The winners of the first British Model Railway Awards for 2016 have been announced today and can be read here. This year saw a resurgence for Hornby wining not only 00 manufacturer of the year, but also Overall Manufacturer of the year, helped by within a number of the categories Southern Railway / Region related products winning and or polling highly.
Set 45 comprising of a Dia 418 Brake Composite and and Dia 99 Brake Third
Also polling well was their Class 71 electric locomotive with over 25% of the vote in the 00 Gauge modern traction award; therefore ensuring that the Southern Railway is well represented in the awards, which is always good news. With the Hornby original Merchant Navy and ex SECR H Class 0-4-4T due to the hit retailers this year in my opinion they will also have a strong contenders for the awards in 2017 as well.
Also well done to the UK Model Shops website for justifiably winning the website of the year award, for the second year in a row, a category in which I was surprised to have been again nominated and came a creditable 5th among a wide range of high quality and informative websites, so many thanks to all who did take the time to vote.
What was previously known as the ‘Model of the Year’ awards have this year been promoted on RMweb, through British Railways Modelling Magazine and on the online MREmag.com as the British Model Railway Awards. As part of the evolution the categories were broadened to celebrate excellence and innovation in the wider British model railway scene. New awards now also cover retailers, websites, exhibitions and layouts, acknowledging the huge contributions they make to our hobby.
Kernow Models K2105 number 225 as mainland pull push fitted sits awaiting coaling on Fisherton Sarum
Congratulations to all the winners; and in particular the Kernow Model Rail Centre for winning the best 00 gauge steam locomotive for their ex London and South Western Railway Adams O2 class 0-4-4T , Graham Farish for winning the N gauge steam locomotive of the year with their original Bulleid Merchant Navy 4-6-2 and also Dapol for winning the best 0 Gauge steam locomotive with their ex London Brighton and South Coast A1 / A1X Terrier 0-6-0T, therefore ensuring that the Southern Railway is well represented in the awards, which is always good news.
Also well done to the UK Model Shops website for justifiably winning the website of the year award, in which I was surprised and honoured for this humble web blog to have been nominated and came 4th, so many thanks to all who did take the time to vote.
This Talking Stock #34 post about ex LSWR Ironclad coaches is published by way of a tribute to Gordon Weddell whom sadly passed away just over a two weeks ago and whose funeral takes place today.
Gordon was the authority on London and South Western Railway (LSWR) coaches and other rolling stock. He published a number of volumes of reference books on the subject which are a must have for anyone interested in or modelling LSWR rolling stock. I was lucky to have met Gordon on a number of occasions as he was one of the earliest members of the South Western Circle, and to all who had contact with him, he was very friendly and keen to pass on his expertise to all who sought his advice. Indeed it his book ‘LSWR Carriages in the 20th Century‘ that provides the main reference material for this post. He will be sadly missed.
A Drummond K10 class heads a rake comprising of the 1918 56ft Brake Composite with 1925 ‘Ironclad’ set 385 at the rearThe 57 ft ‘Ironclad’ stock was an LSWR design, so known because of the use of flush steel sheeting screwed to a wooden body frame with narrow metal strips protecting the joints and near flush windows giving a the appearance of smooth flush sides.
Previous LSWR designs had used wooden sheeting and panelling. Being built 9′ wide a characteristic feature of the the ‘Ironclad’ stock was the tapering in of the brake part of the coach, to 8’3″, to allow for a guards lookout within the loading gauge.
A view of 1925 built ‘ironclad’ set 385 with Brake Third on the left and Brake Composite on the rightThe first sets of Ironclad carriages appeared in July 1921 and being the most modern design available to the SR in 1923, continued in production until January 1926. The Ironclads included a range of the usual coach types but also slightly more unusual types such as Pantry thirds, Pantry Brake Firsts and dining saloons.
A close up of ‘Ironclad’ Brake Composite 6564 of set 385The Initial batch were formed into five coach sets for the Bournemouth Line (with some longer sets for the Central Section) and allocated to the most important services until superseded by Maunsell stock.
The original 5 coach formations as numbered by the Southern Railway were Sets 431-434 (the original LSWR set numbers were 1c to 4c) and 435-444.
‘Ironclad’ Brake Third 3213 of set 385Two coach sets 381 -385 comprising of Brake Composites, SR diagram 416, paired with 6-Compartment Brake Thirds, SR diagram 137 were introduced in 1925 for use as branch line through coaches but these were converted to Pull Push sets between 1949 and 1952. General withdrawal occurred between 1957 and 1959 with many passing into departmental stock (although the Restaurant Cars were mainly withdrawn in 1947)
‘Loose’ 1918 built steel and mahogany panelled (pre ‘Ironclad’) number 6539My models as pictured are built from ex BSL now Phoenix kits and represent two coach set 385 comprising of Brake Third No. 3211 and Brake Composite No. 6564 before their rebuilding into a Pull Push set. My two coach set is strengthened with a ‘loose’ steel and mahogany panelled 1918 56ft Brake Composite No. 6539, LSWR diagram 2362 (SR Diagram 411) and all three are finised in lined olive green livery, note that the lining was actually applied to represent panneling that did not in reality exist. They form a rake regularly seen on Fisherton Sarum.
Share this:
The model railway world and mainly Southern Railway meanderings of Graham 'Muz' Muspratt
