I recently picked up a batch of good old Airfix wagon kits.  There were 4 brake vans, a 35t tank, a 16t mineral wagon and a cattle van.  Of those one of the brake vans was finished and another one along with the 16t mineral were semi completed. I really wanted the brake vans as I had identified a need for more BR ones and more that were fitted as up until now I didn’t have any at all, just a couple of piped ones.

Note to self – if you’re going to batch build some wagons don’t pick ones that have loads of different sized handrails!

The first 2.  A piped one and a fitted one, both built with Bill Bedford W irons, Rumney models springs and axleboxes and additional details.  This one is a BR build of the LNER design note the shorter steps, no end handrails and different lamp irons.  Build was the same as the first 2.

This was the last one and the one that was already built.  I replaced the handrails and roof and added the same details as the other 3.  This one is unsprung.

On to the tank wagon. Not one this done before.  This is sprung with Bill Bedford W irons. As supplied the solebars are too shallow so I carefully cut the top rib off flush with the face and added a new top rib from microstrip.  Buffers are from my draw of buffers and I think they may be from A1 models.  RT models do a nice little etch for these and while the ladder supplied is really nicely done it is a flat etch so I replaced them with ones from Rumney models. I replaced the brake gear with bits from the spares box.

The finished wagon.  Transfers are from Cambridge Custom Transfers.