Crymlyn A Shop Techniques. Parkside GWR Wagons PS24 as a V33, PS26 as a V23 & PS27 as an O33.

davey4270

Western Thunderer
This article is one of several I had published in B.R.M. many years ago before it became a comic. Although this was published as a single article I will have to edit it somewhat and post it in 3 parts as I'm getting alerts that it is too big for one post.

PS 24 kit as a Diagram V33.


A trawl through “Great Western Railway Journals” produced photographs of actual prototypes in BR liveries with some interesting features, which I will attempt to model. W114712 (V33) (picture ref: GWRJ Vol. 14, p.584) is shown as a fairly normal wagon but without rain strips, although some interesting roof features are apparent. A second unfitted van can be partially seen in the photograph and is fitted with “three-hole disc wheels”.

Historical notes on these models as written in Parkside instructions are as follows:

"V33 – 950 wagons of this type were built by the GWR between 1929 and 1933. Many survived until the general slaughter of nine-foot wheelbase rolling stock in the early 1960’s. It was designed to the 1923 railway clearinghouse specification and used standard parts in its running gear enabling it to be repaired on “foreign” companies’ lines. These wagons were regarded as “common user” throughout their lives and thus could be used by all other railway companies and hence might be seen the length and breadth of Britain. The instructions go on to give number series and references."

CONSTRUCTION of a V33.

Although the three wagons were built in parallel, I will describe their construction individually.

It’s quite easy really! Follow Mr. Parkside’s assembly instructions.

Firstly, attach the four side and end components around the floor, paying some attention to producing good corner joints. You may find it necessary to clear plastic flash from the underneath of the bonnet vents at this point. Be careful not to damage any of the rivet detail on the bodywork. If damage does occur, you can replace the rivets with small squares of 10 thou plastikard. A blob of plastic solvent and a coat of paint will cover a multitude of sins!

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Photograph 1 shows the basic components without wheels, buffers and couplings, but with the body assembled (V23).


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Photograph 2 shows how a small piece of plastic was removed from the sides, prior to assembly of the corners, to enable them to butt up more accurately (V33 only).
In the picture, the side on the left shows the piece I have removed and the side on the right shows the unprepared edge. If the corners are not shaped to a knife-edge, the offending lip will prevent them from fitting together neatly.

The corner joints may require some attention by filling any gaps with filler or, as I prefer, with finest Slater’s Microrod. The product is available in various sizes; the one I use is about the same diameter as a human hair. I find this preferable, as the final joint will be of the same texture as the model, whereas a filament of body filler will leave a different texture under a coat of paint, resulting in a visible blemish showing through the paint.
You can check the finish to the joint by painting the corner angle irons with the body paint colour. This will show any blemishes, which may need further attention. Then, when there is no visible blemish, the painted corners will blend in with the body colour.
I added two pieces of waste plastic “sprue” cut to fit between the sides at the top of the model either side of the doors. This is trimmed to hold the sides parallel and will resist any pressure, which may cause the sides to bow in on the completed model. This can easily be caused by pressure when handling the model and will be very difficult to correct when the kit is completed.
The body was then scrubbed with “jiff” and warm water using an old toothbrush. This removes any traces of grease and the shine from the plastic giving a good surface for the paint to adhere. I covered the underside of the floor with masking tape before aerosol spraying the model. The prevention of a coat of paint on the underside of the floor will make it easier to continue with the construction of the underframe and detail, as the paint will prevent the solvent from working on the plastic.


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Photograph 3 shows the model at this stage.

Note. B.R. livery was body light grey with all under framing etc, black.
G.W.R. livery was all dark grey with buffer heads, couplings and wheels black. The roof was painted with white lead, which waterproofed. Don’t forget the roof ends and sides were body colour. The model will now have to be left for the paint to harden.
After allowing a few days for the paint to harden, insert the solebars. These need to be “sprung in” as suggested in the instructions. When you are happy that the model sits squarely on its four “W” irons on a flat surface, flood the solebar/floor joints with liquid solvent and allow to dry and harden. Next, insert the main underframe moulding, gently filing the ends to obtain a good tight fit. This fits with the “L” shaped flange towards the track and not as I did, managing to fit it upside down!


