A couple of hours yesterday saw the brake van complete (or as complete as I plan to make it). I deviated from Jim’s build methods by using some WEP compensation units, although I have fitted other vehicles exactly as Jim suggests without issue before.

I rolled some microbore tube in my rolling bars to ensure that all four sand pipes were to the same profile and then made the distinctive safety loops for the brake yokes from fine scrap etch. Besides painting the only things to complete are the springing of the coupling hooks/buffers.

As with the other Connoisseur wagons that I have built, this was a joy to put together even if you don’t want to add any additional details.

What an interesting and enjoyable build this is turning out to be.

While researching in Tatlow and reviewing a drawing supplied by a friend, I picked up that up to 1931 these vans had quite prominent sanding gear. Having resized the drawing to 7mm scale and taken dimensions for the sand boxes from it I deduced that the ones in the veranda compartment would be visible when viewed from normal model railway viewing angles – above and to either side.

So I gathered some bit’s of scrap etch from the turntable and made a couple. I made the hinges and soldered them onto the lid using the microflame. I had just nicely got to soldering the lid onto the box using sprung tweezers as clamps, when it all sprung apart and one of the hinges dissapeared into thin air….

An hour later when I had made up a new one and the boxes were fitted to the floor, my good lady found the one lost in space.

I also beefed up the brake yokes. The photo’s that I am working from show the main cross bar of the yoke to be quite substantial so once again scrap etch to the rescue. That was done after this set of photos was taken so they will probably be on when I show pictures of them.

A busy couple of days ultimately meant that I didn’t get the handrails fitted on Thursday night, despite my best intentions.

Today has seen them and the additional lower handrails added.

Although I haven’t taken a photo yet, Thursday did see the rain strips fitted to the roof.

Jim’s instructions have you using 0.7mm round brass rod. However I found a short length of 0.8mm square nickel rod in my stash which was just long enough to do the two rainstrips.

I ran them through my rolling bars to get the curves even while matching the dimensions quoted by Jim.

Having discovered the different handrails, a pleasant couple of hours have been spent over the last two nights creating these:

Tonight’s task is to fit them with a bit of luck and a fair wind!

Work on the turntable has come to a temporary halt. It’s almost ready for painting but I need to change the filters on my spray booth extractor.

So to keep my hand in, I started this kit on Saturday. It’s one that my good lady bought me for Christmas last year – a Connoisseur North British 20 ton brake van.

Jim only provides a floor for the veranda section (not really a veranda on this one but you get the idea). So I made one up from some brass sheet. To bring it to the same level as the other floor I used some spare angle bracket from the turntable. Waste nowt!

And inside the van

I reinforced the roof with some square section nickel bar to make it clip into the roof. I will also add some longer springy bits down the sides to help the middle sit down properly.

I also added some scrap etch strip to the back of the step supports and the brake brackets.

This is where I got to last night.

Today while sitting in the smallest room in the house, I had the thought. [i]”I wonder if I have any photo’s in my Tatlow LNER Wagons volumes that might give me any missing details.”[/i] Have you ever wished that you’d had that thought earlier……?

Tatlow revealed a second set of handrails below those on the non veranda end. Not too difficult to add thought I. Then I noticed the very distinctive curved ends to the vertical handrails and the fact that they don’t sit at 90% to the side of the van.

Oh Bovver!!! Says I.

So the next job tonight is to see if I can make a jig to bend 4 of those – before I take the ones I made earlier off.