Prototype Info.
According to John Beckhaus’s Railway Freight Wagons book, these wagons were built by Ritchie Brothers and the Railway Workshops between 1909 and 1912.
Two survive, in the collection of the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum, and are currently located at Ulong. These wagons were measured and photographed for the purposes of building this model.
And yes, there are brake spiders at both ends. Presumably, the designers considered that there was not enough room below the well for a mechanical linkage, so each end of the wagon has its own brake system, the only connection between the two being the air pipe that runs the length of the well, outside the side member.
Like most wagons of this era, a number of modifications have taken place over the life of the wagon. The obvious visual differences are that the wagon originally had hook drawgear, buffers and spoked wheels. By the end of its service life, and currently in preservation, the buffers have been removed, autocouplers replace the hook drawgear, and the wheels have been changed to disc wheels. The kit represents the latter condition, but it should be fairly easy to backdate the model if required.
The Model
This kit is almost entirely assembled from a brass etch. This kit is intended for those with some experience of assembling this type of kit. There are a number of steps that are quite fiddly, and will seem to be a bit daunting to a newcomer to this type of construction. The best advice is to ask for help – if you belong to a model railway club, there is bound to be a member who can assist you. Doing the job yourself, with the appropriate advice and assistance, is the best way to acquire new skills, and create the confidence to go on a tackle other projects of the same or greater difficulty.
The kit comes with Ian Lindsay Models cast brass archbar bogies, RP25-88 wheels in either four hole disk or spoked depending on your modelling period.
The kit also comprises brass wire, scale head whisker KD couplers and detailed instructions.
Available separately for the Well wagon is a unique gear wheel load. Please see our accessories page for details.