Midland Wagons

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Hardwicke
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Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:17 pm

After the article in MRJ 286 about Midland wagons and the issue with the sole bar depth, I took the plunge and carefully attacked a Midland coke wagon I had bought second hand. The Kenline one is a different length !
Anyway I managed to knock off the handrail and one buffer in the process but one solebar was removed by firstly easing a flat blade between the solebar and the floor. Very carefully. Once I had parted it from the floor, I eased it out from the glued ends and where it was connected to the middle bearers. Once out, the bearings came out, quite easily. I released one bodyside along the floor and one end so that I could clean up the floor.
Scribing a 0.5 mm line along the sole bar top gave me a reference to which I could aim for. a marker pen on the plastic before scribing made this visible once scribed. I used a large file; about 10 inches, to take the required amount off. Take a very small amount at a time and the teeth should me fairly fine. I cut a small notch in the middle bearer to clear the moulded w iron and filed a small amount off the v hanger to clear the body side. The pictures show the result. Now I've the other side to do....
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Last edited by Hardwicke on Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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jim s-w
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby jim s-w » Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:35 pm

as you removed the body from the floor could you not have just mounted the body back on lower?
Jim Smith-Wright

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Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:06 am

Not really. As the MRJ article states the floor sits into a slot on the ends. This would have meant gouging the floor out from that with a potential risk of damaging a lot more of quite a nice wagon.
Mounting the floor higher means you lose depth. Not so visible in this wagon, but in say the 3 plank...
If I was building a new one I'd scribe the interior planks too.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

billbedford

Re: Midland Wagons

Postby billbedford » Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:49 am

Real wagon didn't have chamfers on the inner edges of the planks. Any lines seen on the inside is dirt trapped between the planks.

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:35 am

billbedford wrote:Real wagon didn't have chamfers on the inner edges of the planks. Any lines seen on the inside is dirt trapped between the planks.

Agreed but better than a plain solid inside with no detail. Apparently one survives/survived in Lincolnshire.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:13 pm

The other solebar came off much easier and I didn't need to remove the side. I split it slightly from the floor and flexing it allowed the blade to slip between the floor and solebar. The photos also show the amount I removed from the first one.
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

Steve Carter
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Steve Carter » Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:17 pm

As the axleboxes are part of the molding did reducing the solebar depth have an impact on the buffer height?
Steve Carter

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:05 pm

Yes it will but when you look at real wagons they don't all sit at the same height.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:06 pm

The Bradwell suspension units can be adjusted to provide a more consistent level anyway.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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grovenor-2685
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby grovenor-2685 » Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:57 pm

Steve Carter wrote:As the axleboxes are part of the molding did reducing the solebar depth have an impact on the buffer height?

Looking at the first PICs of original condition the relationship of solebar to buffer beam was all wrong and the buffers should have been overheight and should now be correct.
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Keith
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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:24 pm

One picture I love shows one of these distinctive wagons being loaded with boxes of butter at Grimsby !
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

billbedford

Re: Midland Wagons

Postby billbedford » Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:02 pm

If it's the photo I think it is, it shows the wagon being loaded/unloaded with empty butter boxes by women.

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:16 pm

billbedford wrote:If it's the photo I think it is, it shows the wagon being loaded/unloaded with empty butter boxes by women.

It is.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:32 pm

I've picked up a MR 5 plank (Slater's). I've reduced it to it's component parts and removed the moulding marks. I've started scribing the internal planks.
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:33 pm

Next job is to scribe the floor and reduce the height of the solebars.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:31 pm

Scribing the floor...
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:35 pm

I reduced the height of the solebars too. Initial slots were filed to depth and then joined up.
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:27 pm

Last night I built up some Brassmaster three link couplings. Be careful as I broke two links. They will be fitted to the Coke, five plank and two Slaters Private Owner wagons.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

billbedford

Re: Midland Wagons

Postby billbedford » Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:45 pm

How not to break chain links:

Last edited by grovenor-2685 on Sat Dec 17, 2022 6:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fixed the syntax for the youtube BBcode.

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Mon Dec 19, 2022 10:13 pm

Two still broke. I made one new link from what had been an overscale one.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sat Jan 21, 2023 2:38 pm

Progress on the 5 plank
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sat Jan 21, 2023 2:40 pm

Progress on the Midland Coke wagon.

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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Mon Feb 27, 2023 10:52 pm

Midland Motor Car Van.
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Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

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Hardwicke
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Re: Midland Wagons

Postby Hardwicke » Sun Jun 25, 2023 2:33 pm

I was at Middleton Top yesterday and had a look at the MR 5 plank there. Except it's not quite. The underframe is clearly Midland from the ironwork and axle boxes, but it's a bottom door example and the corner plates are only 4 1/2 planks high, with additional old bolt holes and an extra 1/2 plank plate at the top. The bottom doors are missing but then so it a portion of the floor anyway through rot. Slapping a coat of paint on the outside won't save this wagon.
Pictures later.
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".


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