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

[AJC]

The current state of play, showing primarily, the filling of pin holes (most really very tiny but opened up slightly to give the Milliput a chance) but also a start on detailing - you can see the mudguard stays and spare wheel here:



More of the same here, but from the rear and, peaking into view, the toolbox or whatever it is, fashioned from a lump of 150 thou' square styrene section:



Mounting this was a bit of an exercise as rather than being parallel to the tank centre line it was clearly meant to be level...



Ladder next and then wheels before moving on to the tractor unit.

Adam

 

[oldravendale]

I've come across a LNER road/rail insulated tanker

That's a vehicle not in my collection of potential milk tank vehicles, Dave. However, as Adam says, to use the tankers for both fish oil and milk is rather unlikely, I'd have thought. I guess it's possible that there were separate trailers for each product, but if that wagon was unique I suppose it'd have to be one or the other, and my money would be on fish oil.

B

 

[Neil]

Interesting build Adam. I find that the best filler for pin holes is a paste mixed from superglue and talc. I mix and apply with old, blunt craft knife blades.

 

[AJC]

Interesting build Adam. I find that the best filler for pin holes is a paste mixed from superglue and talc. I mix and apply with old, blunt craft knife blades.

I’ve done that for other things, and it’s very effective. In this case, there were a couple of bigger holes (underneath) so out with the heavy stuff...

Adam

 

[AJC]

Following a rather chaotic week at work, well, sort of at work, mostly at home for however long it will be now, there hasn't been a whole lot of modelling time, but what there has been has been devoted to this road-borne milk tank. So ladder on and stays fitted, fifth wheel fettled and the impressively huge wheels installed. Those big tyres were called super singles (because not doubled up), the large diameter, as on the tractor unit reduced the rpm for a given speed making for more efficient haulage. Actual top speed was less on an issue because these Scammells were limited to 20 mph when built!



I'm reasonably certain there should be lights/reflectors by the point I'm modelling (post 1960), so these are still to add. The tractor needs more radical work because the cab as supplied was intended to accommodate smaller steering wheels - United Dairies seem to have standardised on equal sized larger efforts - so I need to make and fit new mudguards. The chassis used here is intended for the later Highwayman. Viewed from the other end, it's plain how basic these units are.



Adam

 

[daifly]

Adam
Were these vehicles permanently coupled? The trailer doesn't seem to have legs and the coupling doesn't look as though it's designed to function as anything other than a pivot and support.
Dave

 

[AJC]

Adam
Were these vehicles permanently coupled? The trailer doesn't seem to have legs and the coupling doesn't look as though it's designed to function as anything other than a pivot and support.
Dave

They were sold as a unit, I think, so more or less. There's a fitting underneath the tank that could be used for a stand as required. Obviously they could be separated and the similar tankers supplied for petrol and the like certainly did have legs, as did the flat and box trailers sold by Scammell: Scammell Tanker on Super Singles Davis Brothers 210GYR Frank Hilton 17052015 056

Adam

 

[Osgood]

Looks like many of the MU tractors supplied with frameless tank trailers (United Dairies included) were fitted with Scammell's own coupling -
the Spherub unit.
Some however had a standard 5th wheel coupling for interchangeability - a couple of the preserved United Dairies tractors being so fitted (but they may well have been fitted later in working life when used as yard shunters).
You can't always go on 'no landing legs so must be Spherub', but mostly the case.

Intended for semi-permanent coupling, the Spherub comprised a steel upper pressing bolted to the trailer sitting on a cast lower unit having low-friction linings, the whole being mounted on bonded rubber resilient mountings.
A vertical push rod ran through the pivot pin to actuate trailer brakes.


Here's a picture of tank trailer production showing upper pressings awaiting fitting:

Scammell Anorak mode off.........

 

[daifly]

Thanks both for the info and photo link.
Dave

 

[AJC]

Thanks for the useful additional gen, @Osgood! That said, Tony, if you've got a decent period view of the rear of a cylindrical tank that would be appreciated. I've obviously found plenty of preservation images and quite a few of petrol tankers - helpful because I've got one of those to do, too - but not exactly what I'm after.

Adam

 

[oldravendale]

Wow Tony. (I love this site!) I learn something new every day. This stuff is fascinating. I've lived through it all but never knew it was happening!

