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.
One area of Canute Road Quay that I needed to correct, as it had been both constructively and bluntly pointed out to me on a couple of occasions, is that a few of the road vehicles were slightly out of my usual self-imposed modelling period of 1946 to 1946.
The two new period vehicles on Canute Road Quay
Obviously, I want all aspects of the layout to be correct and consistent, it is all too easy to contrate on rolling stock and miss other, more obvious to others, areas of accuracy. I have therefore been looking to source some replacement suitable vehicles. For someone like me, without an in-depth knowledge of all things internal combustion, I found this to be a much harder and time-consuming job than it could be, as very few of the manufactures of ready to run vehicles actually provide simple information such as the relevant dates of manufacture as part of their listings, resulting in having to google each and any model that I thought might be of roughly the correct period.
The nicely moulded resin and white metal parts are assembled
However, at a recent model railway exhibition I happened to be across the aisle from Road Transport Images run by the very friendly Graeme and Lorraine McQuaker, they produce a range of modular resin kits for British commercial and military vehicles in 4mm scale ranging from a 1930s Fordson AA up to a 2014 Iveco Stralis. All were displayed very helpfully, with yes, the date of manufacture for the prototype (as does their website), just what I had been looking for, making choosing the correct vehicle for my time period accurate and simple!
The range currently includes over 200 cab, vans and pickups, and 16 chassis and a wide range of bodies, trailers and unsheeted loads all cast in resin, with detailing parts in white metal or etched and 35 different wheel profiles.
For Canute Road Quay I purchased a Bedford Spurlings KV 2 ton integral van (built between 1946 and 1952) and an Austin K2-4 with a dropside body (built between 1946-48).
A dusting of Halfords’ Plastic primer
The resin parts, that comprise of cab/body/dropside, chassis parts, cab interior, fuel tank etc. are very crisply moulded, well detailed with very little flash to require cleaning off. These particular kits also included white metal head and side lights either etched or white metal steering wheel, the relevant white metal wheels come with brass rod for axles and are designed such that the wheels rotate. I angled the front wheels slightly on the angles to enable a ‘steered’ position to be allowed rather than the usual ‘straight on’ seen on most RTR vehicles.
Having fixed the cab interiors to the chassis parts I used the trusty Halfords’ Plastic Primer followed by a top coat of other aerosol colours that I happen to have had to hand; you should be able to recognise at least one of the colours…
The Austin K2-4 with a dropside body passes Canute Road Quay
As the windows were relatively small, I used Delux Materials ‘Glue and Glaze’ pulled across the aperture for the glazing, although the front windscreens were possibly on the verge of being large and cutting individual clear plastic glazing would have been an alternative method (if you use this method run a black maker around the edges before gluing in place with a little Glue and Glaze, as this then represents the rubber windscreen seal).
The inside of the headlamps (white metals castings) were painted with a little silver paint and when dry the lens was created with a small drop of Glue and Glaze.
The Bedford Spurlings KV 2 ton integral van
All that is required now are some registration number plate transfers to be added, I have obtained a set of suitable transfers from Scale Model Scenery.
Overall, these Road Transport Images resin kits are excellent, simple and enjoyable to build, and I consider them good value for money. I will certainly be adding more of their kits to the fleet of vehicles available for use on Canute Road Quay to provide variety whilst being consistent with my time period.
B4s ‘Caen’ and ‘Trouville’ shunt on Canute Road Quay
It is good to be at exhibitions again, especially as many Model Railway Clubs/Societies have lost such valuable income from the lack of exhibitions during the pandemic, so if you are able to visit the show, and support the Silverfox DCC MRC, please drop by Canute Road Quay and say hello.
p.s. the title is a nod to a favourite Aylesbury based band of mine…
With apologies to David Bowie… regular readers may have spotted a slight change to the layout of my little corner of the world wide web. The previous WordPress theme (page style) I was using had become obsolete and was causing a few back office and functionality issues, so I therefore have adopted a new WordPress theme that hopefully solves some of the issues and gives a similar but slightly fresher look.
The downside, and there is always a downside of course, is that the positioning of images, annoyingly, align differently and so has affected the visual appearance of previous posts. Please bear with me and accept my apologies as I either find a work around and / or slowly manually correct past posts.
It is good to be at exhibitions again, especially as many Model Railway Clubs/Societies have lost such valuable income from the lack of exhibitions during the pandemic, so if you are able to visit the show, and support the Silverfox DCC MRC, please drop by Canute Road Quay and say hello.
Rapido trains UK confirmed back in January that they are going to produce the LBSCR ‘E1’ 0-6-0T in ’00’ gauge, as part of their growing range, despite it no longer being a commission by Model Rail magazine. My friends at Rapido trains UK have kindly provide me with copies of the latest CAD renders for this project and allowed me to post them here.
CAD renders of the Rapido ex LBSC E1 note the different dome and safety valve versions
They advise me that they will hopefully be confirming soon which running numbers and liveries they are going to produce and I will of course publish the details here when known. I understand it will cover a number of the class variations throughout their lifetime and geographical working area. As I model 1946 to 1949 I am hoping at least one will be in SR sunshine black, or suitable for a quick repaint and renumber to that period, as a number of members of the E1 class were often seen shunting at Southampton Docks and will be therefore be suitable motive power on my Canute Road Quay layout.
The early E1 version
It should of course be noted that these CAD renders are a work in progress and some areas in particular are known to require some amendments, such as tank tops. I am also hoping that the couplings might be revised slightly to reduce their protrusion.
