BALLAST WAGON KIT RELEASED

I am delighted to announce that production has commenced of our latest 4mm / 009 kit for the ex-SAR NGY ballast wagons. Examples of these wagons can be found on the Welsh Highland Railway and the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales.

The kit mostly composed of cast resin pieces with some etched brass components to make the bogies, the handwheels and cogs for the ballast door mechanism.

These photos show a kit completed and painted.

Parts not included in the kit are wheels and brass bearings for the bogies and 0.5mm and 0.7mm brass wire. From early September this kits will be available from the Ffestiniog Railway's online shop Festshop.co.uk

I am also able to take advance reservations direct priced at £35 + £2.50 p&p although kits ordered now may not be available until October as we are busy working through orders previously received. Email bostonlargsworks (at) btinternet (dot) com for more details.

RAISING FUNDS FOR WELSH PONY

As Readers of our other blog - Bron Hebog - will know I have decided to help the recently announced appeal to restore FR Large England engine Welsh Pony through sales of Boston Largs Works kits.

10%  of the purchase price of every kit will be donated to the fund until the day the locomotive turns a wheel under its own power for the first time since 1939.

It means that from today customers buying our existing DZ and B Wagon kits and the soon to be released NG-Y Ballast Wagon will also be helping to bring another iconic narrow gauge locomotive back to life.

Stocks of the kits are currently available through the FR's shop at Porthmadog Harbour station including the Festshop website

For all other enquires we're always delighted to receive your emails.

B HERE NOW

The first of our new SAR / WHR B wagon kits are being dispatched now to customers.

A limited number are availbale 'off the shelf' with Diamond Frame bogies, as used in the DZ wagon kit.

Kits with the Bettendorf bogies will be a released in the next few weeks.

They are available as standard SAR freight wagons or the WHR bike wagon conversion.

Both are £25 plus P&P. To order contact us by email at: bostonlargsworks@btinternet.com

B WAGON OPTIONS

New for 2013 will be a 009 resin kit for the 2nd generation SAR B Wagon.

There are currently 2 of these in use on the FR / WHR and a further 6 are being imported from South Africa in the coming weeks.

The kit is going to be offered with mix and match components which will enable purchasers to model the B wagon in three configurations.

In original condition:

Running as a bicycle transporting wagon on the WHR:

And as one of the fleet of wagons employed to transport and store locomotive coal on the FR:

We expect this kit to be available in the early spring on 2013. For all enquiries email us at: bostonlargsworks@btinternet.com

BETTER BOGIES

I do my best to respond to customer feedback.

of the modellers who bought the first batch of DZ wagon kits commented that it would be nice if the etched brass bogies were a little more three dimensional.

It's a very good observation so with the intention of improving the kit and giving extra value for money I have designed some small stick-on castings representing the suspension in the centre of the bogie frame and the chunky axle boxes on these SAR bar frame bogies.

The spring casting is glued onto the centre of the bogie frame and the axle boxes simply slip over the axle bushes.

These castings will come as standard with all the DZ wagon kits produced from now on and I will be doing something similar to add onto the alternative bogie design for the forthcoming NGY ballast wagon and B wagon kits.

DZ FLAT WAGON KIT *UPDATED*

We are delighted to release our second resin kit in the new Boston Largs Works 009 range, this time depicting an example of the DZ flat wagons running on the Welsh Highland Railway.

A number of these wagons - which were converted simply by removing the side doors and ends, leaving the tell-tell hinges visible - were employed during the reconstruction of the line and have since been taken into departmental service on the completed railway.

Among their many uses one of these flat DZs was used as the base for the notorious track laying gantry - dubbed 'The Forth Bridge' - which was deployed during the relaying of the first section of line from Caernarfon to Dinas.

Perhaps one of these kits might one day be used as the basis of a unique scratch-building challenge? As with the previously released complete DZ wagon kit this comes with an etched brass fret containing simple fold-up bogies, brake gear and SAR hexagonal handbrake wheels.

It requires wheelsets and shouldered pinpoint axle bearings to complete and costs £15 plus post and packaging.

The first production run of these kits have now sold out but you can reserve your kit from the next batch by emailing: bostonlargsworks@btinternet.com.

DZ WAGON KIT RELEASED

I am delighted to be able to announce the official launch of our first OO9 kit for the ex-SAR DZ wagons, a number of which can be found running on the Welsh Highland Railway.

As you can see below what you get in the kit is resin castings for the sides, ends, chassis and some very thin castings for the distinctive bulges on the inner faces of the doors.

You also get an etched brass fret with fold-up bogie frames, basic brake gear components and the SAR hexagonal handbrake wheels.

To complete the kit you need to obtain wheels, pinpoint bearings and couplings all of which can be found on the excellent Parkside Dundas website, as well as 10BA nuts/bolts to secure the bogies.

The kit is being sold for £20 and is being produced in limited run batches. The first batch of 30 is almost sold out.

Email us at bostonlargsworks@btinternet.com to enquire about availability or to reserve your kits in the next production run.

These kits are also going to be available from the Ffestiniog Railway's own shop.