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Making Quay Changes #4 being industrious
This is the fourth in a series of ‘Making Quay Changes’ posts with the Canute Road Quay being transported to either a different location or era or both. It follows my Making Quay Changes #1 post moving the scene Eastwards, and then back to Southampton with my Making Quay Changes #2 post but in the 1950s and #3 post set in the 1920/30s. We now move somewhere / anywhere in the late 1950s / 60s with industrial locomotives providing the horse power.
Although my usual modelling genre, as regular readers will know, is the Southern Railway between 1946 and 1949, however due to Canute Road Quay has very few visual references to either period or location (yes there are a couple, but hey…) Having deliberately when building Canute Road Quay left the vehicles and other details such as crates, sack stacks and oil drums etc. loose, it enables them to be both be moved around, to give some variety in photographs, and or replaced with other items to different periods.
In this case Canute Road Quay‘s is off the British Railways network and could be any private quayside / wharf. In and around Southampton alone there were a myriad of rail served private docks and wharves including inner and outer docks and those along the River Itchen such as Dibles Wharf, Notham, Britannia and Victoria wharf, many of which had their own locomotives.
In this case we see a number of locomotives privately operated ranging from steam locomotives to diesel shunters sharing duties around the quay.
The steam locomotives include the the Hornby W4 0-4-0t and B2 0-6-0t Pecketts, and the Hatton’s Andrew Barclay 14″ 0-6-0t both of which I have modified for use on Canute Road Quay. As per my Workbench Witterings #3 post they have been fitted with the use of dumb, usually basic wooden blocks, buffers so often seen at such locations. They remained in surface well into the 1960s and in some cases beyond. My B2 Pecketts have had their identities changed to be ‘O.V.S. Bullied’ and ‘Leader’ (spot the theme…), nameplates obtained from my friends at 247 Developments, and weathered.
The early 1960s saw the introduction of a number of diesel shunters such as the 34 ton chain drive 4 wheel Rolls-Royce diesel powered Sentinel shunter rated at 233hp and the later 325hp, 38 ton style with outside cranks.
The Hornby Esso 4wDM version was introduced in 1963 and was for use in the Esso Bitumen works at Cattewater, hence its name, in Plymouth
‘Graham’ (Hornby must have been tempting me to purchase this one on purpose!) was delivered new to the Oxfordshire Ironstone company as Locomotive No.10207 in May 1965 and was fitted with vacuum braking and a higher ratio gearbox for mainline working, so is obviously on loan to the quayside.
The Hornby models have been modified slightly with the lifting eyes at each end having their holes drilled out, the wasp stripes on ‘Cattewater’ continued on the side of the bufferbeam as per the prototype and also weathered.
Moving towards the late 1960s saw some of the myriad of early BR shunter types being withdrawn and some entering industrial service such as the ex Class 05. This Heljan example is modelled on the second batch built by Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds and built in 1961 numbered D2574 to D2618, had a higher roof line, smaller wheels (3’4″ instead of 3’9″) deeper buffers with oval heads than the first batch built in 1955. D2578 was sold to HP Bulmers in 1968 and is now preserved, but seen here working at the quay.
I hope you enjoy this post, the next ‘Making Quay Changes’ post with Canute Road Quay the next such post will be be set in its usual location, but what era will it be…?
Making Quay Changes #1 Moving Eastwards
Although my usual modelling genre, as regular readers will know, is the Southern Railway between 1946 and 1949, however due to Canute Road Quay having very few visual references to either period or location (yes there are a couple, but hey…) it allows me to change the location and era with different rolling stock, vehicles and details.
I have deliberately left the vehicles and other details such as crates, sack stacks and oil drums etc. loose, this enables them to be both be moved around, to give some variety in photographs, and or replaced with other items to different periods.
This is the first in a series of ‘Making Quay Changes’ posts with the Canute Road Quay being transported to either a different location or era or both. In this case we have stayed in my usual era but moved Eastwards, to perhaps the docks of Ipswich or Yarmouth utilising the lovely Model Rail magazine limited edition ex Great Eastern Railway J70 class 0-6-0 tram engines (or Toby’s if you prefer).
The J70 share the quayside with a Peckett W4 class and an Andrew Barclay, modified Hornby and Hattons models.
The locomotives were manufactured on behalf of Model Rail Magazine by Rapido of Canada.
They are such delightful models featuring: a coreless motor, options of fully skirted or unskirted, open or closed window and front doors and the distinctive cow catchers; I could not resist the urge to purchase a couple!
The two J70 models I have represent a version still with full side skirts and one with the skirts partially removed.
I have also varied the front door and window positions, fitted crew members and lightly weathered.
I feel the weathering really brings out the details of these models and tones down, my possible only criticism of the model, their out of box very bright orange woodwork finish.
This weathering has followed my usual practice of layers colours including: brake dust, dirt, rust, soot etc. via different processes of: drybrushing, washes and airbrushing along with cleaning some areas with a cotton bud but leaving the dirt in the crevasses and corners.
The J70 class designed by James Holden was a more powerful version of the earlier Y4 0-4-0 tram engine designed by T.W. Warsdell and 12 were built at the Great Eastern Railway’s Stratford Works between 1903 and 1921.
