7mm Wenford Dries - BR Blue (renamed thread)

76043

Western Thunderer
Thanks re the buildings Tony - yes I agree the BV walls would be better strengthened at the outset. I found the instructions quite confusing I must admit...so ended up trying to battle my way through using some photos from various wagon websites!

Re the tail lamp, just looking at Train Techs website they appear to do something similar (with even a controlled flicker!) however it looks to me just like the LED’s and bits they sell, not the lamp. I guess you could model your own lamp housing around an LED?

Yes, many say the same about the instructions, I would say the same for Parkside kits too. I'm not surprised people glue things the wrong way round when the drawings are sketches. I have found my builds so far take longer than expected because I am re-reading the instructions several times and doing lots of trial fitting.

Thanks for the heads up on Train-Tech, I shall look this up as I have some of the Slaters BV lamps.

Cheers

Tony
 

D602bulldog

Member
Cor you done good job of transforming them i built a small shunting layout using lack shelves i cut holes out underneath so i could put wiring underneath. the boards are still straight after 2 years.
 

BCN-Pete

Western Thunderer
Cor you done good job of transforming them i built a small shunting layout using lack shelves i cut holes out underneath so i could put wiring underneath. the boards are still straight after 2 years.

Thank you! Big fan of Lack shelves here for 15 years or so!

So the layout has changed since I posted that and I have added another board to act as a Fiddle yard - now looks something like this...

IMG_8705.jpeg
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Here is the overall layout with the FY board added...Layout debuts at the Uckfield show in October this year...lots to do still!

View attachment 181323

Nice to see the thread starting up again, the dries are instantly recognisable as Wenford.

Hope you don't mind a constructive comment though...? Most of the layout is well lit, apart from the very front line, with the 08 being in shadow. Have you thought about moving the front top fascia forward by 2-3" so that the lighting can get in front of the siding?

After a similar issue on an older layout, we've moved the fascia out on all subsequent layouts.
 

BCN-Pete

Western Thunderer
Nice to see the thread starting up again, the dries are instantly recognisable as Wenford.

Hope you don't mind a constructive comment though...? Most of the layout is well lit, apart from the very front line, with the 08 being in shadow. Have you thought about moving the front top fascia forward by 2-3" so that the lighting can get in front of the siding?

After a similar issue on an older layout, we've moved the fascia out on all subsequent layouts.
Hi Chris,

Thanks for your kind comments re the layout.

Don't mind at all - Thanks I will take a look at that. I might try and supplement the current lighting as being an Architect I like the fascia on my presentations to be flush though - maybe a small linear LED may help the edge...will report back!
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Hi Chris,

Thanks for your kind comments re the layout.

Don't mind at all - Thanks I will take a look at that. I might try and supplement the current lighting as being an Architect I like the fascia on my presentations to be flush though - maybe a small linear LED may help the edge...will report back!
I know what you mean about a flush front, my solution is to also pull the verticals forward so they are flush with the top rail:

431116940_SWAG22-Pensarrett(23)(Copy).JPG.4560601ba8d197ed4d773371f43c2136 (1).jpeg
 

BCN-Pete

Western Thunderer
Do you mind if I asked how you created the china clay in the sheds for Polsarrett Chris?

I always thought that looking at photos is was white powder that was in heaps and shovelled into the wagons?

I use the term white powder with caution! :D
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Do you mind if I asked how you created the china clay in the sheds for Polsarrett Chris?

I always thought that looking at photos is was white powder that was in heaps and shovelled into the wagons?

I use the term white powder with caution! :D

So... The dries I have modelled were based on a few sectional drawings and some old photos. Raised heated pan at the rear, dried clay cut into blocks and then chucked on to the loading floor. Some photos show the clay blocks stacked by the dries entrances.

I made a polystyrene mound, covered it in white filler and then stuck a load of 'blocks' on it cut from card. The same card blocks were used to form the stacks by the dries entrances.

IMG_20211021_132009.jpg

IMG_20211021_095757.jpg

IMG_20211021_110556.jpg

IMG_20211021_150943.jpg

628036150_SWAG22-Pensarrett(11)(Copy).JPG.2b0f90cd4c68aa56ed673351d2b8046b (1).jpeg
 
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Overseer

Western Thunderer
Good to see you posting again Pete, and a lovely model. Regarding the form of the china clay being shipped out, I think you are right with white powder in the 70s and 80s. Probably loaded by conveyor belts. Slurry in tanks was another method of transporting china clay. The blocks of clay modelled by Chris represent an earlier time, and more manual labour. The following are from "The History of English China Clays - Fifty Years of Pioneering and Growth" by Kenneth Hudson, which is a typical 1960s corporate history.

ecc block.jpgecc par.jpg

The trucks at Par are owned by Heavy Transport (ECC) Ltd, one of the ECC subsidiaries.
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Good to see you posting again Pete, and a lovely model. Regarding the form of the china clay being shipped out, I think you are right with white powder in the 70s and 80s. Probably loaded by conveyor belts. Slurry in tanks was another method of transporting china clay. The blocks of clay modelled by Chris represent an earlier time, and more manual labour. The following are from "The History of English China Clays - Fifty Years of Pioneering and Growth" by Kenneth Hudson, which is a typical 1960s corporate history.

View attachment 181372View attachment 181373

The trucks at Par are owned by Heavy Transport (ECC) Ltd, one of the ECC subsidiaries.

Interesting photos there. I think in my early 60s period they were just starting to move over to clay powder. There's certainly photos of powder in bags being loaded into vans at Wenford via a mobile conveyor sat in the yard. Moving and loading the clay blocks must have been backbreaking work.
 

JasonBz

Western Thunderer
The introduction of the oil or gas fired Buell Driers over a period from the late 1940s/early 50s onward made for something of step change in both clay drying capacity and capability. Using a filter press before feeding the clay into the top of the drier gave an end product that had a water content of only about 10%, compared to double that in an old style pan kiln.

The need to keep the processed clay dry while it was in transit is what lead BR / ECLP to the invention of the now familiar hoods fitted to the fleet of clay wagons used on local operations between the various works and the loading jetties at Carne Point, Fowey harbour.
Due to the sometimes complicated nature of operations and the vagaries of the weather (Fog in Channel! sort of thing) loaded clay wagons could spend a fair amount of time just sitting about in sidings.
The simple wagon sheets that were used previously tended to be prone to puddles forming in the rather damp Cornish climate, which would lead to a spoiled load from even a minor leak.
 
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BCN-Pete

Western Thunderer
Thank you all for your kind comments and advice on the clay.

I will try to model mounds of powder then and am not sure what I can do about the conveyer belts so maybe I will have a couple of wheel barrows inside the openings with a couple of guys with shovels on hand.

I would like to model a shunting tractor too but the only ones in 7mm scale seem to be nothing like the ones shown at Wenford (which have 4 identical sized wheels)
 

Rob R

Western Thunderer
Shame Universal Hobbies don't yet do the appropriate County tractor in 1/43. You could always do a Larry and go 1/32.......

Some nice clay handling views here - bagged and bulk powder:

Thank you for that link Tony.
I was wondering what to do with my 1/24 Bedford OB - now I know .:thumbs:

20230309_182235.jpg Rob
Sorry for the diversion....
 
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