FurtherAdventures of a Wagon Hacker

Tom Lloyd

I'm a recent convert to the ignoble art(!) of wagon hacking some call it bashing... I'm just being honest about my abilities, or lack thereof). I was sat looking at a fairly inaccurate Graham Farish model of a PGA hopper catalogue number 373-029) and a PECO class B tank wagon the other night. The thought struck home, what would I get if I put the PECO body on the Farish chassis? Ho-hum. The result is a reasonable representation of an ex-calcium carbonate tanker. A Charles Roberts built class B tank (TOPS code TUA) used for a short while between Burngullow and Aberdeen. The actual tankers were rare beasties, although they were stored Nunpean Wharf for a while, so a few pictures do exist. My back issue of Model Rail magazine (no.26 December 2000) provided most of the above information.

My second hack has yet to be completed. I've always been a fan of the Tullis Russell PAA hopper wagons. These look not unlike a PGA stone hopper with a cover over the top, to protect the powdered china clay. The real wagons ran between Goonbarrow Jcn (Rock's Driers) and Markinch. Graham Farish produced a covered PGA in Tullis Russell colours, a good few years ago. It did not look much like the real thing, although the paint scheme was well executed. Does anyone know where I might get hold of one? Armed with the scale drawings, provided b the current issue of Railway Modeller (October 2005), I attacked a poor unfortunate Farish PGA. This started couple of weeks ago. Six modelling hours and lots of very small bits of Plasticard later, I have a hooded PGA. I am not sure if it will become a PAA yet. It might just become a freelance powder hopper.

These two wagons are a little bit different, they don't look too bad. No one else has anything quite like them o their layouts. This is, probably, the point I am trying to make. Just by replacing plastic ladders with Ratio etched brass laddering, greatly improves the appearance of ready to run wagon. The PECO 15ft chassis (NR-122) is also particularly useful, and there are a number of different bodies that may be mounted on it. My models are littered with compromises, but the do look passable. I deliberately haven't gone into a blow by blow account of the wagon bashes. However, if I can do it YOU should have no problems either.