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Photograph 4 shows how I fitted mine upside down and had to add some strips of plastikard to represent the missing flanges.

The “V” hangers can now be attached to the inside of the sole bars. Try to position these as centrally and as vertical as possible. A piece of rod temporally inserted in the holes will help to get this square. Note that the two “V” hangers differ, in that one has a partially filled in lower “V”, which has a representation of the reversing cam moulded on it. At this stage it does not matter which way around they are fitted (other than the cam to the outside) but it will determine as to which side the single brake push rod component will be fitted!
I added some scraps of plastikard to some of the solebar ends to fill some gaps. These will be trimmed back later, I took advantage of easy access to the wheel recesses to paint some of the areas that will be inaccessible later, leaving areas unpainted where parts will be attached. I.e., brake gear.
The side stanchions on the V33 were joggled under the floor and attached to the outside of the solebars. A representation of this is moulded on the floor but I chose to try to improve it by adding a square of plastikard (with a slot to clear the moulded rib) to the solebar to represent the bracket (a partial moulding is represented on the solebar) and a triangular piece to represent the tapering foot of the “T” section of the bracket. The bottom door catch had a similar arrangement, which the door securing pegs slotted into and is also represented.

The picture (Photograph 4) also shows that I added the side door retaining clips, which were added before painting the model.

Some of these subsequently broke off during further construction and in future I will add these later, touching in the paintwork. On second thoughts, on my next model I will dry fit them and remove after spraying. This will keep the location holes clear of paint and their removal will protect them from damage while all the detailing is being carried out. These tend to break off when the model is lying on its side!
Tip: When the model is on its side, rest the upper edge on a pencil. The pencil will rest below the side of the roof and lift the side of the wagon just clear of the work surface thus protecting the side door retaining clips.
Next, clean up the four axle bearing mounts. I have found that using these as supplied gives too much side play to the axle. I reduce this by filling the bearing flange recess with a piece of scrap Plastikard. This is allowed to dry and harden. Sand back to be flush with the face of the bearing mount and re drill the bearing hole with a 2.5mm drill.

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Photograph 5 illustrates this but the components are from an open wagon. They look different but do exactly the same job!

Fit the brass axle bearings to the axle box rears and check that the axle box rears slide vertically in the “W” irons. Carefully fit the wheelset, with the bearings attached by gently springing out the “W” irons on the model, the axle should lie squarely across the body. If slightly out of square and the axle box is too tight to move, gently remove material from the inside of the “W” iron slot to correct the lie of the axle and free the vertical movement. If the axle is square and you need to loosen the axle box, you will need to remove equal material from both inside faces of the “W” iron. The wheels will benefit from a treatment with Carr’s chemical blacking.
When you are happy with the fit of the axles/axle box bearings, clean up the outside axle boxes and carefully glue to the axle box rears. Some care is needed here to securely attach the axle box but do not overdo it with the solvent, which would prevent the axle box from sliding in its guides. If this happens, pull it apart quickly and leave several hours for the plastic faces to fully harden. They can then be carefully cleaned up for a second attempt. The instructions suggest that the axleboxes are moulded in ABS type plastic and will need superglue. I have found that “Plastiweld” will do the job. Place small blobs of the solvent on the inside axle box face next to the brass bearing and press the outer axle box against it. Small amounts of solvent can then be carefully applied to the top and bottom of the boxes. This helps to keep the solvent away from the sliding surfaces on the sides.
I attempted to replicate the photograph of W114712’s roof. Firstly, I removed the raised moulding at the ends, covered the entire top of the roof with a single ply of three-ply table napkin. (Available for under a £1 per 100 from your local supermarket). I then soaked this with liquid solvent and allowed to dry. This gives a felt/tarpaulin like texture to the roof. I then reinstated the end protection strips from some 10 thou. Plastikard.
The roof on the prototype appears to have been repaired with several strips of material laid transversely. The joins were covered with further strips, to prevent water ingress, which gave the appearance of hoops!
I estimated the position of the “hoops”, which do not align with the internal roof supports, then laid thin strips (2 mm, which looked about right) of the 3-ply tissue this time, the extra thickness used to represent the overlap of the tarpaulin. I soaked this with more liquid solvent, which held it in position until a coat of paint on the roof sealed it all in place.


