The daffodils are in bloom this Easter as LSWR B4 ‘Guernsey’ in early Southampton Docks lined green livery shunts at Canute Road Quay.
May the angels protect you, may the sadness forget you, may goodness surround you and may your God always bless you. The budding trees, the new flowers, and birds that sing, whisper to me that it’s Easter, and that the supermarkets full of chocolate of all shapes (many irrelevant), sizes and special offers!
Here is wishing a warmth in the firebox of your soul on Easter & always!
I am pleased to advise that Canute Road Quay makes an appearance in the April 2021 issue of BRM Magazine available now for digital subscribers and next Thursday 25th March for the printed version.
I open the article by discussing; how although I usually model the 1946 to 1949 Southern Railway time period but to allow for additional interest and how I have purposely built Canute Road Quay without having any fixed item that dates the period modelled or really identifies the area modelled.
This allows a wider range of rolling stock to be used giving a range of different locomotive traction, classes and livery choices that would be still be applicable to such a quayside location. I then continue to describe the layout itself.
The article, similar to some of my “Making Quay Changes” posts, covers time periods from the mid 1920s through to the 1960s starting with Southampton Docks liveried Adams B4 0-4-0t through to the USA 0-6-0 Tanks, industrial locomotives and the Class 07 diesels.
Being only a small layout, the scenic section is only 4ft x 1ft, in this issue of BRM Magazine it joins two other ‘compact’ layouts which is the theme for the issue.
Due to the current Covid restrictions rather than being able to enjoy the company and a new pair of eyes photographing layout, I provided all the photographs myself to go alongside my text.
I have used my Canon G7x camera along with my set of studio lights and spent some time one weekend in January utilising the camaras ability to automatically take a series of ‘Focus Bracketed’ images, i.e. multiple shots from the same position but with slightly different focus point, and then combining them in post processing into one image to give an increased depth of field. Hopefully you will enjoy the article and the accompanying photographs.
As a surprise bonus the April edition of BRM TV that is available for digital subscribers of the BRM magazine this month has Fisherton Sarum as its main layout feature (remind me to teach Howard how to pronounce Sarum..).
It includes video footage, that to be honest I had forgotten had been recorded, from the appearance of Fisherton Sarum at the Doncaster Festival of British Railway Modelling way back in 2012 and also includes another look at some of the images that accompanied the article about the layout in the February 2021 issue of BRM Magazine.
A Drummond T14 class ‘Paddlebox’ 4-6-0 No. 30461 in early British railways livery passes Fisherton Sarum on a rake of Diagram 1774 40T ballast hoppers. The T14 is a Nucast white metal kit and the ballast hoppers modified Lima models
It is certainly going to be a different Christmas for many this year, it is not cancelled but just needs to be celebrated in a different way, especially if like me you have gone from Tier 2 through to Tier 4 in less than 48 hours!
It’s a cold, crisp and frosty December morning as we approach Christmas at Canute Road Quay and the crew on board ex LSWR Adams B4 Class No. 100 try to keep warm whilst shunting on the quay as flurries of snow start to get heavier.
As the festive season and New Year break is upon us, please make the time to contact your friends and family, especially those whom might be alone, and not able to be in the company of others at this most unusual of times. It is good and OK to simply ask “Are you OK?” and likewise it is “OK not to be OK” and reach out for assistance. The one good thing, if anything, this year has been the kindness and generosity of others to help and support each other, and long may this continue.
I just wanted to say very many thanks to all of you whom have taken the time to read this blog over the past 12 months. I hope you have found such ramblings interesting and informative.
I have always enjoyed corresponding with many of you that have made contact me via email or the comments field on my various posts. I look forward to corresponding with you again in the New Year.
A further flurry of activity will be taking place at the start of the new year with Hornby (January 5th) announcing its 2021 range followed a few weeks later by Bachmann making the next of their now quarterly range announcements. I will bring you all the Southern Railway / Southern Region related news on here as soon as their announcements are made.
Seasons greetings, whatever your faith or beliefs, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! Fill up your life with as much love, compassion, tolerance, peace, happiness as you can and hopefully some time for modelling!
Finally, remember a dog is for life… not just Christmas…
The P Class No.1558 from Hattons shunts at the quay
The T Class No. 1604 0-6-0T simmers in the background
The P class and T class meet on the Quay and shows the diminutive size of the P class
The LCDR T Class arrives as the quay.
The SER 0-40CT No. 1302 waits its next duty
The P class No. 1558 is about to depart
A busy moment at the quay
Although my usual modelling genre, as regular readers will know, is the Southern Railway between 1946 and 1949, however due to Canute Road Quay has very few visual references to either period or location (yes there are a couple, but hey…) It therefore allows me to change the location and era with different rolling stock, vehicles and details.
