The Diddington project

[NickBrad]

This layout is wonderful, I'm wondering, where can I see more of your model of D2201 and get more details on it?

[wiggoforgold]

Hi Nick. Thank you for your kind comment. You've made me realise that D2201 is now over 21 years old!  The model is made from a Dapol kit, with the skirts, cab and cowcatchers from an etched conversion kit from Impetus. The chassis was a Bachmann 03. The Impetus kit is no longer available, and the Bachmann 03 became an 04 - I'm not sure how easy that is to get hold of these days.

I used a very good article by Monty Wells in MRJ no 3 on the 04s, which included extensive prototype notes, and drawings of the tram version. Worth getting hold of if you haven't seen it. There was also an article by Tim Shackleton in MRJ 87 on using the Impetus conversion, and a chapter by him on the same subject in his book "Modelling Diesels".

 

I'm planning to have another at the tram, hopefully this year, to address the shortcomings of my model of D2201. If I can get hold of one, my stating point will be the Bachmann 04, with a new cab, skirts and cowcatchers from styrene sheet.  When I built D2201, I wasn't sure whether the livery should be black or green, even with wasp stripes and the late type crest. I went for green, but I'm now pretty certain it should be black.

 

If you follow the link to my gallery, there's some more pictures of the model there.

 

Alex

Edited January 11, 2018 by wiggoforgold

[Windjabbers]

Hi Nick. Thank you for your kind comment. You've made me realise that D2201 is now over 21 years old!  The model is made from a Dapol kit, with the skirts, cab and cowcatchers from an etched conversion kit from Impetus. The chassis was a Bachmann 03. The Impetus kit is no longer available, and the Bachmann 03 became an 04 - I'm not sure how easy that is to get hold of these days.

I used a very good article by Monty Wells in MRJ no 3 on the 04s, which included extensive prototype notes, and drawings of the tram version. Worth getting hold of if you haven't seen it. There was also an article by Tim Shackleton in MRJ 87 on using the Impetus conversion, and a chapter by him on the same subject in his book "Modelling Diesels".

 

I'm planning to have another at the tram, hopefully this year, to address the shortcomings of my model of D2201. If I can get hold of one, my stating point will be the Bachmann 04, with a new cab, skirts and cowcatchers from styrene sheet.  When I built D2201, I wasn't sure whether the livery should be black or green, even with wasp stripes and the late type crest. I went for green, but I'm now pretty certain it should be black.

 

If you follow the link to my gallery, there's some more pictures of the model there.

 

Alex√

 

The liveries of the 04’s used on the Wisbech and Upwell is something I have been looking at.

 

From the pictures I’ve seen they arrived in all over Black with red bufferbeam and end up in BR Green with wasp stripe ends.

 

However, they do seem to have been in a mixed livery of Black with wasp stripes ends for a number of years.

 

Best Wishes

 

David

[sulzer27jd]

Don't know how I've missed this layout previously, but its very nice. Well done.

 

All the best 

 

John

[wiggoforgold]

The liveries of the 04’s used on the Wisbech and Upwell is something I have been looking at.

 

From the pictures I’ve seen they arrived in all over Black with red bufferbeam and end up in BR Green with wasp stripe ends.

 

However, they do seem to have been in a mixed livery of Black with wasp stripes ends for a number of years.

 

Best Wishes

 

David

David - I'd rather like you to be right as I like the green! Have you any idea when they would have been painted green?  I re - read the part of Tim Shackleton's book which I referred to this morning, and that states the trams ended up in black with the later emblem and wasp stripes. I've found a colour picture on the net of D2201 shunting at Elm Bridge in 1964. The loco appears to be in black livery, with wasp stripes and the later crest. It could have been painted green by 1966 though!

Alex

[Windjabbers]

David - I'd rather like you to be right as I like the green! Have you any idea when they would have been painted green?  I re - read the part of Tim Shackleton's book which I referred to this morning, and that states the trams ended up in black with the later emblem and wasp stripes. I've found a colour picture on the net of D2201 shunting at Elm Bridge in 1964. The loco appears to be in black livery, with wasp stripes and the later crest. It could have been painted green by 1966 though!

Alex

 

 

Hi Alex,

 

I assume you mean this photo of D2201 still in Black with wasp strips and late crest in 1964. I was surprised to see this and is new photo since I last looked at this.

 

https://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/RAILWAYS/WISBECH-UPWELL-TRAMWAY/WISBECH-UPWELL-TRAMWAY/i-vxmpxpR

 

In ‘Branch lines to Upwell’ by Middleton Press in the caption to picture 103 states that 11101 became D2201 in September 1961 with revised livery of green with wasp strips. Which contradicts the photo above. And which I had based my statement that they ended up in green.

 

There is an article in Railword from September 1981 by Mike Fell, which state that all four loco’s (D2200 to D2203) were in BR Green with Wasp Strips by September 1966.  Which is after the Line closed in May 1966. So, is it possible that D2201 and 2 were only repainted after they left the line?

 

It’s impossible to tell from the black and white photos between the back and green livery. So, you could be right. Interesting!

 

Best Wishes

 

David

[wiggoforgold]

 

I assume you mean this photo of D2201 still in Black with wasp strips and late crest in 1964. I was surprised to see this and is new photo since I last looked at this.

 

I did. I looked at it for several months before deciding it was black not green! I hoped it would be green.

 

Alex

[31A]

I agree it appears to be black, but do you think perhaps it WAS green, and just looks black in the photo?

[wiggoforgold]

Could be? If we look at the skirts, which are definitely black, and in the same plane as the cab sides, there is a cleaner black bit about halfway along the skirts which looks a different shade to the cab sides. The cab front looks black though.

