Hmm... these Southern vans were mainly built around the 1928 1929 time period at Lancing when vacuum fitted brakevans were not the norm because most freight trains were unfitted and had no continuous train brake. These vans were early candidates for withdrawal from revenue service and were transferred into departmental uses and coded thus under TOPS, the unfitted vans were coded ZTO... the O meaning without vacuum brake equipment, e.g these were unmodified and mainly remained as built from new at Lancing. The links Matt shows us is for a van coded ZTP which means the van is piped and is not fitted with any control equipment other than a vacuum gauge which is what the external pipe is for, in the same way many unfitted BR standard 20 ton brake vans were modified from unfitted CAO to be redesignated as piped and coded CAP. The later and final modification in demartmental use for these Lancing built vans were to ZTR which means the vacuum pipe versions were given through air piping so that they could run in air braked trains but have no control over the air brakes. Hope this helps.
A quick work in progress pic this morning: I'm aware of the errors but for me the overall look is more important than total accuracy. I'm pretty pleased with the underframe weathering on this. Matt
Very nice weathered finish you are achieving with this van. Mat I wish you were a local down under Modeller I’d offer to do the basics of the track and wiring and get it to a ready to run stage for you to work your magic on, as I know previously you said that area of the hobby wasn’t your strong point, I’d love to see your talents in the scenic details etc so you have a place for these beauties to be displayed.
Thanks for the comments and likes! Chris, very kind of you. You may have noticed that I struggle when it actually comes to building a layout. Part of the reason for this is I don't actually find the operational side very interesting. I certainly take little interest in shunting. Why then, you may ask, do I bother with micro layouts? Simple. Space and time. Even if I had the space for a roundy roundy type layout, I'd never have the commitment to actually build it. With a 15 month old daughter, my modelling opportunities are limited at the best of times. That's why I tend to focus on building stock and buildings. I find it far easier to make progress with these in the odd hours I get to myself. It's for this same reason that layout progress is so slow. I am, however, determined to make some progress with this layout. I just know that I'd rather be doing some modelling than none at all. Matt
Great approach Matt, you are a bit like myself, I cannot be bothered to build a layout just to run trains either preferring instead to kit build. It won't take too long before you have a formidable collection of built stock to your merit.
I too find building kits quite enjoyable, whether that be wagons, buildings or simply scratch building. I probably like to build layouts more than I do running them !! Although I do enjoy running the layout when I can. Lately it's more a case of testing the layout for operation... Cheers, Gary.
Hi all, Barring a few tweaks and a final coat of flat varnish, I'm calling this done: Like I said in my previous post, I'm aware of errors, but the overall result is the most important thing to me. Markings are a combination of Fox, Modelmaster and Railtec. I did start to take some photos as I was going through the painting process with the intention of showing the steps, but forgot as it progressed! What did I learn with this model? Well I used etched wheel irons for the first time. Also, unlike my as yet unpainted Dapol brake van, I replaced all the handrails with wire and what a difference it makes. Any questions, feel free to ask! Matt
The brake van looks fantastic Matt. Great job on the painting and weathering ! My question to you is : How long will it take the brake van to land in Sydney, Australia ?? Cheers, Gary.
Interesting - my focus is too much on operations and I find a few hours running pick up type freights on my layout and shunting one a very relaxing pastime. It takes me years to get round to some things if there is a good bit of operating to be undertaken. I started my layout after the children got to the age of needing dad to take them to all their extra curricular activities and at 15 months I well remember how little time one has to one's self. Must also say I enjoy a bit of roundy round with a mug of something appropriate as well. Dave
Thank you for the very kind comments regarding the brake van. I've finally managed to fit a sub-backscene to hide the joins in the lazer cut modules and have applied a sealing coat of PVA to the whole lot in preparation for lining paper to help disguise the corners. Matt
Nice one Matt with the display case... a little bit of advice mate DON'T stick lining paper down with pva cos the paper will expand causing tramlines, these won't shrink back because the pva will prevent this from happening. Instead use a ready mix wet paste the wall type adhesive or Solvite cold water starch mix.
Cheers Paul, the PVA is just a sealing coat. I'll be attaching the paper with paste. I'm thinking a white or very pale grey to suggest an overcast day. Although I'm a big fan of the photo backscenes like I have used on Talerddig, I want a more muted effect this time. Some more plotting tonight: I'm now thinking of an extended loading platform to the left of the building giving way to a verge/embankment all the way to the left corner of the layout. The third siding will be slightly longer than depicted here, however it'll be disused and overgrown. I'm also thinking it may be slightly lower than the running lines, but only by the depth of the cork. We'll see. Matt
In regards to your back scene, if your camera or phone camera has a panorama feature, you can produce your own back scene. I had produced my own for my New South Wales inglenook layout. It cost me around $30.00 (£16.50) to have it printed. This is the backscene I made using my phone camera on panorama and the following link below from Gormo. This was printed out at 2700mm long (9') and 280mm (11") high. Here is a link to Gormo's Shed on 'making your own back scenes' : https://platform1mrc.com/p1mrc/index.php?threads/episode-35-print-your-own-backgrounds.996/ Cheers, Gary.