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Photograph 6 shows the completed roof, although it is not as noticeable in the picture as on the finished model. This prototype repair had no rain strips fitted and I selected this wagon to model, as I wanted something to “stand out in the crowd” so to speak!

You can now attach the roof after cleaning all the tissue paper from the relevant attachment surfaces. Some elastic bands will help to hold it in place while you align equal overhang at either side/end before attaching with solvent. If the roof has lost some of its curved profile, gently correct the curve with finger pressure or if too bad, soften first in “hot” water, correct the curve and cool in cold water for a minute to allow the plastic to harden. A slight over curve is better than an under curve. The raised centre on the ends will be firmly held in place by the solvent but the roof will tend to lift at the sides if under curved!

Buffers.

The G.W.R. fitted to these diagram vehicles a buffer with a narrow, straight body and two strengthening webs. These were at 3 & 9 ’O clock and just short of half-length. I was unable to obtain replacement castings, although they must be available, so decided to modify the supplied components. I completely carved away the upper and lower mouldings and reduced the taper on the side mouldings to a point just under half-length. With the addition of the round end moulding, which I attached with superglue, this now gives a reasonable approximation of the originals. They should be narrower, but I didn’t fancy tackling that one!
Paint the buffer housings and as much of the underframe as possible.
The inside of the buffer beam needs a few scraps of Plastikard to level and fill the recess around the coupling hook slots and then the buffers and couplings can be fitted. Adjust each buffer retaining nut to give an overall buffer length of 18” (10.5mm) and secure with only a blob of paint, as you may need to remove them in the future! Super glue would prove very difficult to adjust should this become necessary.

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Photograph 7 shows the completed buffers and couplings from underneath.


pic 8.jpg

Add weight to your model by filling the central space in the underframe with your preferred ballast material and touch in all paintwork. Apply transfers to complete. Photograph 8 shows my completed model.
 
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davey4270

Western Thunderer
PS26 as a V23

I always understood that unfitted vehicles had spoke wheels and fitted vans had the disc wheels. W123687 (V23) (picture ref: GWRJ Vol.14, p.584), a vacuum braked vehicle, is fitted with spoke wheels (not disc)?

V23 – 3097 wagons were built with vacuum brake gear for express freight train work between 1933 and 1941. Their telegraphic code was Mink A. Until the outbreak of the Second World War the V23 wagons were not pooled as “common users” with the other companies. This large and very useful fleet of wagons, which bore a close resemblance to the eventual BR standard van, largely remained in use until the early 1970’s. The instructions go on to give number series and references.

CONSTRUCTION of a V23

The construction of the model’s body follows the method for the first van (V33). The only difference is the paining of the body in bauxite (for BR livery).


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Photograph 20
shows the completed body with a pair of wheel sets, which have been chemically blackened with Carr’s Metal Black.

The underframe is assembled as for the open wagon (O33), so this kit is actually a hybrid of the two previous models.
The vertical side stanchions were attached to the solebar utilising the same method as the open wagon (O33). Use the same construction method to replicate this. The right-hand stanchion (where the brake lever is parked) stopped approximately halfway down the sole bar where it turned in at 90’ to meet the sole bar. It then continued downwards.


pic 21.jpg

Photograph 21
illustrates this point and also shows the location of the bracket for the door securing pegs and the triangular reinforcing gusset.


Complete the construction of the wagon as per V33 for the body and O33 for the underframe, noting that the sprung doorstops for the drop-down wagon door are not required.

pic 22.jpg

Photograph 22
is a rather cruel close up of the vacuum pipe, showing that the modification to reinforce the mounting of the vacuum pipe with a plastikard block is not visible from normal viewing angles.


pic 23.jpg

Photograph 23
shows my completed attempt at W123687, a vacuum braked vehicle, which at some point had been refurbished but fitted with eight spoke wheels as mentioned at the start of the article.


pic 24.jpg

Photograph 24
shows work done to the roof, which included covering with tissue paper, rain strips and a coat of paint.
 
