Post Office Railway diorama

[Dunalastair]

In the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway diorama thread, there was a comparison with the second generation Post Office Railway rolling stock, from the same supplier. As it happens, I have also modelled that interesting system, again with much simplified 3D printed models.

 

This is the four wheel first generation car - in the tunnels these did not last long.

 

 

This is the replacement stock, from English Electric, with a small articulated power unit as at Ramsgate

 

 

And here is the simple diorama of a station scene, to justify this thread being in the diorama section. The wheeled containers are now in place on the carrier and on the platform. The track is old Tri-ang Series 3.

 

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Dunalastair

[phil_sutters]

My brother-in-law was a senior engineering manager with the Post Office, who in his final years in the job was responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the railway. I never got to see it in those days. Of course a portion of it is now a central London tourist attraction as part of the Post Office museum, but I still haven't been there! The nearest I have got to it was seeing one of the wagons at the Amberley Museum in West Sussex. Your diorama captures the unique character of the kit. At least I assume that it is unique.

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by phil_sutters

[Pete the Elaner]

The research alone would make this an interesting one to build. Getting certain aspects right would be challenging, but rewarding.

[009 micro modeller]

2 hours ago, Dunalastair said:

In the Ramsgate Tunnel Railway diorama thread, there was a comparison with the second generation Post Office Railway rolling stock, from the same supplier. As it happens, I have also modelled that interesting system, again with much simplified 3D printed models.

 

This is the four wheel first generation car - in the tunnels these did not last long.

 

 

This is the replacement stock, from English Electric, with a small articulated power unit as at Ramsgate

 

 

And here is the simple diorama of a station scene, to justify this thread being in the diorama section. The wheeled containers are now in place on the carrier and on the platform. The track is old Tri-ang Series 3.

 

 

Very nice! If that’s Triang 00 track are they about 7 or 8mm scale? That style of track does look exactly right for the appearance of the sleepers on the real thing though. I like the tunnel rings.

 

The original 1920s 4-wheel stock was found to have too long a rigid wheelbase for the tight curves (although it seems that some people had suspected that this would be an issue from the start, possibly including Evan Evans, the Post Office Railway engineer who developed the improved design). We have one of the 4-wheel vehicles preserved in the museum gallery but I think a lot of them were recycled to provide components for the 1930s stock. To put it in perspective, the Severn Lamb trains built for the museum line in 2016 are specified for 16-metre radius curves, which in 4mm scale would be well under the 9-inch radius generally considered to be a sensible minimum for 009.

 

The original 4-wheel stock would have been painted green, this being the Post Office colour at the time and the railway’s colour until the ‘Mail Rail’ rebrand and red livery in the 1980s (when the Greenbat stock also arrived). Post boxes were originally green as well but they did not show up well against hedgerows in the countryside. The 1930s stock could have been either colour, depending on the time period, and the Greenbat stock was red. Some of the stock (including one of the battery locos) was also painted yellow in the 1990s for filming.

 

Have you considered doing the battery locos? Or even the current stock?

 

 

Apologies for the poor lighting in these, although what can you expect really? Cab view, eastbound. On the left is the prototype for the 1930s stock.

 

Westbound. Ahead on the right is one of the old battery locos (another is in the depot/gallery on display, and the third is apparently still at Paddington).

 

 

The depot/gallery with museum trains charging.

Edited June 22, 2023 by 009 micro modeller

[Dunalastair]

Nice photos, thankyou. Yes, I realised too late that the early rolling stock should have been green. I now have 200+ 3D printed models of obscure mostly narrow gauge locos, and perhaps 60% are on 16.5mm gauge wheelsets, with scale adjusted to suit. Often around 7mm scale, but sometimes very different, e.g. when modelling 18" gauge. 

 

As to modelling further rolling stock, the issue is where to put it - these shelves represent less than half of the accumulated models, and of course the dioramas and microlayouts take up even more space.