Tag Archives: Canute Road Quay

Driving the last spike… Canute Road Quay on the road in September and October

Canute Road Quay is appearing at a few exhibitions this month and next.

Adams B4s Guernsey and Caen shunt at Canute Road Quay in the early 1920s

First up, on Saturday 30th September 2023, I will be exhibiting with my friends at  Risborough and District MRC and their small Haddenham Show at  Haddenham Village Hall, Banks Park, Banks Rd, Haddenham HP17 8EE.
Opening at 10am it will featuring seven layouts and a few traders. One of the other layouts attending is excellent High Wycombe and district MRS ‘Junior modellers’ layout ‘Mothecombe’ set in Devon and is a joint Southern/Western Region Branchline and is well worth a look.

Saturday 21st October 2023 sees Canute Road Quay at the Beckenham & West Wickham MRC exhibition in their new larger venue at Forest Hill Boys School, Dacres Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 2XN  where another 18 layouts will also be present along with Demos and traders. The venue is only 15 mins walk from Forest Hill & Sydenham Stations and has local bus routes.

Canute Road Quay a B&W view

Finally for October, and not an exhibition as such, but Canute Road Quay has been kindly invited to be on display at the Southern Railways Group AGM at the Cornerstone Centre, Camphill Rd, West Byfleet KT14 6EH.
The Group was formed over 40 years ago to study and disseminate information about the Southern Railway, British Railways (Southern Region), its successors and minor railways in southern England. It is well worth being a member by anyone with an interest, both historical and or modelling in the Southern Railway.

If you are coming along to any of the shows, please drop by and say hello.

p.s. the title is once again a nod to a favourite band of mine…

Happiness is the road… Canute Road Quay exhibition appearances the next two weeks

Canute Road Quay is on the road again and appearing at two exhibitions the next two consecutive Saturdays.

B4s ‘Caen’ and ‘Trouville’ shunt on Canute Road Quay

The first this Saturday 25th March is slightly unusual as it the Guidelines Publications Spring Show.  This is the first of a series of seasonal shows that bring together traders from all the modelling and collecting genres covered by its magazine titles. This will include toy soldiers and historical figures, model  railways, military and aircraft modelling, fantasy and sci-fi figures and models, as well as car, truck and farm models, to name a few.

Other familiar Guidelines Railway titles that often contain excellent Southern content  includes British Railways Illustrated and also Railway Bylines.

As well as being there with Canute Road Quay we also have the membership and sales stand of the South Western Circle along side.

The springtime show will take place at the established venue for Guideline’s shows, Haverstock School, 24 Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, North London NW3 2BQ.

The venue has great public transport links and also free parking.

The show is open from 10.30am  to 5pm with a £6 entry fee, although earlier bird access from 9.30am for £10.

 

The following Saturday, 1st April Canute Road Quay is attending the Royston MRC exhibitioin being held at  Bassingbourn Village College, S End, Bassingbourn, Royston SG8 5NJ

Alongside Canute Road Quay will be 16 other layouts covering a wide range of genres in scales from N to 0  and including 009, 0-16.5 and 0N30. The show is open between 10.30am and 4pm entrance fee is £5.

Both venues have free parking If you are coming along to either show, please drop by and say hello.

p.s. the title is a nod to a favourite Aylesbury based band of mine…

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to you all, fill up your life with love, compassion, tolerance, peace, happiness and perhaps hopefully some time for modelling.

It looks a lot like snow at Canute Road Quay…
The SR 1924 Christmas advert

The wonderful Southern Railway Christmas press advert from December 1924 seen left (click for a larger version) was recently unearthed by friend and Railway Historian Dr, David Turner, and is a fascinating glimpse back to a different, possibly non striking, time.
I love the promise of “Jolly Parties at the seaside”, I know “summer comes soonest in the south” but that must have been optimistic in December? A neat use of the holly leaves to show the list of Southern Railway served seaside destinations…

As the festive season and New Year break is upon us, I just wanted to say many thanks to all of you whom have taken the time to read my ramblings 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 and maybe in person at an exhibition…

A further flurry of activity will be taking place at the start of the new year with Hornby (January 10th we beleive) announcing its 2022 range followed a few weeks later, at the beginning of February, by Bachmann making the next of their now quarterly range announcements.  I will as always 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 (or Nadelik Lowen ha Blydhen Nowydh Da! from the boss’ side of the Tamar) to you all! 

Accurascale go bananas… and announce SR Diagram 1478 and 1479 banana vans in 00

Accurascale have today announced that they are to produce the SR built banana vans to diagrams 1478 and 1479.

