Tag Archives: London & South Western Railway

General, Model Reviews, Rolling Stock, Techniques, Workbench, Workbench Witterings

Workbench Witterings #21 Individualising the EFE Rail ex LSWR Cross Country Sets

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My Set 253 following a few tweaks and awaiting some light weathering

The EFE Rail ex LSWR Cross Country Sets were announced last November and as is usually the case with the Bachmann quarterly announcements arrived within a matter of weeks. This is not a full a review of the models as that would be a bit disingenuous of me, having been involved in my day job at Kernow Model Rail Centre , with their development (and yes, I hold my hand up to not spotting a couple of the gremlins that crept in to a couple of the livery details).

This post is about a few quick tweaks / improvements that I have made to my own malachite green set 253 (yes, I purchased it myself). Whilst these models have not jumped on the feature creep trend of magnetic roofs (we are yet to see how practical these might be in practice with handling etc.) and over bright interior lighting, they have a good level of detail and separately applied parts inclduing grab handles, handrails, underframe details and roof vents to look the part.

EFE E86015 coach set 314 in BR Green showing box set (Picture Courtesy and copyright KMRC)

The initial EFE Rail Releases, supplied in neat three coach book box sets are as follows:

  • E86013 ex LSWR Cross Country Set – 3 Coach set 253 – SR Malachite
  • E86014 Ex LSWR/SR Cross Country Set – 3 Coach set 130 – BR Crimson
  • E86015 Ex LSWR/SR Cross Country Set – 3 Coach set 314 – BR Green

So on the tweaks…

The very first thing I did was to blacken the faces of the wheelsets, I have simply and quickly used a black Sharpie permanent marker pen, this improves the look and is actually a darker finish to the eye than the brightly lit pictures show. (As an aside, a couple of Sharpie pens are always good to have in the modelling toolkit, especially when exhibiting, as they can be used to quickly touch up any chips or damage that might have occurred).

The Diagram 124 Brake Third

I have added, using HMRS Pressfix transfers, the missing class designation numbers to the brake thirds and for consistency also replaced and repositioned slightly higher those on the composite. The BR versions correctly only have ‘1’s on the first class compartments (and in the slightly lower position). To remove the factory applied class designations on the composite, I first soaked them in good quality enamel thinners and then using a cotton bud and some t-cut to gently rub them off.
For consistency, an element of individualism and personal preference, I like to brush paint all my carriage roofs with Humbrol enamel dark grey Number 33. I also took the opportunity to paint the side of the roof gutter at the same time, as these had been finished in the bodyside colour, that gives a bit of an optical illusion of the sides being too high.

Finally, a recap of the history of these sets, there were 36 sets formed wholly of 56ft vehicles and these sets were generically called ‘Cross County sets’. They were constructed between 1906 and 1910 being built originally as 4 coach sets. These sets comprised of the following:

  • Brake Thirds, four compartment to LSWR Drawing 1446, SR diagram 124, 2 per set
  • Composite (1st / 3rd class), seven compartment, to LSWR Drawing 1298, SR Diagram 274
  • Third LSWR Drawing 1302, SR Diagram 17, 8 compartment, (The all Thirds were originally introduced as 2nd / 3rd Composites but rebranded to all Thirds with no structural change by the end of 1919)
The Diagram 274 Composite

The set numbers were in the ranges 130-151, 253-263 and 311-314 All sets were reduced to three coaches in the mid to late 1930s by the removal of the 8 compartment Third Diagram 17 coaches which became loose stock. At the same time the number of first class compartments in the Composite, Diagram 274 was reduced from 5 to 3 (not a physical alteration just reclassification and change in class banding on the outside of the compartments)
In terms of use, they were seen all over the SW section of the Southern and their duties were pretty well interchangeable with any other 3/4 set. They did not generally run on Brighton or SE section lines, although photographic evidence exists of them running along the south coast to Brighton.
Withdrawal of these sets was completed during 1956/7 Brake Third number LSWR 1520 SR 2975 (ex Set 63 / 146) survives on the Bluebell Railway and Composite number 5065 (ex Set 134) survives on the Kent and East Sussex Railway awaiting restoration.
As was standard LSWR practice not all the coaches had full electrical equipment, i.e. dynamo and battery boxes the others being through wired.

