Building a Southern Region layout

[Guest Jack Benson]

Mikkel,

 

Of the three options, Wenford is the most scenic (better suited to me) but has been almost done to death, the Army camp would be rather austere however I do have a number of suitable models, finally, the pottery at Parkstone would be a personal favourite. 

Time spent sitting on the parapet of Lower Parkstone's Osborne Road bridge watching George Jennings re-arrange the wagons were well spent, Dad had hold of me by the belt! Watching Bulleids ascending the bank with 11+ was an education, though I secretly admired the visiting Halls that would walk away even from a signal check. Dad was not impressed by my treachery but it wasn't helped by the fact that they were invariably immaculate and their bark.........  

 

Osborne Road bridge, the yard was visible from the eastern end of the parapet

 

Someone has tried to make a model of the yard but no one has bothered. AFAIK. with t'other end of the line. Skytrex offer some nice resin castings for a pottery, they will come in handy as will Hornby's Peckett, though not quite right, it'll do.

 

StaySafe

 

 

[RFS]

On 20/04/2021 at 18:31, Jack Benson said:

 

I did hope that someone would comment on the two images which have appeared at different times on RMWeb, both are 30581 and both were captured (I think) in the Exeter area at approximately the same period. The livery is plain black, hybrid lettering of Southern on the tender, BR cabside number in Southern sunshine but BR smokebox door number. Unfortunately neither image was noted with a date but maybe sometime in ‘48-52. 
 

The Exeter connection made 30581 the ideal subject for DLT’s superb model, the lettering is  the slightly updated version. Somewhere, there is an etched smokebox door number from Narrow Planet.
 

StaySafe

 

 

I would suggest the first picture is of 30581 descending the bank from Exeter Central into St David's and the second photo is almost certainly Exmouth Junction shed. 

[chris45lsw]

Jack, 30581 received its '30581' in  'Sunshine' style in Nov/Dec 1948.  And I'm not absolutely sure but I believe it didn't get BR  numerals and BR emblem until Feb 1953.

 

Chris KT 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Mundane vans - nothing to see here

 

SR 12t van even planked - Ratio

 

exLSWR Diag 1410 - Cambrian

 

exLBSC Diag1434 - Smallbrook+Cambrian

 

Nothing much to add, all require couplings (Kadee) and added weight whilst the careworn livery is '45+ to reflect six years of neglect and hard work. The Smallbrook Diag1434 was challenging and the nearest chassis we could find is Cambrian.

 

StaySafe

 

[Mikkel]

If that's mundane then I like mundane. Very well observed. How did you do the chalk marks?

[Guest Jack Benson]

An interesting image pitched up of the factory end of the SW Pottery line, comparison with both the colour image of the Peckett and other images on the blog are revealing aspects of the site previously unknown. The awful sketch of the trackplan attempts to replicate something of the original in a very small space, not so much a layout as a working diorama. A Hornby W4, currently on special offer from Rails, is on its way. This does undermine the previous  ‘no more layouts’ comment but those unused RUB christmas tree boxes weren’t going to waste now, were they?

 

StaySafe

 

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Jack Benson
Revised images

[DavidLong]

Go on, Jack, you know you want to and we'll all be here cheering you on!

 

David

[Guest Jack Benson]

On 28/04/2021 at 05:43, Mikkel said:

If that's mundane then I like mundane. Very well observed. How did you do the chalk marks?

White art pencil from Caran D’ache.

 

StaySafe

[Guest Jack Benson]

Moving on from such nonsense, a separate thread for the pottery will eventually appear in Boxfiles.

 

Sunday morning running session.

 

 

Despite just been repainted in BR livery, 30581 is looking a tad too clean but the vans look appropriate for the period.

 

Just waiting for a KMRC road van to pitch up.

 

StaySafe

[Guest Jack Benson]

More Sunday stuff, running both the newly arrived 0395 and the mighty D15 but also gazing at Cambrian's cheapest SR kit in its usual colours of worn out grey.

 

 

 

 

The David Geen exLSWR Diag 1409 van is still hidden in the 'roundtuit' cupboard, I need a certain amount of courage to even open the parcel as never before have I spent so much on a kit, neither will I ever use 'BidSniper' again without the help of an adult. The kit was bought as part of a project to run a train comprising of elderly pre-grouping goods stock, it is an attempt to set the 'tone' of general decrepitude on this forgotten* part of the Southern.

 

StaySafe

 

*Only a bit of daydreaming: English as tuppence, changing yet changeless as canal water, nestling in green nowhere, armoured and effete, bold flag bearer, opsimath, eremite, feudal, still-reactionary, Beaminster Road

[DavidLong]

I do like 0395s but very rare in modelling circles. Well done, Jack.

 

David

[Guest Jack Benson]

3 hours ago, DavidLong said:

I do like 0395s but very rare in modelling circles. Well done, Jack.

 

David

All the credit for the locos goes to David Taylor of this parish, my role was simply to provide Info and bits.

