4mm An EM Workbench: selection box

[AJC]

That’s a cute little lorry. I’ve a couple of Milicast kits for my other interest bubble, which may get glued together at some point. Considering the size, the castings don’t look at all bad.

They're not bad at all. A couple of big bubbles on the back of the cab roof dome were fairly easy to deal with though they're not as good in that respect as the parts I have for detailing an Airfix Matador I bought a little while back. The masters are decent though and despite quibbling at some of the detailing the shapes are nice (and good value, compared to some of the alternatives).

Adam

 

[Overseer]

Adam

I noticed a Bedford OST in a photo while looking for something else and thought you might like to see it. I don't know how common short Bedford tippers were in Australia, the photo shows a different mix of trucks to what would have been seen in Britain. The photo is post 1941 as the Porter tipper is a locally built International K-line, introduced in 1941. Not sure what the ancient truck on the right is. All delivering coal to the Spencer Street power station.

 

[AJC]

It's been a while and modelling has been happening... The Bedford has been joined by a clutch of commercial vehicles that have been hiding among the boxes for *some time*. But first, here's the tipper, ready for top coating:



The cooling slats on the bonnet side were replaced with fuse wire. The enlargement is cruel, but it's ok, paint and weathering will hide a lot of ills.





Chassis and tipper body offered up to check for fit post painting. Not sure what the livery colour will be - I'm open to suggestions. This Austin FFK flat from Road Transport Images has, apparently, been on the stocks since 2015.



And here it is today:



Not a lot of change, but the spare wheel and driver's grabs are there. Round the back there's a light bar and rear plate. Must add the differential next time.



I need to add some safety bars on the back board and a bit more detail, including a front axle, mirrors, etc.

Finally, here's the last vehicle I bought from Frank Waller at Road Transport Images before his untimely death, a Commer Walkthrough van (which you can now get from Oxford Diecast, of course). This one is part way through the paint shop and will be finished in the blue, white and silver livery of fine wholesalers of frozen produce, Birdseye [though it should technically be the high-roofed version, ssh!]: SPD / Birds Eye – 922 UUR | Transport Photo Archive



Adam

 

[Osgood]

I think I might have once used the same sand blaster guy as you, for a full size truck - same finish!!

 

[AJC]

After half a decade, the FFK is now all but ready for paint:





The detail I'm particularly pleased with are the safety bars on the backboard on the body. These were added using fuse wire, superglued in place, first at the top and then, once the glue had taken, the wire was stretched out and tacked on with more glue at the bottom. Tricky to photograph though.



I'll have to think about a livery for it now. Meanwhile, the Bedford OST tipper now looks a bit like this:





The micro-sign-writing over the windscreens has come out ok (bear in mind the picture is greater than life size), but the cab doors need some lettering, too. Yes, the blue is a bit bright but not implausibly so.

Adam

 

[AJC]

So another project, with one eye on Podimore's proposed and offscene dairy, a Scammell milk tank and tractor combination as used for decades by United Dairies. I've made a start on the tractor unit but until I've primed it, the white resin is impossible to take a decent picture of, so here we have the important bit, the tank. This, like the tractor unit, is from Road Transport Images, item T11 sold as a bitumen tank but readily convertible to something more lactic. Here's the real thing: Scammell MU 's

And here's where I was at before applying a coat of filler primer, so it's now fetching mustard yellow because the resin casting is a little pitted with some difficult airholes (more have appeared under the filler primer) with band and nameboards on the side, scaled to suit the accompanying transfers. I've beefed up the tops of the mudguards with some 10 thou' superglued in place as they weren't as thick as the curves. There's a spare wheel to add underneath, together with a tool(?) box and, of course the wheels proper as well as the ladder. Oh, and lots of orange paint...



More as and when.

Adam

 

[oldravendale]

I'm interested to see how you get on with this, Adam.

I've started a milk train in 7mm. So far I have two Slaters 3000 G milk tanks and a Passenger Full Brake completed with another Slaters 2000 G milk tank to complete. However, some time ago I secured what I believe to be the last two road/rail tankers from (I seem to remember) "Blackberry Way" - although that name may be wrong. They are intended as coarse scale but I reckon will be a good basis for a couple of wagons to include in the train, even if I have to buy underframes from Slaters - David White was very helpful when I discussed the project with him. Steph and I went to Didcot a year or two ago and photographed the wagon and trailer there so I reckon I probably have enough info to give it a go.

Here's one of the photos from our safari.



Brian

 

[AJC]

The current state of play, showing primarily, the filling of pin holes (most really very tiny but opened up slightly to give the Milliput a chance) but also a start on detailing - you can see the mudguard stays and spare wheel here:



More of the same here, but from the rear and, peaking into view, the toolbox or whatever it is, fashioned from a lump of 150 thou' square styrene section:



Mounting this was a bit of an exercise as rather than being parallel to the tank centre line it was clearly meant to be level...



Ladder next and then wheels before moving on to the tractor unit.

Adam

 

[AJC]

Following a rather chaotic week at work, well, sort of at work, mostly at home for however long it will be now, there hasn't been a whole lot of modelling time, but what there has been has been devoted to this road-borne milk tank. So ladder on and stays fitted, fifth wheel fettled and the impressively huge wheels installed. Those big tyres were called super singles (because not doubled up), the large diameter, as on the tractor unit reduced the rpm for a given speed making for more efficient haulage. Actual top speed was less on an issue because these Scammells were limited to 20 mph when built!