During their lifetime, the last being withdrawn in 1955, the J70 class were used at: Ipswich Docks, Yarmouth, Colchester Hythe Docks and of course on the iconic Wisbech and Upwell Tramway for which they gained their most fame.
I hope you enjoy this slightly different post, I apologise to the die hard Southern Railway / Region readers for this post being of Great Eastern / LNER content, but worry not, I will make amends in the next ‘Making Quay Changes’ post with Canute Road Quay back at its spiritual home of Southampton Docks but a different era, but what will it be…?
Canute Road Quay features in Hornby Magazine Issue 142 April 2019 published today.
I am pleased to advise that Canite Road Quay features in the latest issue of Hornby Magazine. Publication follows very pleasant day spent back in January with friend and Hornby Magazine editor Mike Wild (albeit fraught with a few travel travel problems due to icy road conditions and dubious Sat Nav directional choices) nattering and taking a number of snaps of Canute Road Quay. his photographic results and my article can be seen and read about in the April issue of Hornby Magazine No.142 published today (although subscribers may have received their copy earlier this week).
I open the article by setting the scene with a little history of the development of Southampton Docks, Canute Road and the many quays wharves alongside the River Itchen before describing the layout itself.
Being only a small layout, the scenic section is only 4ft x 1ft, in this issue of Hornby Magazine it joins three other ‘compact’ also known as ‘cameo’ layouts which is the theme for the issue.
It is always fascinating to see the results of a different photographers eye and Mike photographs captures the look and feel I wanted to achieve with the layout and highlights the details and many of the little cameos I have included on the layout to demonstrate what can be achieved in quite a small space.
I hope that you can get hold of a copy and enjoy the read and Mike’s excellent photographs.
Canute Road Quay’s next exhibition appearance is on Saturday 16th March (also my Dad’s Birthday, so happy Birthday Dad!) at the AbRail show organised by the Abingdon and District Model Railway Club at the Abingdon and Witney College, Abingdon Campus, OX14 1GG between 10am and 5pm. It will provide and opportunity to compare the layout from the photographs in the article to the layout in the flesh.
Another date added into the Diary of Canute Road Quay on the road is the The Hornby Magazine’s own show, The Great Electric Train Show at the Marshall Arena, Stadium Way, Milton Keynes, MK1 1ST on 12th / 13th October this year.
Quay industrial tanks for use on Canute Road Quay a @Hornby W4 Peckett and an @Hattonsmodels Andrew Barclay, albeit slightly modified…
Whilst many when asked about Southampton Docks will generally immediately think of the ex LSWR / Southern Railway docks with ex LSWR B4 0-4-0 tanks and later SR USA tanks, however there were a myriad of rail served private docks and wharves in the area including inner and outer docks and those along the River Itchen such as Dibles Wharf, Notham, Britannia and Victoria wharf, many of which had their own locomotives.
The recent advent of ready to run industrial tanks, that it has to be said are pretty cute really, such as the Hatton’s Andrew Barclay 14″ 0-6-0t and Hornby W4 Peckett 0-4-0t has opened up a few quick win options for use on Canute Road Quay. One thing I like about many of the locomotives used in such private wharves and quaysides is their use of dumb, usually basic wooden blocks, buffers.
The process for fitting the dumb buffers is to remove the model buffers which are either one piece inserted into the buffer beam or heads and moulded shanks, as per the Hornby Peckett and cutting off the shanks. In both cases any raised detailing on the buffer beam such as rivets etc is filed smooth to enable the replacement wooden dumb buffers that comprise of shaped plastic rectangular section to be glued in place. These are then painted with a grey weathered wood colour paint.
With the Hornby W4 Peckett I went one stage further than just replacing the buffers but modifying to one of the open cab versions of the W8 and as per a picture I have seen of such a locomotive at Dibles Wharf in Southampton (I can not post this photograph as I do not own the copyright).
The cab rear on the Hornby model is a separate moulding, so perhaps an open cab version is on the cards in due course, and I carefully cut the top half away just above the strengthening bar. You can choose to keep the original plastic handrails that extend to the underside of the cab roof but I chose for strength purposes to replace with 0.45mm brass rod. I then added using think plastic micro-strip a top ledge to the now lower cab rear panel. A crew member has also been fitted.
Both models have been weathered in this case using dry brushing techniques, rather than airbrush or weathering powders, and then in many places the weathering rubbed off using a cotton bud. The colours used include: weathered wood on the dumb buffers, brake block dust on the brake blocks, dark rust, roof dirt (essentially dark grey). Area such as the tank and cab sides have the dry brushing removed more than for the example the boiler top where more of a build up of soot etc builds up.
The modifications I feel give an added dimension and alternative to the out of the box model, and the open cab Hornby W4 Peckett shows off very well the amount of details that Hornby have incorporated within the cab itself.
These industrials and the usual Southern Railway locomotives can be seen at Canute Road Quay’s forthcoming exhibitions appearances: firstly, the Worthing Model Railway Club exhibition at Durrington High School, The Boulevard, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 1LA. that is taking place on the weekend of 29th and 30th September 2018; and Secondly, Saturday 3rd November 2018 at Wycrail 18 organised by my own model railway society the High Wycombe and District MRS, being held at Cressex Community School, Cressex Road, High Wycombe, HP12 4UD . If you are attending either show please drop by and say hello.