Somewhat out of the blue, I was bombarded by adverts for Etsy for something that I actually might buy (who knew that was even possible?).  This was a small batch production of a HR wagon apparently being marketed as an ideal accompaniment to the Rapido’s Jones Goods.  The pictures in the adverts suggested that it had captured something of the character of a highland wagon, so I allowed my loyalty to all things Highland to take a hold and I parted with £25 to see what it was like.

Sam is a youtuber who has created a niche for himself by producing caustic and generally very critical reviews of manufacturer’s products to gain views.  How he has not been sued for libel for producing this clickbait I do not know, as a number of manufacturers must have thought about it given what he says about their products.  As a result this, it is fair to say I was pretty concerned about what I might get – my conclusion is somewhere in the middle, some good points but there are plenty of errors too.  

The model is of a Jones era open merchandise wagon to diagram 19.  There are insufficient records to confirm when the prototypes were in production but probably in the 1880s upto the latter part of the 1890s.  Similarly, withdrawal dates are unknown but it is probable that they lingered to the LMS era, but probably not by much.   It was designed to be used for a variety of merchandise, often below a tarpaulin, but might well have been pressed into the carriage of minerals or even fish.  Certainly, they were used for transporting sheep which was a seasonal (and substantial) traffic for the Highland.  When used thus, they would be fitted with flakes to provide a higher fence to reduce the sheep suicide rate caused by jumping from moving trains.

The model is 3-D printed from resin and the quality of the printing is surprisingly good with almost no stratification lines.  The resin seems to have some flex to it so ought to be durable and the wheels run relatively freely in the bearings.  The resin appears to be self-coloured, with the chassis being in black and the body the intended livery (mine was in grey but there is a red oxide colour for the highland livery versions).  This had led to some errors of colouring in that the trunnions and couplings should be black and the grey is too light as well as needing a bit of green to be a match for LMS grey.   However, the lettering livery selected is the later LMS livery with small branding suitable from 1936 and is not strictly speaking correct even then as it has the wrong layout and an impossible wagon number. To be fair to Sam, he admits this is a “what if” prospect so if this floats your boat so be it.

The principal dimensions of the model are generally good; except for one important point.  Jones era wagons used 3’7” wheels and this is fitted with 3’2” wheels.  One of the implications of this is that the buffer height is too low but fitting the correct sized wheels does correct this.  Swapping the wheels as an OO modeller you will need a trim of the framing on the underside to allow the flanges clearance to turn and all 4mm modellers will find that the brake block fouls the wheels and has to be replaced – or as i did softened with the heat of a soldering iron and bent back.  The correct wheels should be split spoke and whilst these are available from the r-t-r manufactures in the smaller size, I don’t think they do them in 3’8” so you Gibson wheels are your best bet.  The impact of the larger wheels is quite striking; they look rather quaint and from a time past compared to what is generally available to the modeller – but then again, that is exactly what they are!

Most of the detailing is crisp and fine, but in some respects too fine such as the brake block.  Conversely the body sides are too thick – possibly a compromise to make the model more durable or easier to produce – but never the less it makes the wagon a bit clunky.   The buffers are separate and it looks quite realistic to convert them to sprung buffers if desired.  The model comes with safety chains which are very nicely made but these would only have used early in the wagon’s life so the fixing holes need infilling for any modellers from the turn of the 19^th century onwards.  The trunnions also seem to be overly wide and the operating rod for the brake pivot has been extended to the blind side of the wagon for some reason – so a little surgery is thus required.

My model was bowed, with the high point to the middle of the wagon – whilst many wagons did bow over life, it would normally be the other way with a sag in the middle.  This is likely to be a function of the manufacturing process – I suspect that putting it in very hot water will soften the resin and allow the bow to be corrected.  What will not correct with hot water is the rather odd slatted floor – not sure where this comes from as there will have been no desire to deposit the commercial material on the track!  A new plasticard floor is thus required. Less easy to fix will be the axlebox / springs which are significantly undernourished but are integral with the W irons so adjusting these will require the use of etched W irons and then castings if you can source these.

It is likely that this model is intended for customers who just want something “Highland” to go with their Jones Goods’ and for whom these errors are not going to be important.  Against this criteria, the model is acceptable and if this promotes a bit more interest in the Highland Railway, this is fine with me. 

However, if you want a more accurate model then the list of things to be attended to is not inconsiderable and as the joke goes, if i wanted to get to there, i wouldn’t be starting from here! I will be putting mine on ebay before too long is perhaps the most succinct conclusion I can offer! 

A pair of rather nicer dia 19 open wagons; this time fitted with raves for sheep traffic bult by Ian Terrell from Mircrorail kits. Whilst the origins of the kit will go back at least 40 years, they doo look crisper than the Sams Trains version.