It is the purpose of such renders to help evaluate the overall shape and details to confirm they are totally correct before approving the CADs for tooling to commence. Contrary to the belief of some, the first impression from tooling / the Engineering Prototype is to confirm fit and function and perhaps make some minor adjustments, not to see if the basic shape is correct…
A 3/4 rear view of the early version note the open coal rails
The class were originally introduced in 1874 by William Stroudley for local goods and piloting duties, as the E class. Many gained a Marsh type boiler from 1906-7 with a larger dome moved rearwards, encased Ramsbottom safety valves and the whistle relocated to the cab roof. The last six engines were built by RJ Billinton that also has slightly different boilers, Ramsbottom safety valves and a manhole cover, with whistle, was fixed over the firebox. These six were also given different chimneys, to Billinton’s design, (a cast-iron type in one piece) and were known as Class E1, subsequently all the earlier engines also became known as Class E1. Withdrawals commenced in 1908 and continued in SR days
The later Marsh Boiler version with revised dome position and Ramsbottom safety valves
during the 1920s, with some examples sold to industrial railways rather than scrapped. Eight examples were also rebuilt as E1/R 0-6-2 radial tank engines for use in the west of England. Four E1s were also transferred during 1932/3 for duties on the Isle of Wight and renumbered W1-W4 and given names related to the Island:136 (originally Brindisi) became W1 Medina, 152 (originally Hungary) became W2 Yarmouth, 154 (originally Madrid) became W3 Ryde and 131 (originally Gournay) became W4 Wroxall.
Thirty survived to British Railways ownership but during the 1950s they were gradually replaced by diesel shunters. The last survivor,
The tank tops, that should be recessed are an area already noted to be improved
BR no 32694, was allocated to Southampton Docks. It was withdrawn in July 1961.
Number 110 was withdrawn in February 1927, and sold to the Cannock and Rugeley Colliery Company and fitted with a revised boiler design. Withdrawn again in 1963 she was preserved and now resides on the Isle of Wight steam railway and is being restored with the identity of W2 ‘Yarmouth’
It is good to see this project progress and as soon as Rapido trains UK let me know their intended versions being produced I will post the details accordingly.
The pair of SR Diagram 1478 banana vans being shunted along with the daffodils bring a splash of colour to Canute road Quay this Easter
The budding trees, the new flowers, and birds that sing, whisper to me that it’s Easter, and that the supermarkets are 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!
At this weekend’s London Festival of Railway Modelling, Dapol announced new production batches of their ex LSWR Adams B4 0-4-0 tanks and Class 73 Electro-Diesels both in 00 gauge.
Adams B4
‘Guernsey’ from the second batch shunts on Canute Road Quay , the newly announced sister ‘Jersey’ is likely to be in this condition‘Caen’ and my already renamed ‘Trouville’ show off their Southampton Docks brown livery on Canute Road Quay
The Dapol ex LSWR B4 class 0-4-0t were first announced back in March 2014 and the first versions arrived in June 2018., with a second batch with further livery and detail variants including the first appearance of the Drummond Boiler fitted and one of the 5 off Drummond K14 versions, arriving during 2020.
This third batch includes seven new versions, to the same technical specification as the previous batches, (exact livery versions or artwork have not yet been released) as follows:
4S-018-005 B4 0-4-0T BR Late Crest 30096, as carried between c1959 and December 1963
4S-018-012 B4 0-4-0T Lined Dark Green Jersey 91 [sic Dapol have the number incorrect as she was 81] , as she carried between November 1893 and circa 1920/1 when she gained a more enclosed cab.
4S-018-013 B4 0-4-0T LSWR Dark Green 82, K14 type with Drummond Boiler, as her condition between April 1907 and February 1924 when she gained SR Goods lined black livery.
4S-018-014 B4 0-4-0T Trouville Brown 89, as carried from approx 1923 to April 1935 if no rear cab number or April 1935 to February 1950 if the number is painted on the cab rear.
4S-018-015 B4 0-4-0T Southern Black lined 99, as she carried between January 1926 and January 1936.
4S-018-016 B4 0-4-0T Black ‘Corrall Queen’ nameplate and 30096 smokebox door number plate as she ran between December 1963 and December 1972 when she was owned by P.D.Fuels Ltd of Dibles Wharf.
4S-018-017 B4 0-4-0T Dorset Green 99, after sale in February 1949 to Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd (Bilson Staffordshire) and being scrapped by August 1958.
The livery artwork is under preparation and the finished models are not expected to be available until Q3 2023.
Class 73
E6012 JB type73002 a JA type, note the slightly different side windows73136 in Intercity Executive livery
Also announced are a new batch of seven Class 73 Electro-Diesel liveries, and sees the return of BR Blue livery models that have not featured in the line up since the model run was released in November 2015.
The first six of the eventual class of 49 were built by BR at their Eastleigh works in 1962 and were designated Type JA. The remaining locomotives, with a higher power output and top speed increased from 80 to 90mph. were built by English Electric at Vulcan Foundry at Newton Le Willows between 1965 and 1967 and were designated type JB.
4D-006-015 Class 73 JB Electric Blue E6012 Small Yellow Panel
4D-006-016 Class 73 JB Early Blue SYP & Double Arrow Logo E6031
4D-006-018 Class 73 JB BR Blue FYP 73120
4D-006-017 Class 73 JA BR Blue FYP 73002
4D-006-020 Class 73 JB Intercity Executive 73136
4D-006-019 Class 73 JB Large Logo BR Blue 73126
4D-006-021 Class 73 JB GB Railfreight Battle of Britain 73109
Dapol advise that the decorated samples, with the same technical specification as previous batches, are under review and feedback is being provided to the factory to correct a small number of minor issues. The models are expected to be available towards the end of the year.
