Im intending to incorporate a steel works/railhead into my layout, typical of the West Midlands era early to mid 80's.
Any leads on suitable freight stock from that era? Ideally I'd like wagons with loaded and/or unloaded heavy steel stock.
Cheers
Dave
Graham farish BDA's and SPA's are a couple I can think of off the top of my head.
Have a scroll through these :
http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/category/652/Graham_Farish (http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/category/652/Graham_Farish)
Other suppliers are available of course !
I have a steel train of 3 BDAs, 4 SPAs, 1 OCA and 5 vtg telescopic hoods.
I think that is prototypical. It's not supposed to be any particular train in any region - just a random steel train for the 80s. I would like some BAA wagons as well one day.
Tim
Thanks for the fast replies again:)
I like the BDA's - thats the sort of item I had in mind, but I can only see ones marked Railfreight..Was this a pre-privatisation branding?
TBH Im not THAT picky, but if I can get it right, why not..?;)..............as for all the acronyms, I'll get there one day..:)
Load wise, I guess I have to construct that myself - Cocktail sticks maybe good as round bar? RSJ & the like out of plasticard?
There was a lot of rolling mills around here, Im not sure coil loads were that common........?
QuoteI like the BDA's - thats the sort of item I had in mind, but I can only see ones marked Railfreight..Was this a pre-privatisation branding?
yes
i would suggest you get the red ones with railfreight on them and also some SPA wagons in red as well.
the BDAs come with steel girders that you can use, or buy some other steel loads to put on them if you want.
cheers
tim
West Mids steel trains in the '80s (and '90s) you'll want OAA/OBA/OCA, SPA opens and BAA/BDA flats for sheet, roll, pipe and coil traffic, and also vans such as VAA/VBA/VDA/VGA for finished parts in Railfreight red livery, or earlier bauxite both Railfreight branded and unbranded. Telescopic hoods were also quite common, I seem to recall that they were Tiphook branded in the '90s when I was watching them (Dapol produce them VTG branded which is earlier IIRC, but the livery is the same).
Bescot provided the majority of motive power for the regions freight (Saltley provided some but was increasingly becoming a mere fueling point for BNS station and Lawley Street Freightliner depot), up to the mid '80s class 25s reigned supreme on trip freight workings into Bescot with class 31s making inroads the later into the decade you go. The long distance services to other yards were largely Sulzer type 4 power (class 45 or class 47), 1987 saw the end of the rats and 45s and Bescots allocation was almost exclusively 31s and 08s with 47s and 56s on longer distance workings, it wasn't uncommon to have class 58s either as the coal traffic they were intended for was being severely affected by one Mr Scargill having a tiff with Mrs Thatcher. The Bones even did turns on the freightliners out of Dudley terminal as well as the pipe traffic out of Washwood Heath well into the late '80s.
I almost completely forgot about the covered all door ferry wagons as well, Dapol do a similar model with their 'Cargowaggon', which although not the same prototype as some of those used for steel traffic is still a vehicle that could be found in a raft of steel wagons on speedlink services. At a push I'd expect they would have been used for pallets of finished parts, particularly for the auto industry.
Fordpop
Good luck with this layout try looking for pics of Round Oak Brierley Hill and Wedensbury the all had or have steel terminals am sure some were very basic a siding and a forklift for unloaded others had gantry cranes am sure dapol do a starter set with Class 56 and steel hood wagons!
Kind regards
Dave
Don't forget something to carry scrap metal in such as MCO/MCV or MDO/MDV (MDW on Teesside, not sure about anywhere else). Has nobody mentioned BCO/BCV/BCW, BAB or BBA (and their coil carrying cousins whose TOPS Codes escape me)?
Can you buy MCO/MCV or MDO/MDV in N Gauge? Got any pics of models of them?
Tim
MCO/MCV - 16 ton mineral wagon - GF does one, amongst others.
MDO/MDV (MDW) - 21 ton mineral wagon - NGS has a kit for these, but needs modifying if not making an MDO.
ok great cheers for info neal
tim