Brian

 

[AJC]

A few more details. United Dairies vehicles all seem to have three rear cab windows (or one lozenge-shaped one in the case of the later Highwayman) which isn't what came with the cab moulding. Filling them in was simple enough and after a waft of primer, I marked out and cut some new ones.



Moving round the front, there's certainly a Scammell 'look' to the model already.



And finally, the rear - mud flaps hung on the back of the mudguards from a bit of brass shim:



Adam

 

[AJC]

I realise that I've been lurching around a bit so to recap, this is where I left my tiny Bedford OST:



All rather shiny but not especially realistic and I don't see M. & A. Shaw* as being the most ferociously 'kempt' concern. And so, taking this image as inspiration: tpt transport truck lorry wagon george wadacor ncb bradford coal mining pit bedford and a lot of work hand lettering and a bit of distressing later, Shaw's old Bedford is starting to show its years of toil. The tipper body is a bit worn, but advertises its owners' wares.



On the offside, the undertaking pedestrian would find the lorry looks quite tidy.



And finally a more trad' three-quarter view. I wonder whether the driver's left the key in?



Adam

* The real 'M. Shaw' is a good friend and colleague of mine. I hope he won't mind this description!

 

[Osgood]

Thanks for the Stilltime link - I'd found that resource a few years ago and lost it again!
Lovely patina on the little Bedford!!

 

[AJC]

Thanks for the Stilltime link - I'd found that resource a few years ago and lost it again!
Lovely patina on the little Bedford!!

Thanks! Stilltime is great (if a bit of a pain to find things sometimes). I've been distracting myself by baseboard building...



Adam

 

[AJC]

The lockdown wagonworks should be more productive than it is, but there are a couple of vehicles that are almost done (and a third not too far behind). Here's the supposedly quick-win, one of Hornby's finest, Bulleid-period cattle cattle wagon (albeit one of the last 150 outshopped under BR - Margate has given it some legible, but impossible, paint dates on the solebar: February '45!). Because Hornby have included most of the brakegear, regauging to EM was challenging. The wheels fit nicely between the W irons, but the brakeshoes get in the way. I sliced them off where they join the chassis frame and then - very carefully - drilled a 0.5mm hole vertically into them and another correspondingly 1mm or so towards the solebars. At the same time I drilled the shoes for new wire yokes to replace the truly excellent moulded examples. Some superglue and a few bits of wire later...



The self-inflicted troubles over, I added the bits that were in the way of the NEM socket, the inner vee and a crude representation of the linkage under the outer ends and something a bit more subtle connecting the brake hangers. Vac' bag and lamp irons and job done.



Oh, one last thing. The real thing had a metal sheet roof secured, at a guess, with screws. Hornby realise these as rivets, lovely, lovely rivets. The real screws were countersunk so off they came. A minor tragedy in the scheme of things but it pained me to do it.

Adam

 

[Osgood]

....That said, Tony, if you've got a decent period view of the rear of a cylindrical tank that would be appreciated. I've obviously found plenty of preservation images and quite a few of petrol tankers - helpful because I've got one of those to do, too - but not exactly what I'm after.

Adam

This is probably too late, but:

Only just stumbled across this image (haven't found any rear views in photo resources).
Now I imagine Eagle illustrations would be pretty accurate renditions and this one certainly shows good light and plate bracket detail (guessing lower LH bracket under the 20 plate is cut away for clarity).
Also the mounting bars and brackets for the rear bumper (perhaps an optional extra - not seen one before!).
Note this unit is an early style demountable 5th wheel (roller carriage) with trailer legs:

 

[AJC]

That's great, thanks! I think the rear bumper was something associated with petrol tankers - milk makes a mess but shouldn't go bang...

Adam

 

[AJC]

I mentioned that the cattle van was one of three projects currently inching forward. We've seen this one before, the last vehicle from a collection acquired from an old family friend's estate, a Parkside PMV



We left it with a new Masokits inner chassis, rather a lot of internal bracing and some rather spindly springs. I replaced the cosmetic springs with some ABS castings meant for a BR CCT and over Easter finally fitted the steps. Since then it's had a sniff of primer and a a couple of coats of Railmatch Crimson (and a bit of brown on the underframe to finish up a batch of paint). The big problem is the roof. Parkside's is too wide by about 1mm, too short by about 0.5mm and this one at least not exactly square, even before I cut it down the middle to take out the excess width. I have a plan...



Adam

 

[Osgood]

Not the best but maybe better than nothing?



The lighting is nothing if not discrete!