Tag Archives: Andrew Barclay

Canute Road Quay, Exhibitions, Workbench Witterings

The countdown to Railex exhibition, preparation is quay and some from the Workbench Witterings

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It is now less than two week to go to Canute Road Quay’s appearance at the excellent Railex exhibition organised by friends at the Princes Risborough and District MRC, being held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Stadium Approach, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 9PP on the 26th and 27th May  and I have been busy with final preparations.

An overall view of Canute Road Quay. Picture copyright and courtesy C Nevard and Model Rail

Even with a small layout like Canute Road Quay good preparation is required to ensure things go as smoothly, and just as importantly enjoyably, at the show. Canute Road Quay being only 5ft x 1 ft is somewhat easier to load and set up at a show than Fisherton Sarum but the steps for getting ready for a show are pretty much the same. The preparations, some are more obvious than others, include the following:

  • preparing packing the stock being taken and just as importantly in my case deciding what stock not to take!
  • track and stock cleaning, to ensure good reliable and slow speed running
  • checking coupling heights and uncoupler operation
  • general layout cleaning and dusting etc.
  • preparing and packing the loose detailing items (vehicles and packing crates etc.)
  • layout ancillaries, including:  transformer box, cables, lighting transformers, trestle supports, extension leads, curtains, spare controller, name badges, and relevant tools
  • operator comforts including: high stool, mugs (for the all important tea) and sweets and snacks (to keep up energy levels and act as a bribe for my fellow operator(s))
  • paperwork: show information and layout information sheets for prospecting exhibition managers
  • arranging operators to assist me at the show, somewhat easier with Canute Road Quay (in this case just the the one, in in the form of  friend and fellow modeller Simon Paley), than the larger number required for Fisherton Sarum!
  • overnight bag, if required, but not in the case of Railex as it is only 20 minutes from home
The revised fiddle yard arrangement the split cassettes feed arm can be seen

I have also made a small change to the way the cassettes in the off scene fiddle yard (a grand title for what is really just a shelf…) are handled and the electric feed provided. This is to make it easier to connect the cassette as previously I had two phosphor bronze spring clips fixed to the base which both provided the power feed to the aluminium section on each side and also ensured correct  alignment with the exit road. This arrangement also meant that the cassettes had to be aligned and slid in from the left hand end which was not all that practical due to the overrun protection at that side of the yard.

A closer view of the power feed arm and spring clip

I have now changed the nearest power feed and cassette alignment clip to be on a small lifting arm made from a suitable shaped piece of wood, complete with a nice little brass drawer handle. This enables the spring clip to be moved upwards and out of the way of the side of the cassette.
This arrangement now gives two advantages: firstly the cassettes can slid in and aligned easier from the front operating position; and secondly means that even with cassette in position the arm can be lifted isolating the cassette, where previously the cassette was live when the layout feed it adjoins to was live.

The feed arm in the up position

The cassettes I am using on Canute Road Quay, as I have mentioned before on this blog, are the 12″ loco cassettes from Fisherton Sarum and the some of these are made up on one side with two 6″ lengths of aluminium angle which I bridge electronically with a bulldog type clip and this allows for further isolation of a tank locomotive at the far end of the cassette.

Further to my previous post here about visitors to the quay  I have making some changes and or finishing touches to a couple of the locos in my fleet which may make and appearance the weekend, both are examples of the latest releases from Hatton’s in the shape of their delightful ex SECR P class 0-6-0t,  see my review here, and also their 14″ Andrew Barclay

A Hatton’s P Class now detailed and weathered

The P Class No 1558 already suiting my 1946 to 1949 modelling period being in post war SR black with ‘Sunshine’ style lettering has had crew fitted (in case the excellent ModelU 3D printed examples produced by Hatton’s specifically to fit the P Class), real coal added to the bunker and has been weathered.

The modified and weathered Hatton’s Andrew Barclay

My Hatton’s Andrew Barclay 14″ 0-4-0t has now been modified by replacing the existing buffers with wooden dumb buffers. The original standard buffers simply pull out and then the area of the bufferbeam filled flat to remove the rivet head detail. The wooden dumb buffers have been fashioned from rectangular plastic rod and suitably painted.

A further view of the Andrew Barclay

I have removed the original WTT branding in my usual way by rubbing with a cotton bud loaded with enamel thinners. As coal bunker space is pretty non-existent on these locomotives, having seen it photographs of the real thing added a couple of sacks of spare coal on just inside the cab and the other balanced on the running plate.  She has then been weathered to represent a pretty unkempt condition of such locomotives that were used on some of the other lines and private wharfs that existed in and around Southampton  area especially along the River Itchen. Like the P Class crew has been added using the ModelU 3D printed examples produced by Hatton’s.