These make up useful pre-grouping type sets for the Western section Southern modeller and are still widely available at retailers such as Kernow Model Rail Centre.

Canute Road Quay, Exhibitions

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

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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…

General, History

Marking 100 years since the formation of the Southern Railway – a potted history

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It would be remiss of me not to mark the fact that today is 100 years since the Grouping and the formation of the Southern Railway, it also of course marks the demise of its constituent companies. This post attempts to provide a simplified potted history of the Grouping and the Southern Railway.

The Southern Railway coat of arms incorporated heraldic elements from the main constituent companies.

Although the actual Grouping occurred on 1st January 1923, it’s instigation can be traced back to the First World War where all railways were under state control until 1921. The Railways Act 1921, followed discussions at the time on potential nationalisation, had the aim of stemming the losses being occurred at the time by many of the 120 or so railway companies.

The form of Grouping originally proposed in 1920, by former North Eastern Railway executive, the Minister of Transport, Eric Geddes, was for five English and one Scottish regional companies, by 1921 this was amended to four English and two Scottish companies before the Scottish routes were incorporated in the companies that we know as the ‘Big Four’.  Royal Assent for the Railways Act was in August 1921.

The main Constituent companies of the Southern Railway were the well known three, actually four: The London and South Western Railway (LSWR), The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) and the combined South Eastern Railway and the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, under the South Eastern & Chatham Railways’ Managing Committee (SECR).

The first SR passenger livery was a continuation of the LSWR style in Olive Green with expanded Clarendon ‘Egyptian’ style ‘Southern’ font as seen on ex LSWR Adams A12 0-4-2. From 1937 the Bulleid malachite green and ‘Sunshine’ lettering as seen on the ex LSWR M7 in the background was introduced.

Also incorporated were the three Isle of Wight railway companies and the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway (Bere Alston and Callington section).
Some non-working or joint companies that had been previously leased or worked by the main constituent companies, including for example (not an exhaustive list): the North Cornwall Railway, Sidmouth Railway, Lee-on-the-Solent Railway, Hayling Railway, Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway, London and Greenwich Railway, Croydon & Oxted Joint Railway and Dover & Deal Railway, were also included, as was the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway although not covered by the Railways Act 1921, it had been absorbed by the LSWR.

The Southern Railway also was to share or jointly operate a number of lines including: the East London Railway, West London Extension Railway, Weymouth & Portland Railway and of course the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.

The Southern Railway Network

The total route mileage owned whole by the Southern Railway at Grouping was 2,186 miles, with the main constituents not surprising forming the majority with 1,020 miles ex LSWR, 457 miles ex LBSC and 637 ½ ex SECR. The SR was operated essentially as three Districts: Western, Central and Eastern based approximately on the previous main constituents.

There were two Chief Mechanical Engineers; Richard Maunsell, ex SECR, between 1923 and 1937 and Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid, ex GN / LNER, from 1937 to 1948.

And just because you can never have enough Bulleid pacifics or Southern malachite green…

Although originally three general managers were appointed from each of the main constituents, with a year Sir Herbert Walker became the single General Manager and the development of the SR was built upon many of his ex LSWR practices. Following his retirement in 1937 he was succeeded as general manager by his long-time assistant Gilbert Szlumper. In 1939, Szlumper left the Southern Railway for war service and Sir Eustace Missenden took over.

The Southern Railway officially lasted, of course until Nationalisation in 1948, although in reality, just as during the First World War, the Railways due to the outbreak of The Second World War were taken once again under Government control via The Railway Executive on 1st September 1939 and would remain so until the 1st January 1948 becoming the Southern Region of British Railways.

