Bullied West Country 34103 Calstock

[Combe Martin]

I'm trying to produce this loco by renumbering & renaming a Hornby 34091 Weymouth.  I've already done a tender swop with 34088 213 Squadron (which will become 34028 Eddystone), but I'm having difficulty finding out the background colour of Calstock's nameplate.  Is it red or black ?  All the colour pictures I've found so far seem to show it dirty, or is that black ??    I've got loads of Southern and Somerset & Dorset picture books, but most pictures are black and white.  Does anyone on here know ?   

[RFS]

1 hour ago, Combe Martin said:

I'm trying to produce this loco by renumbering & renaming a Hornby 34091 Weymouth.  I've already done a tender swop with 34088 213 Squadron (which will become 34028 Eddystone), but I'm having difficulty finding out the background colour of Calstock's nameplate.  Is it red or black ?  All the colour pictures I've found so far seem to show it dirty, or is that black ??    I've got loads of Southern and Somerset & Dorset picture books, but most pictures are black and white.  Does anyone on here know ?   

 

Here's a photo of 34103 which shows the nameplate to be red. Might not have been red all its life though!

Edited April 8 by RFS

[Combe Martin]

Many thanks for that, its obviously had some sort of clean since September 1962.  I was hoping it wasn't going to be black.  If it ever was, I hope it was in its much earlier days.  This photo shows it in the condition I'm doing it in, having lost its wide tender to a rebuild and acquired a narrow one.  I cant bring myself to 'dirty' it like this though.

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, Combe Martin said:

I'm trying to produce this loco by renumbering & renaming a Hornby 34091 Weymouth.  I've already done a tender swop with 34088 213 Squadron (which will become 34028 Eddystone), but I'm having difficulty finding out the background colour of Calstock's nameplate.  Is it red or black ?  All the colour pictures I've found so far seem to show it dirty, or is that black ??    I've got loads of Southern and Somerset & Dorset picture books, but most pictures are black and white.  Does anyone on here know ?   

From my memory, all WestCountry class names were red plates with gold letters with same coloured scroll below.

Looking at Fox Transfers etched plates the Calstock plates are red with no alternative colour available.

Hope that helps

[Combe Martin]

Yes, well that's what I thought initially, but when I started clicking on the ordering options it insists you click on the colour box and there's black as well as red !, which is why I started studying the pictures more closely, and the colour ones didn't show the plate as red, but rather either black or dirt.  Most WC's, even if they're filthy still seem to show a red plate.

[Mallard60022]

On 09/04/2024 at 08:24, Combe Martin said:

Yes, well that's what I thought initially, but when I started clicking on the ordering options it insists you click on the colour box and there's black as well as red !, which is why I started studying the pictures more closely, and the colour ones didn't show the plate as red, but rather either black or dirt.  Most WC's, even if they're filthy still seem to show a red plate.

Did you sort this?

The choice of colour may be because the alternative Plates could be for Modifieds? I've forgotten how it went but B of B were Blue.

I never remember seeing an 'original' W.C. with Black Plates.

Sorry this is a late response.

Phil 

[Combe Martin]

Hello yes, and based on that Flickr picture I've ordered and received red ones from Fox.  All I've got to do now is fit them, move the scrolls up the sides, and renumber it with cabside number transfers and fit the smokebox number plate ! Oh, and hard wire a decoder in (Weymouth is a Wilton era loco, no socket).

[Mallard60022]

51 minutes ago, Combe Martin said:

Hello yes, and based on that Flickr picture I've ordered and received red ones from Fox.  All I've got to do now is fit them, move the scrolls up the sides, and renumber it with cabside number transfers and fit the smokebox number plate ! Oh, and hard wire a decoder in (Weymouth is a Wilton era loco, no socket).

I've done a few of those non DCC Ready and added Lead (Roof Flashing) Strips to the Can sides as there is loads of room, even after Decoder Fitted. 

I found some really simple Sockets and the Decoders to go with them. I can find the name of the Kit for you if I go up in the Loft.

Only basic and inexpensive (4 Functions I think?) of course, but the socket is dead easy to wire up.

You may well have already done it before and have your own choice of Kit.

Those Scrolls are teeny and so easily lost!  Good luck with the Cabsides but I find Fox to be excellent to apply.

All the b est

Phil

[Combe Martin]

Hello again Phil, many thanks for the offer, but I've got some spare ZTC255 hardwire decoders already. I find them excellent (sockets too that I've never used). I've wired plenty of non DCC locos in the past, just not in the last few years. 

 

Yes, the scrolls, I've only moved them once before (on Combe Martin) but I can remember how I did it, I think. 

 

Cabside numbers, I've done about 20 in the past but not for a few years, still, I can remember how to do them.    

 

Interesting that you've needed to add lead weight to a WC.  My Combe Martin has no problem with 8 Mk1s (which was the S&Ds maximum over the Mendips without double heading, I havnt tried it on the new layout with more yet, but there isn't really room in the fiddle yard for a much longer train when I'm running a timetable, but, and as an experiment, rebuild Ottery St Mary belts around with 13 on. 

 

Peter.

 

[Mallard60022]

Actually I hadn't really tested my 'added Lead' Engine for ooomph and I can't remember what it became after renumbering and all that Tender faffing, that is a nightmare, now! 

I'm lucky as almost all my Bulleids have loads of hauling power and the layout (Seaton Junction) is long enough with decent radius curves off stage. Longest Trains are ACEs (sometimes 14 on the Up) and the Brighton Plymouth; 9/10 Mk ones as you know.

Have you by any chance built a PDK 5500 Tender Kit? I've got one but no Instructions. Not the end of the World but would be handy to know any tips, if you have and have the time to share?

Also, have you built the Self Weighing one? I've part built one and its a good Kit. Nowhere near finished but looks good behind a MN.

ATB

Phil

[Combe Martin]

Hello again, sorry for the late reply, but no, I havnt built up any brass tender kit, in fact I havnt built a brass kit of anything except a Roxey Mouldings basic bogie frame onto which I had to glue white metal sides.

 

I've been tempted  (but only tempted) to buy a 2nd hand Hornby Dublo/Wren ex-Dorchester type Rebodied tender top (a bit ironic because they wern't fitted to Dorchester) so that I could make 34046 Braunton which was on the S&D a lot.   But as part of that I'd have to respray the whole loco to match the new tender because it (the tender) would need extra detailing and painting and I dont fancy doing that.  

 

I was hoping that Hornby would 'tool up' the rebodied tender so that they could do it and a few other WCs but as they've now produced un-rebuilt Braunton I think its unlikely that they'll do a rebuilt one.

 

Still. I've got enough on my plate building the new layout without doing that.  

 

'Bailey Gate' in the Somerset & Dorset section if anyone's interested.

 

Peter.

[145 Squadron]

Comparing the HD tender body with the Albert Goodall drawing there were some dimensional inaccuracies; the most visual is that the HD bunker is too short, which necessitates some drastic surgery to correct. However, mounted on a Hornby chassis and repainted it does give scope for some different locos.