Reality Warning: My location is fictional and much license has been taken.  There are categorical statements about train formations of services that could have run in my chosen (imaginary) location. I have researched in detail what might have run, correlating with photographs where possible - reader beware and please don't take offence!  It is also written while I'm away from home and away from the modelling bench ....

 

This is a draft of my thoughts that have been being in my head for a long time about the coaching sets I'll need and / or like for modelling the period 1960-62 BR S&D and WR in my fictional Weston super Mare S&D area, by extension of services and formations that appear to have run in this period in the area bounded by Bristol, Bath, Taunton, Westbury, Castle Cary and Templecombe.  This entry is about the long distance trains, I'll write another about the locals.

 

(In writing this, i realise this is cart before the horse, as I've not written about the services that I will invent to run through my chosen fictional location!)

 

I've been inspired to write by only just discovering in the last couple of days Great Northern's blog about his magnificent Peterborough North layout, in particular his efforts to run representative coaching rakes. I've also taken note of the lengths he has gone to in layout planning to be able to assemble his varied rakes from sub-rakes load from cassettes, and I'll have to do something similar as I can't afford the money or space to have each rake uniquely created!

 

Something that really interests me is that the S&D in the early 60's not only had a bewildering variety of locomotives working on it but they hauled an amazing variety of coaching stock.  So I hope to reproduce some of these as well as some WR rakes to increase the visual interest, as my 'Weston-super-Mare' location had several named WR expresses passing through during that period.  So I'm hoping that not only will I have a fictional timetable to run that will be interesting to operate, but that the effect will be visually appealing as well.  One day I'll be able to put in photos like Great Northern has done of the rakes I'm writing about

 

As many others have, I've been using the Yahoo coaching stock group resources to obtain the formations of the services I plan to run.  I've also been pouring over all the S&D photo albums I possess and that are in my local library to cross reference the formations.

 

So here are some rakes that I hope to run:

 

(To distinguish the rakes I plan removable name boards so it will be possible to tell which train is which when running!)

 

A 9 coach 'Pines Express' mainly Mk1s with LMS catering vehicles .... chosen period spring 1961 as this would include one of the first batch of commonwealth bogied dual heat CKs built for services running on the newly electrified Manchester - Crewe section. (It also had also had unpainted aluminium window bars and external window framing, and a single row of ventilators). In 1961 only one of these coaches ran in the 7 coach 'core section' of the Pines.  also, in this period the catering was still an ex LMS 12 wheel 68' stanier restaurant second (ex third) and LMS 57' open composite pair.  The 'ends' refer to the direction of the rake on the S&D

 

(south end) BCK / Dual heat C/W bogied CK / LMS CO / LMS 12 whl RS / SK / SK / BSK + CK (BR1 bogied) / BSK (north end)

 

By swapping out the BCK / Dual heat C/W bodied CK and restaurant vehicles at the south end for the extra CK / BSK at the north end and inserting a maroon RMB and additional CK or SK or maroon ER RU and SK in the middle I can run a fairly typical NE / SW (e.g. Bristol - Newcastle started back from WSM) or a non named WR express, 7 or 8  coach lengths.

 

e.g.:  BSK / CK / SO / RMB / SK / SK / BSK or BSK / CK / CK / SO / RU / SK / SK / BSK

 

An alternative 7 coach Pines rake will be made of ex LMS Stanier coaches (mostly), with the same designations:

 

BCK / CK / SO / Period II 12-wheel RC / SK / SK / BSK

 

The Period II 12-wheel RC would be the Hornby ex Airfix / mainline which I actually have ....

 

An 8 coach Chocolate and Cream rake for named WR expresses which will have some maroon stock added or inserted to represent:

 

A. The Merchant Venturer, Paddington to WSM - all Chocolate and Cream:

 

BSK / CK / FK / SO / RU / SK / SK / BSK

 

B. The Cornishman, Wolverhampton to Penzance which called at WSM most days, same formation, all Chocolate and Cream

 

C. The Devonian, (I was gutted to find this was C&C from 1959 to 1962 as I'd purposed the maroon Mk1 rake to double up!), but with the maroon RU and SO mentioned above to make the mixed livery rake that ran for part of the early 60's swapped for the C&C ones in one direction (ref a BRM article on the C&C era)

 

BSK / CK / FK / SO* / RU* / SK / SK / BSK (* alternately C&C and Maroon)

 

D. The Bristolian rake which ran to WSM on Saturdays with additional maroon stock, (and was still steam hauled after 1959):

 

BCK / CK / FK / ex GW buffet / SK  /SK / BCK + Maroon CK / BSK

 

This set will have the challenge of me building the GW Buffet car as well, this ran in the Bristolian until a C&C liveried Mk1 RB replaced it in late '61

 

I also want to be able to run some green trains for added interest, and there is prototype license for this!  Firstly , Cardiff - Bristol - Salisbury - Southampton - Portsmouth was run 50:50 with WR and SR stock.  I'll divert some via the Cheddar Valley and WSM with the loco change taking place at Westbury, (advantage of no Bristol reversal and loco change, and the SR loco coming on at Westbury instead of Salisbury). So for this I'll have an SR Mk1 four coach set with a maroon RMB inserted, as even the SR RMBs were delivered in maroon and weren't painted green until '62 apparently.

 

This 4 coach set could be adapted even further to run with another really interesting rake to be the  early season 8 coach Exmouth to Cleethorpes train which ran 1960 - 62, diverted via WSM (!).  This train in one direction was green SR stock made from two unusual looking 4 hybrid coach sets: 

 

The first was set (I believe to be 242) made of a Maunsell high windowed 6 compartment BSK, A Bulleid 63' CK, A Mk.1 SK or SO (both were used) and then another Maunsell high windowed 6 compartment BSK, (the set's original Maunsell  CK had been replaced by 1961 and the set according to the SEMG's data on SR coach sets was a three set BSK/CK/BSK, but loose SOs and / or SKs were added on Saturdays to increase seats for when the sets were used in holiday trains

 

The second, set 555, was Mk.1 BSK / Maunsell SO with large windows / Mk.1 CK / Mk.1 BSK.  The Mk.1s were brand new with light coloured roofs contrasting to the black roof on the Mansell coach.  Again, the Maunsell SO was a Saturday add-in, (in theory, as both sets were dedicated to this service and spent the week in the carriage sidings at either Exmouth Junction or Cleethorpes!)

 

Finally, I have a small number of ER coaches, Gresley and Thompson to mix with Mk.1 s for possibly the other direction Exmouth to Cleethorpes train, or a NE - SW service, or one of the other S&D long distance workings where ER stock did appear if Sheffield or Bradford were the northern terminus.  There are even photos of 'the Pines' with a Gresley BCK at the head of a rake of Stanier ex LMS coaches ....

 

Of these aspirational sets, I do have a collection of Bachmann Mk1s in Chocolate and Cream, and a mix of Bachmann Mk1s and cheapo Hachette SKs in maroon to make the Mk1 sets, I still need to get / make the LMS Catering vehicles and adapt the Hachettes, (see a future blog item). I've also got most of the coaches to make the Stanier, SR and ER sets too, but not enough P4 coach wheels yet .... My first aim is to make the 9 coach Pines rake to act as a test set for running through the layout as it is built to test clearances , train lengths etc, as 9 coaches will be the maximum I will be able to run easily in the space I have.

 

[to be edited in the future!]