Tag Archives: diagram 1541

Kernow Models, Model News, Model Reviews

The ex LSWR 10T Diagram 1541 Road Vans by Kernow Model Rail Centre arrive.

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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.

Ten versions have been produced:

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.

You can order the ex LSWR Diagram 1541 10T Road Vans on the Kernow Model Rail Centre website here

 

Kernow Models, Model News

Kernow Model Rail Centre approve ex LSWR 10T Diagram 1541 Road Van for Production.

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The Kernow Model Rail Centre, and therefore by default myself, have advised that the much-anticipated ex LSWR / SR Diagram 1541 10T Road Van has been approved for production. This follows the careful review and approval of the Engineering Prototypes received last year and the decorated samples of all ten of the versions being produced that were received last week.

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 decorated livery samples can be seen above, (note that some of the samples were only the body assembly). Approval for production has been given subject to a couple of minor amendments to the printing on the solebar cast plate for two of the SR livery versions, the spacing (Kernow correcting the Kerning – a designers injoke) of the numbers on the LSWR SB003B version and the solebar and buffer colour on three of the BR grey versions. 

SB003H LSWR Road Van number 54611 in pre-1936 large SR lettered livery is illustrated and shows the correct SR Goods Wagon brown, lettering style and the solebar cast plate that has wording “SR” “54611” an “Eastleigh Works” all perfectly legible. 

KMRC anticipate production to commence at the end of March 2021 (following Chinese New Year) with shipment to the UK during May 2021 (subject to shipping availability) and hope to have them in stock for fulfilment of orders at the end May /early June 2021.

Details of all ten versions being produced can be found here.

Kernow Models, Model News

Kernow Model Rail Centre receive first Engineering Sample of the ex LSWR / SR Diagram 1541 10t Road Van

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The Kernow Model Rail Centre have received the first Engineering Prototype (EP) from the tooling for the much-anticipated ex LSWR / SR Diagram 1541 10T Road Van. 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 CADs, based on a laser scan of the preserved example at the Isle of Wight steam railway, were approved for tooling earlier this year.
KMRC advised: “The first Engineering Prototype samples have been carefully evaluated and we are very pleased with how the EP has turned out. We are currently discussing directly with the factory a very small number of slight modifications before the next stage of livery samples can be produced. The production of the livery artwork is in progress.”

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 preserved No. 56046 on the Isle of Wight steam railway 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.

In light of further research, a small number of the available versions have been changed with corrected running numbers and liveries as BR Bauxite would not be appropriate for the available options of this road van.

Details of the ten versions can be found on the Kernow Model Rail Centre website here

Anyone wishing to amend their pre-order due to these changes can contact the Kernow Model Rail Centre either through the website or via telephone.

Note: the images show a version with a mix of the potential options and does not necessarily show an actual available version.

I hope that you will agree it is looking great.

Fisherton Sarum, General, Talking Stock

Talking Stock #32 Kitting out the various brake vans

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The humble brake van was an every part of the railway scene up until the advent of continuous brakes for most freight stock in the early 1970’s.  They initially served two purposes: to provide additional braking for ‘unfitted’ goods trains and of course somewhere for the guard to travel; later vans were also ‘fitted’ for working on such vacuum brake fitted formations. They were a weighted wagon equipped with a hand internally operable brake acting on all wheels they ranged from the 4 or 6 wheel type to sometimes 8 wheels and also bogie types. The ‘fitter’ versions having vacuum cylinders and able to operate the brakes on the fitted stock that make up the train (some vans were simply through piped to allow continuity of the braking system without being able to actually operate it, in such such cases just the hand brake was available for use.

The guard’s accommodation often included one or two verandas, or closed ends with windows and many also incorporated side lookouts or duckets to allow a guard to look forwards along the side of the train.

This post follows on from the announcement by Kernow models of their ready to run version of the ex LSWR 10T Road van to diagram 1541 and will look at a few kit built examples of brake vans that can be found running on Fisherton Sarum.

Dia 1545 Road Van

The ex LSWR 10T road van mentioned above was known as a road van as in addition to the guard’s accommodation and single veranda it has side opening doors on each side and the van could also be used the carrying of goods. This van is currently available in resin kit form from The Smallbrook Studio.  To the left can be be seen my model of the  20T Diagram 1545 Road Van also a resin kit form from The Smallbrook Studio. As well as being heavier that the Diagram 1541 road van  they were also larger, had a veranda at both ends and side duckets.

Dia 1543 ex LSWR 20T Brake Van, still requires completion of transfers and matt varnish before being finished

Staying with the LSWR seen left is my model  20T brake van to diagram 1543. This is built from a Jedenco / Falcon Brass  etched brass kit. 75 of this this type of van were built between 1915 and 1921.  They were known to staff as ‘new vans’ a name which they kept well into the 1950’s!

Dia 1748 ex SECR Ballast Plough Brake Van

Moving further east, I have a couple of ex SECR brake vans firstly is one that is perfectly at home on the ex LSWR metals as it is ex SECR 20T Ballast Plough brake van, diagram 1748, in the civil engineers fleet. The first lone prototype was built in 1914 with 3 more being built by the SR in 1932, a further 8 with slight detail differences were built in 1949.  In addition to the brakes it also had ploughs to rake freshly applied ballast from hoppers in the same train. These ploughs could be raised or lowered as required from inside the van. This particular model, also built from a Jedenco etched brass kit, has already featured on these pages here along with its companion rake of 40t Ballast hoppers.

Dia 1559 ex SECR ‘Dancehall’ Brake Van, yes must properly fix that handrail!

Finally for this post we see an ex SECR ‘Dancehall’ 25T brake van to Diagram 1559 First introduced in 1921., The SR built a further batch between 1923 and 1927 but these had deeper 15” instead of 12” channel underframes and were given the diagram number 1560. These vans gained the nickname ‘Dancehall’ due to the large amount of space inside them. They were long lived vans surviving, albeit modified, in departmental use right up until the 1970’s. This is built from a Cambrian Models plastic kit. 

There are of of course other SR related kits and ready to run brake vans available and some of these may well feature in future posts, although my review of the Bachmann RTR 25T ‘Pill box’ brake van can be read here.