Since the announcement by Hornby that the little, and I mean little, Ruston and Hornsby 48DS 0-4-0 diesel mechanical shunter was to be introduced as part of their 2019 range, I always had it in mind that a simple repaint could be on the cards to create the Southern Region departmental shunter DS1169.

Originally built in 1946 as number 237932, she was delivered new to the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Weston-Super-Mare. She was sold to the fledgling British Railways Southern Region in 1948. Her initial home was at Folkestone Warren Permanent Way depot. In 1962 she was transferred to Yeovil Junction before being finally withdrawn in October 1972 and scrapped a year later at George Cohen’s scrapyard at Cranlsy near Kettering in 1973.
She was built as one of the ‘open cab’ style with no doors or side glazing, although she did later had a side window area panelled in along with two piece stable type doors.
Her original livery on the SR was plain drab olive green, including sideframes with red buffer beams (the livery I have chosen to model her in) and later she gained a yellow bonnet which subsequently faded. There is some contention as to whether she was ever repainted although some later photographs do appear to show a darker, possible mid chrome, green base livery.

I have used the Hornby R3706 Army No.802 as the base for this quick win repaint as it is the correct ‘open cab’ style. I simply masked the front and rear windows and radiator grill with vallejo ‘liquid mask’ a similar product to ‘Humbrol Maskol’. The chassis was masked using masking tape rather than removed as this was a simpler and quicker option.
For the main body colour I used an Aerosol Kobra Paint drab olive ‘Camouflage’ and brush panted the buffer beams with Precision Paints P993 satin buffer beam red.

DS1169 was fitted with cast number plates on the cab sides and these have been obtained from my friend Brian Mosby as part of his excellent 247 Developments range of etched plates; that also includes a wide range or SR name plates, smokebox number plates and detailing parts, now also including SR head signal discs.

Some light weathering completes the effect.

See her in action in the short video below

I am not sure how or why she ended up, on loan or possibly on trial, for a while at Southampton Docks and specifically Canute Road Quay but I am sure it must of really happened…