Wagons Roll!

Well, they're not rolling yet. But a couple of Slaters Wagon Kits did arrive in the mail from the UK a couple of days ago while I was away from home on a short family holiday. If only they had arrived before I had left. I could have started construction of them on this break whilst the rest of the family was sat on a boat in the middle of a lake for 5 hours a day fishing. 

I don't understand fishing. Then again, my in-laws probably don't understand my fascination with model railways...

A pair of Slaters Wagon Kits

A pair of Slaters Wagon kits. (Remember, this could well be one-third of the rolling stock I'll need for this layout). 

I was always going to get Slaters kits. I built one many, many years ago, so I could get a feel for the size of O. I was totally impressed back then with the detail, and the robustness of the item when done. Whatever happened to that finished model, I don't know. But the impression that it made, meant I was always going to buy Slaters kits should I ever get into O scale again.

I bought a three plank open because I could see that as a versatile wagon, being used to transport large finished blocks of stone out of the quarry, and perhaps bringing mining equipment inwards. Perhaps a flat wagon could serve that purpose too.

The brake van was a given. I love the design of the single ended M.R. 10 ton van. Hopefully I will be able to put it together with a bit of interior detail, depending what detail they may have had inside them.

The other wagons will probably be a couple of open wagons 5, 7 or 8 plank, RCH or Gloucester built. Who knows yet? 

Then my sixth wagon will be a scratch built effort. A Midland railway gunpowder van. Detailed drawings of which are available for download on the Midland Railway study centre website Maybe I can fit a scratch built body atop a Slaters chassis. 

All in all, I'm looking forward to setting out and making these. Let's see if they go together as well as I remember them doing.