Although it could be said that I cheated with Canute Road Quay when I modelled the quayside wall as part of the front facia of the layout; this was not to avoid having to create the water but in fact to maximise the space available with a 12 inch deep baseboard.
One of the puddles has attracted the attention of Gerald the GullAnother quayside puddle and gull some gloss varnish add to the effect of some water running by the edge of the concreteStep 4, The scenery or ballast is added to form the edge of the puddlesThe finished effect including a larger puddle in the shed area due to the water cranelarge and small gulls can be seen if you look close enoughA real life Gerard who misread the sign, he thought it said “free herring test”
There are however a number of representations of water on Canute Road Quay in the form of a few puddles, this post is a quick explanation of the method I used to create the effect of standing water.
Note: the initial steps are carried out before any nearby ballasting or scenic work is carried out, so needs a bit of forward planning / vison of where puddles might naturally occur, remembering that puddles will only form in depressions, hollows, ditches and low points and water finds a horizontal level and wont form on a slope!
Step one, is to paint one side of a thin sheet of clear plasticard with gloss black paint, I used good old Humbrol enamel. It’s a good way to use up a few offcuts.
Step two, cut the now painted plasticard into the rough shape, but wider and longer than the maximum length and width, of the area of the puddle you want to create.
Step three, glue the plasticard paint side down, i.e. the clear plasticard side up, in the location you want the puddle.
Step four, start to build up the required terrain, at this stage you create the final shape of the puddles which is why the plasticard is cut larger than the size of puddle you want and so the terrain edge is on the surface of the plasticard. I generally used Daz air drying modelling clay, see picture left, and used the terracotta colour rather then white or grey so it already has an earth like base colour. In and around the shed area I used a mix of ballast and real ash from my wood burning stove.
Step five, add the foliage as required, I used a variety of lengths of static grass, using the lighter greens and straw colours as wild grass is rarely dark green. In some areas I represented wet earth / concrete using some gloss varnish.
Step six, remember to dust the puddles every now and again, especially before taking any photographs…
Some people have occasionally mentioned the size of the some of the ‘seagulls’, of course they are not seagulls but Herring Gulls and I have used those available from Springside Models. If you want to really see just how bit a real life adult Herring Gulls stand at the sea side with an open bag of chips you will soon find they are much larger than you think!
I have used both their 4mm scale versions and at the rear of the layout a number of their 2mm versions to assist with perspective. Those on the backscene were drawn on in flight as curly ‘W’s with a pencil.
Gerard the Gull was not so much wild when I glued him place but furious… (with apologies to Not the Nine o’clock News…)
And I didn’t even mention ‘The Gulls’… oh Doh! #COYY
Canute Road Quay in East Anglia… A pair of LNER J70s Nos. 7126 and 7128 shunt the quay. The J70s are weathered Model Rail Magazine limited edition models.
With this weekend being a bank holiday, with so far some typical overcast weather (at least it’s not raining yet…), I thought I would provide some light reading based on my trip away, with the 35011 General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society last weekend, to some of Yorkshire’s railway attractions where I was able to find a Southern Railway related connection.
A Bulleid coach far from home
It was a pleasant surprise, seeing this excellently restored Bulleid Open Third at the wonderful Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, looking so great and nice to see in the BR Crimson & Cream livery that she carried when first introduced.
Coach number S1469 is a Diagram 2017 Open Third built at Eastleigh between October and December 1950 with the deeper 15″ window vents rather than the 10″ vents fitted to the SR built versions. They were introduced as loose vehicles, i.e. not allocated into a coach set.
Whilst many like to see the preserved Bulleid coaches in green livery, I think she does look very smart in the immaculate Crimson and Cream livery.
A Southern / Bulleid connection to a BR standard 4MT tank
A trip on the splendidly scenic North Yorkshire Moors Railway saw a a BR Standard 4MT tank at the head of the service in a splendid LNER teak bodied Tourist Open Third. An SR / Bulleid connection to a BR standard 4MT tank… you might ask?
The design, although based on the LMS Fowler / Fairburn tanks, of these locomotives, introduced from 1951 was completed and the first batch built at Brighton. The design was required to meet the the L1 loading gauge to give them a great route availability (such as working between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells West). They therefore have a continuous curved profile to the tanks and cab sides, (not to be confused with the overall loading gauge), that also matched the curve of the Bulleid locos and stock. There was even a discussion at the time about them being built with Bulleid-Firth-Brown style wheels.
Even the LNER coach has Bulleid connection as before he left the LNER to become CME of the Southern Railway he had modernised the interiors of such open coaches with the use of the new synthetic leathercloth ‘Rexine’.
