Churminster & Stowe Magna, Southern Railway

[Allegheny1600]

Hello Tony,

Everything is all looking very good here and you're doing quite a lot of "proper" modelling now - well done!

I must say, the rolling E5-X chassis looks excellent, what wheels are those, please?

Also, thanks for the comparison between the old and the new Terriers - that is a big difference, now to wait and see how much difference there is between the new Hornby and the Sheffield versions (not wishing to cause controversy, just curious).

Finally, here's hoping your good lady is on the mend.

Cheers,

John. 

[Tony Teague]

Thanks John!

Not sure what 'improper' modelling I have been doing for the last 10 years , but glad you like this .

The chassis is from SE Finecast who supply Markits / Romford wheels with their kits, and I agree, they look pretty good to me.

Don't worry, I have the Rails / Sheffield Terrier on order so I shall certainly pose it alongside the Hornby one and see what their strengths and weaknesses might be.

Thanks for your good wishes.

 

Tony

[Tony Teague]

Slow progress on both the Maunsell dining car and the E5-X; I have modified the underframe of the former, adding gas cylinder lockers etc, and motorised the chassis for the latter, however, both have had problems.

 

I have had to fill and rub down the coach sides a couple of times and I'm still not entirely happy - most difficult to remove are bits of Evostick that have extruded out from where the new brass sides are joined to the donor plastic roof. I have had to cut away some of the internal cab structure of the E5-X in order to get the motor to fit and I am now in the process of slightly modifying the front of the chassis to get a better fit under the body - but both will get there shortly!

 

In the meantime I thought that it might be of interest to do a "Southern catering vehicle review" (excluding Pullman cars!), so far as my collection will allow, so here goes:

 

There are three ex-LSWR catering vehicles, the first being No.7848, a 56' Dining Saloon built in 1913 to (SR) d.590; the model is from Northstar in unlined olive livery:

 

 

Then we have two ex-LSWR 'Ironclad' Dining Saloons, both from Phoenix kits, of which the first is No.7850 built by Ian Willetts and painted exquisitly by Larry Goddard in lined olive:

 

 

The second Ironclad is No.7854 built and painted by Mike Radford in early malachite livery:

 

 

Moving forward in time we then have four Maunsell dining vehicles; these diagrams look very similar, although the standard of finish the models varies hugely! The first three models are all from Ian Kirk / Colin Ashby kits, and I bought the first of these second hand on E-Bay when I had no SR dining vehicles at all. It is probably one of the worst-looking models in my collection and is perhaps overdue for a complete re-build, or perhaps hitting with a sledge hammer! No.7998 is in malachite livery and represents a d.2655 Kitchen / Dining First :

 

 

I think the windows have been lined with tissue paper which has faded & stained badly! Incidentally, this came with a Kirk / Maunsell 3 car set which is equally badly built; perhaps they could be donors for the remaining brass dining car sides that I have from Mousa Models?

 

The second Kirk / Maunsell is No. 7945 which I built to represent the d.2651 Kitchen / Dining First ( I see that we have a wonky table lamp!):

 

 

The last Kirk / Maunsell dining vehicle is No.7869 a d.2656 Kitchen / Dining First; the differences between d. 2651, 2655 and 2656 relate mainly to kitchen equipment and so the differences are really quite marginal!:

 

 

The coach currently under conversion will be finished as No.7865 to d.2659 which actually does look rather different.

 

The last catering vehicle in the collection is the new Hornby Maunsell Kicthen / Dining First, and not only is it also to d.2656 but it is also finished as No.7869 so either it or the last Kirk model shown needs to be re-numbered:

 

 

There is no doubt that this model is a great improvement on the Kirk model which is now pretty old, so I suspect that in time they will become donors to future conversions.

 

There are currently no Bulleid catering vehicles in the collection, and in fact there are only two types that fit within the time frame of my model, and only 11 of each, all of which formed part of Bulleid's six coach dining Sets Nos.290 - 300; the two diagrams concerned were d.2507, a three compartment Restaurant First & saloon, and d.2660 a Restaurant / Kitchen Third. I have had one of these sets under construction for several years and so the gap will eventually be plugged!

 

Tony

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Tony Teague

[thegreenhowards]

Tony,

 

A lovely collection of dining cars!

