Quintus

Collect 2223 having completed shunting is called back by the guard to take water before getting the "right away"

A single unit departs from Melcombe Magna bound for Weymouth.

1405 on the Weymouth goods turn departing from Melcombe Magna.

I think possibly a quick coat of wartime black is wearing a bit thin and the original GW green is showing through in quite a few places. There is definitely some green showing through. Problem is, if you finished your model with that livery, no one would believe it!

Many thanks for all your replies and interest. I think the van will be finished in bauxite when it gets to the paint shop. I am using the Peco (ex Webster) kit, with 5 thou. riveted brass overlays for the sheeting and modifying the handrails and windows. I'm sure someone out there must have done this!! Regards to all Mike

PS I also see the number and tonnage lettering are in a different position, further indicating a repaint. As far as my research has gone to date, these are the only two photos of this van. There is another one of it at West Bay station but the van is mostly obscured by the loco. As that photo is also credited ti I D Beale I think it is fairly safe to assume it was taken on the same day in August 1955

And here is the photo in the OPC book. I think it must have had a repaint from the photo above as there is a bigger space between Bridport and RU lettering . The photo looks to me to be rather dark for B.R. grey, so maybe bauxite?

The photo in the opc book shows W56943 Bridport RU 24T in Gill Sans lettering with no black patches. Apparently in was marshalled between loco and coaches on one turn, hence through pipe,steam heating pipe and screw couplings

I am building a o gauge model of the Bridport based 6 wheel ex GW Toad as it would have appeared in B.R. days. According to the OPC book on the Bridport branch, the van was vacuum fitted, but I suspect it may have just been through piped. Photos of this van are rare, but the one photo in the OPC book show it with B.R. lettering (possibly late 1955) My question is, what colour would the van have been at this time? It could have still been in G.W. dark grey, Possibly bauxite, or B.R. freight grey. I doubt the latter as there are no black patches for the lettering. Bauxite also seems doubtful to my thinking but I may be wrong. Any ideas anyone? Cheers Mike

A glimpse of Waterloo yard

A misty morning in Dorset sees Peckett 0-6-0ST "Jurassic" preparing to move off shed

Another shot taken at Newton Heath Works, this time with a Drewry in charge.

The 100hp Sentinel shunting Newton Heath works.

I took this photo at Stalbridge around 1960. The trolley was painted green. A little different to the usual Wickham.

One of the Panniers allocated to the S&D after the W.R. take over. 4691 is built from a Underhill kit (latterly zero zephyrs). The signal box was scratch built from card some 20 odd years ago.

Templecombe's "Bagnall" shunts the yard at Melcombe Magna. The loco is built from a Connoisseur kit with compensated chassis

I prefer the lost wax lamps from CSP models. They have sockets for the lamp irons that need a little fettling- I use a tiny dental burr in the mini drill. When a good fit on the lamp iron is achieved they are easily moved around as required without fear of breakage. I tried the Modelu ones, which are very good, but the handles tend to break if they are moved about.

A more typical S&D branch train.

The arrival of modernisation at Melcombe Magna

A standard gauge Peckett prepares to go off shed whilst a narrow gauge Bagnall passes an abandoned Austin Ruby with a train of v skips

A Minerva iron mink, straight out of the box and weathered.

The coal merchant

Fletcher Jennings Stanley trundling along the Waterloo Tramway

The Bagnall heading past Newton Heath Works with clay for the weathering beds

34051 Winston Churchill must have been one of the last pacifics to work a regular service train over the S&D. They sent her up from Bournemouth as the booked class 4 had failed. Can't remember the date but certainly late 1965. I was a fireman at Templecombe at the time.