Brass etch notes: when removing any item with an Exatco knife please take care.  Cutting should be done on a self-healing mat using a few score marks rather than the cut once method.  Make sure that the brass is clean before soldering by using a brass cleaner like Tarnoff, very fine wet and dry sandpaper or using a fine wire brush in a Dremel to lightly polish the surface front and rear.  Depending on your skills some soldering is required but you could use superglue or Selley's water based Kwik Grip to glue items on.  Really its up to you the modeller to decide your skill level.  It is assumed if you use solder you will also be fluxing the joints with Carr's Red label flux or equivalent.

Floor. 

1. Cut the floor base out.
2. Cut the shunter steps from the etch.
   Fold up the base to 90 degrees and with very small amount of solder; solder the upright to the step.
3. The completed units should now be soldered (or glued) to the floor whilst it's still flat.
4. Fold up the end sills of the floor paying attention to the shunter steps so as to not damage them whilst doing this. When complete lightly solder (or glue) the sill ends making sure not to unsolder the steps.
5. Separate the U shaped grab rails and tin the ends before pushing one of the legs through the hole in the floor as the other rests up against the end sill inside. Solder (or glue) this in place whilst not dislodging the shunter steps soldered previously.  If you can't do this then the U shaped grab rails have a small fold mark about 1.5mm from the end of the legs.  This will aid in gluing the unit to floor if you are unable to solder it.  See photo of completed floor below.
   

Tank casting.

Before commencing assembly the casting should be washed in warm water with a mild solution of dish washing detergent to remove moulding release agents or grease from handling.

1. Near the base of the casting there are 2 small holes for each of the 4 positions where the handrails go.  If you like, drill these out with the appropriate drill that matches your hand wire rails or simply glue 4 x 10 thou styrene strips to these areas if you opt out of wire handrails.
2. Glue the tank to the floor centrally in all directions.
3. Depending on what level of detail you require, glue the round dome covers (raised or lowered bolt holes) on top of tanks.
4. Next glue the filler hatches centrally to the dome tank covers.  Depending on what type of unit will depend on the type of filler hatches to use.  Two different sorts have been supplied with this kit.  You can also fit a small hand wheel using the 2 brass pins supplied into the filling caps; again depending on the prototype you are modelling.
5. With a small drill carefully deepen the holes for dome handrails.  Glue the handrails into the domes.  Glue small styrene strips at the end of each tank for handrails.  See plan below.
6. Glue the timber walkway onto the support provided in front of the 2 handrails.
7. Smaller timber steps can be added to the top of the domes if wished.  Please see plan on Page3.

 Underframe construction. 

1.      Remove the coupler pockets from the Peco NR 121 underframe as pictured above.

2.      Once the underframe has been glued in place the ladder can now be added.

3.      Glue the side stirrup steps at opposite ends of the wagon adjacent to the shunter steps.

4.      Fit U channel or H channel supplied in the kit between the Peco underframe and the floor end sills to fill the vacant space.

5.      Pipe work:  It is best using photos of a unit you wish to model as pipe work varies among units and class throughout their lives.  Pipe work could be on both sides of the wagon but generally it is on the opposite side of the ladder.

6.      Fit Micro Train couplers to the underframe after painting.

 Painting and Weathering your model.

General overview of the J cement wagon non-pipe side.

Brief history.

When originally introduced they were conversions from pulverised coal wagons of the late 1940's to early 1950's(CK class) and numbered X1-7.  The success of the class led to others being constructed in similar style but with different style pots.  X/J 1-7 became FX/FJ class flour wagons.  Group 8-27 was the low dome type with the periscope looking pipes on top.  This model is based on the group 28-77 except numbers 41,42.  The last of the class J77 was placed into service in 1962 and has the distinction of being the last all new 4 wheel wagon to be placed into service on the Victorian Railways.

As their importance waned with the introduction of bogie J class 3 pot cement wagons, they spent the rest of their days transporting locomotive sand around the state before succumbing to the scrappers torch in the mid to late 1980's. 

 Prototype photos courtesy of Peter Vincent.  More photos of the class can be found on Peter's informative Rolling Stock CD available from the Buffer Stop.

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