14T anchor mount tank in 7mm?

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I have asked Justin at Rumney Models if he would rescale his 14T anchor mount tank underframe and brake gear etches to 7mm scale and he is willing subject to getting enough interest to make it worthwhile. The underframe would suit the 14T class A and class B tanks, as well as some of the 20T class B anchor mount tanks (and as a standard RCH design it would also suit other wagons but then you wouldn't see much of it).

Would anyone else be interested in purchasing one or more of the kits?

The Rumney Models website has an info page with the instructions here - Tank Wagon Underframes – Rumney Models . He has also drawn the artwork for the anchor mount plates and saddles which could also be produced in 7mm scale. I plan to make pressed brass ends and roll brass barrels for the tanks for my models so the ends could be available to others if there is enough interest for the etches to be produced.

One example:
anchormount highland 3.jpg
I hope Richard ( @Ben Alder ) is OK with his photo from an RMWeb thread being reposted here.

Paul Bartlett has photographs of a number of prototypes in the Midland Tar Distillers section Midland Tar Distillers unfitted bitumen tank wagons and others.

David Larkin's Non-Pool Freight Stock 1948-1968 books have numerous examples of the anchor mount tanks.

I think a few anchor mount tanks will provide a little variety amongst all the Lionheart/Dapol and Slaters tanks around.

If you are interested in an accurate, reasonably easy to build etched kit for this underframe please reply here, or pm me or Justin ( @jjnewitt ), or through the Rumney Models website. The cost is likely to be around 3 times the cost of the 4mm kit.
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Fraser,

Do you know Powsides do an anchor mount tank in 7mm? I guess the question is whether this approach is drawn out of desperation or just a desire to have a better one...?

Steph
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Fraser,

Do you know Powsides do an anchor mount tank in 7mm? I guess the question is whether this approach is drawn out of desperation or just a desire to have a better one...?

Steph
Steph,
I did know about it but it doesn't quite convince me. I think there needs to be a better representation of the very visible underframe, so not desperation. I don't want many wagons so I like to make the ones I do make to be as accurate as reasonably possible.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I am not sure if Justin has received any expressions of interest yet, but from the people who have been in contact with me so far we are well on the way to reaching the number required to make it viable. If it proceeds there are likely to be 3d printed details for the tank top filler, valve, etc and possibly 3d printed tank ends available as well. The more interest there is upfront, the lower the unit price can be as the time spent modifying the artwork to suit the larger scale will be spread over more kits.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I don't have my Tourret tank wagon book to hand - are these the same anchor mount tank wagons which were used in WD service?
I was hoping someone else would answer this one as I don't definitively know the answer. There were European style bracket mount tanks built during WW2 with some similarities but the photos I have seen show two bracket plates each side and other differences to the anchor mount tanks built post WW2 for private owners.
 

jjnewitt

Active Member
I don't have my Tourret tank wagon book to hand - are these the same anchor mount tank wagons which were used in WD service?

Certainly the last batch and possibly the penultimate batch of Air Ministry tank wagons were anchor mounts. There's a picture of one in Turret's tank wagon book on page 28. These were 14T class A wagons.

I am not sure if Justin has received any expressions of interest yet, but from the people who have been in contact with me so far we are well on the way to reaching the number required to make it viable. If it proceeds there are likely to be 3d printed details for the tank top filler, valve, etc and possibly 3d printed tank ends available as well. The more interest there is upfront, the lower the unit price can be as the time spent modifying the artwork to suit the larger scale will be spread over more kits.

I haven't had any expressions of interest as yet.

I thought it would be a good idea to clarify what I could produce in 7mm. So far I've done (all in 4mm):
  • RCH 1939 underframe for anchor mounted tanks and variations to cover RCH and BR axleguards (for 14T wagons) and RCH Heavy duty and BR Plate axleguards (for 20T wagons).
  • Saddles and anchor mountings for both 7'3" (14T class A and 20T class B) and 6'7" tanks (14T class B)
  • Tank wrapper and formers, ladder and walkway etches for both 7'3" and 6'7" tanks
  • 3D artwork for the manholes and tank ends
  • 3D spring and axlebox artwork covering all the variations used on these vehicles.
This basically leaves the rest of the tank fittings which are on my list of things to do this year, one of my current projects is to produce models of a National Benzole 14T class B anchor mount, an SMBP 20T class B anchor mount and an SMBP 14T class B (converted from Class A) Air Ministry saddle tank.

