HR Ballast Wagon Complete

Highland Railway Type J 8 ton drop-side ballast wagon 

The model was built with the aid of an etched brass kit from Lochgorm Kits' for a 4-plank open wagon, from which the model was converted with the addition of extra parts. It seemed simple enough at the outset but turned out to be a laborious and time consuming way of producing a ballast wagon. A limited number of resin bodied ballast wagon kits were produced recently by a Highland Railway Society member and I'm sure these would make a very nice model in rather less time than the road I took. Though I prefer all-metal construction, a quicker build second wagon to make a pair, one empty and one with a load, is a temptation.

I printed the oval number plate on the sole bar myself on an inkjet from my own artwork. Transfers are from HMRS sheet 20. The basic colour of the wagon is Phoenix Precision P963 Dark Brick Red. I used this colour as I've run out of Caledonian Goods Wagon Oxide, which I usually use, it seems to be more or less the same colour.

The inside of the wagon was painted with Humbrol matt 110, a light brown colour, this was dry brushed dark to light. The ironwork was painted matt black then this and the planking was lined with thin black paint which flowed round the detail and into the intaglio by capillary action.

A residue of ballast chippings and an old sweeping brush add interest to the interior.


   

Highland Railway Ballast Wagon

HR 8 Ton Ballast Wagon Type J diag. 23 

My starting point for this model of a Highland Railway two-plank drop-side ballast wagon was a Lochgorm Kits' four-plank open wagon kit. The wagon sides were thickened to scale by using a spacer between the inner and outer walls, the hinges and strapping were cut from strip then shaped and soldered on in the flat, both inside and out, before the wagon was assembled.

The black dots you can see on the ironwork of the wagon body are Archers' Surface Details resin rivet transfers which seem to have adhered reasonably well to the nickle silver strapping, those that came off I stuck back on with varnish. The trick I employed when using them was to place the transfer dry on its backing next to the hinge or strap and then wet it and slide the rivet strip into place. The undercoat should help fix them too, I intend to use Halfords' Acid 8, which doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on them.

The wagon is fitted with Peter Drummond's patent each-side brake mechanism, so there's a handle on the other side as well, though no brake lever. Safety chains are fitted too so the model must date between 1896, when Drummond took office as the Highland's Locomotive Superintendant, and 1900 when safety chains were dispensed with.

The wagon is number 2525, though the wagon plate is not ready yet. I've drawn the artwork for the plate which will be scanned, sized and printed then glued to a backing and cut to shape. However the printer's out of ink and I'm waiting for a delivery, which is slow at the moment.

All the pictures I've seen of these wagons have buffer housings with a cast stop on top for the wagon end to drop onto. I could find no commercial casting for this type so I made my own by soldering a block of scrap white metal onto each housing then drilling them and shaping them with a knife and files. You'll need an Antex White Metal Master soldering iron for this job and some ultra low-melt solder. And of course solder the buffers to the wagon body first before adding the stop.

Underneath from the rocking-axle end

This view of the un-prototypical underside shows the cut-aways in the rocking-axle tray that have been made to allow the sprung draw-hook and buffers to operate. The transverse rod links the handles of Drummond's patent both-sides brake gear.