This is one of three scrap trains that I have made. This one is made up of five wagons, of three different types.

This rake dates from the late 80’s – early 90’s, and was typical of the days before privatisation.

The first types are three ready to run HSA’s by Bachmann. These have been filled with sundry cut-up bits of whitemetal and brass and then weathered. The HSA was a HEA with its hopper doors welded up, specifically for scrap.

The second type was a POA, this type were known as ‘Blackadders’, this is a scratch built body on a Hornby chassis. Again it was filled with ‘scrap’.

The third type of wagon was a bogie ‘Sheerness Steel’ wagon called a PXA. This was another of the excellent Appleby kits, the transfers were from the same source. Although I made this rake in the 90’s, I have obtained another PXA, part kit – no bogies, so the rake  could be added to when I obtain some bogies.

I guess this was the normal Flask train through the 70’s and 80’s. I saw this formation many times at Ipswich, to and from Sizewell.

The Brake van is a slightly modified Hornby, The two barriers wagons (RNA)  were made from Bachmann HEA’s with resin tops replacing the hopper. I believe the tops were to add weight to the wagons and were steel or concrete or a combination of both. I believe these tops were supplied to me from Appleby Models and are in resin.

The flask (FNA) itself was again I believe from Appleby and was in resin. I used Fox transfers for all wagons.

In these days, the train was hauled by a single loco – usually a Stratford 31 or 37.

This is yet another rake of wagons based on the Hornby TTA. I have had two goes at these wagons. After originally making them in the late eighties, I further updated them about five years ago. Bitumen is a very thick product and before it can be unloaded it has to be heated so it becomes thinner. This is done in tubes that run through the wagon, there are also ‘chimneys’ on the top of the wagons to exhaust the fumes from the ‘Flamers’ which are on the opposite end to the ladder..

I first saw these wagons at my local station during the 70’s. The wagons were unloaded as described above and them pumped about 100 yards to  a ‘Tar Factory’ . This factory supplied tar in heated road tankers to local councils for road repairs/recoating, it was used with those lovely road chippings! If I remember rightly, the factory was operated by a company called ‘Printar’. Sadly the factory closed and the traffic ceased in the early eighties.

The wagons I built are about 90% correct and are a generic attempt, but again, something is better than nothing.  The wagon flamers and chimneys are made from Plastic Tubing and the hatches at the end of the wagons are, don’t laugh, drawing pins.

I run this as a TOTAL company train with six ‘Class A’ tanks and three ‘Class B’ tanks. Both types of tanks have some modelling differences.

The ‘Class A’ tanks are standard Hornby, repainted and detailed. The main transfers are Fox and they have  light airbrush weathering. Now for something a bit different – all the spillage from the tank fillers are ‘transfers’.  I purchased these from EBAY about ten years after originally finishing the tanks, they came from an American Company, and if I remember rightly, they only took four days to get here. I also purchased some rust streaks for use  on departmental wagons. Were they successful?  I really don’t know – sometimes I think they are OK, but on reflection I’m not so sure. What do you think?

The ‘Class B’ tanks were also Hornby TTA based, but this time the ends were replaced with Genesis Kits conical whitemetal ones. The straighter you can cut the ends, the less filler is required. Overall a great little project for something a bit difference.

This is a flask train that ran after the Brake Van was no longer required. It is made up of two flasks and two barriers. I saw this train at Ipswich, on its way to Sizewell.

The Flask wagons are by Genesis Kits, a long time before the Bachmann RTR, and the PFA barriers were Hornby chassis, modified as required. All transfers were Fox.

The Genesis kits really went together very well and the castings needed little cleaning up. I used low-melt solder, but they can be assembled with super glue.

These barrier wagons were not the only type used, the most common seemed to have been cut down HEA wagons, although actual HEA’s were used on occasions.  No barrier wagons are used now, although all trains have to be double headed.

In my time I have made two different types of Russell Coal containers. The first ones I did were Appleby Models Kits and they were purchased and made back in the early 90’s. The containers were resin cast and the chassis was white metal. They were very good kits and went together very well. I am not 100% sure but I think I purchased the transfers from the same source. These were used quite a lot in the days of domestic coal and I used to run the two I obtained on the back of a train made up of HEA wagons.  Hauled by a 37, they looked great.

Before the EWS enterprise service ended to Potters of Ely there was a small domestic coal company on their site. This meant that 2 or 3 Russell  container wagons usually appeared on the train about once month or so. The actual containers had changed from the original orange ones that I previously modelled and were now a new design and aluminium colour. Whether this was unpainted or coated in some way I don’t know. Along with a friend we decided to build some. A prototype was made and then mould made. We had to make the container in 5 parts and  resin cast. The chassis was far more intricate and was in about 20 pieces, luckily we had access to a casting machine at the time and we used white metal to do the casting. After assembling and painting they looked very good, although on reflection I thought the chassis was only average and modifying a RTR or kit bashing would have been a better way. The container itself was excellent. The transfers were homemade again. I used to run these wagons with VGA, VDA, OBA and ferry wagons to form a train..

Although I had seen photographs of Gunnells, I had never seen any in rural East Anglian until on one of my visits to Ely in around 2005-6.  I saw a rake on it’s way to Whitemoor Yard with ballast spoil. Well, what a diverse rake that was, many liveries and lots of detail differences, some were very clean, others were almost rust coloured. I saw this rake about six times in those years, then they stopped coming.

I took several photographs for reference and also had a good look on the wagon sites. I made the decision to build a prototype top out of plastic card of what appeared to be the most common type. Unusually I was quite happy with the result first time, I then made a mould and cast eight tops.

I had already decided I was going to use the Lima PGA as a donor and eight were purchased. After stripping them down and working out what was to be retained and what could be discarded, I cut the very tops of the hoppers off so that the right height overall was attained. After gluing the resin tops on, I then turned to the variances of the build so that I could do the same. Some differences are subtle, others more obvious.

After the rake was undercoated, I turned to liveries and tried to match liveries to variations and condition. The resin tops had flat insides and I filled this space with spoil ballast.

Another nice rake to have, and although not totally accurate, better than nothing. I found the research on these wagons fascinating and was amazed at the differences,  and have to say I think there are even more types that could be options.

Transfers were homemade.