Slaters 2 ton slate wagon

[TonyW]

One nice touch by Slaters is to supply curly spoked wheels for the unbraked model and drilled solid wheels for the braked model.

You may also notice that the braked one has different axle boxes (the 16A03 side bolt type) too. There are three wheel types valid for use on FR slate wagons, Slaters codes 1618FRC 1'6" 6 Curly Spoke Wagon Wheel, 1618FRD 1'6" 3 Oval Hole Disc Wagon Wheel and 1618FRW 1'6" 1'6" 6 Spoke Web Wagon Wheel, although the curly spoke wheels are far more common than the other two. All three wheel types and both axle box types may be mixed and matched as needed, irrespective of wagon type. Wagons also exist(ed) with mismatched wheel types.

My experience is that if you ask Slaters nicely they will swap wheels and axle boxes for different types when the kits are ordered.

I've built loads of these, and I like 'em gnarly:

[River Lin]

Hi Tony.
That i like. Any chance of a rusty weathering tutorial?
Interesting about the wheels and axle boxes. I suppose over a hundred years or so parts are bound to get mixed up as wheels get saved and reused from rusted away bodies etc.
David.

[TonyW]

Any chance of a rusty weathering tutorial?

Well...
- The rust is real iron oxide, not weathering powders, so if you leave them out in the rain they go more rusty.
- The only stuff that goes rusty is iron, or contains iron.
- Once painted, they take less than a minute to prepare, but they are not rusty.
- A liquid condiment speeds the process.
- Ebay could be your friend.

[Paul_in_Ricky]

I've built loads of these, and I like 'em gnarly:

Lovely work there.

What do you use to apply the iron fillings ?

It would be interesting to read a good and detailed weathering tutorial that is specifically for 16mm scale. I'm not sure that the 4mm techniques so widely reported all necessarily scale up well or can't be enhanced by coarser materials.

[River Lin]

Hi all.
The three wagon bodies are now cut from the frets and i have now folded and put them together with their bases ready for soldering tomorrow. I have used some old wire to hold them together while i solder. The top rails are just resting in position on their tabs so i can remove them after soldering to ensure the top edges are perfectly flat before re positioning and joining them permenently.

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In the front of the mat is the butane torch I use. Reading reviews, some folks don't get on with this model but it works fine for me providing I follow certain rules.
- fill with butane downwards for about 10 seconds.
- Allow to rest for a minute or so.
- On first lighting the flame is yellow and coarse and may pop itself out. This may happen a couple of times but does settle down and give the correct double blue pointed flame.
- I can then turn it off and on as required. I soldered the three underframes in one session on two fillings.
- I brush on La-Co flux to stop oxidation on the surface of the brass and it washes off easily afterwards. Being a resin flux it is non toxic (I read).
These torches, by the way, I buy online for £3.29 inc postage and they give a lovely small and controllable flame. I am on my second one in two years, as the 1st. developed a slight leak so I binned it. At that price it is affordable to always have a good one.
David.

[River Lin]

Hi all.
Firstly, I have now completed the Slaters slate wagon kits, an IP wooden slate wagon kit, and have scratch built a Ffestiniog 2 ton coal wagon. My next jobs are to R/C my PDF Baldwin and scratch build more wooden slate wagons.

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Trying to couple and uncouple using the small hooks and loop couplings is so fiddly however with the wagons being so close together. I just don't seem to have enough hands (or patience). Looking through my bits collection I came across half a dozen pairs of Timpdon magnetic couplings that I bought at Stoneleigh about 8 or 9 years ago. So i replaced the hook and loops with these magnets and was amazed how powerful they are. Just push the wagons together and the magnets flip up and grip together. A sharp pull and they come apart. They hold my six wagons together perfectly, even with a gentle snatch start on purpose to test. Here is a close up of one pair.

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Not being able to find any more on line I was wondering if anyone knew of a supplier or had any knocking about that they would be willing to sell. I would love to see how many wagons I could pull using them.
David.

[GTB]

Not being able to find any more on line I was wondering if anyone knew of a supplier or had any knocking about that they would be willing to sell. I would love to see how many wagons I could pull using them.

The ones Timpdon sold look like a magnetic clasp used for jewelry.

Ebay would be the cheapest source I imagine, but you'll have to plough through a lot of designs to find something suitable. Using the search term 'magnetic clasp' I got close to 15000 hits, mostly in China.

Another source might be craft shops, as some of them carry jewelry making supplies. Jewelry trade suppliers do stock them, at about ten times the price from China...........

Regards,
Graeme

[River Lin]

Thanks Graeme. That sounds a route to go down.
David

[Andrew]

Sorry, can't help with the couplings, but the wagons look very nice indeed! They'll look even better behind your Baldwin...

All the best,

Andrew.

[River Lin]

Thanks Andrew.
David.

[TonyW]

Sorry for the late reply, I missed this...

What do you use to apply the iron fillings ?

An old tea spoon.

[LNR]

A quick check of our local electronics store (Jaycar) reveals rare earth and Ferite magnets of various sizes, some with mounting holes.
Grant.

[ge_rik]

Magnetic jewellery clasps on eBay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181568440017

These are £2.49 for 10 or £7.99 for 50 - UK supplier

There are different styles available so might be worthwhile doing some more digging

Rik

[River Lin]

Thanks guys.
I have been doing some digging around and have found a few that may be possible.
D.

[River Lin]

Hi guys.
My Baldwin and train so far with magnetic couplings.
https://youtu.be/qvaU1HbW6eM
It was tested on my local model engineers outdoor track earlier today. The couplings are strong enough to stop the whole train if I hold back the last wagon. I am definitely going to get more to add to the three new wooden slate wagons that I have just cut the materials for. I wonder how many wagons I could pull in total before the train gets too heavy. The 1st truck is a scratchbuilt FR coal wagon in which i am going to house the batteries, receiver, sound card and speaker under a false coal load. The blue box in the second truck holds the batteries at present and a manual speed controller.
David.

[LNR]

"It's not easy being green"
Very nice David.
Grant.

[sjrixon]

Did you find a source of magnets for couplings?

Slate trucks look amazing, really must build a couple myself.

[cragrat]

I've been reading your description of building a slaters slate wagon. I have recently got hold of one of these kits which I am slowly assembling. Can you please elaborate on your method of bolting on the axle boxes. I hate permanently fixing these items, but cannot see any method of using bolts without an undue amount of fiddling with very small nuts in a very constricted space between the wheels and the back of the axle box.
Thanks
John