Rumney Models Dia. 1/801 ex-Fish Vans for Mostyn

[Richard Oldfield]

Hi,

Another project reaching the painting stage is a batch of six Rumney Models Diagram 1/801 ex-Fish Vans for Mostyn. Five are destined for Readers' Digest traffic and one will become a barrier vehicle.

These have been built pretty much in accordance with Justin's clear instructions so there is no need for a blow-by-blow account. They have been a pleasure to build - the main challenge is to find ways to personalise the vehicles and I did this by adding the vacuum pipe run through the underframe and sealing the doors on the barrier vehicle.

The bodies are mounted to the underframe using four 10BA bolts screwed into captive nuts soldered to the body floor.

The all-up weight comes out at 53gm which is close to Justin's target weight for the recommended springing wire. They run beautifully.

One of the 'standard' 1/801s destined for Readers' Digest traffic

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This vehicle will become W87573 TOPS coded RBV and is in use as a barrier vehicle. Note the Dowty hydraulic buffers (LMS code BH02) compared with the more common Oleos in the above image. The bars preventing use of the doors are another distinguishing feature.

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A quick look at the underframe. All I have added to the kit here is the vacuum pipe run.

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The rake of six vehicles successfully undergoing testing on Mostyn.

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Cheers,

Richard

[ChrisMitchell]

Looking very good

Regards, Chris

[iak]

Proper ones to go with the ageing straggler... https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=4547#p41639
They look fabbo Richard

[Jeremy Good]

Looking good, Richard.

Are the springs/axleboxes your own print or are they Justin’s? I might need to investigate upgrading the white metal ones I’ve got on mine as they look much crisper…

Look forward to seeing this train in traffic in due course.

Jeremy

[David Knight]

For the benefit of those of us unfamiliar with the terminology, could someone please explain “ Readers' Digest traffic”? Is it something as simple as loads of magazines or is there a deeper meaning?

TIA

Cheers,

David

[Richard Oldfield]

Hi David,

For the benefit of those of us unfamiliar with the terminology, could someone please explain “ Readers' Digest traffic”? Is it something as simple as loads of magazines or is there a deeper meaning?

It is simply rail=borne distribution of Readers' Digest magazines from the Hazell, Watson and Viney printing works in Aylesbury. A few years ago we turned up a photograph of a short formation of ex- Fish vans at Mold Junction and , after investigating further via the Railway Observer, learned that a good number of the 1/801 fleet was allocated to this traffic in their later lives. Paul Bartlett's site has images of 7 of these vehicles at Aylesbury.

Mold Junction1978059.jpg

Cheers,

Richard

[Richard Oldfield]

Hi Jeremy,

Looking good, Richard.

Are the springs/axleboxes your own print or are they Justin’s? I might need to investigate upgrading the white metal ones I’ve got on mine as they look much crisper…

Look forward to seeing this train in traffic in due course.

Thanks for the kind comment.

The springs/axleboxes are Justin's work (as is the 3D-printed roof). I can confirm they are crisp and easy to clean up (just remove any support pips from the rear face). They have a good-sized slot in the rear face to take the pinpoint bearings. I used waisted bearings with an additional spacing washer to minimise any side-play.

They probably wont be finished in time for Mostyn's outing to Spalding at the start of November but will definitely be on the roster for Railex Aylesbury in 2024.

The welcome mat is there for you if you wish to renew your acquaintance with the challenges of operating Mostyn!

Cheers,

Richard

[David Knight]

Hi David,

It is simply rail=borne distribution of Readers' Digest magazines from the Hazell, Watson and Viney printing works in Aylesbury. A few years ago we turned up a photograph of a short formation of ex- Fish vans at Mold Junction and , after investigating further via the Railway Observer, learned that a good number of the 1/801 fleet was allocated to this traffic in their later lives. Paul Bartlett's site has images of 7 of these vehicles at Aylesbury.

Mold Junction1978059.jpg

Cheers,

Richard

Thanks Richard, I suspected it might be something as simple as that but I was not aware that Readers’ Digest was a popular publication in the UK. Also useful for showing another way of using superannuated stock.

Cheers,

David

[Richard Oldfield]

Hi,

A little bit more information relating to the surviving BR-built ex-Fish Vans in the late 1970s (information culled from RCTS coaching stock publications for 1976 and 1978 and Railway Observer November 1977).

The numbers all refer to these vehicles still in revenue traffic - I do not have information relating to vehicles cascaded into Departmental service.

At the end of 1977 there were 162 vehicles still in revenue service - 13 survivors from the earlier Diagram 1/800 (with early body style and LNER-pattern brake gear) and 149 examples of the final Diagram 1/801. Vehicles were being actively condemned throughout the period.

Over half of the surviving 1/801 vehicles were allocated to Readers' Digest traffic.

I hope this puts a bit more meat on the bones of why I have chosen to model these vans in this long-gone traffic.

Cheers,

Richard

[Noel]

Also useful for showing another way of using superannuated stock.

Not really superannuated, as the orders were only completed in 1955 [1/800] and 1961 [1/801]; the traffic they were built for had disappeared by the late 1960s, so it was a case of finding something to use them for if possible. Most became SPVs, replacing 10ft wb vanfits which had previously regularly run in parcels trains but were now subject to quite low speed limits due to persistent derailments on plain line.