We did see some proper traction on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as Maunsell S15 4-6-0 Number 825 was also on services. 825 was built in April 1927 at Eastleigh works near Southampton and along with most of the class was allocated to Feltham. By the time of nationalisation she was based at Exeter Junction before moving to Salisbury in 1951 and remaining there until withdrawn in January 1964. No. 825 is one of three S15 locomotives owned by the Essex Locomotive Society, all of which are stabled at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
What’s in a name…
There are two Merchant Navy Class names plates on display at the National Railway Museum. With the Merchant Navy’s four plates were cast (the centre part disc was enamelled), two for the loco, one presented to the relevant shipping company and one circular part turned into a coffee table and also presented to the shipping company at the time of the official naming ceremonies (I have not yet managed to see any of the coffee tables, I wonder if any any survive and if so do the owners know the significance?) The first is Channel Packet the first member of the Merchant Navy class loco, that also gave rise to one of the nicknames of the class as being ‘Packets’, this is one of the plates that was ceremonially given to the namesake shipping co. at the time of the loco naming
The Orient Line name plate is from the actual 21c8 loco, you can compare the difference in the wear and tear including the remaining thickness of the raised cast letters to tell the difference. The boiler currently being restored by the 35011 General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society, is coincidently the one that was first fitted to 21c8 when built.
The centre enamelled discs usually illustrated the shipping company flag and the plates were handed so that the flag always flew towards the rear of the loco, the only Merchant Navy plate that has a flag that flies forwards is 21c6/35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N.Co as it’s flag is part of the whole P&O company logo on the enamel plate so could not be flown the other way around on the right hand side so flies forwards.
We didn’t remove any parts honest…
Merchant Navy 35029 Ellerman Lines although preserved is displayed as a sectioned exhibit, originally she was mounted on rollers so that wheels and motion could be rotated to see it in action but she now resides on a section of plain track.
Whilst neatly sectioned and painted to show the inner workings of a steam locomotive I feel the Museum have missed a trick as there are no actual information board to explain the how it works part of the exhibit to visitors. Whilst photographing I did spend time to actually explain how it works to many visitors.
I’m sure it doesn’t need it’s crank axle really… with 35011 General Steam Navigation needing a new crank axle it would be nice to swap this now static exhibit with a plain axle to help get 21c11 / 35011 back in steam but I think the museum staff would have noticed if I tried to borrow it… The tender would be handy too…
Duck à le bleu…
The Bulleid connection to the well known steam speed record holder LNER A4 pacific 4468 ‘Mallard’ is his work with the French firm Bugatti on behalf of Sir Nigel Gresley, Bulleid spoke fluent French, after his spell working early in his career for the French Westinghouse Company as a test engineer. Initially he was investigating their ‘The Flying Hamburger’ that was a high-speed diesel twin-coach railcar introduced in 1932 that was used for express passenger services between Berlin and Hamburg.
Developed using wind-tunnels, the train could travel the 178 miles between the two station in 138 minutes, at an average of 77mph.
This was considered to be an expensive option but led to Bugatti assisting Bulleid and Gresley with the A4 front styling and overall streamlining.
Mallard was also a visitor to the Southern Region a couple of times the first being for the 1948 Locomotive Exchange trails, where she failed at Salisbury with a hot middle big end, and again later in the 1960s on rail tour duty.
Doesn’t need a key… (sorry Stanier…)
The sole surviving austerity good looking* / ugly* (*delete as per your view) Bulleid Q1 class No. C1 built in 1942 has been an exhibit within the National Railway Museum since 2004 before which she had been restored and running on the Bluebell Railway. It is my understanding that she is not on the list for possible restorations to working order in the future.
When the class were first introduced under wartime austerity conditions in 1942 William Stanier was reported to have said “Where do you put the key” in response to the look of the loco.
I hope you enjoyed the read and the SR connections.
Firstly, following the removal of the trailing truck from the frames in October 2020 and months of preparatory work by their hard working volunteers, that the restoration contract for the trailing truck has been awarded after a tender process to North Norfolk Railway Engineering.
The unique in preservation fabricated trailing truck
Located at Weybourne Engineering works, North Norfolk Railway Engineering presented a strong bid for the work, with a high level of engineering detail, that respects the historical merit of the unique in preservation fabricated Merchant Navy trailing truck.
Originally fitted to a series 3 Merchant Navy, 35011’s fabricated trailing truck is the last survivor of its kind. Lighter than the cast truck fitted to the other preserved Merchant Navy locomotives, longer than a Light Pacific’s truck, the GSNLRS are having this unique piece of Bulleid locomotive design restored to mainline standard, a crucial step towards GSNLRS’s vision of an original Merchant Navy with original air smoothed casing and Bulleid’s patented chain driven valve gear.
