This loco from Oxford Rail was to nice not to buy! It arrived in a NCB Blue (as per Littleton Colliery) but I did not like the colour so I have repainted as per the demonstrator from Yorkshire Engine Co. My plan is to convert to P4 and use on Trench Sidings, the fiction being that BR is trialing the loco at Trench (the reality was it was trialled by BR in the Sheffield area).
I have been planning to build Trench Sidings for 20 years and have finally made a start. But first lets place where it is. In my teenage years I lived near Trench Crossing station which was a small station between Wellington and Donnington on the line to Stafford. The line was ex LNWR/LMS. Just down the line from Trench Crossing was an interchange yard called Trench Sidings where there was a curved line down to a canal basin which was bounded with a number of iron works. There was a small loco s
The only buildings on the layout are the loco shed and signal box here are 3 photos of the loco shed. These are the only photos I could find. The resident loco up to 1943 was an ex Caley 0-4-0 but when this was away for repair etc an ex L&Y Pug was used.
I dont have a model of either of the 2 resident locos, but after the formaytion of BR the responsiblility for shunting the yard passed to Wellington, and the usual shunter was a Pannier tank (of which I have modelled 3 of Wellingtons l
Over the last couple of months I have been busy painting and linning, both for my own models and for other people. Attached is the current status of a Brassmaster Unrebuilt Patriot, (built by Len Cattley). This is a model of one of Nuneatons Patriots which were seen in 1961/2. I have always like the prototype so a model was a must have. Still some work to do, the footplate valance wants linning out and it then needs weathering and couplings, buffer etc adding. The linning is Fox transfers.
I realised that the track plan that I posted at the start of this blog was not very clear so here is a better version taken from Track Layouts Sec 32 East Shropshire by R A Cooke. This is an excellent series of track layouts and recommended. The part I am covering is the section top left of the diagram but it also shows why there was a loco shed at the junction.
Originally the line diverging from the main line not only served a number of Iron Works near the junction but continued for a
Thought it may be usefull to post a few photos of some of the prototype trains for Trench. The first photo is in 1936 showing the loco shed with its resident Pug 11218 with a Black 5 5254 passing on the main line. The second photo is of one of Shrewsburys Standard Class 5s with a train at Stafford for Shrewsbury circa 1962/3. The 3rd photos is one taken by me circa 1965 of 46519 (Shrewsbury) leaving the Ordenance Depot at Donnington and heading back to Wellington and shortly to pass Trench sid
I thought I would post a couple of prototype photos and then my model version. The Fowler 2-6-4 tanks from Stafford were regulars on the passenger trains and sometimes on freight. here is a J B Buckley photo of 42389 at Stafford shed. This is followed by my P4 version based on a GEM kit, this was one of the last "new" models offered by GEM before George Mellor sold the business.
Th next photo is of the model of 46519 which I photographed leaving the MOD depot at Donnington with a pick up f
I have been progressing some more pre group wagons, with these 3 just completed and weathered.
I have also repainted and re numbered a Brassmaster G2 that I bought in a few months ago, bringing my fleet of these up to 2. This was the first kit that I and Jim Barnes developed to start the Brassmasters range. I have a prtially built one to complete as well. I was going to number it as one of Staffords locos but this has been built with the sand fillers on the cabsides and none of the Stafford
Whilst I am currently painting and linning out Dave Holts excellent Caprotti Cl 5 I have been painting some of my own stuff, including this Bachmann Class 40. The body was built for me by Dave Room has Bachmann noses fitted to a Lima middle section. It has been sitting around unpainted for a few years so I thought I had better get on and finish it. Still nees weathering before I put the glazing in last.
I intend to use the loco on Trench Sidings and it has already had P4 wheels fitted. Th
For those that have known me for many years know that I have always had an interest in the LNWR and some years ago I was the newsletter editor for the LNWR Society. I have now decided to have a pregroup period for the layout (freight only!) and have over the past few weeks built 8 LNWR wagons, all from ratio kits. I have also added a few GWR wagons as the Lilleshall Co who had many pits in the area supplied loco coal to the GWR, Cambrian and North Staffs. A few more wagons are waiting to be b
This is an official LNWR track plan showing the interchange sidings and the line down to the various Iron works. The need for a small 0-4-0 tank loco was the presence of a weighbridge just after the line crosses the main road and this had a weight limit. The only change I have made to the track plan is to add in another siding parallel to the one marked for the Lilleshall Company. This will allow me more shunting movements on the layout.
I have been using a linning pen for many years but it is a slow process as you can only do one side at a time and only one colour at a time. However I have been experimenting with using the excellent lining sheets from Fox transfers. Attached is an example I used for 45593 Kholapur. I had already started linning out a Black 5 wirh a pen and decided to complete the job with Fox transfers and could not tell any difference! The cab side is linned out with a pen and the tender with Fox transfers.