I'm reasonably certain there should be lights/reflectors by the point I'm modelling (post 1960), so these are still to add. The tractor needs more radical work because the cab as supplied was intended to accommodate smaller steering wheels - United Dairies seem to have standardised on equal sized larger efforts - so I need to make and fit new mudguards. The chassis used here is intended for the later Highwayman. Viewed from the other end, it's plain how basic these units are.



Adam

 

[AJC]

Adam
Were these vehicles permanently coupled? The trailer doesn't seem to have legs and the coupling doesn't look as though it's designed to function as anything other than a pivot and support.
Dave

They were sold as a unit, I think, so more or less. There's a fitting underneath the tank that could be used for a stand as required. Obviously they could be separated and the similar tankers supplied for petrol and the like certainly did have legs, as did the flat and box trailers sold by Scammell: Scammell Tanker on Super Singles Davis Brothers 210GYR Frank Hilton 17052015 056

Adam

 

[Osgood]

Looks like many of the MU tractors supplied with frameless tank trailers (United Dairies included) were fitted with Scammell's own coupling -
the Spherub unit.
Some however had a standard 5th wheel coupling for interchangeability - a couple of the preserved United Dairies tractors being so fitted (but they may well have been fitted later in working life when used as yard shunters).
You can't always go on 'no landing legs so must be Spherub', but mostly the case.

Intended for semi-permanent coupling, the Spherub comprised a steel upper pressing bolted to the trailer sitting on a cast lower unit having low-friction linings, the whole being mounted on bonded rubber resilient mountings.
A vertical push rod ran through the pivot pin to actuate trailer brakes.


Here's a picture of tank trailer production showing upper pressings awaiting fitting:

Scammell Anorak mode off.........

 

[AJC]

Thanks for the useful additional gen, @Osgood! That said, Tony, if you've got a decent period view of the rear of a cylindrical tank that would be appreciated. I've obviously found plenty of preservation images and quite a few of petrol tankers - helpful because I've got one of those to do, too - but not exactly what I'm after.

Adam

 

[AJC]

A few more details. United Dairies vehicles all seem to have three rear cab windows (or one lozenge-shaped one in the case of the later Highwayman) which isn't what came with the cab moulding. Filling them in was simple enough and after a waft of primer, I marked out and cut some new ones.



Moving round the front, there's certainly a Scammell 'look' to the model already.



And finally, the rear - mud flaps hung on the back of the mudguards from a bit of brass shim:



Adam

 

[AJC]

I realise that I've been lurching around a bit so to recap, this is where I left my tiny Bedford OST:



All rather shiny but not especially realistic and I don't see M. & A. Shaw* as being the most ferociously 'kempt' concern. And so, taking this image as inspiration: tpt transport truck lorry wagon george wadacor ncb bradford coal mining pit bedford and a lot of work hand lettering and a bit of distressing later, Shaw's old Bedford is starting to show its years of toil. The tipper body is a bit worn, but advertises its owners' wares.



On the offside, the undertaking pedestrian would find the lorry looks quite tidy.



And finally a more trad' three-quarter view. I wonder whether the driver's left the key in?



Adam

* The real 'M. Shaw' is a good friend and colleague of mine. I hope he won't mind this description!

 

[Osgood]

....That said, Tony, if you've got a decent period view of the rear of a cylindrical tank that would be appreciated. I've obviously found plenty of preservation images and quite a few of petrol tankers - helpful because I've got one of those to do, too - but not exactly what I'm after.

Adam

This is probably too late, but:

Only just stumbled across this image (haven't found any rear views in photo resources).
Now I imagine Eagle illustrations would be pretty accurate renditions and this one certainly shows good light and plate bracket detail (guessing lower LH bracket under the 20 plate is cut away for clarity).
Also the mounting bars and brackets for the rear bumper (perhaps an optional extra - not seen one before!).
Note this unit is an early style demountable 5th wheel (roller carriage) with trailer legs:

 

[Osgood]

Not the best but maybe better than nothing?



The lighting is nothing if not discrete!

 

[simond]

Presuming the earlier-mentioned “20 plates” referred to a speed limit, the axle end speed swooshes in the advert must be a little... optimistic?

anyway, you’ve now got a number plate!

Atb
Simon

 

[AJC]

Presuming the earlier-mentioned “20 plates” referred to a speed limit, the axle end speed swooshes in the advert must be a little... optimistic?

anyway, you’ve now got a number plate!

Atb
Simon

I do love the advertising retoucher's optimism! Actually, plates weren't a problem as there are dozens of these United Dairies Scammells preserved and most have kept their original registrations, but thanks to Tony I've now got a clear idea of what the back end should look like. No excuses, now!

Adam

 

[AJC]

Not the best but maybe better than nothing?

View attachment 123620

The lighting is nothing if not discrete!

View attachment 123621

With thanks to Tony, I've made some amendments and the trailer is now ready for primer and top coat. I'm running out of reasons not to tackle the mudguards on the tractor unit. It's not the mudguards themselves as much as attaching them to the chassis...



Adam

 

[AJC]

While I have conspicuously failed to get much modelling done of late, I have managed to paint the tanker half of the Scammell and it now looks like this:





The orange is a 50:50 mix of Humbrol 82 and 100 and the sheen courtesy of Klear, knocked back a bit with Halfords matt lacquer over white undercoat (the orange covers badly). I just need to get the tractor completed now...

Adam