Airfix brake van

 Oh yes, there's more! On a roll and once more into the box. Well I may as well do the whole train now I'm 75% there. This is a mixed bag, and this is what I have. As per usual it came off a club stand at not much money. There are risks involved here, but then that can be half the fun. Pluses are that the seller (and I know who) included a set of Romford wheels. The downsides are 1. It's Dapol made and 2.as far as I can ascertain at first sift through, there is a set of foot steps that have put the best foot forward and walked off.

The later is not insurmountable as the remaining set can be used as a pattern. The Dapol bit is, well, soft and Welsh. Made from recycled  Coke bottles it ain't the best and most stable material. There is a little flash.... OK you win, there's a lot of flash. It's a Dapol kit. 

A quick trawl through the mighty Paul Bartlett site (link in the list on your right) throws up two things: 1. none seem to have the footsteps altered or removed (Bugger) 2. all have the concrete weights added to the balconies. This is the easy mod. THB this is my happy place. Send more wagon kits for Christmas.

Airfix mineral wagon final

 

And so to paint. The whole lot was given a coat of Humbrol 62 orange as a base. Then, slightly paler than normal, the body outer, a coat of Citadel Corax White. Photos of 16 tonners often show an almost white finish, so I could dare to be pale.

The 'new' welded panels were given another wash of 62 to suggest new rust. 

Transfers were added from the ModelMaster range and varnish applied. The the underframe was hit with Citadel Charonden Granite (sadly  no longer available). Then with a cut down old brush I dabbed around with Typhus Corrosion, followed by more 62 over the top, applied in both thin and gloopy form.

The final wash of Humbrol 33, to suggest a thin layer of coal dust, was applied with the wagon held upside down and then some wagon works gothic 6" brush lettering.

There is a lot wrong with the Airfix 16 tonner, but considering its age it's still workable into something fun and acceptable. All for two bob.

It's nice to go travelling

 Once in a while this decade-old post rolls up in the viewer stats and for once is quite timely. In other words I may actually do something about it. There is much to work out and even more that could go wrong to kybosh the idea, however, travelling hopefully... like an elderly gentleman I suppose.

As an aside, and referring back to the 15 years element of the last week: I note, and not without surprise that the numbers have shot up. It's the Spitfire thing. The runs of build posts always get a huge hit rate. the question is, do I play to the gallery?

Airfix Mineral wagon 4

 

A few moves in quick succession: The brake assemblies. As per the prototype, single sided Mortons as per the instructions... only they're not. The Airfix kits have a knack for making an obvious blooper, note all the wrongly fitted windows on the building kits. Here it's brakes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you fit as per the instructions and mentally pull the lever down, the brake axle would rotate clockwise, thus opening the shoes. Err, no. Even MRJ seemed to gloss over this a few years back. If I remember to do it the brake bits are put in backwards. A small point that no one will ever notice, but...

Buffers cleaned and fitted. The coupling hooks have the plastic chain removed and are waggled into the slots.

The body parts are assembled in pairs trying to remember that they are handed. Yes I've done it. We've all done it.

The body dropped on and fixed, and two pieces of lead sheet dropped onto a puddle of UHU. Once the inside is painted these disappear in the grime from normal viewing angles.

Airfix Mineral wagon 3

And so to the underpinnings. All basic stuff bar one thing. I don't usually like plain bearings, but these were to hand. The oval holes were opened out to 2mm and the bearings pushed in.  The outside edges of the W-irons at the back of the solebar needed a couple of file strokes to get them to drop into the chassis ribs. And here is the different bit. Every wagon kit I've built has the same issue; the location mouldings are always too far in. The remedy of course is simple, as can be seen, I add a mil ether side. Result: no splayed axleboxes after the wheels go in.