance, some plain wagons to make up for all this exotica.

Adam

PS - the merchant was actually 'Chapman and Sons' but well, there's only the one in this family.
 
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Mike Garwood

Western Thunderer
These are all fabulously detailed and weathered models. Forgive me if I've asked this before...what are they going to run on?

Mike
 
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