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The Saltport Saga


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For more weathering without maskin and spraying, I would consider some localised vertical staining, for example rust streaks from where something is bolted to the wall, or streaks of green lichen/algae below a place that water might drip down. I think that could add a lot of character without much work.  

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  • 4 weeks later...
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On 11/06/2021 at 15:47, Barclay said:

It's been a strange year or so hasn't it? It must have affected me because my loco. building has gone severely astray - up until 2020 I had only ever built one freelance loco. - a teenage modification of the Hornby Caley Pug. Now, I have three more:

 

It all started when I was reading about Tri-ang dock shunters in the 'vintage' section - I remembered that I nearly had one in the early 70's when I was about 5. We got home from the shop and it didn't work. Neither did the second one so I ended up with the Triang-Hornby '08' shunter instead. As a result of this I recently decided I really wanted one and bought a 'non-runner' off ebay for £16. It did run, after a bit of a clean up, and subsequently received some extra details and Ultrascale wheels - drop them in and you have an instant EM gauge loco! One day I would like to be able to alternate with a mid-1970's timeframe for the layout so this might have a role one day. It runs quite well, although seriously fast ! Since the photo was taken it has received an LED light.

 

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Building this got me thinking and I soon had a couple more broken bodies from ebay. Some simple scratchbuilt bogies built around Mitsumi motors, small Romford gears, and Gibson wheels got this monster up and running. Bogie sideframes are Athearn. These loco's are in the style of W.G. Bagnall so I assumed that the Brush-Bagnall bogie shunters built in the 50's for the Steel Company of Wales looked like this, much better looking than the real ones ! I wasn't brave enough to paint this one orange...

 

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And finally as described in its own thread I built this Hawthorn-Leslie - ish loco. by modifying a very old Stewart Reidpath cast lead body and putting it onto an etched chassis. I'm still undecided about the lettering so haven't fitted the works plates yet. It may yet receive a re-spray.

 

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That's all for now. Lots more projects and bits in the drawer. I might even do some more to the layout one of these days!

For what it's worth I really like the Saltport Estates branding :)

 

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14 hours ago, Corbs said:

For what it's worth I really like the Saltport Estates branding :)

 

Thank you - I have now installed the etched worksplates, on the sandboxes, so I suppose I must have decided not to repaint it !

 

Just thinking - I reckon it counts as a Pugbash ??

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6 hours ago, Barclay said:

Thank you - I have now installed the etched worksplates, on the sandboxes, so I suppose I must have decided not to repaint it !

 

Just thinking - I reckon it counts as a Pugbash ??

Glad you kept the branding. I think it makes the loco.
Chris.

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  • 1 month later...

Talk on another thread about the dubious cliché of having a bus on a road overbridge on your layout has led to me actually obtaining a bus... It's an old EFE model of a Birkenhead Corporation Guy Arab with wartime utility body, just the kind of thing that might have turned up at Saltport in the years immediately after the war.

 

At the moment it's far too shiny and clean - it stands out like a sore thumb amid the sombre colours of my layout, but then I assume that's exactly what a blue and cream bus would have done in a rather grim and blackened industrial area. Nevertheless I think it will get a coat of matt varnish and some light weathering at some stage, plus maybe a new route number and destination. I will also need a bus stop to justify it being stationary.

 

 

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Edited by Barclay
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4 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

You clearly thought ahead when setting the height of that bridge! 

I was lucky!

 

7 minutes ago, Adam said:

Nice. I’d go with satin rather than matt as a finish - bus bodywork normally has some sort of sheen, even in the post war years. 
 

Adam

Sounds right - I can mix and match some matt and gloss Humbrol Clear. Then I'll probably have to pull it to bits to protect the glass and paint the seats, which were plain wood in these utility bodies. Then print new destination blinds - it's amazing where this hobby can lead us!

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My experience of lowbridge buses was a Leigh Corporation Leyland bus on the 26 route heading to and from Worsley Road from Manchester.
Going upstairs, to be confronted with the sunken walkway and bench seats, was a revelation to the young Pakes who was and still is, a bus afficianado!
Leigh Corporation had a great blue livery for their buses.
Chris, being sad.:lol:

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On 03/12/2021 at 18:04, 5050 said:

Could it also be  a Crosville bus?  I've got a selection of the EFE etc. Crosville models.  I used Crossie buses a lot when I were a lad.

Yes I think Crosville would have been a reasonable alternative. In fact Saltport is 15 miles from Birkenhead so perhaps I'm stretching it a bit - 15 miles on those wartime utility wooden seats wouldn't be a lot of fun.

