Maintenance Wagon Fleet

[Gizzy]

I have acquired quite a few scruffy LGB wagons over the years which I've converted for maintenance duties on my line.

I've spray painted these in 'Sunset Yellow' aerosol paints brought from The Range.

However, the large areas of yellow paint needed some sort of markings. My railway stock has a lot of DB liveried vehicles, so I thought about getting some transfers made. I arranged with the proprietor of Emdon Valley Transfers when at the Llanfair Show early in September to get some black DB logos, having used some O Gauge white ones (from another supplier) on a LGB red side-tipping wagon.

These arrived this morning and I have applied a pair to a OW truck.

I'm very pleased with the results and I'd recommend Emdon Valley should anyone be looking for bespoke transfers....

 

[Gizzy]

Next LGB wagon to be done is this US style 4 wheeled caboose, which was originally red.

I replaced the cupola roof with a European style one. The chassis already had centre buffers, so it fits in with my other stock.

I've fitted a brush under the wagon to sweep the 3 foot clear of any debris. It doubles as a crew and tool van....

 

[Gizzy]

Next one up is this LGB ToyTrain wagon which was green. It has a US style roof with a walkway, which I decided to keep so it could be used as a tunnel inspection vehicle.

I made up some labels for it as the Matra Crane support van, but I might remove these at some point....

 

[Gizzy]

This used to be a very scruffy blue LGB Post Van, which I brought cheap from Glendale Junction before they closed.

I've added a Sweet Sixteen resin snow plough to it and lots of extra weight, partially as a counter-balance for the plough, but also so it's heavy enough to be used to clear snow. It's usually paired up with my LGB Shoema Snow Plough loco, but it has only had to be used once on the line....

 

[playmofire]

Sone nice customs there, Gizzy. I like the brush addition to the former caboose.

 

[Gizzy]

Another one of my fleet 'badged' up!

I brought this Bachmann B&O bogie flat very cheaply at a G Scale Society show at Stafford. Mel (YB281) persuaded me to buy it, and it was my first long bogie vehicle.

After a short while in 'revenue' service, I was looking for a more suitable vehicle to mount the LGB Toy Train crane on.

No 1525 is the original number and I've kept it for the crane. I must number the rest of my maintenance fleet sometime....

 

[Gizzy]

I had a pair of transfers left over, so my Maintenance and Test Loco, Shoema No. 60, has now been officially allocated to the fleet....

 

[casey jones snr]

Great pictures Gizzy. Your maintenance fleet looks just right.

 

[Gizzy]

Great pictures Gizzy. Your maintenance fleet looks just right.

I've quite a few yellow open wagons and flats as general maintenance vehicles too, as well as these 3 hoppers....

 

[Gizzy]

A new wagon has recently been acquired thanks to David.

It formerly ran on a railway in Leighton Buzzard in Royal Navy blue livery. It has been repainted in yellow and the brake wheels relocated to a more European looking location. The wagon was manufactured by USA Trains, the first time I have owned one of this make.

It's seen here with a Tele-handler vehicle I recently acquired at the Llangollen show....

 

[Gizzy]

Last year, I brought a red ballast wagon from Adverse Camber. I removed the US style graphics and obtained some DB transfers for it, so it fitted in with the rest of my DB fleet.

I was looking for another one, and I found a yellow one going cheap at the Llangollen Garden Railway Festival.

It is a 'rendition' of an RhB FAU type wagon. However, LGB did not model the Operators' platforms at each end of the vehicle, so it's a fantasy model. It tips on one side only, whereas the 12 in/1ft version can tip either side. Plus it has a sloping floor, which again isn't correct. I assume it's more for play value, and it can be motorised to tip a load of barrels.

However, despite these issues, I rather like the look of them. They remind me of the ballast wagons one sees on the real railway.

The yellow one I brought was liveried in RhB livery, with big red numbers as per the prototype it is supposed to be based on.

I don't own any RhB wagons (despite it being my favourite railway), so given the differences mentioned above, I decided to remove the RhB logo and numbering, but retain the Data Panel.

Maybe some LGB fans will find this unacceptable but it's my train set!

I removed the graphics with a worn out LGB track rubber before finishing off with T-Cut.

I intend to put DB transfers as per my other yellow maintenance wagon fleet. I've posed both here for comparison....

 

[Madman]

Last year, I brought a red ballast wagon from Adverse Camber. I removed the US style graphics and obtained some DB transfers for it, so it fitted in with the rest of my DB fleet.

I was looking for another one, and I found a yellow one going cheap at the Llangollen Garden Railway Festival.

It is a 'rendition' of an RhB FAU type wagon. However, LGB did not model the Operators' platforms at each end of the vehicle, so it's a fantasy model. It tips on one side only, whereas the 12 in/1ft version can tip either side. Plus it has a sloping floor, which again isn't correct. I assume it's more for play value, and it can be motorised to tip a load of barrels.

However, despite these issues, I rather like the look of them. They remind me of the ballast wagons one sees on the real railway.

The yellow one I brought was liveried in RhB livery, with big red numbers as per the prototype it is supposed to be based on.

I don't own any RhB wagons (despite it being my favourite railway), so given the differences mentioned above, I decided to remove the RhB logo and numbering, but retain the Data Panel.

Maybe some LGB fans will find this unacceptable but it's my train set!

I removed the graphics with a worn out LGB track rubber before finishing off with T-Cut.

I intend to put DB transfers as per my other yellow maintenance wagon fleet. I've posed both here for comparison....

View attachment 329185

A video from a few years ago. I was able to incorporate an R/C device into the gondola along with a battery.

 

[Gizzy]

A video from a few years ago. I was able to incorporate an R/C device into the gondola along with a battery.

Brilliant Dan! I tried to find the LGB kit to do this, but is doesn't seem to be available here in the UK at the moment?

I may have to look for a second hand one already fitted....

 

[Gizzy]

I've recently received some more DB transfers from Eldon Valley.

This time I asked Tom to print the logo on a yellow background and today I applied some to a ex-RhB Fau wagon, a low loader well wagon and a Toy-Train 4w flat truck.

These are all varying shades of yellow, and the background of the transfer is a nice contrast to the vehicle colour....

 

[Gizzy]

I've also been adding numbers to my maintenance wagon fleet in the X**** series, using a Letteraset machine from work.

X1001-1003 are LGB hoppers, and X2002 is an old LGB ow wagon, fitted with track cleaning pads and used to tidy up loose articles and debris I find trackside when running....

 

[Gizzy]

Over the years, I've picked up quite a few Yellow Toy Train wagons. These seem to be cheaper than the other colours for some reason. Maybe it's not a popular shade as it's a little bright.

However, I think they are ideal for a Civil Engineering train and different loads can be carried on them.



I've 'badged' up another 2 flats today and these are seen here with one I did over the weekend. I've left the LG&B markings as this is the name of my railway, which owns the track , with DB operating the freight services. The PM mini Digger was one of the late Walter's items I brought at Llanfair last year....

 

[Gizzy]

I've quite a few of these yellow LGB Toytrain short wagons, which are ideal for my portable layout Hardyard. Some of these had DR logos on the sides, so they have now been rebadged with the DB transfers I had made by Emdon Valley. Here they are being hauled by the PW Dept Shoema loco no. 60....