Three Wheeler from Banke's Bakelite

The small company Banke's Bakelite is known from previous posts on this blog. I have built part of the company's factory and one of their lorries in 1:35 scale. Now it's time for a 16 mm version of a lorry from Banke's Bakelite. The factory itself was located right next to Nystrup Gravel's track in Nystrup, but used lorries for transport of both raw materials and finished goods. Only on a few occasions due to flooding of roads did the bakelite factory use the 600 mm railway.

... und noch weiter! German advertisement for the Tempo Hanseat showing a Hanseat with a hefty tire pattern on its front tire.

The Tempo Hanseat in service at Banke's Bakelite is fitted with much a more relaxed tire pattern. The driver has left the cab and is obviously examining the little lorry. A mechanial problem, perhaps?

I decided to keep the vehicle in the colour as supplied by its manufacturer Minichamps. I only air brushed the rear end with yellow paint. This would enhance visibility and traffic safety of the little, slow lorry in the dark months of the long Danish autumn and winter. I had decals custom made using the same artwork as my previous decals in 1:35 scale. The decals were applied on surfaces prepared with gloss varnish. Mr. Hobby decal solutions helped get the large decals integrate well with the surface of the model.

I used a combination of Tamiya masking tape and a plastic bag to make sure I only got yellow paint where I wanted.

Decals being fitted on the lorry. Company name and telephone number. Rear license plate removed awaiting fitting of a new plate in line with my modelling period.

The plastic injected tarpaulin was also gloss varnished in preparation for the decals. After decal application the tarpaulin was air brushed with flat varnish. The tarpaulin was then treated with detail painting and diluted oil paints in very much the same fashion as when I paint clothing on figures. The model's original black license plates were exchanged with new ones made from plastic card, painted yellow and fitted with decals.

Decals are on and the tarpaulin is getting details painted and some general weathering added. The new license plates are glued in place. Next task is to paint details and add weathering to the rest of the little lorry.

I picked out a few details on the lorry with acrylic paint. Windshield wipers were painted with chrome and the head lights also got a shiny chrome ring to keep the lens in place. The exhaust was painted with a thick layer of acrylic paint stippled with a stiff brush while drying. That creates a nice 'ripple' effect on the exhaust looking like a layer of rust. The exhaust's texture was enhanced with a wash of rust coloured diluted oil paint. Several other parts of the engine was treated to somelight wrathering as well. The underside of the opening bonnet wase air brushed lightly with dark grey.

The doors were given an unfair number of dents and scratches to represent a victim of rather careless drivers. The load area was also distressed with both acrylic and oil paints using several sizes of brushes. I gave the car a few light passes with two tones of sand coloured paint to represent dust thrown up from the road surface. I will probably add a bit more later.

The Hanseat was primarily used to ferry finished bakelite products to the standard gauge railway station in Skovby. As most products were shipped out in cardboard boxes the tarpaulin protected them from the wetness of the Danish climate.

A splash of yellow helps to protect the slow Hanseat with dim lights being hit by faster cars on the dark roads around Nystrup.

The driver now seems to have given up all hope getting the Hanseat started again. He will now have to walk to the nearest telephone to phone for a mechanic to help him take his load of bakelite products to their destination.

The Tempo Hanseat is my fourth road vehicle finished as Danish cars matching the Nystrup Gravel universe. Now it's back to finish the brick shed and finishing the build sketches and design planning for my Pedershaab locomotive. And soon it's December with all the associated activities. After more than 15 years of modelling Nystrup Gravel, the company has not once sent out a Christmas Card. Perhaps it's about time?

New Skips

My early Christmas present for myself arrived the other day: 6 skips to enhance the carrying capacity of my 1/19 scale gravel line. The skips are of the German type in very widespread use in Denmark. In contrast to the British Hudson type that was only used by very few Danish industries.

Three new skips ready for a test run on some of Nystrup Gravel's temporary track.

A view from Mønsted Chalk Works in the 1950's. The skips are a mix of British Hudsons and German types. As countless German companies made V-skips of the same type regulated under the German 'Deutsche Institut für Normung', it's usually not easy to distinguish one company's product from another. Cropped image from Arkiv.dk

I have again been taking advantage of the falling value of the British pound in relation to the Euro. Consequently every item I have purchased from the UK in the last few months have been almost 20% cheaper than if I had shopped in e.g. 2015. I bought the skips on eBay and being the only bidder I got away with paying the minimum price set by the seller. The price for each skip consequently compares favourably with a new freight wagon in H0. Large scale railway modelling doesn't have to be expensive.

