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Iain.d

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Posts posted by Iain.d

  1. 5 hours ago, Tony Teague said:

    Diverting for a moment from the excitement of the "shunt trilogy", and responding to the question raised by @Iain.d, here are some closer images of the carriage stock making up SR non-corridor '3-LAV' Cross-Country Set No.158:

     

    SJPPB13000202201113.jpg.31e74aca405f5aefd84c6bdc305953ec.jpg

     

    Leading is ex-LSWR 56' 4-compartment brake 3rd no.3077, built 1913 to (SR) d.126; it had a single sliding door to the extended brake van.

     

    SJPPB13000102201113.jpg.58056806d2598497ce1021245f2ccf85.jpg

     

    In the centre of the three car set is ex-LSWR No.4696 an 8 compartment 58' composite to (SR) d.285

     

    SJPPB13000302201113.jpg.30d6647ce9130b253c86511061797b29.jpg

     

    and bookending the 3 car set is No.3078 which forms a matching pair with No.3077; a Van C trails at the rear.

     

    I recommend Mike King's recent "Southern Coaches Survey" (OPC/Crecy) to anyone interested in gaining a greater understanding of these and other SR pre-grouping carriages.

     

    These models are all in etched brass by Adrian Rowlands who was trading as "Northstar" when they were acquired around 7 or 8 years ago; they were produced ready to run, and they were painted - as were all of Adrian's production - by Larry Goddard. Adrian was a one man band who specialised in producing (very) limited runs of more obscure coaches, and soon after that I think he migrated to 7mm loco kits before retiring, and so I am especially glad that I was aware of his products at the time and able to acquire them.

     

    One difficulty that I struggle with is whether to weather unusual stock like this, but I think that it is probably so shiny that if I am going to run it, it will have to be dealt with at some point! (:scared:EEEK!)

     

    I showed some other Northstar coaches - particularly pul-push sets, from my fleet on p.5 of this blog, but they are all interesting and perhaps obscure prototypes, so I will get together some images of any others not preiously covered if that would be of interest.

     

    Tony

     

     

    Many thanks for taking the time out to show these. I have the Mike King book you mention, and yes it has some superb detail in it. On seeing the image I quoted higher up this page I was able to find references to the stock / set in the book; that piqued my interest to ask for specific photos. On looking back to page 5 of this thread I realised I'd read about your coaching stock previously, and I'd seen Mick Bonwick's weathering pages - I just forgot! 

     

    They are beautifully done carriages. I am looking to build a set - Roxey Mouldings do these diagram numbers - but I'll do them in early BR crimson. I intend to build a S&DJR based layout, I don't have any evidence of these non-corridor carriages working on the former S&D but there's no real reason why they couldn't have at some point. In the early 1950s a variety of ex LSWR carriages were used. I'm certainly more drawn to the more less common coaching stock than say homogenous rakes of Bulleid or BR Mk1 stock.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

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  2. On 29/10/2020 at 23:00, Jack Benson said:

    Iain,

     

    My interest lies is the WoE more than the SDJR.

    Looking for images of the low window 4 compartment stock in service in the West Country, not all were transferred to the SDJR. However, I think the chances are slim therefore images from the SDJR will be most appreciate if the stock is shown rather than the more normal loco + the first three coaches. The best image that I can find is the Masbury Summit image and a 4F near Midford in the Arlett colour album.

     

    Thanks and Stay Safe

     

    Hi Jack,

     

    I don’t have many books covering the southern region or the West of England services. I have had a look through the ones that I do have and there aren’t any pictures in them of formations containing Maunsell Low Window stock (that I can easily identify); there are plenty of images containing High Window stock.

     

    I had a look at David Gould’s Maunsell’s SR Steam Carriage Stock and a brief summary of his chapter on early 59ft Corridor Stock would suggest that not that many were built (compared to later high window ones). For the initial build, (1925) he states 10 x 3 coach sets, 2 x 8 coach sets, 1 x 10 coach set, 1 x 11 coach set, 10 x loose corridor brake composites, 10 x general saloons and a half dozen each of dining cars split between 1st class and 3rd class. The individual carriages were placed in formations of pre-grouping stock.

     

    Of these, the 10 x 3 coach sets and the 10 Brake Composites were destined for the West of England and the remainder were for the central section services.

     

    In 1926 and 1927 more were built but not in particularly large numbers (other than third class vehicles); four more 3 carriage sets were intended for WoE services. In his chapter summary, he says that in 1929 the 14 3 carriage sets worked mainly on the Weymouth trains and that 10 brake composites were used in the up and down Atlantic Coast Express (5 in each) from Ilfracombe, Torrington, Plymouth, Padstow and Bude. They were mixed in with SR Ironclad and ex-LSWR vehicles.

     

    The above is a very brief and condensed summary and not really doing Gould’s book justice. If you don’t have a copy it might help you; I refer to my copy regularly.

     

    Hope that helps.