Anchor Mount Tank Underframe.JPG

Tank Wagon Fittings 20T Anchor Mount Manhole.jpg

So by the end of the year I would have all the artwork to do a complete kits in 4mm for 14T class A, 14T class B and 20T class B wagons. It would be possible to do complete kits in 7mm but it's a question of numbers to make it cost effective. If there is serious interest then I will look closer at prices and viability numbers. The variation in tank sizes would be an issue as they would need a sperate set of artwork/castings. 3D prints would be used to create masters but then they would be cast, it's probibitively expensive to use straight 3D prints in kits when you need a reasonable number to get it all going in the first place.

As an aisde someone posted a link to the National Benzole anchor mounts on Paul Bartlett's site. Has anyone come across and pictures of the class A wagons in service? I've seen pictures of the 14T class B anchor mounts and numerous saddle and cradle mounted tanks in service but none of the class A anchor mounts. I'd be interested to see hwta livery they wore in the 60s.

Cheers,
Justin
 

7mmMick

Western Thunderer
Very tasty indeed Justin, I am one of hopefuls that this will come off as a 7mm project. I posted the link to Paul's site as I'm looking to model these in 1951/2, so early in their lives. So far I've not found any decent pictures of them early in life but have attached a picture of a crop from a book article about Ex Air Ministry Tanks, with an interesting Fina livery and then a picture of a J39 working ex Salted tanks past Burleigh Street, Hull ( which is the area/time period I model) for interest on differing liveries.TANKS 4.jpg
H01B BURLIEGH STREET c1959.jpg

I have another copy of the J39 in colour in another book taken at close range which I shall see If any tanks are Anchor mounted. This one above is copyright to Mick Nicholson, a close friend.

If the book crop needs to be removed please let me know anyone and I shall do so,

Cheers

Mick
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
We now only need at least two more expressions of interest for the anchor mount tank underframe to proceed. If you are thinking you might want an anchor mount tank or two now is the time to get in touch. Even if a RTR anchor mount tank is released in 7mm scale some time in the future it is unlikely to have an underframe as accurate as this one and the prototype had such a wide variety of tank details that it probably won't be the version you want. Plus you won't have had the pleasure of building it yourself.
 

NickK

Active Member
I will certainly have two kits. I have a couple of CRT kits to build but the underframe is old hat. Needs a lot of scratch building and no easy way to compensate an axle.

I was looking to do my own kit a while back and have got a pattern part finished for 7ft 3 barrel which I was going to cast in resin. It would be of a riveted pattern, if you wanted a welded version then you just set too with water and emery paper. I would need somebody who would be capable of turning the tank ends and these could be cast as well.

Nick
 
I stumbled across your post and created an account just to say that I would be interested! I've been looking for sensible 7mm 20T Class B tank kits and was even considering if I could bash something together from an Exactoscale 12ft frame as a starting point, but a proper underframe kit would be great.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
It looks like this may be viable. I need to discuss it with Julian but the minimum number of kits he asked for has been reached. If @Ian_C or anyone else considering purchasing has an idea of the number of kits they are considering it would be useful to know and could reduce the price of the kits.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
I stumbled across your post and created an account just to say that I would be interested! I've been looking for sensible 7mm 20T Class B tank kits and was even considering if I could bash something together from an Exactoscale 12ft frame as a starting point, but a proper underframe kit would be great.
Welcome to Western Thunder. Thanks for letting us know you are interested in the anchor mount tank underframe and bits. Perhaps you could start a thread and show us some of what you do, there are a broad range of interests among members.
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Fraser/Justin,
is the chassis going to be suitable for S7? If it is, I will be interested in a couple.
Simon
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Fraser/Justin,
is the chassis going to be suitable for S7? If it is, I will be interested in a couple.
Simon
I forgot there was an alternative. :) Most of the interest so far has been from S7 modellers. I expect the solebars, w-irons and the rest of the frame to be in their prototypical locations so it will be suitable for S7. O gauge should work as well, I think there should be enough clearance from the diagonal members for the backs of O gauge wheels but will need to check.

The selection of W-irons will need to be discussed, hopefully there will be enough interest to allow production of both the RCH type for most of the 14T versions and a heavy duty type for the 20T class B tanks.
 
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