Loco coal wagon

[Michael Osborne]

The story given to me in good faith was Ken Werret' s father had a wagon repair shop and Ken lived on site in a caravan. He would sketch the basic body dimension in a note book and do the proper drawings years later from memory.
I once made a Midland long low wagon from one of his drawings in the Model Railway News that look fine. Years later when Bob Essery published the works drawings in one of his books I compared it with his drawing, it was close but the details were in different places. Now without Ken's drawing I would never have gotten into wagon building for a long time so I am very grateful for his drawings in MRN all those years ago. If this storey is untrue I can only apologise to Ken's memory.

I have sprayed the basic body colour and I will leave it to go hard and assemble it tomorrow and paint the interior wood colour.

I should change the title of this thread to just Scratch Built Wagons reflecting the bigger picture of what I am working on.

 

[Dog Star]

I should change the title of this thread to just Scartch Built Wagons reflecting the bigger picture of what I am working on.

Good idea to change the title given the broad scope of what you have built in the last few years. As for the future, please consider building some GCR or GNR opens.

regards, Graham

 

[Michael Osborne]

Graham,
I would love some wagons from the GNR but would go back longer and do a couple of MSLR ones too.
I would like a 7 ton van from the latter company but I don't have a drawing. Brain Wainwright told me there is one in one of Dow's books on the GCR so when the local library's open I will see if I can order a copy.

I have done a bit more on the NSR bolster wagon with just the axleboxes and springs to fit and paint and then the numbers and lettering as well.

 

[Dog Star]

I would love some wagons from the GNR but would go back longer and do a couple of MSLR ones too. I would like a 7 ton van from the latter company but I don't have a drawing. Brain Wainwright told me there is one in one of Dow's books on the GCR

George wrote a three volume history of the GCR and put together a photo album on the railway - as there are no drawings in the photo album I think that Brian is referring to the trilogy which does have drawings. I have volume 3 of the history, I shall look through the drawing appendices before the weekend.

regards, Graham

 

[Michael Osborne]

I have finished the small bolster wagon with just a little toning down to make it look like it's been in service for a couple of years. I think it makes a good match for the dumb buffered one I made a couple of years ago.

 

[john lewsey]

Beautiful work Mike

 

[Michael Osborne]

H I have built a NSR brake van to go with the other NSR wagons. This was a long job because I made several errors and had to start again part way through.

 

[john lewsey]

This is a stunning model Mike, if any of you havent seen Mikes work on RMWeb its inspirational.
John

 

[Dog Star]

if any of you havent seen Mikes work on RMWeb its inspirational

Here is a link to Mike's RM Web topic called "S7 Scratch Building".

 

[Michael Osborne]

I have just finished a small LNWR cattle wagon..

 

[john lewsey]

A beautiful job it is toooo

 

[BG Rich]

Mike,
Lovely work on the cattle wagon (and the rest!) Based on a comment on RMweb I believe that you used an etch for the iron (?) bars at the bottom of each side. If you have run out of etches the Broad Gauge Society kit for a cattle van uses a three layer side to allow the insertion of individual bars from wire or plastic rod for the middle (bar) layer. It is not something I have tried myself but it seems a sound idea in the absence of a suitable etch. Maybe this might be helpful for future productions? I plan on making a model of the Somerset and Dorset 'high sided goods and cattle wagon' from 1866 based on the drawing in Len Tavender's book "Railway equipment drawings." which has a similar barred section but in the upper part of the sides. No roof as per your open cattle wagons but with a full height 'van' type end. Keep up the great work.
Best wishes
Rich

 

[Michael Osborne]

Rich, sorry for not replying sooner. Yes I have run out of bars but hopefully Dogstar is putting some on an etch for me as well as other stuff. The drawing of the Somerset and Dorset wagon have the bars very much wider than the ones I have used for my cattle wagon.
I have just finished a very old Cam Rly lime wagon in a bit of a distressed state at the end of its life.a

 

[BG Rich]

Mike,
Lovely work on the Cambrian wagon. No problem with you not replying sooner. Quality work such as yours is always worth waiting for. I see from your post on RMweb that you have a very elegant solution to making the bars yourself. Super idea. Dogstar's link in post #69 above will take those interested to the photos of Mike's inventive technique. Certainly worth a look. Keep up the inspiring work, Mike.
Best wishes
Rich

 

[Michael Osborne]

Another new wagon to go in the glass case. One day I might build THAT layout but untill then I will go on and build a few more.

 

[Michael Osborne]

Another new build from my workbench. It is a small tank wagon for tar. I have done a small amount of weathering but if I go any further I could make a mess of it, so I'm leaving it it for the time being.
The tank is etched nickel and was drawn for me by Graham Beare and his son Peter and the nameplates by Chris Brown.
The rivets are from the Masterclub range and were glued in separately.

 

[Michael Osborne]

I have not posted for quite a few weeks ( years ) but I am still bashing plastic. After I bought a L&Y pug and had in converted to S7 by Colin Dowling so I needed a tin tab brake van to go with it. I built a etched kit of one about 30 years ago in finescale but I don't remember where it went to.
So it was out with the plastic and brass and a scratch built one was knocked up over a period of about 4 weeks.

 

[Dog Star]

Very nice to see how you have built the model in sub-assemblies.

How does the brake rod adjustment work? (on the prototype please although I do wonder if the model features a similar facility)

regards, Graham

 

[Malcolmcelyn]

…the plastic and brass and a scratch built one was knocked up….

Wish I could “knock up” something like that! Gorgeous!

 

[Michael Osborne]

Graham, I don't have my copy of L&Y wagons to hand so the question of the brake adjusters is purely quess work. The push rods are round bar and it appears to contain some sort of oversize rod along it's length which I would quess was threaded with a nut on the end to lock it in place. I would imagine that one side was a normal thread and the other size would be a left hand thread. That is purely my own take on it and my rendition of it is a poor attempt using a piece of tube over the push rod which is non working.

I find it easier to build models that can be taken apart for painting. I gave up long ago trying to poke a paint brush inbetween wheels and brakeshoes.