Hornby Bulleid Pacific Detail

[robmcg]

Hi All,

 

In photographing Hornby's unrebuilt West Country R2926 34107 'Blandford Forum' I dimly recalled mention and criticism of this model in that while it has late BR crest, cut-down tender and speedometer, it also has lower front valances on the loco body, a feature which I thought was gone by the early 1950s on most or all of the class.

 

Consequently I removed the valances (with paintshop), but I thought they look very good, as per the 'as-built' BR appearance, and thus have two photos of the same thing... a 1961 scene somewhere in bucolic England. Can't decide which is better.

 

Accurate detail, or resemblance to what we might or might not remember?

 

Any thoughts, reminiscences, details I haven't got right, would be gratefully received.

 

Rob

 

 

[darren01]

HI

Blanford had it's raves removed in the mid 50's ,so having them on in the early 60's is wrong ,the tender she is carrying was add in 1962.

I was going to get this model ,but having that tender was no good for my layout as it is set in the mid 50's.

Another thing that will inprove the model is new name plates from fox, and getting rid of the front wheel and replacing them with Alan gibbson ones ,i am adding new drain cocks and front steps to mine from RTR models , and will be replacing the the rear pony and ash pan ,from thier range.

Darren

[roundhouse]

Superb photos.

 

I tend to prefer the front cowling / raves to be removed. They are easy to remove from the loco.

 

My Blandford has the larger tender as per yours as I do all my Bulklieds in their more or less final condition around about 1966 ish.

 

If you replace the name plates with brass ones, a coat of matt varnish over the lco body afterwards will remove the lining reflection.

 

Ian

[SRman]

I much preferred the appearance with the front fairings ahead of the cylinders but most had them removed by around 1952, from all the photographic evidence I have seen. Be that as it may, I have deliberately fitted them to one of my earlier kit-bashed WCs even though it is out of period for the livery and cut-down tender.

[Graham_Muz]

As I model 1946 to 1949 the cylinder farings remain in place on all my models, which personally I prefer anyway.

 

For the record re Blandford I advise as follows:

 

The Hornby model R2926 West County Class 34107 ‘Blandford Forum’ depicts the locomotive post June 1961 when its tender was modified to the cut down style and she received a speedometer . BR type ATC had been previously fitted in July 1959. There were however a couple of errors:-

 

The fairing in front of the cylinders i.e. the curved section down to the front buffer beam was removed on the prototype by 1956. This fairing is in fact a separately applied part, to enable Hornby to model this variant correctly without a change to the main body mould, it does appear to have been added ‘Blandford Forum’ in error at the factory. It can therefore be quite easily be removed by griping with your fingers and pulling away from the body to release the small amount of glue holding it in place.

 

Blandford Forum was allocated to Bournemouth, BR shed code 71B from new until June 1959 when she moved to Exmouth Junction, 72A. Again Hornby appear to have printed the shed plate 71B in error. A replacement etched 72A shed plate could be obtained from ModelMaster Decals http://www.modelmasterdecals.com/ or Fox Transfers http://www.fox-transfers.co.uk

[roundhouse]

When you remove the fairing there is a moulded lip but this can easily be removed with a sharp knife or a file. My Blandford had this removed shortly after getting it.

 

Ian

[robmcg]

As I model 1946 to 1949 the cylinder farings remain in place on all my models, which personally I prefer anyway.

 

For the record re Blandford I advise as follows:

 

The Hornby model R2926 West County Class 34107 ‘Blandford Forum’ depicts the locomotive post June 1961 when its tender was modified to the cut down style and she received a speedometer . BR type ATC had been previously fitted in July 1959. There were however a couple of errors:-

 

The fairing in front of the cylinders i.e. the curved section down to the front buffer beam was removed on the prototype by 1956. This fairing is in fact a separately applied part, to enable Hornby to model this variant correctly without a change to the main body mould, it does appear to have been added ‘Blandford Forum’ in error at the factory. It can therefore be quite easily be removed by griping with your fingers and pulling away from the body to release the small amount of glue holding it in place.

 

Blandford Forum was allocated to Bournemouth, BR shed code 71B from new until June 1959 when she moved to Exmouth Junction, 72A. Again Hornby appear to have printed the shed plate 71B in error. A replacement etched 72A shed plate could be obtained from ModelMaster Decals http://www.modelmasterdecals.com/ or Fox Transfers http://www.fox-transfers.co.uk

 

Ah, thankyou for the consise answer(s), especially the shedcode change. I like to 'know' the history, even if sometimes I use modeller's license, which in this case will probably remain in the picture working the ex-LSWR main even though with Bournemouth shedcode plate... things were somewhat fluid during changeover, perhaps!

 

I rather like the fairing in front of the cylinders, and have always been intrigued by the class both unrebuilt and rebuilt, and the Merchant Navy class, none of which ever sadly realised their potential... the latter having been rebuilt with idea of economic life continuing until 1987! What magnificent machines they were, with some flaws...

 

Thanks to all, Rob

 

typo edit

[toboldlygo]

 

Blandford Forum was allocated to Bournemouth, BR shed code 71B from new until June 1959 when she moved to Exmouth Junction, 72A. Again Hornby appear to have printed the shed plate 71B in error.

 

It's not always the case that when a Bulleid (or any SR loco) change sheds that the shed code plate was changed straight away. With all the Bulleids I've done of late it's best to check both photographic as well as documentary evidence with them.

[robmcg]

It's not always the case that when a Bulleid (or any SR loco) change sheds that the shed code plate was changed straight away. With all the Bulleids I've done of late it's best to check both photographic as well as documentary evidence with them.

 

Certainly true. Reliably-dated photos are, as ever, the best way. Several books of from the series by Irwell Press, 'The Book of the (whatever)' show this, and often by 1959 shedplates were illegible with dirt, or removed, at least in the case of N15s... some of which spent their last days at Eastleigh, Basingstoke, Bournemouth or Salisbury, some had as many as 16 shed changes in 30-odd years, with final allocations in the west.

Whether this was true, as in shedplate accuracy, of the West Countrys and BoBs I cannot say, but considering that the Bulleids were in a sense the cause of the demise of the N15s or 'Arthurs', I will hold them responsible for the way the N15s were taken out of service and cut up with great haste and no fanfare between 1956 and 1961, mostly... we can always blame Bulleids for everything!

 

In any event, the recording of 'withdrawal from service' was hit-and-miss, as some are recorded this way only after they were cut up, and some were photographed with coal and water and signs of being in steam even after one or other of the above events was recorded!

 

Ah, British Railways....

 

Rob