     

    Iain

  3. On 27/10/2020 at 22:33, Dunsignalling said:

    I especially love the Stove R attached to a stopping passenger train. When mine is finished I'll be able to run exactly that formation with that loco....

     

    John 

    Hi John,

     

    A Stove R was often conveyed on the 4.37pm Bath - Templecombe having arrived in Bath in the early hours of the morning with the 12.37am Leicester - Bath parcels. At Templecombe it was marshalled into the 8.25pm Templecombe - Derby perishable service. There's a good article on this train in the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust's Bulletin 129.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

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  4. On 26/10/2020 at 17:56, Jack Benson said:

    Sorry to crash the party but I am looking for images of the 'SDJR' low window coaches in use. They seem to be particulary elusive......

     

    Thanks and Stay Safe

    Hi Jack,

     

    There are many pictures of Maunsell Low Window stock in Ivo Peters' books on the Somerset and Dorset, in particular the two 1950s ones and also 'An English Cross Country Railway' one. Is there anything specific you're looking for?

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

  5. 18 hours ago, Kirby Uncoupler said:

    If anybody's interested, here's a little update on my bubblewrap underlay trial.

    I think this looks quite good, interesting to see if the stock movement will alter the placement of the track.

     

    Because of your original post the other day, on my way home from work tonight I went to our local stationery shop (Officeworks) and got a big roll of bubble wrap, thinking I might give it a go. When I got home I asked my partner what I should do with the roll I'd bought. She said 'pop it in the corner'. It took me ages.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Funny 12
  6. 14 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

     

    It's easy enough to distinguish between an ex-LNWR cove roof carriage and an LMS standard 57 ft carriage, so which type is it in the photo with 58047

     

     

    I've had a quick look on the Irwell website and second-hand dealer websites but the scope of this series isn't apparent to me - do they provide much coverage of the pre-Ivo Peters period, especially pre-Great War? My ideal S&DJR Album would contain no photos of Bulleid light pacifics!

     

    I think the image of the Push & Pull trailer approaching Wells Priory Street (p.51 of The Somerset & Dorset Files No.4) is a Period 2 style. I have seen a couple of images of mixed trains on the Wells branch, there's one in Ivo Peters' An English Cross Country Railway and there's another in one of the other Somerset & Dorset Files books. I'll have a look when I get chance. I think there are some in the Alan Hammond series of books too; trouble is many of these images, while great for the stories written and historical content, are of a lower quality.

     

    I bought the six Somerset & Dorset Files after they went out of print, but managed a couple of new ones from bookshops by chance and the rest through eBay and the Book Depository. There's not much pre WWII stuff in them but I think they are a great series of books, very informative, many unpublished and well captioned photographs. There is lots of detail in terms of workings on the S&D, station locations and operating procedures - plenty of images without moving trains too. Certainly worth their money - there are though, lots of images of Bulleid light pacifics...

     

    Will send / have sent you a PM.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Thanks 1
  7. Hi Stephen,

     

    Thanks for putting this forward, its some interesting research.

     

    I don't have much on the motor trains on the S&D 'branches'; there's a picture on p.51 of The Somerset & Dorset Files No.4 showing  Johnson 0-4-4T 58047 hauling a single Push & Pull carriage towards Wells, I can't make out the carriage number entirely (maybe M24468). The date is suggested as 'sometime in 1951'.

     

    More interestingly, on p.53, there's an image of a four vehicle mixed train in the bay platform at Priory Road comprising a 6 wheel van, carriage, tank vehicle and box van. I've often wondered about the heritage of the carriage in this train. I've never thought it was a former LMS (or one of its usual constituent vehicles) or a LSWR type. It crossed my  mind it might be a former S&D carriage. I've read they'd all been withdrawn by 1930 but would date this photo post 1930.  This carriage looks very similar to the lower sketch you have produced above. The door and door vents layout look similar, there could even be a end window visible and it looks like the penultimate compartment door has been sealed up. The truss rodding attached to the solebar is quite prominent, not something I've seen on many carriages. Not sure if it would be a brake third or a motor trailer. The picture is undated but from the R.M. Casserley Collection.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Like 1
  8. I agree there are lots of great books being published, on my trips back to the UK I usually stock up with a trip to the Titfield Bookshop; in February I got a few good books, Peter Tatlow’s Breakdown Cranes, Don Roland’s Twilight of the Goods and a couple of the District Controllers Views – to help improve my understanding of how the railways worked – to name but a few. Good job my hand baggage wasn’t weighed…

     

    I get the odd book from the Book Depository (when the postage to Australia is free) but their stock is hit and miss.

     

    What I do find disappointing is that so many of the books I would love to get are either no longer in print or attract prices well beyond my ability to justify on the second-hand market (for example Gordon Weddell’s LSWR carriage books and Keith Parkin’s Mk1 carriage book). Much of my current purchasing interest is to help with modelling.

