Discontinued Lines - Kits
Nthusiast Resprays
This company started life offering re-sprays of RTR rolling stock (principally locomotives), they then branched out with a range of kits for modern wagons in cast resin. The range comprised:
NTR.1 JXA Sheerness Steel Wagon Sheerness Steel Wagon. NTR.2 MFA Ballast Wagon Kit deleted from range, NTR.3 JHA ARC bogie wagon, NTR.4 JGA National Power wagon JGA, NTR.5 JMA National Power large coal wagon JMA, NTR.6 KFA Gypsum wagon
KFA, NTR.7 FAA Container wagon FAA, NTR.8 BR Brake Tender, NTR.9 Standard ZZA Snowplough, NTR.10 Beilhack ZZA Snowplough, NTR.12 MBA MegaBox bogie wagon, NTR.13 MCA Mini-MegaBox bogie wagon.
The owner then joined Dapol and discontinued his production (a pity as the models were well thought of).
A1 Models of Worksop, Notts., Discontinued in early 1990's
This firm offered simple and effective plastic kits with etched brass overlays for three modern air-braked vans and two open wagons. COV-AB (introduced 1969), VDA (with centre doors) and VCA (one of which was experimentally converted to an insulated banana van in the 1970's), the SPA steel carrier, introduced in 1977 and OCA a general merchandise steel sided open type developed from the SPA, introduced in 1981. These kits fit on lengthened Peco chassis which is modified to the longer wheel base by cutting the chassis in half and inserting an extension piece supplied with the kit, a simple and effective expedient.
Westwater & Kirk
This firm offered extensive range of early BR wagon kits in injection moulded plastic. Their demise remains a pity as they filled several gaps in the RTR ranges, but examples may be found second hand. I understand that Ian Kirk, who was one of the founders of this firm, has now started producing kits in this scale again, to date he has only released some LNER coaches but he will presumably extend the range to include goods stock once established.
Precursor Models
The late Mike Bryant entered the plastic wagon kit market shortly before
his untimely death and his range of parts and kits formed the foundation of
what became Precursor models, run by George Nutter.
The first plastic kit was an LMS steel bodied medium goods wagon
representing a wagon produced by the Ministry of Supply during world war two
and sold to the railways. It is very similar indeed to one of a batch of iron
bodied wagons produced by the Cambrian Wagon Co. in 1923 (to the then new RCH
specification) which were used, probably by private owners, for road stone
(crushed rock) and tarmac. This kit is designed to use Mike Bryant's 9 foot
wheel base etched chassis kit but can be fettled onto a Peco chassis if
required. Mr Bryant produced a range of replacement spoked wheels on
appropriate axles for Peco and Graham Farish stock, an etched brass fold-up
chassis kit for a nine foot wheelbase chassis and developed a simple fold-up
etched brass coupling system (which uses permanent magnets and an upside down
tension lock coupler). The fold-up chassis kit is a fairly straightforward
assembly job, well within the capabilities of the average modeller given a
little patience. The tension lock coupling system is another fold-up job but
this is repetitive rather than difficult, the design works well and has proved
popular with N Gauge modellers for many years now. I know of several modellers
who use a drop of Evostick on the Peco and Graham Farish couplings to form
fixed rakes with Bryant couplings only on the end vehicles.
Paul Hodgson.
Mr Hodgson has sold the tooling for his kit to the 2mm Scale Association.
Mr Hodgson offers a kit of the BR 21 ton steel mineral wagon, these were
a development of the GWR 'Felix Pole' twelve foot wheelbase wagons and were
introduced in 1951. Thousands were built but the surviving examples were
confined to sand traffic by the late 1980's. This model will fit neatly onto
the Parkside Dundas twelve foot wheelbase chassis. Mr Hodgson also offers the
NER/LNER wooden coal hopper body. British Railways used these vintage design
wooden bodied wagons for iron ore as well as coal and similar wagons were
operated by Private Owners in the North East. The 2mm Scale Association offer
an etched brass chassis designed specifically for this model but you could
fettle it onto a cut-down Peco fifteen foot brake van chassis if required.
W. E. Mullineux (formerly Planit Engineering)
The former Planit Engineering range of NSR etched brass kits produced
by the late Mr. W. E. Mullineux ceased production when he died. The residual
2mm scale stock is now being sold by the 2mm Scale Association at shows.
Limitied numbers of the kits are available direct from Mr. N. Burgess, 23 Drury
Lane, Lincoln, LN1 3BN, send an SAE for details of the remaining kits.
These
models feature some very nice detail on the etched overlays but they are are
not complete kits, all require wheels and couplings to complete, and they were
produced for the more experienced modeller with access to information on the
prototypes. In 2001 there were still body kits for a ten ton, side door, three
plank open wagon (£2.00), this vehicle first appeared in about 1910 and
the body can be mounted on a Peco wooden chassis, and an eight ton outside
framed van to D.4 (£2.60) which requires the shorter Peco chassis. On the
passenger side Mr Burgess still has a few kits for the NSR six compartment all
third and brake third coaches (£7.00 each) which require wheels and
couplings to complete. Mr.Burgess also has a few white metal castings for a
Class New L NSR 0-6-2 freight loco to suit a Graham Farish 1109 chassis
(£15.00). Although no longer available as a kit you may find one of Mr
Mullineux six wheeled milk vans second hand, the prototype was twenty eight
feet eleven inches long, they were seen running to Manchester as parcels stock
in the late 1960's.
Mr. Mullineux specialised in the North Staffordshire Railway and offers
the ten ton, side door, three plank open wagon which first appeared in about
1910. The model is of the ten foot wheelbase version and will fit onto a Peco
ten foot wheelbase wooden chassis.
He also offer the eight ton van to D.4 scaled to suit the Peco ten foot
wheelbase wooden solebar chassis.
Planit Engineering kits
The examples shows were assembled by Steve at SRA models in Stockport, a bit of a change from his more usual fare of 7mm locos.
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