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Western Region Newspaper train


ba14eagle
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This set of 9 vehicles represents an Old Oak Common based Newspaper train of the mid-late 1980's - before the Wapping print workers dispute put an end to this traffic on BR.

The vehicles are all from Bachmann and have been renumbered and weathered (a little too heavily if I admit myself :oops: ). The train conveys 2 x NCV, 3 x NCX, 2 x NDV, 1 x NMV & 1 x Mk2 BFK vehicle. I have shown photos of one example of each vehicle (except the BFK, which is the vehicle shown in my Cardiff - Portsmouth set thread and is provided to give "cushions" to the newspaper packers, on their homeward journeys).

The NCV, NCX and NMV vans were specified as "Newspaper packing" vehicles and had at least 2 sets of double doors on each side of the vehicles sealed up, so as to fit packing tables to the insides of the vans. I did toy with the idea of trying to replicate this by removing the door hinge / handle detail and filling the door edges, to give the required flush sided look. However, I completely bottled that one :o , fearing that a full repaint would be too much work :oops: . The NMV van is a converted GUV vehicle (one of the ModelZone ltd ed. Red Bank parcels set) and as it so nicely carries a little tail-lamp, it forms the last vehicle on the train. If I found another one of these vehicles, I would be tempted to try and convert it into one of the earlier batch of these vehicles, which were fitted with gangways and toilets.

There is one outstanding job to finish on the NCV and NCX vans - these vehicles had the guards compartments removed, when converted, so gained a handbrake wheel on the underframe - I have yet to source these and fit them.

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Griff

Ive spent so much money on other stuff, theres no way I can afford an airbrush :lol: Underframes and lower bodysides receive a couple of quick passes with an aerosol (frame dirt) before a combination of Carrs and Tamiya weathering powders finish it off.

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I too remember the "Paper trains" that ran from London into Kent. I can't remember the make up the stock, but they always included coaching stock which were ideal for late night revellers to get home. There were also the "Milk trains" that went to London in the wee small hours and were good for early morning shift workers who needed to travel. Again, I can't remember the make up of these. Several times in recent years I have landed at Heathrow just after 10.00 in the evening. By the time that I cleared customss and got into Victoria, the last train to my parents in Sussex was gone. I had to try to get my head down in a corner of the airport terminal until about 05.30 the following morning to complete the journey. Had the Paper trains still been in service, it would have been much easier.

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ba14eagle said:

This set of 9 vehicles represents an Old Oak Common based Newspaper train of the mid-late 1980's - before the Wapping print workers dispute put an end to this traffic on BR.

The vehicles are all from Bachmann and have been renumbered and weathered (a little too heavily if I admit myself :oops: ). The train conveys 2 x NCV, 3 x NCX, 2 x NDV, 1 x NMV & 1 x Mk2 BFK vehicle. I have shown photos of one example of each vehicle (except the BFK, which is the vehicle shown in my Cardiff - Portsmouth set thread and is provided to give "cushions" to the newspaper packers, on their homeward journeys).

The NCV, NCX and NMV vans were specified as "Newspaper packing" vehicles and had at least 2 sets of double doors on each side of the vehicles sealed up, so as to fit packing tables to the insides of the vans. I did toy with the idea of trying to replicate this by removing the door hinge / handle detail and filling the door edges, to give the required flush sided look. However, I completely bottled that one :o , fearing that a full repaint would be too much work :oops: . The NMV van is a converted GUV vehicle (one of the ModelZone ltd ed. Red Bank parcels set) and as it so nicely carries a little tail-lamp, it forms the last vehicle on the train. If I found another one of these vehicles, I would be tempted to try and convert it into one of the earlier batch of these vehicles, which were fitted with gangways and toilets.

There is one outstanding job to finish on the NCV and NCX vans - these vehicles had the guards compartments removed, when converted, so gained a handbrake wheel on the underframe - I have yet to source these and fit them.

When you say you did the weathering a little too heavy I have only seen these trains on video and most of the time the were filthy with the blue livery almost totally obliterated with a heavy coating of dirt. So your weathering is actually quite subtle.

Roy.

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