Westlake Publishing Forums

Just incredible work!  Work like this is what makes this place so amazing...

https://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/52447

Here's a very similar vehicle that I stumbled across.

Quote from: Lawrence@NZFinescale on December 24, 2025, 02:12:46 PMhttps://hocken.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/52447

Here's a very similar vehicle that I stumbled across.

Wow, that photo is just about the same as the model, see it came from the University of Otago collection.

Good score, thank you.

It's one of a number of images held by the Hocken Library, and also I believe by the National Library (who may have the negatives) but not online.  It seems that the carriage builder (a Christchurch company) had maker's photos taken of at least some of its production.

I've an occasional and passing interest in such things in 1:64 (which I think I've posted here before).

Yes, Lawrence, I definitely remember the blue wagon. Superb work, especially considering the small scale. A nice little Christmas gift for the forum. -- Russ

Another one for the cupboard, it's a 12th scale Municipal Dust Cart.

Working Drawings for this vehicle were made by J.E.Bishop and Sons and was published in "The Coach and Motor Builder, Sept 1927".

OK, cheated a bit here, the tyres are 3D printed, as there is absolutely nothing else available that I could have used.
The reason that the tyres are WHITE, is that IS the colour of natural rubber,  it's WHITE and it could be used as White Rubber.

Somebody discovered that if you added Carbon Black to the WHITE Rubber, to create BLACK tyres, the Black tyres outlasted White tyres by about 3 times longer.

These vehicles were used to collect rubbish from the streets of Sydney, NSW, and were used for about a decade until Motor Vehicles eventually replaced them.
A one man operation of cleaning the streets and loading it into these vehicles, when loaded, then off to the incinerators to unload.
Sydney had Two Incinerators back then, one on the Sth side and another just to the West of the city, so easy loading and unloading as well, just tip the rubbish into the big hungry hole at the incinerators and head back for more loading.

Nothing different with the construction, just used the normal methods to make it.
I was informed of what colour they were painted and found out is is the exact same clour as the early Caterpillar Bulldozers and other bits of machinery they made.

First pic is what got me interested in these vehicles and even found the Working Drawing for them as well, so just got busy ---------

Another terrific cart.
I was surprised by the colors. I had been under the mistaken impression that rubber was naturally a reddish color like the tires on my first 'big' bicycle (not so I found out) and who knew that "caterpillar yellow" preceeded Caterpillar!

Beautiful work as usual and that's no rubbish! 🙃

Stuart

Undeniably adequate. Next time also model the horse.

P.S.: I love your choice of wagons and the quality of your craftsmanship.

Russ

Quote from: Bill Gill on April 01, 2026, 05:40:11 AMAnother terrific cart.
I was surprised by the colors. I had been under the mistaken impression that rubber was naturally a reddish color like the tires on my first 'big' bicycle (not so I found out) and who knew that "caterpillar yellow" preceeded Caterpillar!

Swiped from Google, have a read --------------

Black rubber tyres started to be produced around
1910–1912, with widespread adoption as the standard color occurring by 1917–1920.
Here are the key details about the transition:

    Original Color: Before this time, tires were naturally white, grey, or light beige because they were made from pure rubber combined with zinc oxide. These early tires were fragile, prone to cracking in sunlight, and lasted only about 2,000 to 5,000 miles.
    The Change (Carbon Black): Manufacturers began adding carbon black (a fine soot) to the rubber compound. This was not for cosmetic reasons but to increase structural integrity, improve wear resistance, and improve heat dissipation.
    Benefits: The addition of carbon black improved the life of a tire from about 5,000 miles up to 50,000 miles or more.
    Adoption: While B.F. Goodrich began using it around 1910, and others followed around 1912, it took until the late teens (1917–1920s) for black tires to completely replace light-colored tires as the standard.

 

Quote from: finescalerr on April 01, 2026, 01:11:04 PMUndeniably adequate. Next time also model the horse.

P.S.: I love your choice of wagons and the quality of your craftsmanship.

Russ

Sorry, NO horse, if I have to add the horse, then I got to add ALL the harness as well.

So where do I draw the line and say 'whoooaaa' ?       

Quote from: Bill Gill on April 01, 2026, 05:40:11 AMAnother terrific cart.
I was surprised by the colors. I had been under the mistaken impression that rubber was naturally a reddish color like the tires on my first 'big' bicycle (not so I found out) and who knew that "caterpillar yellow" preceeded Caterpillar!

Swiped from Google again ------


AI Overview
Caterpillar bulldozers have primarily been
yellow since 1931, but they have a history of using different colors, including "battleship grey," olive drab, and specialized Centennial grey.
Here is a breakdown of the color evolution:

    1925–1930 (Grey): When Caterpillar Tractor Co. was formed in 1925, all machines were painted "battleship gray" with red logos and trim.
    1931–1979 (Hi-Way Yellow): Caterpillar changed the standard color to "Hi-Way Yellow" to improve visibility on road construction sites.
    1979–Present (Caterpillar Yellow): The company replaced Hi-Way Yellow with a slightly different shade simply known as "Caterpillar Yellow".
    WWII (Olive Drab): During World War Two, tractors produced for the military were painted olive drab rather than yellow.
    2025 (Centennial Grey): To celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2025, Caterpillar released limited-edition machines in "Centennial Grey," honoring the original color from 1925.

While yellow is the standard, Caterpillar can also custom-paint machines at the factory to meet specific customer requirements.

Quote from: greenie on April 01, 2026, 02:06:30 PM

Quote from: finescalerr on April 01, 2026, 01:11:04 PMUndeniably adequate. Next time also model the horse.

P.S.: I love your choice of wagons and the quality of your craftsmanship.

Russ

Sorry, NO horse, if I have to add the horse, then I got to add ALL the harness as well.

So where do I draw the line and say 'whoooaaa' ?       

Horse and harness are no great problem - I have digital files. At that scale though, it's quite a print.

Very nice!
Never thought I would be fascinated by wagons.
Lots of variety in the land of mennonites near me.

Does anyone have good plans for a simple 4 wheel hay wagon?
I have a mule. 😁

MJinTN

Quote from: lab-dad on April 01, 2026, 05:26:31 PMVery nice!

Does anyone have good plans for a simple 4 wheel hay wagon?
I have a mule. 😁

MJinTN

Have a look thru this site, your sure to find something that will suit you, open each section and go thru each different lot with a fine tooth comb.

The lady who runs that site is very knowledgable and if you have trouble, then just ask 'Kayo',  as she will know what will be fit for the job at hand.

The John Thompson series is mainly pommie stuff, the others say some of their plans are suitable for a model, so just ask Kayo which plans could be for a full sized vehicle.


https://www.wildhorsebooks.com/Plans.htm