Tales from the carriage shops

[Mayner]

Managed to find the remains of the decal set I used when I originally "completed" G617 (goodknows when) complete with replacements for the obliterated/damaged numbers and CIE, I also found a 'stash' of 6pin 1-2amp decoders I bought from the States several years ago but never used, when I had a problem with 0.7 amp decoders blowing on kit built locos.

I am using "Gun Blue" as a blackening agent in areas where paint damaged/chipped exposing brass before touching up paintwork

So at this stage a case of paint touch-ups and clear varnish to seal the decals and protect the paintwork.

Another un-finished job from several years ago was to fit the fuel tanks and gangway covers to a Tin Van I assembled about 5 years ago

Tanks (3D Printed) are both fixed to the floor of the van using 10BA bolts, originally intending to use a Kadee #36 couper, I have not fitted couplers at this stage (no Kadee #36 in stock and looking possibly at using smaller/more discrete B&B couplings (I have a fret of B&Bs somewhere)

While I used to represent the flexible part of the gangway in the traditional manner using (soft) foam rubber wrapped in crept paper, I mounted the Gangway end/cover on a piece of dense foam ground sheet which I think looks reasonably convincing. I usually represent the gangway hanger with a piece of 0.45 phosphor bronze wire with the bottom section wrapped in small dia brass wire to represent the suspension spring, but that's another day or so's work.

Once I get this 'modern' stuff out of the way I have a pair of J15s I started about 7-8 years ago to complete.

 

 

 

[Mayner]

Production Line

Big break through this week cleared tools and accumulated junk from the workbench to complete a flotilla of Tin Vans I started between 5-years ago.

The Vans were substantially complete, mainly door handles, gangway ends to add, replace some damaged/missing steps and complete paint touch ups to G617.

Two steps forward and one back, completed paint touch ups to areas where black had worn off (handrails, edge of running board, shunters and cabs steps & blended and sealed with a semi-gloss clear, then replacement set of G Class decals arrived from Des this morning. I need to check the new CIE roundels for comparision!

3111 Tin Van 1955 as introduced condition, unmodified doors. Although I fitted door handles on previous builds, I found it challenging this time around over 10 years after I initially produced the kit.

I need to adjust the axleguard assembly on the righthand side!

3123 with modified doors an early modification to these vans.

3114 a van with the majority of windows replaced with plain panels & 3111 a van in original as introduced condition. 3114 is based on a late 60s David Malone photo of the van at Sligo.

 

[Mol_PMB]

 

Looking good, John!

Loosely on this topic, here's one of the TPOs as later converted into a luggage/parcels van. Letterboxes sealed, and renumbered in the 27xx series - possibly 2766. I'm not sure if there were any other changes - possibly the rooflights plated over.

[jhb171achill]

29 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

 

Looking good, John!

Loosely on this topic, here's one of the TPOs as later converted into a luggage/parcels van. Letterboxes sealed, and renumbered in the 27xx series - possibly 2766. I'm not sure if there were any other changes - possibly the rooflights plated over.

I think the roof lights were inded covered over. But there were only a small number of these four-wheeled TPOs. Two, as you know, ended up in PW use, with gangways removed too. One, the last survivor of any type of tin van at all, is now at Downpatrick undergoing restoration. It will be used there as a genny / luggage / brake van. 

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Mayner said:

Production Line

Big break through this week cleared tools and accumulated junk from the workbench to complete a flotilla of Tin Vans I started between 5-years ago.

The Vans were substantially complete, mainly door handles, gangway ends to add, replace some damaged/missing steps and complete paint touch ups to G617.

Two steps forward and one back, completed paint touch ups to areas where black had worn off (handrails, edge of running board, shunters and cabs steps & blended and sealed with a semi-gloss clear, then replacement set of G Class decals arrived from Des this morning. I need to check the new CIE roundels for comparision!

3111 Tin Van 1955 as introduced condition, unmodified doors. Although I fitted door handles on previous builds, I found it challenging this time around over 10 years after I initially produced the kit.

I need to adjust the axleguard assembly on the righthand side!

3123 with modified doors an early modification to these vans.

3114 a van with the majority of windows replaced with plain panels & 3111 a van in original as introduced condition. 3114 is based on a late 60s David Malone photo of the van at Sligo.

