CONVERSIONS remain as important a part of rollingstock modelling as kit building and this one is fun to do. Conversions allow the modelling of differences within wagon types and to replicate conversions made by the railways themselves. Bachmann’s ‘OO’ gauge VDA van model provided the basis for several conversion projects including RLA/REA runner wagons and OTA timber carriers with the original VDA van ends. Until Bachmann offered that very type as a ready to run model.
One wagon which remains to be offered on the VDA van underframe is one of the ZCA ‘Sea Urchin’ ballast and spoil wagon types which were built on both the short brake lever type (200xxx number sequence) and the long brake lever type (210xxx number sequence) VDA underframes. It is worth noting that there was a batch of VDA vans equipped with experimental ‘Taperlink’ suspensions numbered 20100-099 which are quite different to the Bachmann model.
Variations exist within the various Sea Urchin wagons seemingly built on the same underframes. When researching the ZCA, be aware that similar wagons were built using the underframes of similar but different wagons, including VAA and VBA air braked vans together with former OAA, OBA and OCA open wagons, yet still coded ZCA Sea Urchin, making the use of reference photographs and records important.
Furthermore, the fleet was added to by EWS – the newer conversions being painted in EWS maroon livery and built on various ex-revenue wagons including SPAs and with different body details. The techniques in this article can be used to model any of the ZCA variants built after the first VDA van conversions.
The prototype
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Denne historien er fra June 2020-utgaven av Rail Express.
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LNER puts remaining ‘91s' into warm store
The ongoing pandemic restrictions and major engineering works have resulted in the complete withdrawal of the last remaining ‘Electras’ from passenger service, although the plan is to resurrect them in the summer.
Mk.1 Restaurant-Buffet (RBR) cars
A SURPRISING number of Mk.1catering cars have survived to see service on the privatised railway, in private operator and charter trains. They may turn up on anything from an enthusiast special to higher-end dining trains and have been formed in trains as prestigious as the locomotive-hauledBlue Pullman’ set, the ‘Great Britain’ tours operated by West Coast Railways and the ‘Northern Belle’ tour train.
Powerscene
Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.
End for Freightliner Class 86/6s
The company’s Class 86/6 fleet down to just two examples as seven locos are stored.
Service reductions as Covid cases increase
An increase in Covid-19 cases in early January saw the governments in Ireland and Northern Ireland impose stricter lockdown measures that impacted on public transport.
East West Rail funding go-ahead
Although it was expected, £760 million of funding has now been confirmed to build the Western Section of the East West Railway scheme.
Travellers-Fare with Hornby's Mk.1 Restaurant-Buffet car
Hornby expands its range of retooled ‘OO’ gauge Mk.1 coaches with a brand new tooling for the Diagram 24 Restaurant-Buffet car (RB) and the Diagram 33 refurbished version (RBR). It models the vehicles in both original form, finished in BR maroon and Southern Region green, together with the RBR refurbished coaches. They remained in frontline service well into the 1990s, including Cross-Country workings.
Class 92 revolution
Despite its complex shape and high detail ratio compared to other modern six-axle locomotives, Revolution Trains chose the Class 92 to be its first 'N' gauge locomotive model.
Bottling it!
A dig into the Rail Express archive has revealed some rarely-seen photographs of the former rail-connected Express Dairy bottling plant in South West London, which today is the site of a large mosque.
1990s ‘N' gauge Class 950
Work on the ‘N’ gauge Class 950 Track Recording Unit project, a conversion based on a standard Graham Farish Class 150/1 model, is concluded by finishing the model in 1990s condition.