Alex

[31A]

Just thought it would be VERY odd for a black loco to have a late crest, although some shunters did stay black for a long time - I took a picture of a black 08 (with wasp stripes) at Willesden sometime in the 1970s, although that one retained the early crest!

 

But in the photo linked above, I wondered whether dark green could appear black depending on photographic conditions, sunlight, cleanliness (lack of), etc ... 

[Bungus the Fogeyman]

I'm just in the process of building D2201 for Friday Bridge ( its in the boxfile, micro and shunting plank section if anybodys interested ) and I get the distinct impression that, probably due to lighting and film conditions, that you are right 31A and it is actually green.

I'll back this up by referring those interested to page 12 of Modern Locomotives Illustrated Issue 195- the small shunters excluding BR designs. There you will find a picture of D2201 beetling along near Dial House, by the look of things, with a rake of 16 tonners looking very much green. The photo was taken in 1964 too. As D2201 was renumbered in December 1961 and D2202 in January 1958, it maybe could be assumed that this was when both were painted green, although on reflection D2202 seems a very early candidate for a coat of green.........more research required maybe! I believe that theres also a pic in Green Diesel Days or one of the other Ian Allen 'green' albums of one of the pair at Wisbech docks, but I havent got it to hand at the moment.

 

Hope this helps

 

Disgusting of Market Harborough

[Bungus the Fogeyman]

Alex

 

I've found that the Bachmann 04 body isn't a particularly brilliant starting point for an early 04. Like you all those years ago, I started with a Dapol/Airfix kit. As you rightly say, the cab is a non-starter and the radiator grille is the wrong size. I've also found the bonnet detail and handrails are different and the grab handles on the side doors need to be wider apart. Its a bit of a faff but worth removing the moulded grabs and replacing them in the correct position on whichever body you choose to use. My cab is a melange of a scratchbuilt front plate, vulcan sides and the backplate from the kit. If you do use the kit, the baseplate needs to be extended slightly too! I found the Monty Wells MRJ article invaluable for all this!

 

Hopefully it'll all be finished for Stafford and Glasgow......

 

Disgusting of Market Harborough

[wiggoforgold]

Sounds like the Dapol kit is the way to go. Not a bad option. I just happen to have a couple of sets of 04 frames in hand

[Tony Davis]

With regards to colour of locomotives, I am in contact on Facebook with a chap who used to drive the 04's on the tramway, and on the harbour line, I asked him about the colour and his reply was;

 

"Hi there Tony

What I can remember they were Green with yellow and black front and rear, and the skirts were black"

 

He was there from 1960 to closure.

 

Hope this is of some use

[wiggoforgold]

The basic woodwork is now complete, the boards are complete and the old Middle Fen joining section which originally connected Diddington to Juniper Hill and will now connect Upwell Drove to Diddington has begun it's refurbishment, and has acquired a new set of legs and been successfully connected to Upwell Drove. Here's a couple of pics of progress to date:

 

 

Next is the intital electrical installation, followed by tracklaying.

[lmsforever]

The new extension is looking good and will give you some interesting running,by the way like that Cervelo hanging up in the background wish we had those back in the sixties!

[wiggoforgold]

The question is, will I have it running by the time the Rapido J70 appears?

[wiggoforgold]

Track laying at Upwell Drove is now under way. Track is a mixture of the new Peco code 75 bullhead, with pcb points salvaged from an earlier project. The difference in height between the Peco track and the points is compensated for by using an additional thickness of cork underlay under the points, to bring the railhead up to the height of the Peco track.

The track plan includes a double slip, I was going to make this myself, like the one on Diddington, but I decided my eyesight wasn’t up to it, so I decided on the Peco code 75 item, knowing that there were murmerings about them possibly producing a bullhead version with similar geometry. This of course has now been announced, much sooner than expected here. When it comes out I’ll get one to replace the current item. The question is, will Upwell Drove make its debut before or after the new point is available?

Before starting on the track, I made a start on installing the electrics. I want the whole thing to be as self-contained as possible, so the transformer is fitted in a box bouilt in to the underside of the layout. Next to the transformer box is sited the driver for the LED layout lighting.

Here’s some pictures of progress to date.

 

 

 

 

 

[NHY 581]

This all looks rather nice.

 

 

 

Rob.

[DLT]

This all looks rather nice.  Rob.

 

Agreed, and some very impressive woodwork underneath.

Dave.

[46444]

Great progress Alex.  Coming together nicely...

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[NickBrad]

The extension is coming along very nicely, re: the 04 tram, everything I have suggests, (although doesn't implicitly state,) that the 04 were in black during their time on the line, but as one of my aims is to run the last ever train, which was 3 16T mineral wagons and a southern brakevan, ( I have a model of this made from the Cambrian kit,) getting the right colour for the time is very important to me. It looks like green may be the correct way to go after all.

[ianblenk]

Looking forward to this!

 

Ian B

[wiggoforgold]

Harking back to our discussions the other week about the colour of the 04 trams, I've been reading Peter Paye's book which states that D2201 was out shopped in December 1961 in unlined green with wasp stripes. D2202 was similarly treated in January 1958. The evidence is mounting for green, which pleases me for two reasons:

1. I don't have to repaint my model of D2201.

2. I like the green.

[wiggoforgold]

Just a quick update from me tonight, and no pictures I'm afraid.

Track laying at Upwell Drove is largely complete. It's been test run, and the wiring is largely done as well. I'm not happy with the alignment of the run round where it joints the turnout leading back to the running road, and I'm going to relay it. I started painting the track but I didn't like it, so I'm going to do it again.

The railway room is currently being redecorated (first time for 20 years) so the DIddington boards are currently in the garage, so no room to take any pictures.