Latest Antics Special Edition

Hoare Brothers of Marsh Mills, Plymouth operated a fleet of railway wagons for many years. The wagons advertised the brothers' business as tarmacadam and stone merchants, these four plank types formed most of the early fleet. The low sides helped prevent overloading with heavy stone materials. Road building materials were conveyed from quarries and roadstone coating plants to depots in South Devon. The main depot was at Marsh Mills, however the wagons would often have been unloaded in local station goods yards near to the current customer or road surfacing project.

This wagon, number 60, has been modelled from a photograph where it is seen alongside a GWR 2721 type pannier tank circa 1930.

A fine coated roadstone load is supplied, representing material used for forming a tarmacadam road surface, ready to extend the network of surfaced roads around your local station.

Specially commissioned model, expected June 2008.

This wagon operated by the Coventry Ordnance factory would have been used to convey manufactured ordnance, shells for instance, to government ordnance depots or to ports for export.

Painted dark red, this must be one of the more unusual companys' operating privately owned wagons.

The first Antics special edition model of a 9 plank wagon - in the famous Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon company's own livery. This large 20-ton capacity 9-plank open wagon carried the companys' own name. Painted black with red shaded lettering the wagon was clearly prepared for exhibition at a railway or coal industry event and it appears several times in the company photographic archive. The wagon carries no fleet number, though this would have appeared on one of the solebar number plates, instead the signwriter has carefully written the internal dimensions of the wagon on the bottom plank by the end door. The opposite end carries the empty weight data, while the central panel proudly declares 'To Carry 20 Tons', a large capacity at the time.

Dapol have done an excellent job of reproducing this lettering in OO scale for this limited edition wagon, with the small dimension lettering just readable. Fitted with free running metal wheels, a coal load is supplied which can be removed if desired.

This wagon is believed to have been used as part of the Gloucester company lease fleet, so could have been sent to any prospective customer on trial.

Antics special edition model, maximum production of 250. Next batch expected Autumn 2008

Well-known as builders of portable internal combustion engines, R A Listers ordered this 7-plank open wagons from the Gloucester RCW Co. to supply coal for their plant at Dursley, Glos. in May 1910. Painted chocolate brown with white lettering and black shading.

Antics Special Edition Model

This excellent 7-plank open wagon model from Dapol has been specially commissioned in the livery of Stroud merchants T. Butt & Son and carries a timber load, marking the companys' long association with the building trade.

Records indicate that the company operated up to seven wagons, both owned and leased, for many years. Wagon number 3 was supplied on lease by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Co., whose photographer recorded the newly painted wagon in September 1918. The wagon carries details of the operators' business and, like many merchants, T Butt supplied coal, salt and builders merchants.

Unlike most coal merchants from the early years of the 20th century the T Butt & Sons company continued to trade as builders merchants until 2007, when the business and Stroud site was sold to a national chain.

Antics Special Edition Model. Expected Autumn 2008

Specially commissioned from Dapol, this 7-plank open wagon is a model of T Butt & Sons wagon number 2.

This well-known Stroud firm remained has had a long association with the building trades in Gloucestershire, trading as builders merchants until 2007. Our models of their wagons have followed this theme and wagon number 2 is planned to carry a load of bricks, complementing the timber load supplied with our 2007 release of wagon number 3.

Records indicate that the company operated up to seven wagons, both owned and leased, for many years. The Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company photographic records contain an image of number 2, indicating that this was delivered in November 1911. T Butt & Sons' business is described on the sides as coal, salt and builders merchants.

A P Hudson of Worcester operated this red painted 7-plank open wagon, supplied by the Gloucester RCW in October 1907 and registered with the GWR. The wagon is lettered to fully describe A P Hudson's diverse business in coal and oil fuels, with the term general merchant, probably indicating that he also supplied building material from his yard. This specially commissioned model depicts wagon number 21, which was lettered specifically to operate between Birch Coppice colliery (near Tamworth) and Midland wharf in Worcester.

Our latest addition to the range of special edition wagons.

W W Milton distributed coal from Montpelier railway station in Bristol, on the GWR/LMS joint line to Avonmouth. Wagon number 6 was photographed in January 1910 when taken on hire from the Gloucester RCW Co. painted lead grey with white lettering. W W Milton used a monogram logo on the side door of his wagon, combining the letters W and M. S Brookman, who also traded from Montpelier station, had a similar SB monogram painted on his wagons.

