Hornby R6944 LSWR 3 Plank Engineer's Department Wagon

[Robin Brasher]

You will be pleased to read that the Hornby LSWR 3 plank wagon is available and selling well. Hattons have one left for £12.  The model looks like a drop side wagon and has nem couplings.  It is in LSWR plain chocolate brown although these wagons were probably painted red oxide at the end of the pre-grouping period. Please see Section 5 Departmental Stock on page 49 of HMRS Livery Register No 3 LSWR & Southern. Also Fig 20 LSWR & SR departmental vehicles diagram b suggests that the writing 'load 10 tons' should be alongside 'No 316' rather than underneath.

 

Despite these comments it looks like an excellent model and it is quite possible that the livery could be based on a photograph or a preserved example.

[JSpencer]

They did an SECR equivalent a few years back which sold out in  a flash. By mistake I ordered 2 of these LSWR ones!

[Robin Brasher]

I have just bought the wagon from the Swanage Station Shop. It is a delightful model. The picture shows a model of an LSWR terrier tank hauling the LSWR wagon over Corfe Viaduct.  I think that the LSWR tried out the terrier on the Lyme Regis branch because the locomotive could negotiate the tight curves,  Unfortunately it was not powerful enough so the company used Adams Radial tanks instead.

[railroadbill]

Bought 2 of the 3 plank wagons, need to renumber one. They are indeed very good, and extremely free running. Now I've got a new release lswr terrier I can run a train like the one in your picture.

[GeoffBird]

On ‎30‎/‎07‎/‎2020 at 09:29, Robin Brasher said:

I have just bought the wagon from the Swanage Station Shop. It is a delightful model. The picture shows a model of an LSWR terrier tank hauling the LSWR wagon over Corfe Viaduct.  I think that the LSWR tried out the terrier on the Lyme Regis branch because the locomotive could negotiate the tight curves,  Unfortunately it was not powerful enough so the company used Adams Radial tanks instead.

Looking at the brake van, is this the first version that Hornby produced in the wrong colour brown.    I have noticed that there have been more issues of this and the SR version recently by Hornby.  Are these the correct colour now.  I have also bought 3 of these Engineers Wagons to run with my Guernsey B4 tank and my OO Works Class 0330 shunter.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

I think that the brake van in that photo is the body from a BR Standard (or LNER) goods brake van minted on a short wheelbase chassis, to resemble a LNER SWB goods brake van.

 

This was done by Hornby and Mainline, each maker made a version with the same running number. The Hornby one was light grey, the Mainline one was in Bauxite brown.

 

The model in the photo looks like a Mainline version.

 

Looks good in LSWR livery.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2020 by Sarahagain
typo

[Compound2632]

Critiqued (to fumble for a polite term) here:

 

[Robin Brasher]

The brake van in my picture is a Bachmann ex LNER brake van that I repainted in LSWR livery while waiting for the Kernow brake van which has still not appeared.  I did buy a Hornby bauxite LSWR brake van which was not to hand when I took the picture. There seem to be a lot of errors in the 3 plank open wagon if the comments in the LSWR Warner brake van post are correct but it is still a good looking model with lots of fine detail.  It is a lot better than my Tri-ang drop side wagon although I think that was in red oxide livery which is probably correct for an LSWR engineering department wagon.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

Ah yes, Bachmann, Ex Mainline tooling...

 

It still looks nice.

 

 

 

[wainwright1]

On 06/08/2020 at 10:33, Robin Brasher said:

The brake van in my picture is a Bachmann ex LNER brake van that I repainted in LSWR livery while waiting for the Kernow brake van which has still not appeared.  I did buy a Hornby bauxite LSWR brake van which was not to hand when I took the picture. There seem to be a lot of errors in the 3 plank open wagon if the comments in the LSWR Warner brake van post are correct but it is still a good looking model with lots of fine detail.  It is a lot better than my Tri-ang drop side wagon although I think that was in red oxide livery which is probably correct for an LSWR engineering department wagon.

Bearing in mind that this is a ballast wagon, some careful weathering would be able to add a little red to the livery before a ballast dust finish. 

[GeoffBird]

On ‎06‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 11:33, Robin Brasher said:

The brake van in my picture is a Bachmann ex LNER brake van that I repainted in LSWR livery while waiting for the Kernow brake van which has still not appeared.  I did buy a Hornby bauxite LSWR brake van which was not to hand when I took the picture. There seem to be a lot of errors in the 3 plank open wagon if the comments in the LSWR Warner brake van post are correct but it is still a good looking model with lots of fine detail.  It is a lot better than my Tri-ang drop side wagon although I think that was in red oxide livery which is probably correct for an LSWR engineering department wagon.

