Calidore

While we wait, this wonderful clip of Clapham in the 50s features footage of two original condition Merchants. One is on the Bournemouth Belle, and the other on the west country milk train, which would presumably have the Merchant as far as Exeter. The milk train clip in particular is fantastic.

There's that wonderful Southern Railway poster from the post-war period, which promises that all the tired-looking stations on the system will be repainted. Typically I can't find a photo right now but I'm sure you know the one I mean. In true SR style it's bombastic and adamant about how every station will be treated eventually, but I think they must have forgotten Melville Street I think it works this way too! But if less dereliction was the aim then I'm sure it'll look good with a bit of the weathering knocked off too. Looking forward to seeing it in place. Adam

I’m hopeful that there isn’t much that can go wrong with the MN, given the casing style. No exposed running plates or the like. Colour should be the only potentially dangerous territory and I shall keep faith until I have reason to do otherwise...!

And another point for anyone waiting / with preorders -- 35029 Ellerman Lines is listed on the retailers' websites with artwork showing the long tender, but on Hornby's site this has now changed to the 6'6"+6'6" variety so there appears to have been a change of mind there. I've not looked into the dates / whys and wherefores but presumably H have decided this gives better chronological range or something. Adam

An H class might solve your problem there Ian, just saying... would look might fine suitably grimed-up and placed in those surroundings! Adam

Indeed -- there's something on the Waterloo signalling diagram marked 'rail scotch' at this position, one for each road on the dock, and I've always wondered what it was. Presumably these are the items in question! @Chris Turnbull that's a very atmospheric photo and is indeed helpful re track arrangement. 82019 really gets in everywhere, too -- BRDatabase suggests she was allocated to Nine Elms from Nov 62 to July 67, but in that time seems to have appeared in almost every other photo taken around this area! Pilot at Waterloo, ECS workings to Clapham, and there's even a photo of her on the down goods road through Queens Road with a goods train, presumably having just departed the Nine Elms goods yard. As your photo shows she eventually had smokebox door hinges picked out in white so maybe she was considered something of a celebrity with crews by the end as well. Adam

It certainly is -- thank you @Wickham Green too! Even the geometry of the point seems to be slightly different from every angle -- although given the disc shunt signals have been replaced with colour lights this is presumably very late? So perhaps some realignment had actually taken place by the time of this photo. In most others it seems a fairly balanced 'y', perhaps if anything with the straight road and the diverging road slightly the other direction to what appears here. Trying to account for foreshortening and funny angles is a dark art in itself. Edit -- checking some other photos again, the formation is definitely realigned. In earlier photos the road visible in the foreground here, and the point, bend towards platform 12 (on the right as viewed in your photo) rather than away from it and towards 11. Adam

Wow -- even by RMWeb standards, that was a fast and comprehensive answer to my question! Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply, and for posting sources / images. I don't know how I didn't think of checking for a map, but that would have been rather an obvious place to look! @Nick Holliday you seem to have managed a much better resolution / clarity than I could when zooming on those aerial photos. Thanks. Adam

Hello all, A research question -- does anyone have good photos (or leads to the same in particular books, websites etc) of the bay platform at Waterloo, between platforms 11 and 12 as-were? I've been gradually collecting some as and when I've found them over the past year or so, but most follow the same format of a close crop focussed on whichever engine was present. It's one of those annoying places where you can try to piece together a picture from dozens of different images, but between them they don't quite all tell you what you want to know. Steam era would be ideal but it doesn't matter too much. The closest I've come to an estimate is the photo here, which suggests the length of the platform (which conveniently stopped level with the start of the overall roof) must have been 4 CCT-length vans plus what looks to be a 3MT or 4MT tank. Would anyone concur or strongly disagree? https://flashbak.com/wonderful-20th-century-pictures-waterloo-station-59318/waterloo-station-from-shell-tower-c-march-1964/ Ideally I'd be interested in anything more side-on but wider at ground level, and anything giving a sense of the angle of the curvature either side as well. I've requested a couple of images from Britain From Above already, but thought I'd ask here as well in case anyone can recommend a good resource. Thanks in advance. Adam

Wonderful!! Great textures. Adam

That building is really coming on a treat Lash -- will be a great focal point for the layout and as you say, captures the look of the LSWR buildings from places like Eastleigh very accurately indeed. I've been thinking about trying out a 'big' version for a fictional London terminus, with canopy over a concourse in front etc. Intended as something of a hybrid between this kind of station building, and that fine LSWR parcels office in Plymouth. Hope you don't mind me posting a pic. Adam

Yes, agreed, it was Winter 2020/2021 so it’s just a mistranslation into the style of the new website. If social media is to be believed (...) then stockists have been given 22nd Feb as delivery date for it.

