This Base Toys Leyland FG has had a tail lift added and has received a repaint into BR yellow. The body needs to be moved forward a little and I'm waiting for BR decals. Photo by J.Wealleans

The old way to do a HTV. Nowadays you'd just buy the Parkside kit.

Diagram 1/477 bogie bolster C from a Mainline original. I've since changed the buffers and bogies to the correct ones for the wagon modelled

Diagram 1/260 gunpowder van made from a shortened and narrowed Wrenn body on a Parkside 9' wb chassis. Quite an involved but not very difficult conversion

Diagram 1/261 gunpowder van, also from a narrowed and shortened Wrenn body on a Red Panda 10' wb chassis. Note that the side panels on this van are different sizes compared to the 1/260 van.

Old Airfix 5 plank wagon modified to represent a BR 1/042 high goods. Built unfitted it has been vacuum brake fitted early in the braking program hence the extended spindle buffers.

Another Airfix 5 plank. This time modified into an ex LMS high goods. This one has been vacuum fitted in 1959 and is therefore fitted with Oleo buffers.

ex LNER grain van from a Parkside kit. Most of the mods are the same as in Geoff Kents book although I've also added brass W irons and whitemetal axleboxes.

Parkside kit for an LMS/BR medfit. I built it years ago and have recently brought it up to P4 spec. New axleboxes, capping straps, body mounts and door control equipment have been fitted.

Diagram 1/271 grain hopper made from a lengthened Wrenn body on a scratchbuilt chassis. A very long and arduous conversion and I'm not keen to do another even though I need a few more for Longcarse.

Ex LMS tube wagon from a Colin Ashby kit. Modified brake levers and capping straps added as per Geoff Kent's book and BR Heavy duty W irons and roller bearings were fitted to match a picture in the old Bradford Barton book 'Pre Nationalisation Freight Wagons on British Railways'

A Parkside kit for a BR highfit. Just a couple of bits of brass added to bring it up to my spec.

A Parkside BR steel highfit built with very few mods. An excellent kit that is a joy to build.

A (very) old K's kit for a GWR grain hopper. Now running on Bill Bedfords bouncy W irons. This is going to be a slow project as I'm not sure how well it's going to work out and it may not be suitable for my 1975ish Scottish setting

An Airfix RTR based brake van. New rainstrips, battening around the duckets and end panel repairs can be seen.

Diag 1/220 shocvan based on the Red Panda kit. I built this one about ten years ago and have brought it up to P4 standards. MJT Dowty buffers, repositioned brake gear and a few bits of plastic and brass strip complete the conversion.

Parkside diag 1/217 Vanwide. Another upgrade from my OO wagons with 0.33mm NS wire door handles and ABS 2'0" oleo buffers.

Another vanwide. This one runs on a new Parkside vanfit chassis with slightly modified axleboxes.

Diag 1/204 van using the old Airfix body on a Parkside LMS chassis with modified axleboxes.

A Lima cl.40 body on a Bachmann chassis. Following an article in Rail Express on modelling 40s this one is going to need a lot more work, especially around the cab front windows, but at least the body is the right shape.

Bachmann 08 running on Gibson wheels with Brassmasters con rods. Although 08s weren't seen at Alloa in the 70s this will probably become 08725 (Perth) or 08726 (Dunfermline) and I'll pretend it was outbased there.

Bachmann 25. The cabs don't look much like a 25 to me so I'll probably replace them with the cabs from a Silver Fox body that I have. An excellent article on modelling 25s by Jim Smith-Wright appeared in issue 48 of the DEMU Update magazine.

Heljan 27. This one will become non boilered 27024. This will involve removing the water tank and plating the boiler exhaust. Although this loco had sliding cab windows fitted later in life the droplight type were still fitted in the 70s.

This 25 will become 25029, one of the four original style 25s to be built without boiler water tanks. A modified Hornby body sits on a mcuh butchered Bachmann chassis frame.