Accurascale tools for NER 20T coal wagons

Accurascale has tooled for a new range of NER 20T coal wagons for 4mm:1ft scale / OO gauge. Joining its 'Powering Britain' offerings for the scale, the new additions see four variants of the distinctive wagons produced – the P6, P7, P8 and Q3 designs.

Tooling changes include modifications across the lifespan of these wagons from NER service, through LNER and BR careers and onto their final days plying their trade in NCB collieries. A die-cast chassis, separately applied wire handrails, brake gear, chains and more are also said to be included, where appropriate. A variety of liveries are to be offered across its traditional triple packs, priced at £84.95, each with 10% off when purchasing two or more via its website and retailers.

Tooling is said to be complete with improvements and 'tweaks' fed back to the factory, with a delivery date of Q1 2024 slated for delivery. Accurascale thanks David Williamson and the North Eastern Railway Association for their help in providing photographs, drawings and insights for the project, which made the task of wading through additional drawings at Search Engine a less daunting task. Equally, it has thanked Paul Jarman and Beamish; The Living Museum of the North for allowing unfettered access to the wagon collection at what was a very difficult time for the Museum.

Model specification

• Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Target weight of 35g
• Scale length of 80mm over headstocks for all four types, 30.67 wide for P6 and 32mm for P7, P8 and Q3
• Wheelbase of 42mm, allowing operation over a minimum radius of 371mm (first radius set-track)
• Three different body designs, with tooling variations to cover the NER, LNER and early BR periods, as well as NCB and Internal User patterns
• Brake blocks fitted and aligned with wheels
• Variety of axle journals catered for, depending on time period and usage pattern
• Side and end handbrakes catered for
• Split-spoke wheels, to a blackened OO gauge RP25-110 profile, set in blackened brass bearings
• Eroded metal, plastic and wire detail parts, including (but not limited to) handrails, grab handles, side-door handles, lamp brackets, brake gear, draw gear and anti-friction gear
• Accurate representation of internal body detail and hopper door detail
• Turned metal sprung buffers
• Wagons connected via small tension locks, set into small, self-centring NEM housings
• Authentic livery, markings and numbers, accurate to time period modelled

Accurascale has said that the new models were "identified as a pivotal chapter in its [] 'Powering Britain' range, telling the story of the movement of coal by rail through the ages", adding that "work began on these models with surveys in mid-February 2021, at a time when the country was under severe Covid restrictions, and the only people on site at Beamish were contractors and skeleton operational staff."

Commenting on the experience, Accurascale said, "It's normally a bustling, vibrant location [the prototypes] for the P7 wagons were surveyed at Rowley Station with just birdsong to interrupt the silence, while Buzzards circled above and Deer grazed on the Events Field and Parkfield."

This range of NER hopper wagons aims to bridge the gap between the use of small Victorian, wooden planked waggons, like Accurascale’s its Chaldron waggons, and steel-bodied coal hoppers in Northern England and the Borders. Its new offerings wagons will see great variety for modellers and collectors, with four variants (P6, P7, P8 and Q3) in the line up.

Eight-plank 15T Diagram P6

• Two types of end stanchion tooled: NER wooden or LNER metal ‘T’ bar type from 1925 onwards. After 1926, the bottom sections of any remaining wooden stanchions were removed
• Side chains were fitted to NER Northern Division examples until 1916 to be catered for
• Five types of axle-box: 3A Grease, Iron-Oil S1 (9in x 4.25in), Iron-Oil S2 (9.5in x 4.25in), No.3 (10in x 5in) & S4 single (10in x 5in), all of which have been tooled
• Differing brake arrangements tooled: Morton single shoe per wheel pattern brakes and Morton Cam pattern (diagonally opposed)
• Handbrakes can be end, or side-fitted, with two types of side handbrake arrangement to be catered for
• Body ends will feature the removed central section of bottom plank for Northern and Central Division incline-hauled hoppers, as well as the Southern Division solid end

Eight-plank, 20T Diagram P7

• Side chains were fitted to NER Northern Division examples until 1916 to be catered for
• Two type types of axle-box tooled: S4 double axleguard (10in x 5in) covering 1909 to 1912 and No. 3 (10in x 5in) covering 1912 to 1930
• Double axle-guards, as fitted to new wagons between 1904 until circa 1916, to be tooled for
• Differing brake arrangements tooled: Morton single shoe per wheel pattern brakes and Morton Cam pattern (diagonally opposed), as well as four-shoe clasp on one side of wagon
• Handbrakes can be end, or side fitted, with two types of side handbrake arrangement to be catered for
• Body ends will feature the removed central section of bottom plank for Northern and Central Division incline hauled hoppers, as well as the Southern Division solid end
• Different corner step arrangements: left-hand opposed corner steps fitted from the end of 1903 onwards, but if Morton Duplex brakes were fitted, steps were put at opposite end. If end handbrake fitted, steps fitted to all corners

Eight-plank, 23T Diagram P8

• Two types of end stanchion tooled: NER wooden or LNER metal ‘T’ bar type from 1925 onwards. After 1926, the bottom sections of any remaining wooden stanchions were removed
• Side chains were fitted to NER Northern Division examples until 1916 and are to be modelled
• Tooling for anti-friction gear, with double axle-guards, as fitted to new wagons between 1904 until circa 1916 and retained when anti-friction gear removed
• Differing brake arrangements tooled: Morton single shoe per wheel pattern brakes and Morton Cam pattern (diagonally opposed), as well as four-shoe clasp on one side of wagon
• Handbrakes can be end, or side fitted, with two types of side handbrake arrangement to be modelled
• Body ends are expected to feature the removed central section of bottom plank for Northern and Central Division incline hauled hoppers, as well as the Southern Division solid end
• Two types of axle-box tooled: S4 double axleguard (10in x 5in) and No. 3 (10in x 5in) when anti-friction gear removed

Eight-plank, 23T Diagram Q3

These wagons have the same features above, though brake arrangements will be as built with Morton double shoe per wheel clasp brakes, or with Morton single shoe per wheel pattern brakes when anti-friction gear removed