If you are planning to visit Railex please make sure you come and say hello. I am stand 61, towards the right hand back corner (as you come into the hall)

 

Canute Road Quay

Canute Road Quay has a few visitors, including latest @hattonsmodels releases, but normal service is resumed after; and preparation for Railex

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It has been a busy period recent both in the arrival of some new ready to run models such as the Hatton’s ex SECR P class 0-6-0t,  see my review here, and also their 14″ Andrew Barclay along with some time spent applying some finishing decals prior to weathering of a couple of kit built models namely the ex LBSC D1  0-4-2t and ex SECR S Class 0-6-0st. All these models still require a little work, including in some cases repainting and numbering and also weathering. Some of you may have seen some of these pictures before on my twitter feed. 

SECR P Class 754 in WW1 grey livery

With the arrival of the Hatton’s P class I took the opportunity to temporarily move the location of Canute Road Quay further South east and backdate to earlier than my usual 1946-49 modelling period, including some of my earlier style wagons that do not usually get an outing. It is one of the advantages of having such a layout that has no real identifiable items to identify the actual time period.

ex SECR P Class 1555

Eventually to suit my preferred time period: No. 754 will be repainted and numbered to become  her later identity of No. 1557 in SR post war black livery, being one of the first two built with the slightly higher cab; whilst No. 1555 will be renumbered and lettered as No. 31555 with full ‘British Railways’ Sunshine lettering to represent her condition in early 1948.

ex LBSC D1 Class No. 2357

The ex LBSC D1 0-4-2t is built from a South Eastern Fincast white metal kit. In fact a couple of examples of the class, including No. 2286 are know to have been used at Southampton docks for a while in mid 1930s up to WW2 so I am not actually stretching history too far by running my model of no. 2357 on Canute Road Quay albeit in a slightly later post war-time period, although she was technically allocated to Ashford at the time so she is obviously on loan.

Andrew Barclay 14″ before being modified with wooden dumb buffers and weathered

The Hatton’s Andrew Barclay 14″ 0-6-0t will be modified to replace the existing buffers with wooden dumb buffers, have the WTT branding stripped off and suitably weathered to represent the condition of such locomotives that were used on some of the other lines and private wharfs that existed in and around Southampton  area especially along the River Itchen.
I also have a Hornby Peckett on order, that I will likewise modify with wooden dumb buffers to give some further variety to locomotives at Canute Road Quay and differ from the standard RTR versions. I will post details of this conversion in due course.

ex SECR S Class No. 1685

The ex SECR S Class 0-6-0 saddle tank No. 1685 is also built from South Eastern Fincast white metal kit. The S Class was in fact only one locomotive due to a requirement for a heavy shunter at Richborough Port during WW1 and so was converted from a C Class 0-6-0 tender locomotive, after the war she was transferred to Bricklayers Arms until withdrawal in 1951. Like the ex LBSC D1 she must be on load to Canute Road Quay.

ex LSWR B4 Class No. 100

With Canute Road Quay’s appearance looming at the excellent Railex exhibition organised by friends at the Princes Risborough and District MRC, being held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Stadium Approach, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 9PP on the 26th and 27th May 

USA Tank No. 70

I have started to return Canute Road Quay to its intended Southampton-ish location and the ex LSWR B4 0-4-0 and USA 0-6-0 tanks have returned along with suitable rolling stock and uncouplers etc all wheel cleaned, tried and tested in readiness for what I know will be an enjoyable weekend playing trains, shunting and talking.

USA Tank No.68

If you are planning to visit Railex please make sure you come and say hello. I am stand 61, towards the right hand back corner (as you come into the hall) and will ably assisted by friend and fellow modeller Simon Paley for the weekend, he being the much younger looking operator!

I hope this post has been of interest and as stated above it does show the advantages of having a layout that is not an actual real location but endeavours to capture a flavour and also is not easily identifiable to a specific time period. I also intend to occasionally run in a later 1960s period with a few diesel shunters so more on this in a future post.

Model News

Can I have a P please. Hatton’s annouce an ex SECR P Class 0-6-0T and Andrew Barclay 0-4-0T saddle tank in 00

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Merseyside based model retailer and commissioner Hatton’s have announced today two new exclusive locomotives to their range. The one of most interest for followers of this blog will no doubt be the diminutive ex South Eastern and Chatham Railway, Wainwright P class 0-6-0T.

The 1st running Engineering Prototype (EP) of the Hatton’s ex SECR P class. Picture courtesy and copyright A York

The P class locomotives were small both in size and numerically as only eight were built, there were a also number of differences between the members of the class during their lifetime.
The first two members of the class introduced in February 1909 numbers 753/556/1556/31556 and 754/557/1557/31557 had 4 and half inch taller cabs and side tanks than the remaining six members that were built in February and July 1910. Although only a small difference in height it is defiantly noticeable on the front face of the locomotive.

Another view of the SECR P Class EP. Picture courtesy and copyright A York

There were two distinct smokebox styles with differing rivet arrangements and also the buffers varied from the original tapered SECR style to the later SR stepped type, with some being fitted with Stroudley Round base type briefly at some stage as well. The Furness lubricators originally mounted on either side of the smokeboxes were removed during the 1920s. The last member of the class was withdrawn from British Railways service in March 1961, some also saw industrial use, and four have been preserved, including 1556 from the first batch and three from the second batch.