The skips are made in South Korea by Lik Enterprise Inc. for a US company called Car and Locomotive Shop to 1/19.2 scale. At least that is the scale printed on the small label on the box. Skips and a LKM NS2f loco from the same company were reviewed in Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review 57.

The skips arrived very professionally packed. Skip frame complete with wheel sets and skip body were separately packed in a zip lock plastic bag. Each of these were inserted into custom made foam shapes, keeping the skip parts safely in place in their solid cardboard box. In the box were also a small bag with two sets of coupling chain, each with 3 links and a small bag with moisture absorbing material.

New skip of German DIN 0.75 m³ type just out of the box compared with a Hudson 'Rugga' type.

With a length of 91,5 mm, a wheel base of 31 mm and a height of the skip body of 37 mm the 1/19 model correspond reasonable well with the measurements of a Orenstein & Koppel skip from 1949. The skips are well assembled and the surface is completely smooth with no trace of solder, file marks or other imperfections. The paint is well applied and small details like rivets show up nicely.

Drawing of DIN skip from Orenstein & Koppel dated 1949. The skip is of  'Leichte Bauart' a light version without e.g. a central steel profile providing lengthwise stability. For long trains and mechanical traction the light skip wasn't considered durable enough. My 16 mm scale skips have the central frame beam.

Being made completely from metal the skips are surprisingly heavy. The weight will help them to keep the track better even when running unloaded. The skip body is easily tipped with a push of a finger, but sitting stable in its cradle when running. The skips comes in three colours. My order was made up from 4 grey, 1 black and 1 rusty red.

I will be painting my skips in weathered dark grey/black after having drilled a row of holes in in the bottom of the skip body to allow water to drain out. It will probably last a while before I get to complete that task, as other projects are higher on the priority list. Until then the skips will handle the necessary traffic in their original liveries.

Visiting Clausthal

When in Germany and not too far away from Clausthal any sane person with my name knows where to go! Considering that the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld in addition is home to the oldest mine shaft steel headframe in Germany and on the UNESCO world heritage list, a visit was quite unavoidable. I was on my way home from the international narrow gauge meeting in Ilmenau.

Mine shaft headframe from 1876.

The Ottiliae Schacht mine shaft headframe is not only the preserved oldest in Germany, but also appears to be the oldest in Europe. The headframe once served a mine shaft almost 600 m deep. The shaft served workings of lead and zinc and was taken out of service in 1930. Since the workings served as water resevoirs for water turbines. That use terminated in 1980 and in 1984 the shaft was filled with concrete and the buildings turned into a museum. A 600 mm line connects the museum with the former railway station in Clausthal-Zellerfeld.

B 660 tandem locomotive from Betrieb für Bergbauausrüstungen, Aue. The type was built from 1980 to 1990 when the production was closed down due to the collapsing economy of DDR. With a weight of 5.5 t it develops 8.4 kW.

Lots of interesting stuff to explore on the tracks near the headframe. To the left a compressed air powered locomotive.

The B 660 pulling 3 wagons having just left the mine museum.

The Clausthal area is hilly and mountainous and the B 660 has a tough job ahead of it, when returning uphill to the mine shaft. The mine museum is located in a very beautiful area

Brexit and Modelling

I will not be going political here. Only mentioning that for a continental European there is currently a good exchange rate to the pound when shopping in the UK. With a lot of interesting products to 16 mm scale coming from Great Britain now is a good time to buy some of the stuff you think you might need. Without worrying about future risks for custom issues and higher prices.

This week I received a small parcel from Severn Models containing two WD class P kits in 1/19 scale. I'm not exactly planning anything in the way of a military railway, but the wagons' light construction appealed to me. I guess Nystrup Gravel used them for light permanent way work, taking materials and tools to work sites along the track. 

Flat packed kits of the WD class P. Quite an advantage as my kits will go into storage for while.

Kit contents unpacked. Etched brass for under frame and strapping, cast parts for detailing in plastic bag, plastic card for wooden parts and Slater's wheels.

See details of the kit on Severn Model's web site, where the kit can also be purchased. I tend to buy kits once I discover them, as I have previously found that waiting too long can result in sold out kits or the company disappearing. Perhaps you should consider that too?