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davey4270

Western Thunderer
PS27 as an O33.

W135941 (O33) (picture ref: GWRJ Vol. 39, p.409) goes one better and obviously can’t make its mind up, being fitted with one spoked axle and one-disc axle! Another interesting feature is the attachment of the capping strip on the wagon sides; they are attached with several inverted “U” clips, instead of the usual vertical screws, which you can’t usually see. The tarpaulin rail had been removed from this wagon by this time, but I will add it to my model with an adjustment of the tare weight.

O33 – Between 1934 and 1940 the GWR built 1048 wagons to this diagram (O33), with vacuum brake and tarpaulin rails for express freight traffic. The GWR was particularly keen on these devises, which when raised gave the tarpaulin (or in railway parlance “sheet”), the profile of a pitched roof and facilitated the runoff of rainwater. A recurrent problem with open goods wagons was damage to the end planks and indeed the GWR had built these wagons with thicker end planks. BR went a step further by replacing the bottom two end planks with a steel fabrication on many repaired wagons. The O33 wagons were non-pool before the outbreak of the 1939 war. From 1939 the capacity was increased from 12 to 13 tons. This design lasted in traffic until the early 1970’s. The instructions go on to give information on “Instanter” couplings, number series and references.

CONSTRUCTION of an O33.

The construction of open wagons is of a similar process to a van, but without a roof! Before assembling the four sides and ends, gently flex the sides outwards to give a slight bow at the centres. On the prototype the sides were distorted outwards in traffic and this will help to replicate this feature. The plastic solvent has a tendency to draw parts together when dry and this could eventually make the sides bow in, which is the opposite of the prototype! Do not worry if you overdo the bend, as it will continue to try and straighten itself for a long period (perhaps a year!)
I added a capping strip around the top of the wagon sides out of 10 thou Plastikard. Cut this to the thickness of the wagon sides (about 2mm but check it) and attach with solvent. This feature when painted body colour makes a noticeable addition. These were normally screwed to the top plank but a feature of refurbished wagon number W135941 was of the capping strip rail retention by inverted “U” shaped clips bolted sideways through the top plank. I did this by carefully bending thin strips of 10 thou Plastikard over the top and sides to an inverted “U” shape and securing with solvent. You may need several attempts at this, as they tend to break under the action of the solvent. Add a small square of 10
thou plastikard to represent the bolt heads on the clips inside and outside of the wagon. Remember to cut slots in the curb rail, in line with the side doors. The corner plates were folded steel sheets so would have a slight radius as opposed to a sharp corner.
Clean up the joints and remember to do the inside as well, as it will be very visible on an open wagon.

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Photograph 10 shows the model at this stage.

I painted the body at this point after masking the inside, buffer beams and underneath. This was to prevent some loss of detail underneath an extra layer of paint. For G.W.R. livery there is no need to mask the buffer beams because they are the same colour as the body.
When dry, a start can be made on assembling the underframe. We have a 10’ wheelbase this time and my version had the vacuum brake system fitted. For an “unfitted” version, remove the axle box tie bars and assemble the brake gear exactly as for the V33 diagram van. For the “fitted” version, carefully insert the solebars and underframe component as for the V33 diagram van, taking care not to break the axle box tie bars. If you do break these, it is probably best to leave the repair until the model is finished, as they will probably brake again during construction. There is an inherent weakness after and will tend to break again.
You can see from Photograph 11 that I again assembled the inner underframe component upside-down and had to add the angled iron strips out of Plastikard. I also added plastikard blocks to mount the vacuum cylinder.
The vertical side stanchions on the prototype were attached to the solebars in a different way on this diagram. They were in the shape of a square “U”. The stanchion continued straight down, to be in line with the bottom of the solebar. It then bent inwards at a right angle to meet the solebar. It then bent at a right angle vertically where it was attached to the sole bar. This is easily replicated by cutting a small rectangle of 20 thou. Plastikard to fit tightly between the sole bar and the stanchion, which you attach with liquid solvent. This is visible again in photograph 11.