W W Miltons' later wagons were painted a chocolate brown colour, we also have wagon 6 available in this livery.

Supplied with a limited edition certificate

When WW Milton wagon number 6 was photographed in January 1910 it was painted lead grey, however by September 1911 the companys' new wagons were being painted chocolate brown. Wagon number 6 has been modelled in the revised brown livery as a variation to our special edition model in the grey livery.

W W Milton distributed coal from Montpelier railway station in Bristol, on the GWR/LMS joint line to Avonmouth. The company used a monogram logo on the side door of his wagon, combining the letters W and M.

Wagon number 6 is also available in the as-delivered lead grey livery.

A specially commissioned model of Edward Langford's 5-plank open wagon number 6. The original wagon was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and was recorded by their photographer in March 1901. The wagon had probably just been painted, ready for delivery to Edward Langford at Stonehouse in lead grey with black shaded white lettering.

A specially commissioned model of C W Jones' 5-plank open wagon number 19. The original wagon was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and was recorded by their photographer in December 1901. The wagon had probably just been painted, ready for delivery to C W Jones in lead grey with black shaded white lettering.

New Antics Limited Edition

Based on a wagon produced in 1916 by the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. for Walker & Rodgers of Warwick. As far as is known the company traded mainly in domestic coal and certainly survived until 1940.

Joining the Antics Limited Edition range in conjunction with the opening of our newest shop in Coventry this well detailed 7-plank open coal wagon carries the livery of Walker and Rodgers, coal merchants from nearby Warwick. Featuring a removable coal load and metal wheels for smooth running.

Antics Limited Edition. E. T. Ward & Son, a coal merchant from Stroud, had premises in the town in 1935. There was also a possible link to the Coleford Red Ash Colliery. Wagon No. 4 has been based on a Gloucester Railway & Wagon Co. photograph taken at Gloucester in 1905.

Antics Limited Edition
Detailed model of a 5-plank open merchandise wagon built for Wyken and Craven, a small collery north of Coventry on the LNWR line to Nuneaton. The wagon has a removable coal load and is fitted with metal wheels for smooth running.

Antics now has a branch in Coventry and this is the first of a planned series of specially commissioned local wagons.

7-plank open coal wagon as used by the Bute company.

Our range of special edition wagons is expanding again in 2008.

One of Bristols major coal factors, Alfred Smith operated a significantly sized fleet of open coal wagons in this red livery. The arch style lettering was designed to be eyecatching, acting as an advertisment in goods yards and while passing through the city stations.

This wagon would have travelled widely, coal factors purchased bulk quantites of coal direct from collieries and obtained a variety of different coal grades. These were then sold on to local coal merchants across the South West for domestic sales, supplied to the factory boilers of Bristols' industries and to the steam ships at the docks. Few Bristol companies appear to have owned coal wagons, likely due to the ready supply of coal from the factor companies, also offering the ability to blend coals to get the best mix for the factory boilers at little extra cost.

Click here for our current OO gauge Special Edition wagons.

Our range of special edition wagons is expanding again in 2008.

This bright blue painted open wagon was operated by coal merchant and factors Richard White & son of Evesham. The unusally decorative livery is sure to be noticed on your layout.

Coal factors purchased coal in bulk from collieries, the factor them sold the coal in smaller quanities to local merchants. This allowed merchants to obtain a good selection of coals and benefit from better bulk contract prices. Many factors also took contracts for the supply of coal to companies and local power and gas providers. To obtain different grades of coal many factors' wagons travelled widely across the UK, collecting coals from different collieries for sale or blending.

Click here for our current OO gauge Special Edition wagons.

A new book from wagon reseacher Ian Pope covering wagons owned by companies and merchants in Gloucestershire. Featuring over 450 high quality illustrations, accompanied by captions and details of the owners and operators. Often colourfully painted and sometimes with extensive lettering private owner wagons offered mobile advertising for their owners. Mostly used to haul coal, there are many other businesses who owned wagons in Gloucestershire, plus the city of Gloucester boasted one of the most prolific and successful railway wagon building companies.
This book covers Gloucestershire, north of the Badminton route and the Bristol county boundary, with a book on Bristol in the future.