Hi Adrian, lovely stuff going on as always. Lamps are great, and the platform edging is a nice touch, too. Looking forward to more of your ingenious creations as and when they emerge! Adam

... to be swiftly replaced by “It’s the wrong shade of blue!”

According to Hornby's 'coming soon' page, 35024 is now on the boat. Blue Merchant finally incoming...

Really enjoying watching this one, lash. All very nice and cramped (in a good way), the parcels stock suits it nicely. Do keep up the posts! Adam

Thanks @Dunsignalling for the interesting posts, on both counts. I'll have to have a scout around and see if I can find any more photos. Also very interesting that in this period there seem to be photos of everything from T9s, N15s/S15s to standard 4MTs and 5MTs or light pacifics on these workings. Perhaps there's some more information to be found in a book somewhere. Adam

Evening all. I hope nobody will mind my resurrecting this thread in the interests of sharing a thought-provoking photo from Transport Treasury -- 5MT 73115 passing through Clapham Junction with a single 3-set of 59' Bulleids, dated 9/61: https://www.transporttreasury.com/p697255697/h95c54173#h95c54173 This, to my mind, seems very unusual -- to see a service like this right through to London with only three coaches. Headcode and formation suggest a Basingstoke semi-fast, which admittedly seemed from photos to be services on which a great variety of motive power and stock might be found. But still, it seems more frequently to be composed of 5/6+. Likewise the Salisbury semis of, say, 1958-60 seemed often to be an N15 plus five. So, a question which might be of interest to the perennially space-starved amongst us: just how rare is this photo? It's the first time I can recall seeing the like of it. Adam

Now that's looking great, @lash. Very inventive and different (something not already 'modelled to death'!) and yet looks totally believable and authentic. Will look forward to seeing it on the layout. Adam

The road and the greenery break the scene up very effectively, Rob — I’m sure they’ll be just the ticket once finished. The lichen detail on the roof tiles is an inspired touch. Adam

I think Hornby's interest here must be strategic rather than anything else. Coming in a red box, there will be huge demand for these as expansions to train sets / as a perfect 'bridge' between simple starter products and the high-fidelity expensive stuff. They're small, easy to buy one or two of at a time, look attractive and will doubtless sell in all sorts of colourful mix-and-match combinations to that sector of the market, and they're realistically priced at £29 rather than £49 for a main range 'big' coach. The motivation here is very different to that from Hattons, I think, though Hornby will gladly hoover up a good proportion of the market Hattons were aiming at as well.

I do feel that, given some of the curiosities announced / released in the past few years, the H16 / W / U should be ‘when, not if’ at this stage. I’m sure any of them would do very well. Personally I’d love the H16 — given H’s penchant for S15/N15 type things it can’t be too much of a stretch. Edit for an afterthought — perhaps they’ll go left-field and we’ll get an H15 ‘chonker’!

Something which I'm surprised isn't more frequently requested is a new tooled Ivatt 2MT tank. They're versatile and geographically wide-ranging, important to modellers of two regions, several are preserved and relatively accessible to people who like to buy what they see, and the old Bachmann model is now one of the most outdated-looking in the range, in my opinion. Having seen Hornby's efforts with the Standard 2MT 2-6-0 (that lubrication piping!), this is one duplicate which I'd be more than happy to see announced.

Hi Ian, long time no post on my part but it's wonderful to see the last few updates on this page. The huts and clutter in the yard are perfectly observed. The trackwork, ballast, beaten-up vans and dilapidated C Class -- all so atmospheric and the level of detail is ultra-realistic without being overbearing. Most of all, the composition of the whole scene just looks spot on now that it's all come together -- foreground detail, arches, railway, and buildings half-hidden behind all go together so naturally. One of my all-time favourites on the forum, no doubt about it. Adam

Beautiful stuff, Rob — I’ve not had the leisure to browse RMWeb recently (and sadly no modelling time at all) but whenever I think to look, this is always the topic I hope to see an update on. This project is combining all the best bits of your previous efforts and of course has your trademark atmosphere in spades. Have you seen any photos of Newham Wharf (in Truro)? This rather reminds me of the place; I think you’d find it interesting if you’ve not already seen. Let me know if you’d like me to pm some pictures. Reading this, I find myself ever more tempted towards one of those new Dapol riveted-tank panniers... Adam