The second announcement is with respect to the crank axle,
Since 1966, 35011 has been without it’s central crank axle as it was swapped with a plain axle following withdrawal for the crank axle to be used on classmate 35026. Alongside the missing valve gear, this has been the driving force behind the decision to return to original design condition, due to the cost of replacement to either design being similar.
The FEA on the original Crank Axle design shows failure as per the failure on 35020 in 1953.
FEA of the balanced crank axle design as fitted to 35011 in 1954 with grade A4T steel showing no failure.
After many years of behind-the-scenes research in the Bulleid Pacific Locomotive Association collection & National Archive in Kew, and recent detailed Finite Element Analysis conducted at the University of Birmingham, under the supervision of Professor Karl Dearn, has demonstrated that A4T steel is of a suitable grade for the correct balanced crank axle design for 35011 in original design condition.
This means the GSNLRS can proceed to final design of the central axle & balancing of the motion, and the order placement for the steel in the coming months and moving the project further forwards to a functioning original Merchant Navy once more.
More information on the University of Birmingham FEA Project can be read here.
E85013 SR O2 Class 0-4-4T No. W24 “Calbourne” in lined SR Malachite, as she carried originally between June 1947 and c1949, The model captures Calbourne in her current Southern Railway malachite livery that she was outshopped in earlier this year.
As with the previous O2 releases from The Kernow Model Rail Centre the O2s come with discs, bufferbeam pipework, an etched fire irons pack and etched nameplates.
They’re a ‘must have’ for any Isle of Wight railway modeller. There are just 500 of these exclusive edition models, priced £159.95.
Bachmann Europe have continued their new policy of making quarterly product British Railways Announcements and whilst Covid-19 has stopped any physical showcase event taking place, Bachmann announced the new items in a video that can be seen here:
As usual I round up those items of a SR / BR(s) relevance below:
Bachmann
Following on from yesterdays surprise announcement of an all new Brush Type 4 Class 47 Bachmann have today advised the models in the first production batch: BR two tone Green SYP, BR Blue, BR Intercity Swallow, Railfreight Distribution grey, and Railfreight Construction grey.
The EFE Rail range continues to grow
E85007 No. 182 in SR Maunsell lined Olive Green livery Pull-Push fitted
E85008 W34 ‘Newport’
E85009 W31 ‘Chale’
We see the introduction into the growing EFE Rail range of models supplied via other partners such as the The Kernow Model Rail Centre
E85007 SR O2 Class 0-4-4T No. 182 in lined olive green and pull push fitted as she was between December 1934 (when the ‘E’ Prefix was removed) and gaining unlined black in 1941 she was allocated to Plymouth Friary during this period.
E85007 SR O2 Class 0-4-4T No. W35 “Newport” in lined SR Malachite, as she carried between May 1947 and c1949.
E85007 SR O2 Class 0-4-4T No. W31 “Chale” in lined BR Malachite with Sunshine lettering, as she carried between May 1948 and c1951
As with the previous O2 releases from The Kernow Model Rail Centre the O2s come with discs, bufferbeam pipework, an etched fire irons pack and in the case of the Isle of Wight versions etched nameplates.
Also new in the EFE range are PBA ‘Tiger’ bogie china clay wagons.
Bachmann have today announced a brand new tooling version of the Brush Type 47 with tooling to allow to a wide range of sub class variations. Owing nothing to its predecessors, development of the new Bachmann Branchline Class 47 began several years ago and, using original drawings, diagrams, site visits and surveys of real locomotives, Bachmann has created a high specification model. Class 47 were often found on the Southern Region.