. These are the last 2 of a batch of pre grouping wagons built in the last few weeks. I posted a request elsewhere on RMWeb about loads for single plank wagons and got some interesting replies. The BR wagons have been hanging around for months in the nearly finished state so I have had a finishing purge and these are the result. Mostly Parkside (what would do without this range!)
David
I recently (last week at S4 North) aquired an MPD 3F built in P4 and fitted with a sound chip from Digitrainsound Zimo specifically for a 3F with a sound file by Paul Chetter. Now whilst I have DCC/sound for most of my diesels I have never been impressed by the sound chips for steam locos, untill now! I was blown away by the sound and that when you turn of the power the loco coasts (no chuffing) before coming to a stop. I had considered just running the layout in Dc for the steam era and DCC f
The overall track plan I posted was a little crowded to see the detail. The baseboards were built with the help of my good friend and fellow NAG member Ken Kirk in his well equiped wooworking shed. The baseboards were constructed of 12mm furniture grade plywood which a NAG member put us in contact with. The photo shows Ken making sure everything was flat and square and the boards were screwed and glued with Gorilla glue.
Once the boards were built they returned to my garage, and here lies a
I have for more locomotives than the layout requires but most of them are locomotives that I saw operating the line between 1962 and 1965 (the passenger service stopped in Sept 1964) but freight continued. The first locomotive is one I saw pulling into the Army depot at Donnington with a daily freight usually pulled by one of Burton on Trents newly aquired Jubilees and within a few months I had seen all of them. 45593 left Burton for Leeds and eventual preservation, but here she still has the St
A couple of photos of some of the locomotives for trench sidings. The first is D5083 which turned up one day on the Granville Colliary coal train from Donnington to Buildwas Powere station instaed of the more usual 8F. This is a Bachmann Class 24 and has been modified with Shawplan glazing and a Brassmasters circular exhaust port. The handrails have been thinned down and it is fitted with Branchlines P4 wheels. The second loco is another Bachmann Class 24 with Brasmasters headcode boxes (comple
I recently purchased on ebay a Hattons (Heljan) Class 14 complete with a set of Ultrascale P4 wheels and DCC chip. The plan is to fit a set of Brassmasters coupling rods and do some weathering. Always liked these since I saw a row of them at Cardiff Canton shed in 1967. I have no excuse for one of these but Rule 1 applies!
David
Although I have only started this blog recently I have been building locomotives and stock for the layout for many years, so I suppose I should post some photos of some of the stock I know have. The first pictures show my collection of 9 brake vans, why 9 i hear you sk, no idea I say I just started building them and then realised I had enough! The majority are Bachmanns latest offering but with P4 wheels, screw/3 link couplings, roofs repainted and given some weathering. The 2 ex Midland ones ar
A few more of my wagon fleet, this time tube and plate wagons, mainly Parkside.
My reasoning for the layout depends upon the steel fabrication company (it was called Summerfields) which occupied the old ironworks sit was larger than it actually was and would justify incoming trains of steel plate and sections hence the number of plate wagons. Trains did work into the site but by the early 1960s were on an "as and when required" basis. Trains of plate wagons would also justify the appearance
The pointwork for the layout was made by Tony Wilkins some time ago but everything went on hold as I built a new garage. The main section of pointwork was made in one peice and I have attemted to lay this, first soldering on wire droppers (tinned coper wire) but have now hit a problem. There are so many droppers that I cant find a way to get them all into the holes I have drilled in the baseboard! The first photo is of the pointwork before I added the droppers.
The second photo is the under
I managed not to add the photo of the little Bagnal I mentioned in the previous entry!
I am also building a North British 0-4-0 Deisel (D29xx) from a Judith Edge Kit, but this is far from finished.
Because I saw the Granville Colliery stud of Austerity 0-6-0s I have also built one of these froma Brassmasters kit (now no longer avaliable). Just needs a Cab number and weathering.
Photographing the rolling stock for this blog has made me rethink all the wagons that i have built. I have tended to just build things that interest me rather than thinkinging hard about what is appropriate. The wagons here fit clearly into my proposed traffic patterns but I notice Midland Mole has actualy sat down and worked out the rolling stock for each of his trains(along with the loco hauling it). This to me seems an eminantly sensible way to procedd so I will be making a start on this proc
The opertion of the layout will trains arriving into the exchange sidings and being shunted into the connection into the canal basin and for this I can use a number of locos. One of my favourite classes of locomotive is the ex LNWR G2. Some 25 years ago with my late friend Jim Barnes we created a 4mm brass kit for this class and started Brassmasters so this class will always have a place in my heart. The arrival of the excellent Bachmann model meant that I have never finished my personal Brassma
It has taken me a long time to realise that although i enjoy building large locomotives the real need for the layout is for shunting locomotives. I also have an interest in Industrial locomotives and used to go and watch the NCB locos hauling loaded coal trains into the exchange sidings at Donnington a few miles from Trench. I have already mentioned the ex GW Pannier tanks but I have also built some other shunters, the first two being some converted 08 diesels from Bachmann. These are fitted wit
