Building a Southern Region layout

[Guest Jack Benson]

A member of our group sent this map of a proposed Bridport, Lyme and Axminster Railway 1864-5, it would have provided an alternative to the Yeovil extension as it follows much the same route as the Dorchesterand Exeter Coastal Extension of 1845. There were other proposals that involved a line hugging the coastline with the potential of a 'Dawlish' style route with all the problems of sea erosion and instability.

 

 

 

It differed from the earlier proposal which skirted around the unstable Marshwood Vale to join the Yeovil route near Chard Junction, site of the former milk processing site. (upper left on the map)

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi,

There are a fair number of RTR wagons on the layout, Mike thinks that this rather old Airfix open is possibly one of the best. It has received modification to the couplings as it is the convertor between the 0395 and the rest of the Kadee fitted stock, whilst we use Dapol's truly excellent metal RP25 spoked wheels as a standard upgrade.

Out of the box

Sunday morning fun

The weathering is subtle and it is a very worthy 'swapmeet' purchase.

 

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Edited June 6, 2021 by Jack Benson
Format error

[Blandford1969]

Love the one of 654 at the north end of Verwood station, thanks for sharing it. 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Following a recent field trip along the proposed route of the Dorchester and Exeter (D&E) Coastal Extension, the tiny hamlet of Whitchurch Canonicorum, site of Beaminster Road,  revealed a number of surprises, not least was the style of local homes.

Finding something similar resulted in this rather attractive resin model from Hornby. It will need some work to backdate it to the late '40s but it has potential.

 

The large stone-built doctor's villa has been removed together with its foundation and this space is sufficient but needs alteration.

The original scene started life some ten years ago and has been carefully restored with added detail, here the cottage is being tried for 'size' so that alterations can be made. A cut here and there should be sufficient but the gaps around the base really need attention.

 

Below, this looks better, the final details of new flowers that hid the numerous gaps and weathering to the building will finish the job.

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Modelling, for a change.

 

 

This poor old model is a Hornby R6144B and has been part of the Hornby range for at least thirty years. 

However it is a reasonably accurate depiction of an exLBSCR brake and needs minimal work to improve both appearance and performance. The rather obvious locating holes need attention as does the underframe.

It costs a third of the lovely exLSWR brake from the same stable, Iain Rice likes them therefore they are worth a punt.

My example is inbound and its rebuilding will be posted.

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

The example of gardening in miniature by MAP66 is out of my league but at least an attempt should be possible. This was partially inspired by our back garden, the colour is Wickes Majestic Mounta dabbed onto foliage that was previously painted white

 

 

I still have not weathered the cottage but it will be done in due course.

 

 

And at the bottom of the garden - a gazebo, the Lloyd Loom chair is missing, somewhere in the 'round tuit' cupboard.

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Some unashamed self promotion

 

However, really impressed with the quality of these Cambrian kits of exSECR opens.

 

 

 

Look at the detail on the 7-plank wagon prior to painting - incredible.

 

 

It is no surprise that Cambrian models are well represented on Beaminster Road

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Sorry, I forgot that the white cottage has received a first coat of MIG 'decay' wash, it is quite noticeable.

 

 

More work is needed to clutter the garden with 'stuff' and disguise the all-too obvious joint twixt cottage and ground but it is coming along.

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Verwood Crane

 As many of the features on Beaminster Road are inspired by the SDJR it was almost inevitable that  a kit for the Verwood crane would be of interest.  

These images belong to Neil Berrington of the Modelling the Southern Region FB group to whom I am extremely grateful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More info:- click here and click here

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Wagons on a Sunday

 

A trio of kit-built wagons, nothing special, just wagons

 

 

 

A lovely exMidland 8t wooden underframe van from Slaters

 

The goods sidings have reached their capacity, full of mundane stock that might have been found running on Southern lines in the West Country at the end of the '40s. The temptation to acquire oddities has been resisted, every vehicle has been noted in archive images. 

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Mistakes are made but the bigger mistake is not to rectify the issue

 

There are just two rakes of coaches on the layout because I foolishly sold the rake of Bachmann Bulleids.They had been upgraded, ran beautifully and looked rather good because the Bachmann models were accurate from the get-go.

Rather than waiting until Bachmann repeat the trick, another rake of Bulleids will go through the workshop for upgrading. 

