Thanks for those images JW. They look a bit odd on a standard 10 foot u/f with Morton (?) brakes. Rather a long w/b for the wagon. Are those GN section running numbers, or just a lack of HB prefix thanks to a deficiency on the transfer sheet? Proper vents on the roof certainly look better.
I like the idea of the extra wire on the etched ladder Mick. Andrew Hartshorne is kindly checking his range for me to see if he can offer any 4mm wide ladder with correct 4mm rung spacing. If not, I shall have to compromise, leave as plastic, or make my own.
Here's how far I've gone so far with the H & B van:
I changed the planking on the doors as I wasn't happy - the "as cut" Slater's 2mm sheet planking didn't quite fill the space with a whole number of planks. I dug out the pieces I had already fitted, cleaned up the door and tried again. I had an idea that if I scribed in the plank lines more heavily on cut-to-size piece of the sheet, it might grow width-wise to a sufficient degree to fill the door. It didn't
, so I cut it down into individual planks which, after cleaning up, still had enough waste/bruised material on their edges to fill the width.
After studying photos and drawing I also trimmed off some of the original moulded hinges, scribed in a new line to split the original hinge-edge frame of the door into two narrower vertical strips, and re-created the barrel of the hinge and adjoining body strap using microstrip and rod. This has moved the hinges, and I hope the visible door edge, inboard by something like a whole plank width, as the witness on the top body rail, to top left of the door, ought to show. I hope all this is going to look okay after primer, filler if necessary, and paint. I still haven't got the barrels of the hinges in exactly the right place, nor are the legs of my new straps exactly the right lengths, but I couldn't be bothered to struggle to achieve more. The van will never be exactly right in any case, as the body isn't quite tall enough. I could have gained a little height by adding strips all around the top edge, but as the visible part of the top rail was already too thick/deep, I settled for adding only the narrow strip that appears under the edge of the roof to mask some of the unwanted depth of rail. I have also chamfered off some material under the edges of the moulded roof to make it look thinnner, and trimmed back the end overhangs a little. Ventilators will be dealt with later.
As you can see, I have also cleaned off the all-wrong boltheads and washer plates from the solebar, taken off the Morton brake gear, and the axleboxes, ready for an attempt at applying something more like the real thing, probably including Iracier axleboxes - after I have fitted proper bearing cups at a height to suit Mansell wheels! I'll have to cut out framing under the floor to take those too....
On the van ends it seemed more expedient to trim off the excessive depth of framing rather than fill in yet more recessed planking. There were few details to lose that way, and it preserved the louvres at the bottom corners, although they are not quite in the right places as I subsequently realised - they should sit above a bottom rail. I've reinstated the upper end corner straps but will have to decide whether to ignore the lower ones, or fit them only to the corner posts since there is no rail for them to hold onto