 

At the moment, all I seem to do is source appropriate rolling stock, as many pre-grouping stuff as possible, even the road vehicles are all pre-WW2 and typical for rural west Dorset.

 

Jack

[Guest Jack Benson]

A 'bitsa' for Beaminster Road.

 

The 'roundtuit' cupboard is getting a final rummage and clean-out, amongst the bits were a Hornby T9 chassis with a Peter's Spares upgrade, a Hornby narrow cab T9 body and a T9 6w tender. Hornby did offer a nice T9 narrow cab with 6 wheel tender 30726 R2831 but Beaminster Road is stuck in a '48-52 time loop and there is an image of 30704 at both Padstow and Yeovil Town in unlined black but carrying BR numbers with SOUTHERN on the tender. 

 

 

281/282/704/726/729 were the only narrow-cab T9s with 6-wheeled tenders, all 14' wheelbase ones.

281 was withdrawn in October 1951, in plain black but with a BR number. I'm not sure of what type of lettering it had.

282 was w/d 1954 in BR lined black, received November 1951 when it was renumbered from s282 (received Feb 1948 with BRITISH RAILWAYS spelt out on the tender, plain black, in Bulleid Sunshine lettering)

704 w/d October 1951 in plain black, tender SOUTHERN in Bulleid Sunshine, cab side 30704 in Gill Sans, from March 1950.

726 w/d August 1959, BR lined black from April 1949, initially with no crest.

729 w/d March 1961, from December 1949 BR lined black, early BR emblem

As the layout tends to use locos from the local area, 30704 is an ideal candidate.

 

In the 'roundtuit' cupboard:-

 

 

 

No doubt something will go wrong but orders have been placed the transfer and a smokebox door plate.

 

Should be working by Christmas

 

StaySafe

 

 

[DLT]

On 03/05/2021 at 16:26, Jack Benson said:

All the credit for the locos goes to David Taylor of this parish, my role was simply to provide Info and bits.

 

The 0395 was very much a team-effort, between Jack, Captain Kernow and myself

[Guest Jack Benson]

The Hunt couplings just arrived.

 

The Dapol NEM box was a tight fit and a little fettling needed HOWEVER not the fault of the coupling as the Dapol NEM box was a problem with Kadees and Maerklin couplings.

 

 

This type of Hunt coupling needs to be correctly orientated, we used the A at the front of the train and B at the back. The result is a discrete coupling that works perfectly and does not separate unless by intention moreover no issues when placing the vehicles in storage boxes.

 

In short, rather superb.

 

StaySafe

 

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Enough is enough

 

Thanks for the encouragement but I don't think that I will proceed with yet another 4-4-0 beyond 30704 for Beaminster Road. Thanks to David, OOworks and Hornby there are four different 4-4-0s trundling about an incomplete layout which needs to be completed and used rather waste time on yet another 'project'

 

The 0395 has proved that small is as interesting as the magnificent D15, maybe just think about the next model from OOworks as the perfect foil to the 0395?

 

StaySafe

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

 

This is an exLSWR 24’ luggage van. It was rescued from a siding in Tisbury where it had been used as a store for agricultural machinery (see below). It is remarkable that the the vehicle was still in Southern Livery in 1971, the letter is clearly discernable.

Built by the LSWR at a cost of £600, this vehicle was given the number 5025. Originally intended for the carriage of Milk, Fruit and Vegetables, or Fish, though these products were never mixed to avoid cross contamination or tainting. Occasionally these vans were also used to convey passenger's luggage. The van is fitted with vacuum brakes and a steam heating 'through' pipe to enable it to run in passenger trains. It features a sloping floor with a central drain. Originally the van would have been fitted with removable wire shelves, which we hope to be able to recreate. Over 200 of this type of van were built. One other van has been preserved at Bluebell Railway, but awaits restoration.

 

It is being restored to full LSWR passenger livery of salmon and umber with black and vermillion lining and gold blocked lettering on the doors. The running gear is being overhauled with new suspension rubbers and split pins.

 

When no longer required for this traffic, it was used as an ordinary luggage van and numbered 1451 by the Southern Railway in 1929, who used it until 13th September 1939. After this date it was kept at Tisbury and used as a store for agricultural merchandise. Purchased from there in 1971 by the Lea Valley Railway Group, it is now owned by the QRS.

 

Two such vehicles survive, one on the Bluebell and t’other at Quainton.

 

 

 

Jidenco/Falcon and Mallard used to offer a 4mm kit, with another in 7mm by Connoisseur. A Jidenco/Falcon brass kit just popped up on EBay, it didn’t last long.

 

StaySafe

[Guest Jack Benson]

Yesterday, in between the ‘showers’ we ventured down to the extreme edge of West Dorset in order to follow the intended 1845 route of the Dorchester and Exeter Coastal Extension (D&E) via Bridport. Starting at the western edge of Dorchester we tried to imagine the difficulties in finding a suitable route running parallel to the modern A35, the overall impression was disbelief as the Downs are both extremely steep and frequent on the way to Bridport.
 

