IRCH standard goods vans - wooden framed variant

[Mol_PMB]

Some more progress on detailing up the MGWR van. This time I have drilled holes and inserted fine wire to represent the bolts. 

These vans had different door securing arrangements to the GNR vans. 
The door frame was reinforced too, owing to the lack of roof above it. I’ve elected to leave the middle bit of roof in place on the model but will cover it with a sheet tied down to the new roping eyes on the uprights. 

[Tullygrainey]

Delicate work, nicely done!

[Mol_PMB]

Thanks!

Here is the sheet, made from a Tunnock’s wrapper, some fine wire and some fine thread. 

Once painting is more advanced I will fit it in place, you can imagine what it will look like with the ropes pulled tight and glued around the roping eyes:

The Tunnocks wrappers are thin foil on one side and thin paper on the other. 

[Mol_PMB]

It's taken me a while to get these physically complete, but I've finally achieved it this afternoon. 

With a brief sunny spell between the torrential storms, I was able to get a few photos.

Trio:

GNR vac-fitted:

GNR unfitted, sides overlaid with sheeting:

MGWR convertible (tarpaulin will be added after painting):

They are now having a good wash and dry, and will then move on to the paintshop stage.

But that's for another day - I might see one or two of you in the Waldorf this evening?

[flange lubricator]

Great job . 

[Mol_PMB]

Some progress on painting and lettering the IRCH vans. These are intended to represent the period around 1960.

The one lettered GN will have CIE stencils applied as well, but after I have done a bit of weathering so that they look fresher than the original lettering.

All these have been lettered with a complete mish-mash of decals from different sources, but hopefully a bit of weathering will make them look a bit more consistent!

Before anyone says I can't put a snail on a red-brown van, I have seen photos showing both 4166N and 2057N in this scheme in the early 1960s. Perhaps they were overhauled at Dundalk and came out in GN colours with CIE logos?

[Mol_PMB]

I think these are now ready for the display cabinet, and eventually to run on a layout:

 

[Mol_PMB]

A super photo of a GNR fitted IRCH van has just come up for sale on ebay, lots of nice details here.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/358059308009

This looks like N4168 in the UTA fleet, close to the 4166N I modelled. 

[Turin60]

Is that van just "piped" or fully fitted?

John Bruce.

[Mol_PMB]

40 minutes ago, Turin60 said:

Is that van just "piped" or fully fitted?

John Bruce.

It was certainly built as fully fitted, as listed in the GNR diagram book.

Unfitted vans of this type had only 1 brake shoe each side, whereas fitted vans had two each side. The brake gear arrangement was unusual, based on the simple handbrake version with the vac gear and extra brake shoes grafted on.

However, there is a note on the list of numbers accompanying the diagram that 25 of these vans had their vac gear removed and fitted to conflat wagons in 1953.

I confess it's hard to read the number on the photo. Plausible numbers 4166, 4169, 4186, 4188 all kept their vac brakes.

When I first looked I thought it was 4168 but that doesn't appear in the list at all. 

So in conclusion I think it is fully fitted.

Here's my 4166N:

[Turin60]

Thanks for that, looking again at the photograph again you can make out the 2nd brake shoe on the side nearest the camera.

Cheers John.