Mike Arnold

RMC for November arrived today. On the cover and featured inside, our very own Ray O'Neill with his 59th & Rust. Well done, sir.

As some of you may know already, Richard Maxwell, renowned for his sales stand of quality brass locomotives and cars at NMRA Conventions and shows passed away suddenly at home in March. He had on hand a very large collection of brass locomotives etc on sale or return/commission for third party owners which all need to be returned in order to settle his estate. I am one of a small number of Richard's friends helping the family during difficult times. If anyone here believes Richard held brass models to sell for them could they please contact me with full details of importer, manufacturer, railroad, class, wheel arrangement and whether painted or unpainted. This process might take some time, checking against a comprehensive stock list so an early notification would be appreciated. Mike Arnold e-mail: tunnelmotor@tiscali.co.uk

The short answer is yes, probably, but not SR(BR) green. Push-pull set number 3 was comprised S2609, a 7-compartment lavatory brake third, and is shown at plate 127 of The Illustrated History of Southern Coaches by Mike King (OPC) in malachite green in 1951 at Bournemouth Central. Your memory was probably spot on!

I have found a colour photo of S2626S (Hornby R4718 in SR Olive) and S4654S (an 8-compartment lavatory composite - not currently manufactured) as a two set arrangement at Evercreech Junction in what is unmistakably BR green in 1959 in Southern Coaches in colour by Mike Welch, published by Noodle Books (first page). The caption to the photo suggests they were loose coaches allotted to S&D traffic at Templecombe. Both withdrawn July 1959.

If I am not mistaken, Hornby have delivered this new item bang on time for the BR version and one month early for the SR version. If so, very well done indeed in these hard times.

I think you will find it was the other way around. I visited Eastleigh shed and works in Decembetr 1963 and 34055 was in the works yard and parts of 34043 were noted out the back where the cutting was done, at the end of that road alongside the works where a few others were waiting their turn, including 34035 and 34074. 34055 was used for static boiler testing or something like that, with 34043's smokebox door in place.