Illustration of the differing tooling options for cab / tanks heights and smokeboxes

Hatton’s have tooled for both cab / tank height styles, the two different smokeboxes with different rivet patterns, two main types of buffers, alternative rear steam heating pipes, smokebox lubricators and number plates where applicable. Hatton’s have worked from the original works drawings for the locomotives and have also been working closely with the relevant preserved railways on which the remaining examples remain.

Left hand side view. Picture courtesy and copyright A York

Specifications include: 5 Pole motor within the boiler and gearbox within the firebox, weights within the boiler for adhesion, RP25 wheel profiles, 6 pin DCC socket, NEM coupling pockets, separately fitted and blackened handrails, detailed cab interior, all wheel pick up, fluted connecting rods with oily cosmetic finish, separately applied drain cocks, oil lubricators, brass whistle, smokebox number plate (i.e. not moulded) on BR versions.

Right hand side view. Picture courtesy and copyright A York

Also included for owner to fit will be etched engine headsignal discs, locomotive lamps and even an oil can, as the latter were often seen on top of the tanks!

More details and how to order can be found on the dedicated page on the Hatton’s website here. Delivery is expected starting as early as December this year with the balance in January 2018. They will retail at £99 each.

The planed, and at this moment in time only, twelve releases are as follows:

Livery graphic for HA-P-001

H4-P-01 No. 178 in SECR lined green, 1910-11 (as preserved) short cab, SR Buffers, smokebox with 1 row of rivets and lubricator

H4-P-02 No. 753 in SECR lined green, 1909-11 (as preserved) tall cab, SR Buffers, rear window bars, smokebox with 2 rows of rivets and lubricator

H4-P-03 No. 754 in SECR wartime grey, 1910-1920s, tall cab, Bottle buffers, higher steam pipes and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

Livery graphic for HA-P-4-004

H4-P-04 No. A325 in Southern Railway lined olive green, 1924 to mid 1930s, short cab, bottle buffers, rear window bars, higher steam pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

H4-P-05 No. 1555 in Southern Railway black, 1938-48, short cab, bottle buffers, rear window bars, higher steam pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

H4-P-06 No. 1558 in Southern Railway black with Sunshine lettering, 1941-48, short cab, bottle buffers, rear window bars, higher steam pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

Livery graphic for HA-P-4-006

H4-P-07 No. 31027 in BR black with early emblem, 1949 to withdrawal in 1961, short cab, SR buffers, rear window bars, higher steam pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

H4-P-08 No. 31323 in BR black with late crest, 1959-61, short cab, SR buffers, rear window bars and smokebox with 1 row of rivets

H4-P-09 “Pioneer II” in Bowaters Paper Mill lined green, 1958-61 (ex 178/1178/31178) short cab, SR buffers, no vacuum pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

Livery graphic for HA-P-4-007

H4-P-10 “Pride of Sussex” in Robertsbridge flour mill green, 1961-71, (ex 53/556/1556/31556), tall cab, SR buffers, no steam pipe and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

H4-P-11 No. 27 “Primrose” in Bluebell Railway lined black, 1961-63, short cab, SR buffers, rear window bars and smokebox with 2 rows of rivets

H4-P-12 No. 323 in Bluebell lined blue (as preserved) short cab, SR buffers, lubricator and smokebox with 1 row of rivets

A higher angle 3/4 view shows off the wealth of detail. Picture courtesy and copyright A York

One obvious omission from the list of proposed releases is a post 1931 Southern Railway lined green without the ‘A’ prefix and in the 1xxx numbering. Another option would have been No.31556 in BR black with British Railways in sunshine lettering.

Hatton’s as per the images on this post have received the first fully running Engineering Prototype and having had the opportunity / privilege to inspect it first hand and see it running, happily hauling four Mk1 coaches, their weight and performance match the good looks they have captured in the tooling. Hatton’s should also be congratulated on the amount of detail and toolong options they have allowed for especially the two taller cab / tank versions. Some of the engines did carry tool boxes in various positions on the tank tanks tops but Hatton’s have purposely not included for these, or the Stroudley type buffer, for reasons of the additional tooling costs, so it will remain a possible modeller / aftermarket opportunity depending on the chosen prototype.

The Hatton’s EP of the Andrew Barclay saddle tank

Hatton’s have today also announced that they are going to produce, also in 00 the Andrew Barclay industrial saddle tank with eight versions / liveries of the 14″ cyclinder and four livery / versions of the 16″ cyclinder size versions. They will have similar specifications to the SECR P Class tanks above, with multiple tooling variations. Like with the ex SECR P class Hatton’s have a running first EP. They will also retail at £99 each, and the planned availability is late January 2018. Full details can be found on the dedicated page on the Hatton’s website here.