A MAN WITH A VAN

Palethorpes was a large employer in Tipton having its 'Model Factory' based there where prime pork was turned into mainly sausages and pork pies.  The supply of pork was stored about half a mile away where they had their own sidings, goods station and pig pens. As this facility was at the end of my street, I would regularly see large vans delivering to the goods station where boxes were loaded onto awaiting trains usually made up of six wheeled wagons

One of the sidings led off to between two pig sheds where the pigs would be delivered by 'pig' trains using wagons similar to the hornby Prime Pork wagons

Anyway I digress, I had decided that I would need a suitable van for the purpose of travelling between t6he Model Factory and the pig storage facilities so I bought a Lledo 1937 Mayflower Trading model off Ebay as my basis for the Palethorpes van

I started by giving the whole model a rub down with 280 wet & dry to remove the existing decals and to give the paint a good key.  After this I gave the van two coats of Humbrol Acrylic paint in Crimson Lake, which is the colour Palethorpes used, and also covered the roof with a weak wash of black.  I had also purchased a set of waterslide transferes designed to adorn a railway wagon but seemed right for the van. 

With these attached I think the van looks right for the 'Palethorpes section of the layout, which as I say is at least 12 months away.
so that's it until next time when I will be starting on the pig sheds, so till then
don't bang 'em about
Blossom.