Firstly a quick Happy New Year to all the readers of this blog as this is the first post of 2013, I wish you all a peaceful and prosperous year ahead with hopefully plenty of time of modelling all things Southern!
One of the regular sights on Fisherton Sarum is my Z class pushing loaded loco coal wagons up the incline to the coal stage. Maunsell Z Class 0-8-0T number 957 was allocated to Salisbury primarily for shunting the East yard, this was due in part to the fact that the yard was shunted 24 hours a day and being three cylinder locomotives the Z class had a much softer exhaust beat than for example the ‘bark’ of a traditional 2 cylinder locomotive such as the G6 Class. It was reported that on the days when the Z Class was on shed for routine maintenance such as boiler wash out etc. the locals would complain about the additional noise of its replacement in the yard!
The eight Maunsell Z class 0-8-0 tanks, numbered 950 to 957, were designed specifically for the role of heavy shunting in hump and marshalling yards that was capable of negotiating tight curves often found in yards, be able to deliver lot of power after lengthy periods of idling, whilst reducing the tendency for locomotives employed on such work to often lift safety valves and therefore wasting steam etc.
Maunsell built on the experience of gained from the Urie G16 class 4-8-0T (a post on this class and other SR heavy tanks will follow in due course) which had been produced for the same purpose and utilised a number of standard components including an existing Brighton boiler design and cyclinders from the U1/N1 class.
The wheels were of 4ft 8in diameter and the leading and trailing pair had sufficient sideplay so that curves of 4½ chains could be negotiated providing that they were not in confined spaces due to the large 11ft overhang at each end.
Whilst mainly used for yard shunting, such as at Salisbury and the ‘hump’ yard at Feltham they were also known for their use later in life as banking engines between Exeter St David’s and Exeter Central.
My model of number 957 is built from an old Milholme white metal kit powered by a Portescap motor that ensures that like the prototype she is quiet, very powerful and does not slip. She may well at some time be pensioned off to be replaced by the excellent DMR etched brass kit that is in my pile of kits to build but that is likely to be some time off yet.
Any comments on the Golden Arrow kit? I fancy it for a build sometime.
I’ve not built Chris’s Z class but like his G16 that I have built it is based on a modified Hornby 8F chassis so is a compromise on wheel size and wheel base dimensions but the one I have seen finished looks ok. As with all these GA kits you need to source detailing items such as handrail knobs, pipe work, buffers etc from elsewhere.
If you do decide to pension her off, I would willingly give her a lush pasture to spend her declining years (for a fee of course!
Sometimes the Z class were nicknamed “Maggies”. Anyone know why?
Might anyone know someone who owns an original SR Z Tank smokebox number plate? I am ideally looking for 30954 but any of the other seven will do. Thank you.
Can’t help sorry. But I’m interested in knowing why the nickname “Maggies” was applied to the Z class.
Was Salisbury East Yard the one at Milford?
Salisbury East yard
Will the Golden Arrow kit fit a Dublo chassis or does it need to be a later Hornby version?
It is designed for the later Hornby version