The design is based on an official Midland Railway drawing, but this chassis is very similar to an early R.C.H. specification, so that one can use it as the basis for Midland wagons (many of which lasted into B.R. days), numerous private owner ones, and wagons of other main line railways which adopted the R.C.H. design. The chassis is 14' 11" over headstocks, has a 9' wheelbase and is supplied with single sided brake gear which was the norm in those days.
The main component of the kit is the underframe casting which is in polyurethane resin and incorporates headstocks, solebars, all internal framing and dummy nut, bolt and bracket detail. In order to simplify construction, the whitemetal bearing spring shoes and brake hanger brackets are cast in, and the long holes for the tie rods and drawgear are already drilled. Also included in the kit are:
Laser cut axleguards, V hangers, drawhook plates and brake lever.
Lost wax drawhooks and drawcradle in stainless steel, buffing spring shoes and horse hooks.
Laminated buffing springs with bronze leaves assembled and ready to fit.
Detailed whitemetal axleboxes, ready bored and bushed.
Finish turned buffer heads/shanks, spoked wheels, axles, drawbar pins etc.
Machined drawbars and brake cranks.
Bearing springs made from a mixture of bronze leaves to carry the vehicle weight and Tufnol leaves to thicken the spring to scale thickness without making it unnecessarily stiff, assembled and ready to fit.
Shaped coupling links with joints silver soldered.
Tie rods ready threaded.
Instructions, nuts, bolts chain split pins etc.
£300 each
A full kit of parts to construct a 3 plank drop side body for the above underframe. It contains wood sections sanded to size, pre-bent laser cut hinges, tapered (but not bent) knees, lost wax catches and laser cut keys. Also included are all the required round headed bolts, pins for nailing the floor in place, chain, instructions etc.
The full size wagons were built by the Midland railway to their diagram 305 but the design was also used by the M.& S.W.J.R. (which was taken over by the G.W.R) and many of the Midlands wagons were sold on to pregrouping south coast railways. Many wagons lasted into B.R.
£100.00
Carriage £10
This is a complete kit of parts to build a body to fit the resin underframe. The prototypes were built between 1880 and 1905 and would have lasted well into the grouping, some lasting into B.R. days. A number of these vans were sold to southern railways, so the livery is correct.
The kit is based on four highly detailed resin castings for the sides and ends with full detail cast in including stopped chamfers on framework, door strapping and rollers. Also included are laser cut floor, door runners and corner strapping, all nuts and bolts, ply for the roof, handles, chain, tie rods and door catches etc.
£150 each
Carriage £10
A complete kit of parts to build a wooden framed mineral wagon to the 1887 design, but with details typical of the Gloucester RCW Co, V hangers without the parallel top portion, “Gloucester” cast onto the brake shoes and axleboxes, and internal diagonals to the body.
Many of the parts are the same as supplied in the MR underframe kit, the main exception being that the underframe this time has to be built up from wood. All the wood is provided finished to section, and there are even laser cut templates for all the drilled holes in the solebars, cross bearers and headstocks. Some long holes will need to be drilled through the frame after assembly so extended length drills are provided in the kit. As with the MR kits, no machining other than drilling is required, and springs are assembled, wheels turned etc.
Most of the bolts in this kit are miniature coach bolts (without the square under the head though) as these were used extensively in full size wagon construction, they are also available separately. All body strapping and brackets are laser cut and prebent where necessary.
I will introduce a similar kit for an end door 7 plank wagon later.
Waterslide transfers can be produced for private owner lettering, see later in catalogue.
£480 for complete wagon kit
A kit of parts to construct a pair of the characteristic bogies fitted to many types of Great Western wagons including bolsters, well wagons, coal wagons and the large Mink F van. These bogies were built in a number of variations, the kit being for the type with lightening holes, square topped 8 x 4½ axleboxes, shallow bolsters and with or without external stiffening angles.
The kit contains laser cut side frames, finely detailed finished axleboxes (as below) with bearings fitted, preformed bolsters and side bearer supports, digitally punched and bent reinforcing angles, cast spring pads with a selection of springs, part machined material for the wear strips, cast bogie centres, all rivets, nuts and bolts, drawing and instructions. Wheels and axles are not included, but may be purchased separately.
£200.00 per pair
These are laser cut 2mm steel plates which build up quickly and easily into 9 or 10 foot wheelbase chassis. The frames themselves are very much non scale, but all the visible parts are closely to scale for 1923 R.C.H. wagons and are typical of the products of the big four. All bend lines are “perforated” to make bending easy with hand tools. All bolt holes are pierced ready for drilling to size. All bends are automatically placed, and the bending only requires a piece of 5/16” diameter steel rod, a couple of toolmakers clamps, a pair of pliers and a hammer. You don’t even need a vice. I recommend that the bends are silver soldered for strength.
The chassis needs headstocks and solebars attaching and then it is a straightforward job to add the draw and buffing gear, running gear and brakes.
Both chassis have V hangers for Moreton type brake gear, brake shoe hanger brackets, drawhook guides, and guides for the inner ends of the buffer shanks. In addition, the 10 foot chassis has brackets for a vacuum brake cylinder and tags to which eyes can be soldered to form brake hanger brackets for clasp type vacuum brake gear.
The 9 foot chassis will build into a 16’ 6” long wagon when scale thickness wooden headstocks are attached, the 10 foot chassis is 17’ 6” long with steel headstocks bolted on, though of course the plates can be altered to suit any length vehicle.
10’ chassis, £20.00
9’ chassis, £17.00
Extra packing and postage of £6 applies to one chassis, and £2
each for any extra chassis.