For this post we have stayed at Canute Road Quay‘s usual time frame but moved its location slightly. Having deliberately when building Canute Road Quay left the vehicles and other details such as crates, sack stacks and oil drums etc. loose, it enables them to be both be moved around, to give some variety in photographs, and or replaced with other items to different periods.
In this case Canute Road Quay‘s has been transported further to the South East, perhaps through squinted eyes it could on the Medway at Rochester, or or the Channel coast at Richborough Port or Newhaven Harbour perhaps…
The steam locomotives include the Hattons ex SECR P class 0-6-0T, an ex London, Chatham and Dover Railway Kirtey T Class 0-6-0T and even my South Eastern Railway 0-4-0CT crane tank makes an appearance.
The T class 0-6-0T were a class of ten locomotives introduced by the LC&DR (prior to the formation of the South, Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1899) between 1879 and 1893 specifically for shunting duties, with appropriately one of the class being initially used at Dover Docks. Although withdraws started in 1932 two of the class 1602 and 1604 (as my model) lasted until July 1951 and November 1950 respectively. My model is white metal and built from a Q Kit.
The SER 0-4-0CT crane tank number 1302 as per my model, was one of two built for the SER by Neilson in 1881. Like the T class she had worked at Dover Docks and also Richborough although she saw out most of her life at Lancing and Stewarts Lane. She was withdrawn in July 1949 and scrapped at Ashford. My model is built from a South Eastern Finecast white metal kit.
I hope you enjoy this post, the next ‘Making Quay Changes’ post with Canute Road Quay may or may not be set in its usual location, so once again, where and what era will it be…?
This is the fifth in the series of ‘Making Quay Changes’ posts with the Canute Road Quay being transported to either a different location or era or both. In this post we are firmly in the Southampton Docks but after 1962 when the Class 07 diesels were specifically introduced to modernise the operations in the docks.
A pair of Heljan Class 07 models meet at Canute Road Quay
Class 07 D2985 arrives at the quay
D2988 is from the second Heljan production batch
Passing Class 07s at Canute Road quay
A busy moment in time at Canute Road Quay
D2985 arrives on the quay and passes D2988 awaiting to depart
D2985 arrives at the quay
Although my usual modelling genre, as regular readers will know, is the
Southern Railway between 1946 and 1949, however due to Canute Road Quay has very few visual references to either period or location (yes there are a couple, but hey…) items such as the vehicles and other details such as crates, sack stacks and oil drums etc. are loose, so it enables them to be both be moved around, to give some variety in photographs, and or replaced with other items to different periods.
The USA 0-6-0 tanks had been in service within Southampton Docks since 1946, Due to the various tight curves within Southampton Docks utilising existing Diesel shunters such as the EE 350HP, later 09 class was not going to be an option. Therefore in 1962 Fourteen 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunting 275HP locomotives specifically for use in Southampton Docks were purchased by British Railways from Ruston Paxman. They had a wheelbase of only 8 ft 7½ in, compared with 11 ft 6 in for an 08. With their high well glazed cab offset between long and short bonnets they certainly had their own distinctive character.
The Heljan models, as per my review here, have captured the look of the prototype well. The feature a multi part injection moulded body with fine etched front and rear nose grills on a heavy diecast chassis. Separately fitted items include: metal handrails, sprung buffers, windscreen wipers, pipework, roof mounted air horns and factory fitted screw link couplings. Underneath the body the chassis features the correct air cylinders, sand boxes, sand pipes, other pipework and brake gear. Also fitted is a working lubricator linkage on the left hand side (when viewed long bonnet forward. Included with the model are discs, including those with duty numbers, as used within Southampton Docks.
When paired with the suitable later era rolling stock, that I have now collected and weathered, the Heljan Class 07s certainly look the part and with their smooth running make shunting at Canute Road Quay easy and a refreshing change from my usual period.
I hope you enjoy this post, the next ‘Making Quay Changes’ post with Canute Road Quay may or may not be set in its usual location, so once again, where and what era will it be…?
All images in this blog are copyright myself and or The Kernow Model Rail Centre / Chris Nevard / Mike Wild / Paul Bason / Andy York / Hornby Magazine / Model Rail / BRM Magazine (see links above) posted here with their kind express permission, unless otherwise credited.
This Web Site and any of its contents may not be copied, translated or distributed in any manner (electronic, web or printed) without the prior written consent of Graham R Muspratt.
The daffodils are in bloom this Easter as LSWR B4 ‘Guernsey’ in early Southampton Docks lined green livery shunts at Canute Road Quay.