     

    I haven’t had too many books where the captions are poor, but I have bought a couple recently where the photos have been over manipulated in some photo editing software, such that the images are really poor – I’d rather see it how it was taken in the 50s or 60s and allow for the camera/film of the day. On two, published and purchased in 2019, the binding is so poor, after the first read the pages are beginning to come loose in one and have fallen out in the other.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Friendly/supportive 2
  9. 16 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

    I understood - possibly wrongly - that the tender attached to 1000 as preserved was taken from one of the preserved S&DJR 2-8-0s (prior to preservation)....

    Hi Stephen,

     

    I have read that the tender now with the MR Compound 1000 is the former Deeley tender taken from S&D 7F 53805; this was done in 1959 when (I believe) the restoration of the Compound was undertaken (see Model Railway Journal No 202 p270 for more information). I have images of 53805 in July 1957 with a Deeley tender, no images for 1958, and with a Fowler tender by March 1959.

     

    The tenders currently behind 53808 and 53809 are (again I believe) the ones they were withdrawn with; certainly the hybrid tender behind 53808 today, looks the same as the one in photos between 1962 and 1964. I think 53809 had a 'standard' Fowler 3500 gallon type its whole life.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Informative/Useful 1
  10. 8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

    You could phone a friend and either ask them to order on your behalf and post them on or order for delivery to their address then post them on.

     

    A few years ago I ordered quite a lot of SMP track and had it delivered to one of my daughters, as shipping it direct is exorbitant because of its length. On my next trip to Sussex I bought a cheap sports bag and brought the track home in my checked baggage.

     

    When I went into the shop to buy the bag the girl asked me what colour I wanted. I replied that it didn't matter as long as the bag was at least three feet long. I ended up with a bright red and blue one. It was easy to spot on the carousel.

    Postage does seem to becoming more of an issue out to Australia. For many items I buy from UK suppliers or eBay UK, I get them delivered to my sister's house in England and she forwards them on, bless her. What she can't send on (too big / too heavy) I pick up on my trips back. I don't think I'll be back to the UK for a while, so my purchases are massing! I'll certainly need to take full advantage of the baggage allowance next time....

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  11. 7 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

    Neither do modern diesels though.

     

    I think the Railtec issue is down to the etchers not working during lockdown.

     

     

     

    Jason

     

    Their Sans Lower nameplates state they’re suitable for some diesel and electric locos. They look similar enough to what I recall seeing in the mid eighties. Not sure how modern City of Plymouth is/was.

     

    KInd regards,

     

    Iain

    • Informative/Useful 1
  12. 7 hours ago, t-b-g said:

    Not just 2000 pages but counting down to 50,000 posts. If the counter is right there are 20, or make that 19 to go.....

     

    Sadly it will probably be some Aussie contributor who passes that milestone as I shall hopefully be tucked up in bed fast asleep when it happens.

     

    I wouldn't cheat by doing another 19 one word posts!

    Maybe!

    • Funny 1
  13. 3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

    Good afternoon Iain,

     

    Splendid work!

     

    Why do folk think that they're hijacking this thread with illustrated posts about personal modelling? Nothing is further from the truth, so please, please more. 

     

    Regards,

     

    Tony.  

    Thank you.

     

    Sorry, I was teasing!!

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

  14. Like Jesse, I feel too that I'm hijacking the thread with some modelling...I liked the posts on cats (I don't have one now but did have one once)....!!

     

    I thought I’d post an update on a 3 coach LSWR set I’m building…

     

    The bodies are now painted; they are definitely bright!! They’re done with Humbrol 101 (thanks Al / Barry Ten) and, from memory, seem to be familiar with my recollections of the Hornby Mansell stock and the Battle of Britain locomotive that featured in the 1981 Hornby catalogue. If it wasn’t for the period I was modelling, they wouldn’t be in my first choice of colour. All being well, when numbered and varnished, ends painted, roofs, grab handles, etc are added, I hope they will tone down slightly. There will also be some weathering to do.

     

    590346123_Roxey-LSWR-BodiesPainted.jpg.3e0560e5d5b8b34f70bb59adb6094354.jpg

     

    The underframes are also done less the dynamos, there are a few additional (detachable) handbrake fittings to fit to the brake underframes after the bogies are attached.  These are sprayed with Vallejo Primer (German Panzer Grey) and will be dry brushed with dark brown to dirty them.

     

    2015522783_RoxeyLSWR(2)-Underframes.jpg.402ce4bdc2a8eb6c2efade8955886cc2.jpg

     

    The interiors are built, yet to be painted.

     

    1258385462_Roxey-LSWRInteriors(1).jpg.ed870022937e71e10c673aa8c2493a58.jpg

     

    All going well I can get the numbers added in the next evening or so and varnished over the weekend. Then next week will likely see them assembled and then, hopefully, a package from Wizard Models will arrive with the bits to start on the next coaches!

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Iain

    • Like 9
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