Loco coal wagon

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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
Mike,

I wrote to Jim Richards several times inquiring abouts some wagons many years ago and received back some photographs from his collection.
After more letters Jim asked me to build a private owner wagon for him. He wanted a particular wagon of a 12 ton coal wagon from one of the town's along the North Wales coast. I was building some similar wagons for myself but only 10 tons and offered one to him.
I had a letter back with a sharp reprimand refusing my offer. It had to be 12 tons or nothing. I still have a bunch of his letters ( with his hard to read writing ) somewhere.
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Sounds about right. He used to send frequent letters, often with a picture, some notes or a spare part from a model he was making. On one occasion he sent a crank axle - he was making a batch and thought I might use it. As a youngster and never having built a model engine from metal before this was a bit daunting, but eventually I did build an 0-8-0 around the axle!
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
image.jpeg image.jpeg I painted the second loco coal wagon this morning ( the joys of retirement ) There is still the interior to paint and the axleboxes and springs to fit. Looking at my wagons that I have built over the last 18 months very few have tare weights or other small lettering. I will have to find some small letters or improve my sign writing.
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg Although I have not done anything to the loco wagons since my last post, I have started on another of the same only with dumb buffers. This is all down to Vol 3 of LNWR wagons which has a drawing and a couple of photos in it.
But it also had a drawing of a small ballast wagon which will be perfect for a small layout. I also cut up one of my brake van kits to make a dumb buffer ballast brake van.
 
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Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
That drawing of a small ballast wagon seems to have been drawn by one of the authors based on a guess that the length was 13ft and wheelbase 7ft 6in for which they give no evidence. If I were you I'd borrow a copy of the DNGR wagon diagram book because they had many standard Earlestown types albeit wider, and older wagons lasted longer over there. Long enough for the short ballast wagons to be included in the DNGR 1903 diagram book. Sorry - I don't have a copy. It may be 13ft, or it may not - I can't remember.
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
Mike, many thanks for your input. I am not sure who will have access to a copy of DNGR diagram book. I will look again at the photograph in the wagon book to see if I can scale off the picture using the known wheel size.
Mike
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg Mike , I have had a look again at the drawing in Vol 3 and I think it's as close enough for my needs.
I am using Peco GWR buffers but with the rivets taken off and replaced with hex bolts from MasterClub. The one problem is the Peco buffers stick to far through the bufferbeam to use the brass caps that provides the springing. So I have shortened both the body and the buffer heads. I then drilled a hole in the buffer head to locate the spring wire.
The discoloured plastic is just that, I used some old plastic that I have had for a long time.
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
image.jpeg image.jpeg The hole in the buffer ram has worked for me in the past but I struggled to get the steel wire I was using inserted into both ends. I could have bought some thinner wire and tried again, but in the end I did what I should have done in the first place and just shortened all the parts to fit the space.
This has now been successful. Some people never learn.
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Sorry Jon, I should have explained. DNGR was indeed owned by the LNWR with locos and rolling stock supplied from England but built or rebuilt for the 5ft 3in gauge. The wagon diagram book I saw was at the national Archive Kew and I particularly remember the little ballast wagon because it looked like a survivor from an earlier era. Still not found my notes from c30 years ago, but they are here ....
 
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Michael Osborne

Western Thunderer
A little more progress on the small ballast wagons. I have finished the door catches on the ends with just the label clips to make along with the brake handles. I was hoping to have these profiled milled from a pattern I made a couple of years ago when I had my own machine. I have since given this machine to to JPL models in exchange for parts when I need them. So I went into my box of patterns only to find I have thrown most of them away thinking I would not need them again.
This clearing out may result it a less mess in my workshop but it has come back to bite me once again.
 

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Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
I know this is an old thread, but I just found the DNGR diagram book. This is their D4 ballast wagon, and D5 was another ballast wagon with 9ft wheelbase and 16ft long. I suspect this earlier design was probably an LNWR standard except for the width. This is a scan of a copy of a blueprint at the PRO, so sorry if it is not perfectly clear.

Mike
 

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AJC

AJC

Western Thunderer
Mike W said:
I know this is an old thread, but I just found the DNGR diagram book. This is their D4 ballast wagon, and D5 was another ballast wagon with 9ft wheelbase and 16ft long. I suspect this earlier design was probably an LNWR standard except for the width. This is a scan of a copy of a blueprint at the PRO, so sorry if it is not perfectly clear.

Mike
Click to expand...

Interesting. The modern reference for this diagram book is TNA, RAIL 162/21 for anyone that might be interested and going to Kew: Wagon stock diagram book | The National Archives

As an aside, would it be possible for any reference to documents available in archives to give the reference number(s)? I use Kew a lot and know the medieval records and many of the more recent government records (and how the catalogue works) well but not the railway material and thus need a bit of a steer. I'm sure that I'm not alone!

Thank you,

Adam
 
Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Quite right Adam - my apologies. I have a copy of the whole book so if anyone is interested in a particular wagon am quite happy to scan it. Published in 1903 I am sure it is out of copyright.

Mike
 
Overseer

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Mike W said:
Quite right Adam - my apologies. I have a copy of the whole book so if anyone is interested in a particular wagon am quite happy to scan it. Published in 1903 I am sure it is out of copyright.

Mike
Click to expand...
I am certainly interested in seeing more of the diagrams. I have been interested in the DNGR for quite a while and have been collecting information and parts to model it in HO on EM track. An 0-6-0 saddle tank should appear at some stage, I have the wheels. There has been very little published on the wagons, even photographs are rare. Part of the problem seems to be that more photographs were taken after operation of the lines was passed to the Great Northern in the 1930s than before. I don't think I know enough about the wagons to ask about a particular wagon, although there are a few glimpses in the background of photos which would be good to identify. Maybe a new thread in the members area would be a good idea.
 
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Mike W

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Agreed Overseer. I will scan bit by bit and add to a new thread. There is a Crewe GA of the DNGR Special Tank ... perhaps I'd better say no more until the new thread is open.
 
NewportRod

NewportRod

Western Thunderer
Lovely Michael. They look as if they're from scratch. Are they?

Update - silly me i should have looked above
 
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