Looks as if we may not have too much longer to wait now for the Road Van.  Seems to be next in the queue, ahead of the railmotor, the Kernow Website says - "expected in 2020".

[railroadbill]

I bought 2 of these (obviously have the same running number, 316).  Fortunately, my old copy of "HMRS livery register LSWR and southern" has several drawings of 3 plank engineer's dept wagons.  294, (number same place as Hornby one) 306 338 437  same height but to left of R letter, 200 to right of R but on middle plank. Also 277 with smaller numbers on top plank to right of R (L and R are close to door on this one). 

 

So some possibilities.  they do run nicely behind the terrier.

Edited August 13, 2020 by railroadbill

[Robin Brasher]

If you paint out 'Engineer's Dept' the wagon is the correct colour for an LSWR 3 plank wagon.

[Nile]

And paint the buffer beam brown while you're at it.

[Compound2632]

28 minutes ago, Nile said:

And paint the buffer beam brown while you're at it.

 

... and all the ironwork on the solebars and body.

 

Or employ @Nile's trick - paint the correct Engineer's red oxide and scrape away the paint to reveal the lettering underneath:

But whatever you do, it still won't be a model of a LSWR wagon.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Compound2632

[railroadbill]

2 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

If you paint out 'Engineer's Dept' the wagon is the correct colour for an LSWR 3 plank wagon.

Good thinking.  That would do nicely.  Actually, the HMRS livery register (p.49 in mine, section 5 Departmental stock) could be interpreted to mean that some 3 plank departmental wagons were brown like the ordinary ones rather than red oxide anyway. I'm not sure.  (it says "marked similarly to goods wagons"  which may or may not mean colour as well).

Is there another definite source about these wagons?  

[Robin Brasher]

I have not found any other source about LSWR engineer's department rolling stock.  Section 5,2 says "The ordinary ballast wagons at the end of the pre-grouping period were painted red oxide."  So it is possible that they were LSWR brown earlier.  On page 25 of An Illustrated History of Southern Wagons under the heading Engineer's Department Stock it says "... the brown colour was normally replaced by red oxide..." This was in Southern days but the same principle may have applied in pre-grouping days.  Perhaps red oxide was the rule and dark brown was the exception.

[Nile]

Martin Finney paints his engineers wagons red oxide. He probably knows what he's doing.

[railroadbill]

Very good article in Feb 2020 Railway Modeller about  P4  layout "Semley", LSWR in 1912,   that's written by Martin Finney.  Superb layout, and yes there are engineering wagons on it in red oxide!

Edited August 14, 2020 by railroadbill

[Robin Brasher]

Looks like a three plank open wagon in red oxide on page 101 of the Feb 2020 Railway Modeller on Martin Finney's layout. Perhaps Hornby should contact him before it makes its next LSWR wagon to check the livery.

[Compound2632]

3 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

Perhaps Hornby should contact him before it makes its next LSWR wagon to check the livery.

... what a LSWR wagon looks like!

[Nile]

As a generic pre-grouping wagon this model isn't bad, and better than some. I just wish Hornby would put a bit more effort into getting the livery right. They did the same with the SECR wagon last year, black buffer beams. I suspect whatever jig is used to paint the chassis can only paint the solebar sides, leaving everything else black.

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Nile said:

As a generic pre-grouping wagon this model isn't bad, and better than some. I just wish Hornby would put a bit more effort into getting the livery right. They did the same with the SECR wagon last year, black buffer beams. I suspect whatever jig is used to paint the chassis can only paint the solebar sides, leaving everything else black.

 

I agree; I was being a little harsh. It's a shame the new u/f is such a mish-mash with oil axleboxes. The old u/f, though cruder, was nearer the mark. I'm surprised this model hasn't been put out in Midland livery, or Midland Engineer's Dept livery, as it's really not that far off. Also the GCR / CLC and I think Furness had 3-plank dropside wagons with very similar dimensions - no doubt others.

Edited August 15, 2020 by Compound2632
"not that far off" not "no that far off" - I'm no a Scotsman!

[Nile]

As these are relatively cheap I thought it was worth having a go at one and trying some improvements.

Before and after:

 

More details here

 

[gwrrob]

41 minutes ago, Nile said:

As these are relatively cheap I thought it was worth having a go at one and trying some improvements.

Before and after:

 

More details here

 

 

Really nice work. I wonder how late they lasted in that livery before repaint.