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There was also a triangular brace under the centre of the door. Replicate this by similar width strips of Plastikard, one horizontally from the top of the sole bar, along the floor to the edge of the door and another diagonally from the edge of the door to the bottom of the sole bar, forming a right-angled triangle.
You can again take advantage of unrestricted access to paint the solebars, “W” irons and recesses that the wheels will occupy.
Assemble and modify the axle box components as mentioned for the “V33” van but you will have to paint the axle box rears as they are moulded in a light grey plastic and will be visible on your finished model. Try not to get any paint on sliding surfaces.
Add the “V” hangers and one set of brake gear as described earlier. It is from this stage that the “Fitted” brake gear differs. The second unit is assembled to the opposite side so that the upper push rod point to the SAME axle as the first unit’s upper push rod!

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Photograph 12 illustrates this stage. It also shows a pair of modified buffers fitted to one end with a pair of modified buffer housings ready to fit to the other end. This vehicle carried the same buffers as the “V33” van, and I described my modification earlier.

Assemble the vacuum cylinder as per instructions; the cylinder is attached to the floor using one of the circular moulding marks on the floor for its location. The correct one is on the side without the moulded cams in the “V” hanger. The operating crank can be more easily assembled by using a piece of 1mm diameter brass wire, which will help to hold its location. This could also be used to aid location of the “V” hangers and brake gear during earlier assembly.

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Photograph 13 shows the completed brake gear, with ballast weight, but without brake crossbar, levers and door stop springs. These will be added to the solebar in line with the door hinges (see pic 17 for position and type).

You will need to make a representation of wood on the inside of the wagon. There are many interpretations of this, but a good place to start is with a coat of wood coloured paint (I used Humrol oak). You can dry brush some grey paint along the grain of the planks to give a weathered wood effect as shown in photograph 14.
This and the application of transfers would complete the construction of this vehicle.
As mentioned earlier, I chose to add a “sheet rail” to this model even though the photograph showed it to be removed by this time.

Mr Parkside’s instruction sheet provides a very accurate template for bending the “sheet rail” out of the supplied brass wire. This is to be known as part 39, which Mr. Parkside refers to as “tarpaulin rail”.
I annealed the brass wire by heating it on the gas cooker until it turned red hot. I slowly drew it through the flame (holding with pliers, not a bare hand) until the whole area of the wire had been treated. It was then allowed to cool. This process makes the metal malleable.
Shape your wire as accurately as possible, to match the provided template. I formed the curve around the handle of a needle file. Even though this accurately matched the profile on the template, photographs of prototypes seem to show a larger curve.


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Photograph 14 shows the wire bent to the specified shape on the template with the partly constructed model.

It is important that the upright ends are equal in length; otherwise, the “sheet rail” will not sit level on the model.


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Attach part 40 (swing arm) to the inside of the “sheet rail” with superglue as shown in the diagram on the instructions (bottom right of page). Ensure that these are square and fitted at equal length. Photograph 15 demonstrates one end at this stage.
Attach pivots (part 42) to the end of the vehicle with superglue. Note: the oval hole in part 42 should be vertical. The “sheet rail” can now be sprung into the pivot holes. The instructions describe this process fairly clearly, so long as you understand the engineering. “The “sheet rail” should sit at the bottom of these holes and is lifted up to change its position”.
Part 41 (arcs) are fitted to the ends. These retain the “sheet rail” from springing out and have a notch cut in the top, which allows the “sheet rail” to locate in the central upright position.
The hard part is to carefully align the arcs to produce an operating “sheet rail”. These need to be located so as the “sheet rail” can sit in the top notch whilst the swing arm is in the lower position of the pivot. When the “sheet rail” is lifted to the top of the pivot, it can freely fall to either side where it will rest when not in use.


pic 16.jpg

I held the arcs in their operating position with a pair of aluminium hair clips. These can be borrowed from your wife, partner, or girlfriend. This is a much easier task to accomplish if she can be distracted with a bottle of wine or Alco pops in my case.
Fine adjustment can be made to the arc to enable the correct operation of the sheet rail as shown in photograph 16.
When you are satisfied with its location apply small amounts of super glue to the sides of the arc with a cocktail stick. Capillary action should draw the glue between the components in the area of plank joins.
Of course, should you not require an operating “sheet rail”, simply glue on all components.
An operating one is challenging to your modelling skills and patience.