 

I also suffer from evostick under the cornice. I think the best approach is to let it dry thoughourly and then rub it off. Definitely don’t try to remove when wet as the paint comes off with it! How do I know this?......

 

All the best

 

Andy

[Tony Teague]

2 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

I also suffer from evostick under the cornice.

 

 

Have you seen a doctor about it?

[DLT]

12 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

 I think the best approach is to let it dry thoughourly and then rub it off.

 

That will make it sore...

[Tony Teague]

7 hours ago, AVS1998 said:

 

Wow, those elder dining cars look amazing, especially in the fully lined livery. They must've been a sight to see in person. 

 

Does anyone know anything more about the older ones? I have a copy of the Model Railway Constructor which discusses the prototype a little and their alterations, including removal of the clerestory, and thus a conversion of the triang clerestory into the dining car, but I'd be interested to know more! 

 

(Highly doubtful they made it east of Portsmouth let alone Brighton, but a girl can dream!)

 

Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your updates and stock demonstrations.

 

- Alex 

 

Hi Alex

 

Assuming that you mean the first type shown, (No.7848), these were built new in 1913 and were the first LSWR dining cars not to have a clerestory roof - but they were not converted from older clerestory coaches.

(That does not mean of course, that a model could not be built out of a Triang clerestory, but I wouldn't know where to begin).

The best book covering these coaches is 'LSWR Carriages in the 20th Century' by G.R. Weddell (OPC); the coaches lasted until 1944 - 47, so there is always the possibility that during SR days they may have strayed beyond LSWR territory.

I am sure that someone on here will know the answer!

 

Tony

[Tony Teague]

Earlier this week I spent a most enjoyable day visiting Tony Wright and Little Bytham, and he very kindly provided much needed attention to 3 of my locos that were out of service for one reason or another.

 

Here are Tony's pictures of each of the trio running on LB:

 

 

No.21C18 'British India Line' is from a PDK kit and I was having problems with the front bogie lifting and derailing on some corners; Tony adjusted the spring through which the bogie is attached and also suggested that I add more weight to the front of the loco - which will be done! The loco behaved prototypically on LB, demonstrating massive wheel slip when trying to start one of Tony's very heavy rakes of kit-built coaches!

 

 

No. 954 is also from a PDK kit and in this case she was having trouble getting round bends due to the long, eight-coupled wheelbase. There seemed to be a lack of side-play in the axles, and so Tony removed the motion and was able to file down the outside faces of the bearings to provide greater clearance; he then re-assembled and as can be seen, I just need to touch up the weathering of various joints in the motion. The loco now takes the sharper (2'6") bends on Stowe Magna & Churminster with comfort.

 

 

Finally, No.939 'Leatherhead' had lost a rivet / pin from the motion which Tony deftly replaced with a soldered brass pin, and again this  just needs touching in to complete.

 

I am most grateful to Tony for identifying the causes and rectifying these problems with speed & consummate ease! All three locos are now back in the operational fleet.

 

(All three pictures courtesy of Tony Wright).

[Regret that these images cannot be found or replaced - TT 2022]

 

Tony

 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by Tony Teague

[Tony Teague]

A quick update on the lack of progress with my Maunsell Kitchen / Buffet conversion to d.2659; having reached the point of lettering and numbering it I discovered that I simply could not find the word "Buffet" in sunshine lettering (which according to Mike King was on the side of these vehicles) in any set of transfers.

 

 

I posted a plea for help elsewhere on RMWeb, because the word is missing from the HMRS sheets, whilst Fox have a BR version but I think it is in the wrong font; so far no-one has come up with an answer although several useful suggestions have been made.

 

So at present the coach is parked windowless in the siding outside the coach works, where it will remain until I can find a suitable "buffet"!

 

Otherwise the coach, which is sitting a slightly upgraded Hornby underframe, is almost finished with just a little work progressing to complete the interior.

 

I'll provide an update on the other unfinished project, the ex-LB&SCR E5-X tank, very soon.

 

Tony

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Tony Teague

[thegreenhowards]

Tony,

 

The Buffet is looking good apart from the ‘buffet’ transfers. Is this the one you started when you came to visit me? You seem to have got rid of all the imperfections on the body side. It looks rather matt. Are you going to varnish after the transfers have all been applied?