Bachmann Brush Type 4 Class 47 group shot
Specification includes:
Mechanism:
– Five pole, twin shaft motor with two flywheels providing drive to both bogies
– All axle drive
– Electrical pickup from all wheels
– Separate metal bearings fitted to each axle
– Diecast metal chassis block and bogie towers
– Diecast metal gearboxes, with gearing arranged for prototypical running speeds and haulage capabilities
– 16.5mm (OO gauge) wheels to NEM310 & NEM311 standards with authentic profile and detailing
– Detachable coupling pockets to NEM362 standards fitted to each bogie
– Designed to operate on curves of second radius (438mm) or greater
Detailing:
– Brush-built and Crewe-built locomotives portrayed
– Options for Original or Cut-Cab body style
– Bogies constructed from multiple components featuring full relief detail
– Rotating radiator fans, driven by an independent motor and gearbox, operated via a DCC function, or randomised when operated as part of the sound project on DCC and Analogue control (SOUND FITTED DELUXE models only)
– Tinted windscreen glazing (SOUND FITTED DELUXE models only)
– Separately applied metal detail parts, including grab handles, windscreen wipers and etched fan grilles
– Sprung metal buffers
– Each model supplied with a full set of decorated, model-specific bufferbeam pipework and accessory
parts
Lighting:
– Directional lighting, switchable on/off at either end on DCC or Analogue control
– Cab lighting, assigned to two DCC functions for separate switching of each
– Separately switched Engine Room lighting
– Authentic light colours and temperatures selected for each model based on era and application
DCC:
– Plux22 DCC decoder interface
Livery Application:
– Authentic liveries applied to all models
– Multiple paint applications employed on each model using BR specification colours
– Logos, numerals and text added as appropriate using multi-stage tampo printing using authentic typefaces, logos and colours
– Etched metal nameplates, symbols and plaques included where appropriate
Detail Variants:
Countless variations are catered for to allow accurate models to be produced depending on the locomotive
being portrayed, options include:
– Headcode panel arrangements from as-built to current-day
– Radiator Grilles
– Roof exhaust cover
– Steam Heat Boiler Ports/blanks
– Cab roof vents
– Cab mounted aerial
– Windscreen Wipers
– Cab Door Kickplates
– Headlights, both Scottish ‘Car’ and High Intensity versions
– ETH Equipment
– Multi-operation jumper sockets
– TDM jumpers
– Class 47/7 multiple working jumpers and cooling pipes
– Fuel and Water Tank arrangements
– Water Tank fillers
– Buffers
– Bogie-mounted cab steps
– Speedo Drives
Every Class 47 offered will be produced in three formats, with standard versions ready for use on analogue control out of the box and with a Plux22 DCC decoder socket.
An excellent video has been produced by Bachmann looking at the new models in lots of detail and can be seen here.
With production of the first batch of models complete, details of the locomotives that will be arriving with Bachmann retailers this Autumn will be unveiled in the Autumn 2021 British Railway Announcements tomorrow 4th August.
London, Chatham and Dover Railway Kirtey T Class 0-6-0T and SECR P Class 0-6-0t shunt at Canute Road Quay. The T Class is a Q Kits white metal kit and the P class is a Hattons models
Before the evening run 35006 was nicely positioned, in the hot sunshine, on display in the car park (the line usually used for the loading on and off low loaders) to allow members and shareholders alike up close and all round access to the locomotive before the evening run.
After last years event was cancelled due to Covid-19 it was great to see 35006 up close again and putting in such a fine performance ably driven and fired by the young crew of Dan driving (he was firing on the last members and shareholders day in 2019, so great to see him progressing up the ranks) and Aaron on the shovel. With the run finishing back at Toddington at 9.30 in the evening, and their work to dispose 35006 safely back on shed still to do, their time and dedication is much appreciated by all.
All in all a great day catching up with many friends, the loco herself, the footplate crew and the great team behind the 35006 Locomotive Company Ltd. at their AGM earlier in the day. For more details on how to join and get involved with 35006 click here.
The much-anticipated ex LSWR / SR Diagram 1541 10T Road Van produced as an exclusive model by the Kernow Model Rail Centre have now arrived (appropriately via Southampton Docks) and are being despatched to customers and all pre-orders being fulfilled (but please expect this to take a few days). This is not a review for obvious reasons, but hopefully the photographs will speak for themselves.
All ten versions of the ex LSWR 10T road vans
The SR pre 1936 livery version shows off the separately applied lamp irons, handrails and window glazing bars.
The BR grey Isle of Wight version shows the cranked step board hangers.
The underframe is fully detailed with brake gear and all pull rodding
S54663 shows its ribbed style buffer shanks. She was the last road in service in 1958 and is now preserved on the Bluebell Railway
A post 1936 SR livery version is shunted at Canute Road Quay
The pre-grouping LSWR version.
First introduced by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1884 they were later classed as Southern Railway Diagram 1541. Almost 500 of these were built between then and 1905 making them the most numerous LSWR Goods Brake Van. Brake Vans with side doors through which parcels or other goods could be loaded were known as road vans.
The pictures show the high level of detail and multitude of separately fitted parts including: flush glazing, hand rails, brake gear with pull rodding, step boards and lamp irons to accurately portray a number of different versions of the prototype. These options include alternative buffer shanks with a ribbed option as fitted to some vans including those preserved on the Isle of Wight and Bluebell steam railways and either straight or cranked step board supports, the latter as fitted to the majority of those transferred in 1925 to the Isle of Wight.
Care and research has been undertaken with the various liveries to to ensure that the correct livery specifications have been met, especially for the LSWR / SR Good Brown. The application is crisp, as we would expect, and includes legible solebar cast number plates.
I hope that those whom have have had these models on pre-order for some time are pleased with the final model.
