My First Pair of Wagons Completed!

After all this time, I have finally completed my first pair of wagons! A pair of Cambrian Models GWR Dia. T13 Chaired Sleeper wagons. After the previous rush of primed wagons, I pushed straight on to painting these in black.

There seems to be some doubt that engineers wagons were actually painted black, but all of the ones that I have seen photos of in preservation are in black livery. The lettering schemes tend to differ too and in the end I mostly followed the instructions that came with the kit.

I have never attempted to number a wagon before and I'm quite pleased with my efforts. I could have chosen an easier model to start with, the delicate stanchions and tight spaces certainly made it more tricky than it could have been!

I used HMSR Methfix transfers which I am happy with and will probably use from now on unless there is a specific transfer I need that isn't catered for in the HMRS range. Applying the tare and running numbers took an age, the numbers being 100712 and 100716, applying each number individually then waiting for the meths to dry and washing off the backing paper and waiting for that to dry before starting on the next number. The numbers on the ends were started on the left and right and met in the middle to speed those ones up a bit.

Overall I am happy with the way the wagons have turned out. All that is left to do is to fix some screw link couplings in place and to do some weathering, oh and make up the all important chaired sleeper load!

Progress on the Cambrian Models GWR Chaired Sleeper Wagons

This is the first workbench update for ages, work has been super hectic and I have been finding it hard to get to do any modelling but I have made some headway with the pair of sleeper wagons.

Last night I fitted the couplings, vac pipes and stanchions to the remaining wagon.

All that remains before painting is the addition of the lead ballast. The floor of these well wagons runs close to the rail head but there is enough room to squeeze in a layer of lead ballast to enhance the running qualities of the wagons.

As can be seen from the pic below the clearance isn't huge but just enough.

This is what I'm currently using for ballast; a piece of battered lead from a gully on a roof that was being replaced, with this piece, I need to flatten it out with a lump hammer and when the time comes, cut into appropriate sized pieces with my tin snips. I normally attach it to the wagons with double sided foam tape, the type that is used to attach plastic trunking to walls. The layer of foam in between the layers of adhesive allow the adhesive to hold even with any unevenness in the lead, it is hard to get it dead flat and this is where the foam helps. On these wagons however, because of the lack of clearances between the floor of the wagon and rail head, I have just super glued the lead in place. If it ever works loose, I will try again with a glue which dries with a bit more flexibility. 

Cambrian Models GWR T13 Sleeper Wagon

Another of my current projects on the workbench is a pair of Dia T13 Sleeper wagon for carrying Chaired sleepers used by the permanent way department. Only six of these were built and featured lever handle brakes, self contained buffers, vac piping and screw link couplings. Capable of carrying 160 chaired sleepers I will model it carrying six rows of 26 sleepers tied down using Cambrian Models fine chain (scroll down) which has 33 links per inch and comes in 1m lengths.

Currently the plan is to keep the costs down by using redundant Peco sleepers. As can be seen in one of my previous You Tube videos, I had started a layout using the original Abingdon track plan in the loft of our old house. The trackwork was Peco code 100, passed on to my by my father, supplemented by a few new points. On the move to our new house I have decided to switch to hand built construction using code 75 rail, thus leaving plenty of spare sleepers to play with.

Although the sleepers are not to scale, they are to hand and have moulded chairs saving me time and money in buying scale sleepers and chairs, most of which won't even be seen below the first layer.

The rest of the track will be kept for now, enabling me to put together a basic track to run stock while the building of the trackwork progresses, which will keep my two kids happy! The fiddle yard will also use the Peco track.