From Bridport, the route had planned to skirt around the Symondsbury Estate and make for Whitchurch Canoicorum via the cleft in the Downs at Ryall. The image is just below the ridge line at Ryall, presumably the line would have followed the contours along the valley.

 

 

However the problems would have really started at Whitchurch, a pretty village nestled in the folds of the hills with not one road without a steep approach. The proposed engineering works on the route would have been frequent and costly, no doubt to the dismay of the LSWR board, which chose the Yeovil extension as the less costly option to reach Axminster and eventually Exeter. Another factor would have been the lack of potential population served by the D&E with only Bridport, once Dorset’s second town but in decline by 1845, this area of West Dorset is still sparsely populated and suffers from poor access. 
 

The other reason for the road trip was to check out the local features such as colours, trees, hedges, buildings etc. thankfully our version, Beaminster Road, seems to be the right colour but we need another couple of dozen trees and the final image, whilst attractive, is indicative of the area.
 

 

 StaySafe

[Bulwell Hall]

We almost bumped into each other then Tim.  We were also in West Dorset at the weekend and visited the Symondsbury Estate with a view to climbing Colmers Hill - something I've never done.  The weather defeated us though but the sea at Eype was spectacular!

 

Gerry

[JZ]

3 hours ago, Jack Benson said:

Continuing with the theme of places to model, try this.....

Gomshall and Shere on the SER

Cross country secondary lines hold a certain fascination, this line was more interesting than most as it was partially electrified and host to both SR and WR region trains.

 

 

Plenty of scope for archaic Southern 4-4-0s and Western luvvies.

 

StaySafe

That reminds me, must put in for a refresh on Reading-Guildford.

[Guest Jack Benson]

We all make mistakes, mine was to use a bid-sniper on a well known website, I didn’t read the instructions and was rather ‘surprised’ by the outcome.

 

Here is the miscreant, a David Geen exLSWR Diag 1409, precursor to the more familiar van offered, at reasonable cost, by Cambrian.

 

 

Finished with Humbrol dark brown gloss, it awaits decals and robust weathering as part of the wagon roster for Beaminster Road. The roster is rather heavily weighted towards older examples of Southern vehicles. 
 

Stay Safe

[Graham_Muz]

1 hour ago, Jack Benson said:

We all make mistakes, mine was to use a bid-sniper on a well known website, I didn’t read the instructions and was rather ‘surprised’ by the outcome.

 

Here is the miscreant, a David Geen exLSWR Diag 1409, precursor to the more familiar van offered, at reasonable cost, by Cambrian.

 

 

Finished with Humbrol dark brown gloss, it awaits decals and robust weathering as part of the wagon roster for Beaminster Road. The roster is rather heavily weighted towards older examples of Southern vehicles. 
 

Stay Safe

 

Correctly speaking the D1409 was not the precursor of the D1410 (as per the Cambrian kit) Diagram numbers were often not always consecutive date wise.

The D1410 was the earlier low roof version, built on either timber or steel underframe with a sliding door that was followed by the higher roof,  D1406 (Steel underframe) and D1407 (timber underframe).

The D1408 (Steel) or D1409 (timber as per your model) were in fact the final two versions of LSWR covered vans with high roofs and hinged doors.

 

[Oldddudders]

The prototype of that actual vehicle N48679, Dia 1458, is pictured on P64 of Southern Wagons Vol 4. 500 were built 1937/8. The Bachmann brake gear appears a mite simplified. 

[Guest Jack Benson]

30 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

The prototype of that actual vehicle N48679, Dia 1458, is pictured on P64 of Southern Wagons Vol 4. 500 were built 1937/8. The Bachmann brake gear appears a mite simplified. 

Ian,

 

I was surprised to encounter an RTR even planked van, all other planked RTR examples seem to be the 2+1 type, it merely adds to the modest collection of SR vans. Our Southern wagon seems to have developed legs and disappeared, thank you for the reference, not sure if will be able to replace the chassis with the sad loss of ABS components. Maybe just stand further back whilst it trundles around so that we can’t see the errors?

 

StaySafe

[Guest Jack Benson]

The recent field trip to West Dorset to trace the intended route of the Dorchester and Exeter line we passed through Whitchurch Canonicorum, once a typical isolated hamlet now a collection of holiday homes. It would have been the location of Beaminster Road station albeit depending on the local topography of steep and frequent hills.

A few of images of the village provide a 'feel' for the place.

 

 

 

 

The thatched, low rural cottages are relatively common within the village whilst the old New Inn (last image) was a new build in the '20s by Palmer's Brewery of Bridport. 

 

To try to replicate a thatched cottage, this ready built model appears to be a suitable beginning for a mild reworking.

 

The current appearance of the buildings is rather too gentrified rather than the workaday reality of the '40s when rural life was one of agriculture and poverty. A thin wash of green will be the first step towards realism.

 

StaySafe