 

I am delighted to have a couple of these JM Design vans on my layout; I came a bit late to the party ande they were sold out when I was fishing about looking for them. Therefore, I bought several Silverfox ones to make up numbers. There is simply no comparison. Plus, EVERYTHING Silverfox produce in supposedly CIE green livery is utterly wrong in all respects. Grey roofs instead of black - and light grey at that - white logos and lining instead of pale green, and above all, the green colour is like British Railways loco / railcar green - nothing remotely like CIE green. I got a green van - I might as well have asked for a tartan one. So I just repainted the damn thing in silver grey and had Mr Dempsey weather it within an inch of its life.

The JM ones, though, are superb, and a vitally necessary thing for Irish modelling in the late 1950s, throughout the 60s, and into the mid-70s. I think the last time I travelled in a train with a four-wheeler tin van must have been very early 1976 on the Limerick-Ballina run, just before it finished.

[Mayner]

Finally managed to find some time this week to almost finish the Tin Vans one or more of which started over 10 years ago, though still have to replace the glazing on one van and fit door handles to several!

Silver Vans finished in Tamiya "Bare Metal Silver" aerosol, the Heating Van was assembled fro the 1st batch of kits released 10 or so years ago, the Luggage Van from the 2021 batch. Both vans are 21mm gauge, I haven't gotten round to fitting couplers to the Heating Van, I am thinking of replacing the Kadees on my 21mm stock with B&B couplers reliable delayed uncoupling and less obtrusive than Kadee.

I was inspited to finish these two vans in silver by a series of FW Shuttleworth photo of the Night Mail being made up at Sligo in 57 the consist included a pair of almost brand new Bulleid Vans, a an ex-MGW Meat Van and a ex-MGW 6w TPO dating from the 1880s, a an ex-MGW 2-4-0 shunted the train but likely to have been worked to Mullingar by an A Class.

 d

Consist of the Sligo Night Mail about 15 years later based on photos of Bulleid Vans supplied by David Malone, a UK based modeller who did some pioneering work to promote Irish Broad Gauge modelling in P4 during the 80s & 90s. David assembled a couple of my Vans with fully detailed interiors including a boiler in the heating van and parcels/luggage in the luggage sections.

Luggage Van finished from the original test build of around 10 years ago decals supplied by Des or SSM

Luggage Van in original condition.

Luggage Van with 4 window panels on both side replaced by solid panels. 

Heating & Luggage Van with a 3 window panels replaced with solid panels.

 

G617 had a spruce up after replacing worn decals before return to service. I masked the black paintwork and re-coated the white areas with a Tamiya "Pearl White" (gloss) aerosol, before finishing the loco body with a satin aerosol clear coat, unfortunately the orange on the SSM broken wheel logo does not show up too well aganst a black background!

Having almost cleared my workbench I thought this was a good time to do some urgent repair work on a Large Scale loco before, resuming work on the next unfinished 4mm loco/s project.

[Mol_PMB]

Very nice indeed! I look forward to building a couple of those vans myself.

Regarding decals, the SSM ones are a bit translucent so tend to lose their colour on a dark background. In this case they need a white layer under the orange.

Railtec are much better in that regard.

 

[Mayner]

Well the Tin Vans have finally left the Shops, the 21mm gauge ones into storage & 3 temporarily re-gauged to OO to form a Mail Train made up of PO Van, two Hooded Vans and Heating & Luggage Van (orinally assembled in OO!)

The downside is the train is too long for NorthWharf as there is only room for the loco and 2 4W vans in the Fiddle Yard/Traverser, so I guess its back to freight only and the vans into long term storage/Display Case.

The main upside of (nearly) finishing the Tin Vans is that there is now space in the Shops to complete 229 a Coey J15 one of a pair of SSM kits I bought about 15-16 years ago and started to assemble about 7-8 years ago, but often sidelined by other more urgent, profitable or interesting projects.

The main 'spotting' differences between the "Coey" J15 built in the early 1900s and earlier members of the class were (a) raised sandboxes on the leading splasher, (b) direct reversing lever (at an angle) rather than the "linkage" reverser, curving cab footsteps and slight difference in cab on some locos.

No229 is based on a photo of the loco on a Limerick bound 'overload' goods at Ballycar on the Sligo-Limerick line, a saturated loco running with a larger GSWR Type B tender which indicates that the loco may have been regularly rostered to long distance  goods work.

No229s companion No124 is based on older the (much) more common version of the Class with distinctive lever reverser and more common smaller Type A Tender.

Hopefully I will complete No229 within a shorter time frame than No124 picked up as a part built kit at Expo EM in 2001 and finally completed in 2022, though most of the work carried out since 2018 when I basically dismantked and re-built the chassis.!