It certainly has similarities. Iron and steel rolling stock has a long history with patchy acceptance in Britain. Daniel Gooch designed quite a few all iron open wagons and vans during the 1850s which had long service lives, some over 100 years, so the technology was available. The higher initial cost and the common user scheme for the most numerous wagon types slowed the adoption of steel wagons in Britain.This wagon plan caught my eye
https://archive.org/details/carbuildersdict00mast/page/n731/mode/1up?view=theater
but it must predate your prototype by 30 years or so (might need to scroll down to next page).
This wagon plan caught my eye
https://archive.org/details/carbuildersdict00mast/page/n731/mode/1up?view=theater
but it must predate your prototype by 30 years or so (might need to scroll down to next page).
Prompted by your most recent post, I have been back through your thread looking at previous contributions.Instead of being sensible and finishing off the last few bits of the diagram 1973 steel wagon I felt the urge to test out an idea I had for converting a Dapol RCH 7 plank wagon to Scale7. I had resisted buying any of the Dapol RCH wagons as I didn't think they were as good a starting point as the Slaters kits to achieve the battered 1950s wagons I am aiming at. I had been looking at the New Cransley coke wagon for some time to finish looking like Paul Bartlett's photograph of one of them and couldn't resist when Hattons had them on sale towards the end of last year. For the price it was worth it to compare with the Slaters wagons. I will see if I can live with the emaciated buffer housings. I couldn't live with the wheels as I don't have any 32mm gauge track. Previously, when converting Dapol Lionheart wagons (a steel mineral and tank wagon) I have altered the wheels to S7 by pushing the tyre to the outside of the centres then narrowing the width of the tyres. This time I also needed 3 hole disk wheels instead of the open spoke wheels supplied so decided to fit Slaters wheels. I know the S7 Group has short axles to allow a direct swap over but I am not a fan of 'pin point' bearings in O scale.
After looking at the wagon for a month or two and measuring bits it seemed possible to fit the standard Slaters wheels and bearings without much difficulty. And so it proved. Not sure if others have done the same, I would assume so. First take the axles out then pull the bearings out using flush-cutting side cutters. The bearings are 3.1mm diameter so the Slaters bearings need a sleeve to increase their external diameter. I drilled out some 1/8 inch brass rod with a 2.55mm drill, cut off lengths and hammered (gently) onto the Slaters bearings. 1/8 inch is a bit larger than 3.1mm so I held the bearings on the end of a drill bit inside the bearing and filed them a bit smaller. Push bearings into the holes in the compensated side. The fixed side needs a small alteration to ease installation of the axle, just a slot through the raised ring around the hole. Install the axle into the bearings in the compensated side, put the other bearing on the axle and ease the axle into the hole in the fixed side. There is just enough give in the ABS. No need to alter the brakes.
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Now the wagon is ready for some accelerated ageing.
Not impossible, just uncommon. The bottom doors are not very wide so when open they clear the brake cross shaft. The reason double sided independent brakes were usually used with bottom doors was probably to avoid a maintenance problem, dropping tons of coal on the cross shaft would eventually cause damage.Prompted by your most recent post, I have been back through your thread looking at previous contributions.
You have created some really convincing weathered wagons. Super nice.
One query though. In your post #6 you show a wagon with two-shoe Morton brakes but with painted chevrons indicating bottom discharge doors. I thought this was an impossible combination, because the cross-shaft connecting the brake levers would prevent the bottom doors opening. The wagon in your most recent post illustrates the point.
It is noteworthy that the early 16-ton minerals with bottom discharge doors had independent either side brakes, the later mass-produced type without bottom doors had Morton brakes. The switch in brake type following the change to no bottom doors is surely not a coincidence?
If it was possible, as per the wagon in your post #6, how was it done?
Thank you for explaining that.Not impossible, just uncommon. The bottom doors are not very wide so when open they clear the brake cross shaft. The reason double sided independent brakes were usually used with bottom doors was probably to avoid a maintenance problem, dropping tons of coal on the cross shaft would eventually cause damage.
I just had a look in David Larkin's The Acquired Wagons of British Railways Volume 3, which I acquired recently from Titfield Thunderbolt, and there is a photograph on page 44 of the same type of wagon. Seven plank steel underframe wagon with bottom doors and Morton brakes.Thank you for explaining that.
I know the S7 Group has short axles to allow a direct swap over but I am not a fan of 'pin point' bearings in O scale.