 

Andy

[Tony Teague]

Andy

 

Yes it is - and I am most grateful for your original directions and support; I am aiming to kick off a couple more shortly once I have identified suitable donors.

I airbrushed the sides with Precision Paints malachite but I only had 'dull' available so I then applied a Tamiya aerosol gloss varnish before adding the decals - you can see just how glossy that gloss was!

I will certainly varnish again once I have solved the 'buffet' problem; normally I'd be going for matt but I think it needs glossing up a bit!

 

Tony

 

[Tony Teague]

About time for an update!

 

Attention has been somewhat diverted from modelling over the past couple of weeks as I needed to prepare for two separate sets of visitors to the railway; being VIP's, I even hoovered the carpet on the stairs up to the railway room! (A skill that my lady wife was not aware that I had ).

 

On Stowe Magna shed, the ashpits were being tidied!

 

 

Whilst nearby on Platform 1, additional milk supplies were being unloaded:

 

 

My good friend Nigel was here on Tuesday and brought with him two delightful but diminutive shunters to run on the railway - the Hornby Peckett and the new Model Rail / Rapido Trains LNER ‘J70’; both performed impecketably with the excellent J70 having the edge due to its 6 driving wheels and considerable weight in the model.

 

Sadly I took no pictures so I shall have to invite him (them) back!

 

On Wednesday the railway played host to members of a local HMRS Area Group, and I am pleased to say that my worst fears that everything would go wrong, were unfounded! There were, however, one or two "operator errors" - I was talking too much!

 

Here is their transport being serviced at Churminster Southdown Bus Garage whilst they enjoyed the railway:

 

 

It is always a pleasure to share the railway with visitors, just as it is to visit what others have produced - a great source of inspiration and motivation.

 

Once the visits were over I should have knuckled down and finished off one of the many half-completed projects that are in hand, but instead I opted to relax and build a couple of wagon kits!

 

 

I enjoy variety in my freight trains, and like others, I have a drawer full of kits that I will one day get around to; these are all "foreigners" to the Southern, being, from left to right, a Peco / Parkside private owner grain wagon and two Slaters LMS 8 ton vans each almost complete but unpainted.

 

I also started on a Cambrian Models LMS 6 ton fish van, although what this will be doing on SR metals I have no idea!

 

 

Perhaps it will run in the same train as these two Chivers 6-wheel LMS fish vans completed last year ?

 

 

So now I have these wagons to complete, in addition to the Maunsell buffet and the E5-X loco!

 

I really must learn to be more disciplined!

 

Tony

Edited November 10, 2022 by Tony Teague
To remove spurious picture

[Tony Wright]

Lovely work on this page (and others), Tony,

 

I really must dip into your thread more often.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Teague]

Very kind of you Tony!

Hope you noted your pics of 3 of my locos on LB!

 

Best wishes

 

Tony

[Mick Bonwick]

3 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 

the Hornby Peckett and the new Model Rail / Rapido Trains LNER ‘J70’; both performed impecketably with the excellent J70 having the edge due to its 6 driving wheels and considerable weight in the model.

 

Almost missed that. Almost. 

 

Progress is good, whatever it entails.

 

Note that you are my 800th post on this forum. Congratulations.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Mick Bonwick
Just noticed how many posts I've made.

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

I even hoovered the carpet on the stairs up to the railway room! (A skill that my lady wife was not aware that I had ).

Oh dear, that's torn it.

[Tony Teague]

6 hours ago, Mick Bonwick said:

 

Almost missed that. Almost. 

 

Progress is good, whatever it entails.

 

Note that you are my 800th post on this forum. Congratulations.

 

Yes but I've made 812 !

Nah nah ne nah nah!

[Tony Teague]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Oh dear, that's torn it.

 

Yes, serious error of judgement!

[Tony Teague]

I mentioned a couple of posts back that I find building wagon kits very theraputic, and given that one or two family health issues have stood in the way of much serious modelling - plus that I have a drawer full of unmade wagon kits - I have taken the opportunity to complete a couple more, plus repairing another pair that had been shunted into a siding.

 

 

Most of these 8 are structurally complete and just waiting the paint shop, lettering and weathering, but a couple have details such as couplings or brake gear to be completed.

