BR built 16,800 coal hoppers to design D1/146 between 1952 and 1958. The plastic kit fits on a (supplied) Peco Parkside 12ft wheelbase chassis. An etch has handrails at each end, footsteps, and hopper release handles: a jig helps you drill small holes for the rails which are then glued on, this is quite tricky but they can be omitted. Otherwise, assembly is straight forward though some care is necessary, making this a kit for the more advanced modeller. The Dapol 21T hopper is the earlier version built 1949-55 with the stanchions angled at the bottom rather than straight.
The decals sheet has markings for unfitted versions spanning the hopper’s service life with enough for at least 3* wagons in any era, or for 3* fitted wagons with TOPS codes. It has 2 for departmental use, one of the “House Coal Concentration” branding for fitted hoppers used for coal to London, and one “Charringtons” which was on a red painted side. The K suffix on the number was introduced (briefly) in 1966.
*NB – only enough levers ‘closed’ markings for 2 wagons on current sheets – to be corrected with next printing.