With the passing of the Transport Act 1947 that nationalised the Railways, Missenden became the first Chairman of the Railway Executive and John Elliot became acting General Manager of the SR and would later become Chief Regional Officer of the Southern Region of British Railways.

I hope this brief simplified history of the Southern Railway has been of interest, and appropriate to mark the 100 years since its formation. I thought it was about time that it was included on my corner of the blogsphere!

Kernow Models, Model News

Bachmann announce ex LSWR / SR 56ft non corridor cross country sets as part the EFE Rail range

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As part of their quarterly British Railway Announcements for Winter 2022 Bachmann have announced the ex London South Western Railway (LSWR) / Southern railway 56ft non corridor cross country sets in 00 gauge.

EFE E86013 3 coach set 253 in SR Malachite (Picture Courtesy and copyright KMRC)

There were 36 sets formed wholly of 56ft vehicles and these sets were generically called ‘Cross County sets’. They were constructed between 1906 and 1910 being built originally as 4 coach sets. These sets comprised of the following:

  • Brake Thirds, four compartment to LSWR Drawing 1446, SR diagram 124, 2 per set
  • Composite (1st / 3rd class), seven compartment, to LSWR Drawing 1298, SR Diagram 274
  • Third LSWR Drawing 1302, SR Diagram 17, 8 compartment, (The all Thirds were originally introduced as 2nd / 3rd Composites but rebranded to all Thirds with no structural change by the end of 1919)

The set numbers were in the ranges 130-151, 253-263 and 311-314 (sets 311-314 were originally introduced as 6 coach sets but became four coach formations in 1934 (and subsequently 3 coach sets). All sets were reduced to three coaches in the mid to late 1930s by the removal of the 8 compartment Third Diagram 17 coaches which became loose stock. At the same time the number of first class compartments in the Composite, Diagram 274 was reduced from 5 to 3 (not a physical alteration just reclassification and change in class banding on the outside of the compartments)

EFE E86013 3 coach set 130 in BR Crimson (Picture Courtesy and copyright KMRC)

Despite the longevity of these sets, apart from the reduction from 4 to 3 coaches and the reclassification of some of the composite compartments there was no real physical changes to any of the coaches.
In terms of use, they were seen all over the SW section of the Southern and their duties were pretty well interchangeable with any other 3/4 set. They did not generally run on Brighton or SE section lines, although photographic evidence exists of them running along the south coast to Brighton.

Withdrawal of these sets was completed during 1956/7 Brake Third number LSWR 1520 SR 2975 (ex set 63 / 146) survives and is operational service on the Bluebell Railway http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/1520.html and Composite number 5065 (ex set 134) survives on the Kent and East Sussex Railway awaiting restoration.

As was standard LSWR practice not all the coaches had full electrical equipment, i.e dynamo and battery boxes the others being through wired.

EFE E86015 coach set 314 in BR Green showing box set (Picture Courtesy and copyright KMRC)

The initial EFE Rail Releases, build on the success of the EFE Rail Gate stock (and utilising some shared tooling), in three coach book box sets are as follows

  • E86013 ex LSWR Cross Country Set – 3 coach set 253 – SR Malachite SR Malachite
  • E86014 Ex LSWR/SR Cross Country Set – 3 Coach set 130 – BR Crimson BR Unlined Crimson
  • E86015 Ex LSWR/SR Cross Country Set – 3 Coach set 314 – BR Green BR(s) Green

These coach sets are currently on the high seas and should be with retailers such as Kernow Model Rail Centre  in the next few weeks.

Kernow Models, Model News

LSWR Diagram 1410 Covered van in 0 Gauge announced by Kernow Model Rail Centre

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Kernow Model Rail Centre have announced the LSWR Diagram 1410 Covered Van in 0 Gauge as an exclusive model with the tooling owned by Kernow Model Rail Centre

The numerous LSWR 10 ton covered vans were built between 1885 and 1922 to a few different diagrams as the design was developed. Different body styles were combined with either timber or steal chassis with two axlebox types; Panter or Warner’s, and several different brake systems.