To complete the rake, a Maunsell open in SR green, which will need some weathering and subtle changes to lettering,  but it is a perfect companion to the newly built Bulleids in '49

 

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[barrymx5]

On 27/06/2021 at 10:33, Jack Benson said:

Modelling, for a change.

 

 

This poor old model is a Hornby R6144B and has been part of the Hornby range for at least thirty years. 

However it is a reasonably accurate depiction of an exLBSCR brake and needs minimal work to improve both appearance and performance. The rather obvious locating holes need attention as does the underframe.

It costs a third of the lovely exLSWR brake from the same stable, Iain Rice likes them therefore they are worth a punt.

My example is inbound and its rebuilding will be posted.

 

StaySafe

Just caught up with this post. I am really looking forward to the Kernow LSWR Roadvan but that did prompt me to look more closely at older (much older!) stock. I undertook some simple upgrading of my Dancehall a few years back so will be interested to see your progress in due course. 

[Oldddudders]

16 minutes ago, barrymx5 said:

Just caught up with this post. I am really looking forward to the Kernow LSWR Roadvan but that did prompt me to look more closely at older (much older!) stock. I undertook some simple upgrading of my Dancehall a few years back so will be interested to see your progress in due course. 

Sorry, Barry, that isn't a Dancehall, dia 1560, which was SECR, but an LBSCR brake. This batch of 11 were on order on 1.1.1923, and Southern wisely let the work proceed. Dia 1576. 

[barrymx5]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Sorry, Barry, that isn't a Dancehall, dia 1560, which was SECR, but an LBSCR brake. This batch of 11 were on order on 1.1.1923, and Southern wisely let the work proceed. Dia 1576. 

Thank you. I have learned something today! I have always believed it was a Dancehall. But it is the same model as Jack posted. And I see he (rightly) identified it as LBSCR. 

[Guest Jack Benson]

This was omitted from the LBSC brake van post:-

 

LBSC 20t Brake Van DS55907 built Lancing 1922, it was reduced to Engineering Departmental stock in 1960. Black livery at Three Bridges 24th July 1965, withdrawn 1970 as the last original LBSC Brake Van 

 

 

 

Another exLBSC brake van, designed by AH Panter, they were based on the LBSC diagram 50 that were built during 1923 similar to those produced in 1922 but with steel lower sheeting rather than fully planked sides. They became SR Diagram 1576, some lasted in to British Railways days although some were converted to departmental / ballast use.

They would have either stayed in faded SR brown, Red Oxide (SR departmental) or possibly might have ended up in BR Grey or BR departmental liveries.

However it is a reasonably accurate depiction of an exLBSCR Diag 1576 brake and needs minimal work to improve both appearance and performance. The all too obvious locating holes need attention as does the underframe.

It cost less than a third of the lovely exLSWR brake from the same stable and Iain Rice likes them therefore they are worth a punt.

 

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[Guest Jack Benson]

Bachmann Bulleid upgrade?

 

Upgrading the venerable Bachmann Bulleid coaches seems rather pointless if the forthcoming release of a 'super' version is imminent - however opening boxes isn't really modelling and these ideas will result in a unique three car rake that should cost less than one of the new coaches.

First consideration, the existing Bachmann coaces are pretty good, they look right, so, just a gentle upgrade rather than a full-on rebuild.

These coaches are destined to be used on a home-layout, not for show but to be used.

 

Lessons learnt from the last set of upgraded Bulleids:-

 

• The SEF flush glaze kits are a waste of effort, instead carefully paint the inside edge of the window apertures  brown (this is an option)
• Wheels must be replaced, Hornby are good value.
• Couplings, replace with micro-magnets at each end of the rake.
• Corridor connections-use black paper connectors
• The outer finish needs polishing, use Brasso/Autosol with a Q-tip
• Finally, a coat of Lifecolour frame dirt on the underfame

 

 

George Dent did a really good job of his upgrade. 

 

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[barrymx5]

Don't forget the excellent "shortie" Bulleids produced by Hornby to similar high standards to their Maunsells. They will do nicely for me.  
 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Barry,

 

Hornby’s shorties were considered but the challenge and satisfaction of upgrading Bachmann’s Bulleids won the day. Surely, the creation of something a bit special is more satisfying than buying? 
 

Moreover, I don’t really recognise the Hornby models as being particularly common in the west country, hopefully someone can direct this conversation to a thread that corrects this assumption. 
 

