Tag Archives: USA 0-6-0 Tanks

From Southampton to Stafford – Canute Road Quay heads North – 24/25th September

Canute Road Quay is on the road again and appearing at this coming weekends Stafford Railway Circle Annual Model Railway Exhibition 24th/25th September 2022.

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.

Going bananas with daffodils for Easter

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!

Canute Road Quay features in the April 2021 issue of BRM Magazine and Fisherton Sarum makes surprise appearance on BRM TV

I am pleased to advise that Canute Road Quay makes an appearance in the April 2021 issue of BRM Magazine available now for digital subscribers and next Thursday 25th March for the printed version.

I open the article by discussing; how although I usually model the 1946 to 1949 Southern Railway time period but to allow for additional interest and how I have purposely built Canute Road Quay without having any fixed item that dates the period modelled or really identifies the area modelled.
This allows a wider range of rolling stock to be used giving a range of different locomotive traction, classes and livery choices that would be still be applicable to such a quayside location. I then continue to describe the layout itself.

The article, similar to some of my “Making Quay Changes” posts,  covers time periods from the mid 1920s through to the 1960s starting with Southampton Docks liveried Adams B4 0-4-0t  through to the USA 0-6-0 Tanks, industrial locomotives and the Class 07 diesels.

Being only a small layout, the scenic section is only 4ft x 1ft, in this issue of BRM Magazine it joins two other ‘compact’ layouts which is the theme for the issue.

Due to the current Covid restrictions rather than being able to enjoy the company and a new pair of eyes photographing layout, I provided all the photographs myself to go alongside my text.
I have used my Canon G7x camera along with my set of studio lights and spent some time one weekend in January utilising the camaras ability to automatically take a series of ‘Focus Bracketed’ images, i.e. multiple shots from the same position but with slightly different focus point, and then combining them in post processing into one image to give an increased depth of field. Hopefully you will enjoy the article and the accompanying photographs.

As a surprise bonus the April edition of BRM TV that is available for digital subscribers of the BRM magazine this month has Fisherton Sarum as its main layout feature (remind me to teach Howard how to pronounce Sarum..).
It includes video footage, that to be honest I had forgotten had been recorded, from the appearance of Fisherton Sarum at the Doncaster Festival of British Railway Modelling way back in 2012 and also includes another look at some of the images that accompanied the article about the layout in the February 2021 issue of BRM Magazine.

Making Quay Changes #5 the Class 07 diesels take over at the Docks

This is the fifth in the series of ‘Making Quay Changes’ posts with the Canute Road Quay being transported to either a different location or era or both.  In this post we are firmly in the Southampton Docks but after 1962 when the Class 07 diesels were specifically introduced to modernise the operations in the docks.

A pair of Heljan Class 07 models meet at Canute Road Quay

Class 07 D2985 arrives at the quay

D2988 is from the second Heljan production batch

Passing Class 07s at Canute Road quay

A busy moment in time at Canute Road Quay

D2985 arrives on the quay and passes D2988 awaiting to depart

D2985 arrives at the quay

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…) items such as the vehicles and other details such as crates, sack stacks and oil drums etc. are loose, so it enables them to be both be moved around, to give some variety in photographs, and or replaced with other items to different periods.

The USA 0-6-0 tanks had been in service within Southampton Docks since 1946, Due to the various tight curves within Southampton Docks utilising existing Diesel shunters such as the EE 350HP, later 09 class was not going to be an option. Therefore in 1962 Fourteen 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunting 275HP locomotives specifically for use in Southampton Docks were purchased by British Railways from Ruston Paxman.  They had a wheelbase of only 8 ft 7½ in, compared with 11 ft 6 in for an 08. With their high well glazed cab offset between long and short bonnets they certainly had their own distinctive character.

The Heljan models, as per my review here, have captured the look of the prototype well. The feature a multi part injection  moulded body with fine etched front and rear nose grills on a heavy diecast chassis. Separately fitted items include: metal handrails, sprung buffers, windscreen wipers, pipework, roof mounted air horns and factory fitted screw link couplings. Underneath the body the chassis features the correct air cylinders, sand boxes, sand pipes, other pipework and brake gear. Also fitted is a working lubricator linkage on the left hand side (when viewed long bonnet forward. Included with the model are discs, including those with duty numbers, as used within Southampton Docks.

When paired with the suitable later era rolling stock, that I have now collected and weathered, the Heljan Class 07s certainly look the part and with their smooth running make shunting at Canute Road Quay easy and a refreshing change from my usual period.

I hope you enjoy this post, the next ‘Making Quay Changes’ post with Canute Road Quay may or may not be set in its usual location, so once again, where and what era will it be…?