 

On 04/12/2021 at 17:38, Sandhole said:

My experience of lowbridge buses was a Leigh Corporation Leyland bus on the 26 route heading to and from Worsley Road from Manchester.
Going upstairs, to be confronted with the sunken walkway and bench seats, was a revelation to the young Pakes who was and still is, a bus afficianado!
Leigh Corporation had a great blue livery for their buses.
Chris, being sad.:lol:

I grew up with Eastern National Bristol Lodekkas, with low bridge bodies by Eastern Coachworks of Lowestoft, although by then they had figured out how to do it without the sunken walkway and four-abreast seating. I'm not a bus nerd myself of course...

 

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10 hours ago, Barclay said:

Yes I think Crosville would have been a reasonable alternative. In fact Saltport is 15 miles from Birkenhead so perhaps I'm stretching it a bit - 15 miles on those wartime utility wooden seats wouldn't be a lot of fun.

 


Maybe, but not impossible - one of the local operators in south Somerset ran a few for some years. Can’t recall - because the book is with dad In Somerset - which it was (I think Safeway’s of South Petherton). Ten mile runs would be punishing but not uncommon.

 

Adam

 

EDIT - PS, here were are: 

 

SAFEWAY SERVICES, SOUTH PETHERTON

 

 

Merriott is just shy of 12 miles from Yeovil...

 

Edited by Adam
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8 hours ago, Barclay said:

Yes I think Crosville would have been a reasonable alternative. In fact Saltport is 15 miles from Birkenhead so perhaps I'm stretching it a bit - 15 miles on those wartime utility wooden seats wouldn't be a lot of fun.

 

I grew up with Eastern National Bristol Lodekkas, with low bridge bodies by Eastern Coachworks of Lowestoft, although by then they had figured out how to do it without the sunken walkway and four-abreast seating. I'm not a bus nerd myself of course...

 

When we had interesting buses, I am happy to say I was a bus nerd.
Dad, bless him, took me to Altrincham in order to travel on the North Western Bedford VAL buses that ran on a route from there.
I think one of those was preserved, the bodies were unique.
Who would have thought I'd have driven a horse box on a Bedford VAL chassis, umpteen years later?

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35 minutes ago, Sandhole said:

When we had interesting buses, I am happy to say I was a bus nerd.
Dad, bless him, took me to Altrincham in order to travel on the North Western Bedford VAL buses that ran on a route from there.
I think one of those was preserved, the bodies were unique.
Who would have thought I'd have driven a horse box on a Bedford VAL chassis, umpteen years later?

 

There are 2 preserved, AJA133B is in Kent being restored, and AJA139B is the North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens.

Bodywork was by Strachan and was designed for a low bridge on that route (which I understand has since been rebuilt)

 

I'm not a bus nerd either. Honest. (Who am I kidding! In reality I was brought up around Ribble Motors in Preston, both of my parents worked there.  Like you say that was when buses were interesting.)

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My usual daily transport to school was by Bedford OB's (with the occasional Crosville Bristol if I missed the usual) operated by 2 local companies, Williams and Phillips.  These had 'normal' seats but there was another local company that operated on the other side of Wrexham that had Bedfords with utility bodies with the slatted seats.  I used to see them in the bus station and, even then, was glad I didn't have to use them.  Luckily for those that did they were only used on short local routes.

 

Regarding the low bridge double deckers with the sunken footwell and long seats, I HATED having to use the top deck on these when the lower deck was full, especially if I was pushed into the end by the window by adults.  Trying to get out was a nightmare and I missed my stop a couple of times.  The cigarette smog was diabolical too!

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On 06/12/2021 at 17:28, Moxy said:

 

There are 2 preserved, AJA133B is in Kent being restored, and AJA139B is the North West Museum of Road Transport in St Helens.

Bodywork was by Strachan and was designed for a low bridge on that route (which I understand has since been rebuilt)

 

I'm not a bus nerd either. Honest. (Who am I kidding! In reality I was brought up around Ribble Motors in Preston, both of my parents worked there.  Like you say that was when buses were interesting.)

Thanks for that. Good to know examples have been preserved.
My Ribble experience was the front entrance full-fronted Leyland double deckers working into Moseley Street bus depot in Manchester.
Regards,
Chris.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Jack Benson
On 06/12/2021 at 09:59, Adam said:


Maybe, but not impossible - one of the local operators in south Somerset ran a few for some years. Can’t recall - because the book is with dad In Somerset - which it was (I think Safeway’s of South Petherton). Ten mile runs would be punishing but not uncommon.

 

Adam

 

EDIT - PS, here were are: 

 

SAFEWAY SERVICES, SOUTH PETHERTON

 

 

Merriott is just shy of 12 miles from Yeovil...

 

This may not be of interest but the country bus website is sometimes rather helpful for description of local services albeit local to South Somerset.

 

StaySafe

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