Robin Brasher

Top. Hornby M7 30111 with BSL Pull Push Set 608. Middle. Hornby M7 repainted and modified 30108 with set 616. Bottom. Hornby M7 with set 603.

I have been lucky. Rails of Sheffield charged me £58.50 for R4534A Set 616 and Hattons charged me £62 for R4534B Set 603 with £4 postage in each case so they represent excellent value for money. When R4534 first came out the price of £74.99 was relatively high at £74.99 as Hornby expected the demand to be low. The practice of these retailers in passing on the savings to the customer is commendable. I am particularly grateful to Hattons for keeping me informed of the progress of my order during the long wait for delivery.

An Illustrated History of Southern Pull-Push Stock by Mike King and published by OPC has a chapter about SR Maunsell Stock. It contains pictures, drawings and allocations. There is a photograph of Set 616 at Seaton Junction on 19 April 1963 with M7 30048. The book mentions that withdrawal of the last motor fitted M7s took place at the end of May 1964 but several of the pull-push sets remained in service until November 1963. Between those dates the sets were hauled by any available locomotive in Bournemouth shed

Last night members of the Isle of Purbeck Model Railway Group were talking about whether the Swanage Railway should borrow a GWR pull push fitted engine and an auto coach for practice in running a Maunsell Pull-Push Set with the M7. According to page 14 of the Spring 2014 issue 103 of Swanage Railway Magazine work is due to commence shortly on the restoration at Rampart of Maunsell open thirds 1381 and 1346 so it looks like some progress is being made toward recreating a Maunsell pull-push service. This weekend M7 30053 should be running with a pair of heritage Bulleid coaches which have been splendidly restored.

00 gauge BR 3MT 2-6-2T hauling Maunsell Pull Push Set 603 over Corfe Viaduct. In 1964 3MTs were used in conjunction with M7s for the branch service but only the M7s were pull push fitted. 82029 visited the Swanage Railway in April and August 1964 and was the last of its class to be withdrawn. It would have had the late BR crest at this time. Set 603 ran on the Swanage Railway.

I have just received a telephone call from Rails of Sheffield as my credit card has expired and I needed to give fresh details. Maunsell Pull-Push set R4534A is now in stock with more to come at the end of April. I am modelling the Swanage Railway which had about four sets running at the same time so I am not sure whether to wait for R4534C or to buy another one now and renumber it. I have got a list of the pull push sets spotted on the Swanage Railway so I may need to do some renumbering anyway.

Thank you. I always find your posts and blogs very helpful.

This is a model of Corfe Castle in LSWR days. I like the period costumes. I live in Swanage and I am also modelling Corfe Castle Station as it was after Grouping. Thank you for the lovely pictures.

T9 120 at Harmans Cross Station on 7 March 1993. It arrived on the Swanage Railway in December 1990 and stayed there until 23 March 1994. Opinion is divided as to which is the best livery. For me lined black with the cycling lion totem suits the engine when pulling the crimson and cream Wessex Belle set and the British Railways goods trains on the Swanage Railway. It does not look out of place with the British Railways Southern Region green coaches. A locomotive in Southern Railway olive green hauling British Railways rolling stock looks wrong to me.

I have just received some wonderful news from Hattons. Hattons has processed my order for my Hornby R4534B pull-push coach pack in BR Southern Region green.

00 gauge Wills T9 kit in Southern olive green livery crossing Corfe Viaduct on the Swanage Railway. The kit has a wide cab although the prototype has a narrow cab. The model represents the T9 after 24 September 1932 when the E prefix was removed from the number and before 1 May 1940 when it was repainted in unlined Maunsell green with Bulleid lettering. It could also represent the locomotive in the early 1990s when it carried this livery.

Thank you for the information. I have amended my post. I would point out that my statement about the attack on 120 was based on an eyewitness account by Stan Brown when he saw two German Messerschmitt ME 109s flying in low over Wool station from the north. He went on to say that the locomotive had been riddled with bullets and cannon shells from end to end. She was leaking water like a sieve. On page 14 of The Book of T9s by Richard Derry he states that royal green livery appeared for passenger classes late in 1895. It was ...applied to T9s when they were built. On page 8 of HMRS Livery Register no 3 LSWR and Southern L Tavender describes the Drummond passenger engine livery 1895 to October 1917 as royal green although he does list a number of alternative descriptions for the colour.

Thank you. I have revised my post.

There are several books, chapters and articles about T9s. These include The Book of the T9 4-4-0s by Richard Derry, Locomotives Illustrated 44 October-November 1985 The Drummond 4-4-0s and Double Singles of the LSWR, Preserved Locomotives fourth revised edition by H C Casserley and a Pictorial Record of Southern Locomotives by J H Russell. I would be interested to see any pictures of models in any scale and pictures of the prototype.

Hornby T9 in LSWR lined Urie Green livery on Corfe Viaduct at Isle of Purbeck Model Railway Group meeting in Furzebrook Village Hall on Friday 7 March. British Railways repainted 120 in LSWR 1918 Urie locomotive green livery before it was withdrawn from service in 1963 so it ran with BR SR Bulleid coaches. It never ran in LSWR colours in this condition.

T9 30120 has just arrived at Swanage Station on Friday 7 March. It is in BR lined black with a cycling lion crest, an eight wheel tender and a narrow cab. On Saturday 28 November 1942 two German Messerschmitt 109s attacked it and it leaked like a sieve afterwards. Further information on page 55 of The Swanage Branch by Andrew P.M. Wright.

This topic is to talk about the models of T9s that have been produced, the prototype engines and the trains they hauled.

A Union Mills N gauge 700 emerging from Challow Hill Cutting on the Swanage Railway with some new Kernow china clay wagons. I look forward to recreating this scene in 00 gauge.

My first purchase from Hattons was a rake of four Hornby-Dublo Pullmans in August 1966 for £3. The Hornby-Dublo Pullmans came out in March 1961 and cost 18s 6d each. At the time they seemed like the last word. The picture shows an advertisement in the Meccano Magazine. They have given good service over the past 47 years.

Hattons does not deduct money from my credit card before they dispatch pre-ordered goods and they send me an email when they are ready to despatch them . I have pre-ordered an 00 gauge BR MK1 horse box and an LMS 6 wheel passenger brake van from other firms. The first I have known about it is when I see that they have deducted the money from my credit card company. Then I have rung them up and they have said that they will be sending the items in a month's time. I had to change the order for the Mk1 horse box because they said the model I had ordered would not be available for a year although they had already taken the money from my credit card.

If you want to buy a Hornby Pullman you would need to feel very well disposed to your local model shop to pay £47.25 when you can get one from Hattons for £25 plus £4 postage.

I have just bought Issue 1 Mallard and the "A4" Class from W H Smiths in Swanage. There is no date on the magazine and it looks like they issued the magazine with the model last year in other parts of the Country. It is excellent value for money. I am not sure why I bought it as I already have a working model of Mallard and my flat is cluttered with locomotives. I don't even model the LNER.

I don't think that the SR Van B was coded B because it did not have a gangway. The Southern Van A was a ferry van, Van B was an eight wheel van, Van C was a 4 wheel van.

I usually go by bus to Bournemouth and on to Romsey by train. Peter, who owns the O gauge model of Eldons' Sidings, comes to the Isle of Purbeck Model Railway Group meetings where we are building an 0 gauge model of the Swanage Branch from Swanage to Wareham. I live in Swanage, which is twinned with Rudesheim, where Rheingauz is based and the owner of the Tarrant Valley layout is in the Wimborne Railway Society. I am looking forward to seeing these layouts again.