 

Looking along the line from the foreground, right to left, we have an LMS 12T van (d.1664) and an LMS 6T fish van (d.1885) both from Cambrian kits, then a Private Owner Grain wagon (Parkside), followed by two MR / LMS 8T covered vans from very old Slaters kits, picked up on Ebay. As you can tell, I like variety especially in my van trains!

 

Bringing up the rear are first, what was originally a Hornby circus van, and is now part-way through conversion into a NE / LNER 10T ventilated refrigerator van, followed by an SR 10T dropside wagon (d.1301), and finally an SR ballast plough & brake van to d.1748 which was acquired RTR from it's maker, Marc Models; it has a few problems which I am resolving, however the biggest is that whilst it is quite well painted & lettered, it is an Engineers Dept vehicle and should actually be in red oxide with Venetian red ends - so the question is, do I want to strip and re-paint it, or can I live with it?

 

I am undecided - but here they all are from the opposite end of the line:

 

 

I am embarassed to mention that there are four more part-built kits currently on the workbench, by Slaters (x2), David Geen, and Maple Models and so I think that these will have to be cleared before all move into the paint shop  - but then I really must move on to completing my E5-X, and E4-X locos - the first of which has been in build for far too long!

 

Nevertheless, the unbuilt kit draw still contains much to go at, so it will get re-visited in due course!

 

Tony

Edited November 10, 2022 by Tony Teague

[Tony Teague]

After further efforts I have almost cleared the workbench of 'wagons in progress', including adding some of those from the cripple drawer; one wagon was scrapped in the process, as being not worth the effort - and probably cheaper to replace, if needed. One wagon - a Maple Models kit for an LSWR low sided van - remains on the bench as I will need to order some suitable underframe parts if it is to be completed. To be honest it is an awful kit, very much of its day, and made from brittle, semi-transparent resin but it is unusual, and so I will persevere for the time being!

 

Two Chivers LMS Low Low wagons turned up half finished in a drawer and these plus a Slaters MR / LMS 8T high sided coke wagon have now joined the line waiting for the paint shop:

 

 

Since then, some primer has been applied:

 

 

and from the other end of what is now a rather longer queue:

 

 

So now we are down to top coats, lettering and then weathering; some of the LMS wagons will end up in bauxite and I did have a spray can of bauxite primer, but unfortunately it seemed to explode paint in all directions and had to go in the bin!

 

I remain undecided about the fate of the ballast plough - to strip and repaint, or live with it?

 

 

It seems a nice model!

 

Tony

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Tony Teague

[CarriageShed]

On 06/10/2018 at 08:34, Tony Teague said:

 

Chris

 

There certainly seems to be a lot of interest in LSWR stock.

I looked at the Loddon L11 before finding he Martin Finney kit:

 

 

Thanks for your kind comments and continued support.

 

Tony

 

Same here, but modelling in N gauge means there's even less choice available. Especially for Drummond fans.

[Tony Teague]

4 hours ago, CarriageShed said:

 

Same here, but modelling in N gauge means there's even less choice available. Especially for Drummond fans.

 

Sorry to hear that - I'm not really up to speed with what is and is not available in N - perhaps 3D printing might offer some answers?

 

Tony

[CarriageShed]

2 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

 

Sorry to hear that - I'm not really up to speed with what is and is not available in N - perhaps 3D printing might offer some answers?

 

Tony

 

There's the Union Mills wide-cab T9 with 6-wheel tender in N, which comes up quite well when lined and detailed. There's also the underpowered Dapol M7.

 

With a bit of hacking the T9 could produce an L11 even if the wheels are a little large, but there's no fully acceptable watercart available, or any other type of Drummond tender loco. 3D is definitely a promising way forward though, and I'm keeping a close eye on developments.

[Jack P]

Tony, 

 

Your rake is looking fantastic, it looks like we have both been working on similar things.

 

As for the ballast plow - Strip and repaint! 

[Tony Teague]

6 hours ago, Jack P said:

Tony, 

 

Your rake is looking fantastic, it looks like we have both been working on similar things.

 

As for the ballast plow - Strip and repaint! 

 

Jack

I am sure you are right!

I am just a bit reluctant because it looks pretty good as it is, but I shall have to bite the bullet as it will be running with a rake of large ballast hoppers which are already in the Engineers Dept livery.

Tony