Grampus Wagons

exmouthcraig · December 01, 2018, 09:16:57 PM

I'm looking at purchasing a rake of grampus wagons in preparation to go with my sturgeons and have been looking at the dapol in black.

Hattons seem reasonable at £13 each but have just been on Trackshack website and see that they sell the Parkside kits. I dont mind building them but which of the 2 is the best model??

I think the dapol ones come loaded with ballast but is there glaring issues with one over the other???

ScottishModeller · December 01, 2018, 09:37:09 PM

Hi Craig,

Funny you should ask this just now!

I took a box of ready assembled Parkside kits of a dealer as he could not sell them - they would not run as they had been poorly assembled.

It will be our choice - RTR or Kit as both are nice models

However, I find the kit has a finer scale look to it than the RTR one.

I've not taken the micrometre to them but the kit sides and ends appear to be thinner and more to scale than the RTR ones.

If you are a serial kit builder (I am), then it's an easy choice!

You need to take care to get the kit square and level as you build them.

I soldered up a square jig with a square vertical upright on a flat plate to ensure it sits square and level.

Be careful when you clean up the kit parts not to take off too much material.

Remember to show us your progress if you go down to kit route....

Thanks
Phil H

exmouthcraig · December 01, 2018, 09:59:05 PM

Thanks Phil,

Yeah currently building
18 NGS SR box vans
10 Peco 5 plank
10 Peco 7 plank
20 Peco 16T minerals

And hacking a Gem Ransome Rapier 45T breakdown crane about (pics on the forum, On my work bench topic)

So although Pecos arent technically building im painting, decalling and weathering them all so will most probably get the Parkside kits, do you have any pics up of the ones you've managed to build???

craig

ScottishModeller · December 01, 2018, 10:03:08 PM

Hi Craig,

I don't have photos at present - never thought to take any as they have mostly been built on the NGS in Scotland stand at exhibitions.

They need decaling up though - still to find a supplier for those.

I will dig out the stock box though and get some photos taken.

Thanks
Phil H

exmouthcraig · December 01, 2018, 10:06:47 PM

Wonderful, Yeah I've just been trawling the Fox Transfers website to see what decals are available.

A good scroll through Paul Bartletts website now to see what markings were where and try to find out what numbers were running near Bournemouth in 1959.

martyn · December 02, 2018, 08:20:03 AM

I think that early Parkside kits may have had dimensional errors with the wheelbase-not being the same on opposite sides? This may have been corrected-I don't know.

I have both kits and RTR-its your choice, really. I'm happy with both types. The transfers for mine came from a long defunct Woodhead set.

I used a simple bent wire hook and loop coupling on the internal ends of my kits, as the Rapido coupling box supplied was quite chunky.

Martyn

johnlambert · December 02, 2018, 11:11:01 AM

Quote from: exmouthcraig on December 01, 2018, 09:16:57 PM

I'm looking at purchasing a rake of grampus wagons in preparation to go with my sturgeons and have been looking at the dapol in black.

Hattons seem reasonable at £13 each but have just been on Trackshack website and see that they sell the Parkside kits. I dont mind building them but which of the 2 is the best model??

I think the dapol ones come loaded with ballast but is there glaring issues with one over the other???

I didn't realise until recently that the ballast load in the Dapol wagon is removable.

I ought to buy the Parkside kit to see how it compares.

honk843 · December 02, 2018, 03:00:53 PM

If you are looking at transfers for these wagons, check out Cambridge Custom Transfers who do all the Grampus ones you could wish for.

exmouthcraig · December 02, 2018, 03:38:27 PM

Thanks honk, never heard of them but a brilliant website and reasonable as well. Just need to make sure I order all I need.

honk843 · December 02, 2018, 03:43:53 PM

I tried uploading some pics but it failed. Photos of both types completed are on my flickr account (honk843). I leave it to you to decided which is which all have been repainted weathered and CCT transfers applied.

exmouthcraig · December 02, 2018, 04:21:29 PM

Honk just travelled all 13 pages of your Flickr account, some well weathered stock on there and some interesting layouts but couldn't find any grampus wagons

honk843 · December 02, 2018, 04:42:53 PM

Sorry to drag you through all that I have created an album called Grampus Wagons if you want to try again.