RichardV

Wow. Superb model of a very attractive prototype - you've captured the character of the loco really well. Am I right in thinking there used to be a BR64 at the Nene Valley?

21 hours ago, turtlebah said:

 

Thanks, RIchard.  I do hope i get some more time soon too - juggling a 6 month old and a job doesn’t always lend itself to modelling free time.

 

As a resident of the area, if you have any insight on historical railway workings please do share!

Sounds hectic.

i'm afraid I'm too young to have first hand knowledge of operations in the era in which West Park is set, but over the years I've come across useful information in books and so on, particularly British Railway Pictorial: Black Country by Paul Collins, and part two of Bob Pixton's two part study of the OW&W (which covers Worcester to Wolverhampton).

In about the last decade or so of steam in the area, local services on ex GW lines (including Wolverhampton - Dudley - Stourbridge) were generally formed of three coach sets of GW design non corridor stock (which I've seen referred to as an E set) formed C-BS-S (marshalled with the first class section of the C and brake compartment of the BS adjacent). The Warwickshire Railways website has a several photos of these, mainly on Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford services. Here are a few:

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1502.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1519.htm

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa1505.htm

As shown in the third photo, strengthening vehicles were added when necessary (though the Mk 1 BCK in that photo seems a very odd choice), and I've seen photos of two E sets coupled (though that would be too long for West Park ). These were replaced on some routes from 1957 by three car Derby Suburban DMUs (later class 116).

A couple of particular workings that may interest you spring to mind. In 1964 there was a semi fast to Chester that began at Wolverhampton Low Level at 1655; it left from a bay platform, was formed of three coaches, and was hauled by a 4-6-0. It seems an ideal working to begin at West Park instead. Here are a couple of photos on its last day of operation:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1356627

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/337126

In the Bob Pixton book I mentioned above, there are two photos from the early 60s of the 1655 Stourbridge Junction to Worcester which show a Palethorpe's 6 wheel sausage van marshalled behind the loco. The van would have come from the Palethorpe's factory in Dudley. Therefore, if you fancy adding an interesting vehicle, you could have a Palethorpe's van arrive from Dudley, maybe as part of a passenger train, then either shunt it to a siding or send it on (possibly to Bridgnorth?) attached to another passenger train.

Apologies if you already know all this: I just thought it might provide food for thought in case you don't.

Interesting to read about a fictitious station inserted into the town in which I grew up. It looks like the layout's coming together well. I hope you get more time to work on it soon.

A good few years ago I heard a story about a regular ECS working where a 153 was attached to a 170 which was,of course, a 100mph unit. Driver forgot the 153 was on the back..........

In recent years, it's been common for London Midland to use 153+170 formations on Birmingham New Street to Rugeley services, so this is entirely plausible. Not that there's anywhere much to get a speed up on that route, I expect.

Regarding Pacers coupled to Sprinters, when coming home from a day trip to Southport with my girlfriend in September, we arrived at Southport station to find the next train to Manchester was 142+156. She'd never been on a Pacer before, so I offered her the chance to sample one. For some reason, she declined to do so.

Going back to the mid-sixties, I recall that a daily newspaper train appeared in the public time table, leaving London Liverpool Street at 04:00 for Cambridge and then northward.  This was formed of a couple of passenger coaches and parcels vans.  Not surprisingly, there were lengthy stops on the way and IIRC, the 56 mile trip to Cambridge took the best part of 2.5 hours.

 

I also recall another similar newspaper service which left London Victoria in the small hours for Brighton, haulage was a class 73 electro-diesel.  On the several occasions I used this service in the early/mid 70’s, passenger accommodation was in a single BSK, and its 4 compartments were always full.

 

John

Similarly, in "On Great Central Lines", Robert Robotham described the working of the stock for the 0045 Marylebone to Nottingham Victoria newspaper train in the mid 1960s, which included three passenger coaches along with a varied selection of vans for the newspapers. The vans were worked back to London as the 1115 Nottingham Victoria to Neasden parcels train, while the coaches were attached to the standard four coach rake used on the 1715 Nottingham Victoria to Marylebone to provide extra rush hour capacity. This sort of stuff is worth bearing in mind to make working of passenger trains and the like interesting.

RV.

good evening. i hope this is the right forum to ask this: i've not been on this site for a few years and have lost track of where everything is.

does anyone know where i can purchase Sundeala board in or around Nottingham?

cheers in advance.

RV.