The Engineering prototypes of the Accurascale SR Banana vans

The banana traffic through Southampton docks in the early 1930s had grown rapidly and whilst the SR had the 99 LSWR built banana vans these were not enough and resulted in the SR hiring suitable vans from the North Eastern Railway that also included some ex Great Central and Great Eastern Vehicles (see my post about the GER versions here).

Between August 1935 and February 1936 the therefore SR introduced 200 banana vans to Diagram 1478, numbered 50575-774. These were similar to the previous insulated vans (Diagram 1477), with the Southern ‘Power Brake’ arrangement with eight brake blocks, but had horizontal planking and fitted with steam heating to aid the ripening of the bananas.

D1478 (early version)

In December 1937, after the LNER had requested the return of all its vans that were on hire, a further 125 banana vans were ordered, To enable them to enter service quicker ordinary covered vans in construction were instead built as banana vans to Diagram 1479, numbered 50775-899. These had the same bodyside strapping and roof profile as the ordinary vans to give them a different visual look than the earlier D1478 vans.

The original SR livery of these vans was like the insulated vans of SR Stone body colour with red lettering

The Diagram 1479 (early version)

A slight difference in that the D1478 vehicles carried large SR lettering until 1936, before the SR switched to small lettered branding, which is how the D1479 vehicles entered traffic.
During the war some gained a red oxide livery, and in BR days were bauxite with a yellow spot indicating the van had additional insulation fitted. Most vans were taken out of traffic by 1958, those vans that remained in service found use in BR Departmental service, mainly being used as Fitted Heads and classified as Tadpole. Additional plating was also added to the top of the ends in later life.

The underside of the chassis

Accurascale have announced that their D1478 and D1479 models will feature details variations for both early and later (additional end plating etc.) versions of each van , a die cast chassis, brass bearings, three types of wheel (split spoke solid spoke and 3 hole disc), separate hand rails, grab handles, door handles, lamp brackets, vacuum and steam pipes, through pipes steam heating cock and full SR ‘Power brake’ gear along with turned metal sprung buffers.

These wagons will come in triple packs in a variety of liveries across their careers in banana traffic and are priced at £84.95 each, These wagons will also be available across Accurascale’s network of local stockists such as Kernow Model Rail Centre.

Livery artwork

ACC2045 D1478 Original SR Livery Pre-1936 triple pack-1
ACC2046 D1478 Original SR Livery Pre-1936 triple pack-2
ACC2047 D1478 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack
ACC2048 D1478 British Railways 1948-1961 triple-pack
ACC2049 D1478 British Railways 1961 onwards triple-pack
ACC2050 D1479 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack-1
ACC2051 D1479 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack-2
ACC2052 Mixed D1478/D1479 Transitional British Railways 1948-1950 triple pack
ACC2053 D1479 British Railways 1948-1961triple-pack
ACC2054 D1479British Railways 1961 onwards triple-pack
ACC2055 Tadpole mixed ex D1478-D1479 British Railways departmental triple-pack
ACC2056 Tadpole ex D1479 British Railways departmental triple-pack

A group shot showing the end differences.

Delivery is slated for Q4 2023, with decorated samples due in Spring of 2023.

These are often asked for prototypes, a good choice by Accurascale especially as they often ran in multiples at the head of Southampton goods trains, and will certainly be welcome on any SR/BRs South Western based model railway.

Some along with my older kit built versions will definitely be making an appearance on Canute Road Quay.

From Southampton to Stafford – Canute Road Quay heads North – 24/25th September

Canute Road Quay is on the road again and appearing at this coming weekends Stafford Railway Circle Annual Model Railway Exhibition 24th/25th September 2022.

This is always an excellent show organised by the very friendly Stafford Railway Circle, and is the first in their now to become regular weekend date slot in September. This year the show is going to be bigger than ever before and located in the main Bingley Hall at the Stafford County showground which provides more space and much better facilities.

Saturday: 10.00 – 17.00
Sunday: 10.00 – 16.30
Admission Prices: Adult: £12, accompanied children under 16 free.

At Stafford County Showground in Bingley Hall, ST18 0BD.

The County Showground is situated 3 miles to the east of the town on the A518 in the direction of Uttoxeter. A free bus service will run from Stafford railway station to the venue on both days. Details (subject to confirmation) can be found here.

Hopefully some of you will be able to visit the show and if you do please come and say hello.

Note: Canute Road Quay will be back in colour for the exhibition.