The low roof, sliding door Diagram 1410 covered vans were the most common LSWR covered van with well over 1000 built. Although many were scrapped or entered departmental use before Grouping many passed into SR ownership at grouping with a number, many in departmental use, surviving beyond nationalisation.

Brake gear varied from: single sided double block, ‘Morton Clutch’, the rarer for this diagram ‘Lifting Link’ and most commonly what the SR called ‘Freighter’ that had independent brake gear on each side.

Ten covered vans to the Diagram 1410 were built for the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) they differed from the LSWR versions as they did not have the end vents and only single sided brakes. They later were absorbed into SR stock and had end vents fitted, become identical to D1410 vans.

The tooling suite for the models allows for bodies with either 8 1.2” or 6 1.2” end planking with and without the end vents on steel chassis, 8 open spoke or 10 closed spoke wheels, and single sided, Morton, freighter or lifting link brake styles. The specification of the model includes highly detailed body and chassis, prototypical brake gear and safety loops fitted, beam compensation, sprung buffers and a sprung coupling hook fitted with metal three link couplings.

The models have been produced and are currently being shipped, the initial price is £66.95 each, that is the special early-bird price and only applies payment is made in full at the time of ordering. For those not wishing to pay in full, it will not be possible to place an order until after the models have arrived. These subsequent orders will be at the prevailing price of £77.95 and not the early-bird offer price.

Initially six livery versions are available, with two running numbers per livery:

A great announcement for LSWR/SR/BR(s) 0 Gauge modellers and perhaps further versions and Diagrams will follow should these be a success.

 

Canute Road Quay

Happiness is the road… Canute Road Quay exhibiting this Saturday

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A reminder that Canute Road Quay is on the road again and appearing this Saturday 20th August 2022 at the Silverfox DCC MRC exhibition being held at the Oakgrove School, Venturer Gate, Milton Keynes MK10 9JQ

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…

Model News

Bachmann Showcase Product Announcements – Autumn 2022 include SECR Diagram 1559 Dancehall Brake Van

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Bachmann Europe have continued their new policy of making quarterly product announcements the highlight of todays announcement of new tooling is the SECR/SR Maunsell/Lyons Diagram 1559 25 ton good brake van first introduced in 1918.

These ‘modern’ 24ft long 16ft wheel base brake vans with their spacious guard’s accommodation were given the nickname ‘Dancehalls’ . Although the later SR standard brake vans had shorter bodies they used the same underframe design. A total of 60 of the vans were built between 1918 and 1927 with the first 20 being on 12″ channel underframes to Diagram 1559 and the following 40 on 15″ channel underframes to Diagram 1560. The difference between the two diagrams can be easily spotted as the Diagram 1560 vans did not have the bottom 3″ plank across the sides. Ten of the vans were rebuilt in 1963 for departmental use, these had one balcony incorporated into the van section and end windows added becoming diagram 1571, some of these after being both vacuum and air piped lasted until the 1980s.

The SR livery D1559 brake van

The four Bachmann models of the SECR Diagram 1559 brake vans being released are as follows:

  • 38-915 D1559 SECR Grey livery No. 11902 (also the number of the  preserved prototype at the Whitwell & Reepham Station in Norfolk)
  • 38-916 D1559 SR Pre-1936 Livery No.55462 (although many would have survived in this livery style well after 1936 and throughout the war)
  • 38-917 D1559 BR Grey livery No. S55457 as based at Hither Green
  • 38-918 D1559 BR Departmental Olive Green No. DS 55455 as based at Eastleigh Permanent Way Dept.

These models are complete with interior detail such as stove, brake handwheel and desk visible through the end windows.

It is good to see these excellent looking (and often requested) models now coming to the market as I know, having provided some assistance, that these have been development for a couple of years.

The full details of the Bachmann Showcase announcement can be found on the Kernow Model rail Centre website here.