In case you might be wondering, much of the influence for rolling stock comes from the collection of homemade films of local enthusiast, Douglas Seaton, who chronicled the railways around Yeovil/West Dorset at the the end ‘40s. Thankfully the films have been transposed onto DVD.

 

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[Oldddudders]

33 minutes ago, Jack Benson said:

I don’t really recognise the Hornby models as being particularly common in the west country, hopefully someone can direct this conversation to a thread that corrects this assumption.
 

Not a thread, but the coaching stock spreadsheet that is, or at least was, on the Southern Email Group website quotes them all as being used 1946-63 on Waterloo-West of England services. Obviously this would have been the case from introduction in 1946, because they were new and modern and would be used on prestige services to elevate them above the staid Maunsells. Once the longer Bulleids and Mk1s came on stream, that would have been less the case. 

[RFS]

1 hour ago, Jack Benson said:

Moreover, I don’t really recognise the Hornby models as being particularly common in the west country, hopefully someone can direct this conversation to a thread that corrects this assumption. 

 

 

They were used from introduction on West of England services, as seen here for example - https://railphotoprints.uk/p668741324/e7b0d60da. Being at the front of the train the set is probably the Plymouth portion. 

 

But as Olddudders says above, they were displaced from these front-line services after a while by newer stock. A number were then used extensively on Somerset and Dorset locals.

Edited July 9, 2021 by RFS

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi RFS and Ian, 

 

Thanks, how many sets of shorties were allocated to the WoE at their introduction, were they Malachite? 

 

The questions pertains to their colour schemes in the late ‘48-52 (Beaminster Road’s timeframe) and I wonder if any were painted CLC during this time?

 

Btw, we run some passenger stock in both Malachite and earlier SR green based on the possibly incorrect assumption that they were not repainted ‘39-45 and merely re-revarnished prior to ‘48. Not rule one, instead based on the stock seen on the homemade films of Douglas Seaton.

 

Thanks once more

 

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[Nick C]

According to Gould, they were all initially allocated to the WoE services, and would have been malachite - he says that "By the mid-1950s, some sets had been repainted in B.R. standard crimson lake and cream"

[Oldddudders]

Gould is helpful. He says that from 7.10.46, all 22 new sets  - 18 short and 4 long - were on specified services. These included 9.00 Plymouth/Ilfracombe; 12.50 ditto; 2.50 Ilfracombe/Plymouth; 6.00 Plymouth/Exeter; 7.35 Yeovil. Where both destinations are listed, a set went to each. The 4 long sets were transferred to Brighton/Portsmouth to Plymouth services a year later - but equally visible west of Salisbury, obviously. 

 

He also says as the plusher long sets were introduced, the original 22 tended increasingly to be cascaded to stopping and then local services, on both WoE and Bournemouth/Weymouth routes, as we might expect.

 

Reallocation to S&D services took place from 1959 for sets 963-73. 

[chris45lsw]

Of course you could have a 59ft set AND a 64ft 6in set! 

 

I know it's a tad early but I've seen a video of the ACE leaving Waterloo in 1945 behind a MN.  The train included a 59ft Bulleid set as well as, incidentally, two Ironclad 2-sets, ie before they were converted to P&P sets.

 

It is considered that about 10% of SR coaches were still Maunsell green in June 1948 (probably with a bias towards older stock).   And an official survey in Dec 1954 of Southern Region steam stock showed that 1,409 vehicles were Crimson & Cream, 441 Crimson and 1,561 still Southern Railway Green.

 

As to the 59ft sets I don't believe any were painted crimson & cream before the mid 1950s - some, at least, were not repainted until 1956 and I think some probably went straight from Southern Railway Green to Southern Region Green.

 

Chris KT

 

[Oldddudders]

10 hours ago, chris45lsw said:

I know it's a tad early but I've seen a video of the ACE leaving Waterloo in 1945 behind a MN.  The train included a 59ft Bulleid set

Chris, I am aware you know considerably more than I do about such things, but this does not fit with Gould's statement that the first composites for the 59' sets weren't completed until February 1946, and the brakes were all stored until the full sets could be marshalled. OTOH Mike King says the first sets were completed in November 1945, and confirms WoE services were the initial beneficiaries. Perhaps you can confirm the latter has it right.

 

Your remark about late application of crimson and cream fits very well with Southern policies on re-varnishing rather than repainting until truly necessary. The 59' sets would still be less than 10 years old in the mid-50s, obviously.