Match wagon

In the current (for the next couple of weeks) Hornby Magazine, I built a Loriot wagon and loaded up with a Bucyrus excavator. For the benefit of the photos, this was shown with an LMS 3-plank wagon.

This "match wagon" is required because the load on the Loriot sticks out over the end. You'd not get a tall wagon coupled at the bucket end and if you did, at the first curve, the bucket would swing round and take out the end. You'd be OK on the second one though...

Match wagons were common on real railways but they wouldn't have used the one I did, it's a little bit too tall. In my defence, there was a deadline and I didn't have anything else suitable - much to my surprise.

Well, now I do. A Cambrian single plank wagon does the job nicely. It's a good kit, a fuller review will appear in Hornby Mag in due course but I didn't take a photo of it painted for this. I put the kit together together in an evening without breaking sweat. Paint and weathering didn't take much time either. I decided that a simple wash of track colour would do for the later with just a soupcon of weathering powder to finish up.

The last job is to add couplings. Parts are included to allow Bachmann tension locks to be fitted but I'm more tempted by some Spratt & Winkles so both wagons can join the Melbridge Dock fleet.