Vacuum pipes

Vacuum pipes would be added for a fitted vehicle (not necessary for the unfitted version). These can be simply glued into place on the ends of the vehicle and fit inside the arc of the “sheet rail”. If these are added before the sheet rail, they will cause problems with the arcs location.
I modified the vacuum pipes location by building up a block of plastikard 5mm square underneath the model, to be level with the bottom of the buffer beam. The tail of the vacuum pipe then curls under the buffer beam and lies horizontally on this cube, which is located to the side of the coupling spring. This can then be flooded with super glue to aid the rigidity of the vacuum pipe as they can easily break off.
Photograph 13 shows a small-unpainted square patch, behind the buffer beam and next to the coupling, where the cube of plastikard will be located.
All paintwork can be completed, and transfers applied. I have made an adjustment to the tare weight of the model, to indicate the increased weight of the added “sheet rail”.



pic 17.jpg

Photograph 17 shows my completed model.
 
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Overseer

Western Thunderer
Good to see prototype wagons being modelled from the kits. Researching and adding the extra details makes building kits much more interesting. One point though, the mention of curb rails in the first paragraph had me confused. Curb rails are the boards along the bottom of the sides covering the ends of the floorboards, which these wagons (in common with most steel underframe opens) didn't have. The change to using inverted U clips to hold the capping strip in place was a standard BR practice intended to increase the lifespan of the top planks, by removing water traps from the top of the planks.
 

davey4270

Western Thunderer
Good to see prototype wagons being modelled from the kits. Researching and adding the extra details makes building kits much more interesting. One point though, the mention of curb rails in the first paragraph had me confused. Curb rails are the boards along the bottom of the sides covering the ends of the floorboards, which these wagons (in common with most steel underframe opens) didn't have. The change to using inverted U clips to hold the capping strip in place was a standard BR practice intended to increase the lifespan of the top planks, by removing water traps from the top of the planks.

Thank you for pointing that out, I have corrected it.
 
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DrIain

Member
Really useful article. I am doing a conversion of a ‘generic’ gauge 3 open kit from GRS into an O32 unfitted open of same style as the O33 and the pictures and add-ons will be a useful guide. The conversion involves filing off and refitting the nuts on the corner and washer plates etc. creating the sack-trolley board, and a few other bits and pieces. I attach a picture of it in its current state.



Iain
 

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hrmspaul

Western Thunderer
A small point. The steel of the vacuum pipes should be freight stock red - bauxite for these power braked wagons. If they were only through piped it would be white. After 1959 the bauxite was altered to a bright red.

Paul
 

davey4270

Western Thunderer
A small point. The steel of the vacuum pipes should be freight stock red - bauxite for these power braked wagons. If they were only through piped it would be white. After 1959 the bauxite was altered to a bright red.

Paul
Hi Paul,
As I mentioned this article was submitted and published in BRM many years ago and I do a few things differently now, eg I use 1.2mm brass wire for the operating brake cross bars and also paint the vacuum stanchions. You have raised a good point though and I have attached a few pics of more recent models. Regarding the Toad, I have a picture of the prototype in BR days at Letterston which I modelled it on but a more recent study of the pictures showed it to have vacuum pipes. I duly added these to the weathered van and left them "as new" to make it look like a new modification/repair. I must find time to paint the pipes on some of my earlier wagons.
I have a few more articles on plastic wagon kits which I must also find time to add to this site, some were published and others weren't. Something with John Emerson leaving, I believe.

IMG_1900.jpg The Letterston Toad. It should have sheeted over lower bodyside panels at this time. From a PECO 6W Toad. The distortion on the near rear corner is down to my iPhone camera.

IMG_1493.JPG An LMS Banana van from a Parkside kit PS114.

DSC_2415.JPG
A TEVAN from a Parkside PS48 kit.
 
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