You've been Tango'd: Molasses tanks in N...

It was photos of the Class 26 on molasses tanks at Cambus junction that fuelled this latest creation. Taken from a bridge, the shapes and colours along with familiar outlines and the promise of short trains lit my imagination...

The N gauge society offers a great range of kits for the modeller looking to move beyond ready to run offerings in the scale. Chemical tank wagons, have until recently, even been neglected in OO gauge so this range of kits in N is a boom to the 'modern image' modeller. Rather than the obvious ICI / Hayes chlorine tanks though, I've gone for the United Molasses versions in their bright orange and black livery. 

They come complete with Peco 15ft chassis and are great value at just £8 a set, but I wanted a finer finish so sourced some cheap second hand Farish TTA tank wagons as donor. The kits are simple to assemble, but fiddly to get a good finish. I spent time filling and smoothing the moulding as any sign of the parts underneath would instantly kill the illusion, especially in N gauge. Then tank moulding isn't 100% accurate, there is a slight inset before the domed end on the end mouldings, and the rails along the tank bottom are too pronounced and not quite of the right shape. The vents and hatches are not quite right for the molasses tanks either, but close enough - none of these faults is a show stopper for me though, overall, achieving a fine and consistent finish is more important.

The kits also include an etched fret for the ladders and details along with some decals to finish - a very well considered set of instructions and with care and some patience you'll be able to achieve a superb model. I am really pleased with this pair, and a third is here awaiting some more serious modification for another Speedlink tank wagon as a result!

Posed here on Paxton Road with an ubiquitous 08 they look every bit as good as 'contemporary' ready to run which is my aim with all of this - back when I built the scrap wagons I said 'kits in N are not for me' but as my journey continues and my re-focus on Speedlink freight continues it seems an inevitable response and approach to the way I want to take my hobby in this scale. I hope these photos show 'the art of the possible' and perhaps encourage you to look again at the possibility of working in a smaller (or just perhaps different) scale. Until next time, more soon...

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