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4mm scale GWR 3150 class Prairie


DCB

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I have just realised the 3150 series of big prairies, the Big boilered ones with the Std 4 boiler and high cab roof, seem to be about the only 1950s era ex GWR loco not available RTR in 1:76 00 scale.

 

Does or did anyone do a kit, or has anyone made a model.

 

I am wondering whether I can RTR bash one but am unsure where to start,   I will use a Bachmann 43XX chassis as the Hornby 61XX's I have are pretty poor, but I don't know where to start body wise, Dapol tanks and bunker or Hornby body with 43XX boiler but the cab is 42XX/56XX,  Do I need a 43XX a 61XX and a 56XX body? or 42XX boiler cab on 61XX footplate and bunker?

 

Or is there a kit, or conversion kit?

 

The 3150s were the only high arched cab roof big prairies in BR days and quite distinctive big muscular brutes compared to the rather effiminate 51XX.

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David Geen had one, at least planned, at some stage, otherwise I am not aware of any, which is a shame.

 

I can only assume that they are generally of insufficient interest to the '50s-'60s modeller to be worth even a kit.  Even drawings are relatively rare; as I recall I struggled to find one in Russell.  If memory serves (my books are all packed away, there is a GW Locos in Outline volume with a drawing.

 

It's a real shame, particularly as they were the class used to assist trains from the rear on the South Devon banks in the '30s, and would hang around Totnes between turns. Norman Lockett took a superb portrait of one in 1934:

post-25673-0-93550800-1446097807.jpg

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The David Geen kit is still on the cards, but who knows when. ...

 

Maybe never.

 

Crownline did produce a conversion kit back in the bad old days, using the Airfix/GMR/Mainline/Dapol Large Prairie, containing the usual assortment of whitemetal lumps and detail etches, but it didn't seem to be a particularly strong seller, and I've never seen one come up on eBay. The kit concentrated on producing the straight-drop front frame; it kept the existing plastic boiler and did not attempt to reproduce the Std.no.4 in any way.

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Looking at photos the 42xx may have enough boiler to donate to this conversion. I have not looked at drawings though. Then by marrying the 42xx cab roof to a 61xx body you may get a good representation. The RTR 61xx body has an advantage that the bunker does not have the recess below the fender. However I am sure that some of the 3150s would have had a recess. For those the SEF kit may be a better starting point and also gives a good chassis.

 

From the few drawings that I have seen the 3100 / 3150 had slightly different frame cut out holes to the later ones ( the 43xx had no cutouts presumably because access to the firebox was not impaired with the tanks).

 

Oakhill

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This is my 40+ year old unfinished effort at one in EM, as built, using an Airfix (now Dapol) kit. The chassis is from a Wrenn N2, with the Airfix frames attached. It has Stephen Poole aluminium wheels, which is why it never ran properly and wasn't finished. It might give some clues as to what to do, or not do!

 

post-7091-0-81163900-1446126018.jpg

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 It has Stephen Poole aluminium wheels, which is why it never ran properly and wasn't finished.

I wondered where those wheels came from.

I used some years ago for motorising an Airfix 61XX plastic kit. (pre Airfix model railways)

Like you I found them useless, travelling jerkily along with a shower of sparks from the track and pickups!

How did they ever get manufactured?

 

Keith

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I wondered where those wheels came from.

I used some years ago for motorising an Airfix 61XX plastic kit. (pre Airfix model railways)

Like you I found them useless, travelling jerkily along with a shower of sparks from the track and pickups!

How did they ever get manufactured?

 

Keith

I've got a spare body for my Airfix RTR one, and I'm thinking of chopping the two up and combining them, to get a fairly quick improved version. That assumes that my Airfix 61xx still runs after many years of inactivity. It's one the EM Gauge Society sold ready converted when they first came out.

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I have a half-converted one lurking somewhere... A Hornby Churchward County Boiler grafted into an old Airfix 61xx, waiting for detail and new pony trucks. Had planned not to worry about the cab roof as it will be 1950s, and I think tha they had all been cut down by then... Real problem is time, of course!

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Thanks for the suggestions.  As far as I know none of the 3150s had the cab roof cut down.  The 31XX of 1905(?) with the No2 boiler had their cabs cut down and changed from wood covered in canvas to steel to match the 61XX when they were renumbered into the 5101 series and the springing adjusted to get them into the Blue category as far as I can tell but only the 1938 31XX series with the No 4 boiler had modified cabs.

 

I can live with the curved front footplate as the last survivors (3170?)seemed to have curved front ends by the 1950s but I do need that high cab roof.

 

I am afraid I can't live with the two parts of the motion bracket modelled in different places, I would rather leave it off entirely!

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Here are the parts used for researching the proposed Geen 3150 of how it would go together. The cast parts used will be in etched form, apart from possibly the boiler.

 

This is a Standard Wills/SEF body. The only issue is the moulded cab side shutter which will determine your period, not easy to remove.

 

The square front end is ex Crownline from thier conversion for a Airfix 61XX. I have several of these as they can also be used on Saint conversions.

 

The cab front/back / roof are all ex Nucast 72xx. Luckily I have a several of these sets from the days Nucast was in production in Hartlepool. The motion bracket is from the same source. The boiler is from an ex K's Aberdare. A K's 43xx was also considered in part. All the parts top produce a 1930's square end 3150 are here.

 

post-9992-0-45526400-1446210613_thumb.jpg

post-9992-0-42402800-1446210615_thumb.jpg

Mike Wiltshire

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Like you I found them useless, travelling jerkily along with a shower of sparks from the track and pickups!

<OT> Could be useful on an EMU for someone modelling 3rd rail. :)

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... The only issue is the moulded cab side shutter which will determine your period, not easy to remove. ....

 

You are not joking Mike, hard enough to remove from plastic mouldings. "Edwardian's" image in post 2 shows one in 1934 with cabside shutter but the picture used on the wikipedia page on the class shows one in 1948 without so it's back to loco specific, dated photo's on that one.

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The moulded cabside shutter is a nuisance as it need removing for early condition and a more prominent brass one for later condition. I don't think they slid forward enough to reveal the cab side beading.   The No 4 boiler's firebox is also higher than the no 2, I'm not quite sure how much, but looking at a drawing showing a No 4 boilered City superimposed on a No 2 boilered Flower it is quite noticeable.

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