Quintus

Early morning scene at 82H

The Weymouth Auto prepares to depart from Melcombe Magna. Due to the non availability of a auto fitted loco, a 8750 pannier has been rostered on this turn today, necessitating a run round at the terminus. The coal merchant's lorry leaves the yard with a ton of best house coal

1405 shunts an old ex G.W.R. van with a tarpaulin covering the leaky roof.

The shape of things to come

40634 (Ex S&D No. 45) about to be turned on my latest lockdown layout. I need another figure to assist the poor chap on the windlass, who will never manage to turn the loco on his own, and I still have to weather the bridge of the turntable.

If themodel is from a two or four coach set it will have the short buffers fitted on the non guards end as the sets were close coupled. A single coach is/was also available which had standard buffers and screw links at both ends.

Collect 2223 having completed shunting is called back by the guard to take water before getting the "right away"

A single unit departs from Melcombe Magna bound for Weymouth.

1405 on the Weymouth goods turn departing from Melcombe Magna.

I think possibly a quick coat of wartime black is wearing a bit thin and the original GW green is showing through in quite a few places. There is definitely some green showing through. Problem is, if you finished your model with that livery, no one would believe it!

Many thanks for all your replies and interest. I think the van will be finished in bauxite when it gets to the paint shop. I am using the Peco (ex Webster) kit, with 5 thou. riveted brass overlays for the sheeting and modifying the handrails and windows. I'm sure someone out there must have done this!! Regards to all Mike

PS I also see the number and tonnage lettering are in a different position, further indicating a repaint. As far as my research has gone to date, these are the only two photos of this van. There is another one of it at West Bay station but the van is mostly obscured by the loco. As that photo is also credited ti I D Beale I think it is fairly safe to assume it was taken on the same day in August 1955

And here is the photo in the OPC book. I think it must have had a repaint from the photo above as there is a bigger space between Bridport and RU lettering . The photo looks to me to be rather dark for B.R. grey, so maybe bauxite?

The photo in the opc book shows W56943 Bridport RU 24T in Gill Sans lettering with no black patches. Apparently in was marshalled between loco and coaches on one turn, hence through pipe,steam heating pipe and screw couplings

I am building a o gauge model of the Bridport based 6 wheel ex GW Toad as it would have appeared in B.R. days. According to the OPC book on the Bridport branch, the van was vacuum fitted, but I suspect it may have just been through piped. Photos of this van are rare, but the one photo in the OPC book show it with B.R. lettering (possibly late 1955) My question is, what colour would the van have been at this time? It could have still been in G.W. dark grey, Possibly bauxite, or B.R. freight grey. I doubt the latter as there are no black patches for the lettering. Bauxite also seems doubtful to my thinking but I may be wrong. Any ideas anyone? Cheers Mike