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Modelling Spam Cans (Bulleid Pacifics)


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Rob

 

The Exmouth Junction Light Pacific's would usually have been either west of Exeter or on stopping services to Salisbury and changed at Salisbury. The Merchant Navy's would worked the main Exeter to Waterloo services as far as Salisbury although in later BR days some would have worked through.

There were of course always exceptions.

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Thankyou, I shall have to look at the several books I have purchased recently for more inspiration. George Heiron's 'Waterloo to Ilfracombe' and Richard Parkinson's 'Exeter Memories' Exmouth Junction Fireman, also Michael Welch's 'Southern Counties Main Line Steam' and  John Scott Morgan's 'Altantic Coast Express'...

 

not to mention all the Irwell Press, Richard Derry 's 'The Book of ...' pairing for MNs and BoB/WCs., the Haynes' John Scott-Morgan 'The Original Bulleid Pacifics',

 

whew, David Shepherd's 'An Artist Among The Ashes', and C T Gifford's 'Each a Glimpse'...

 

Rob

 

edit; actually, looking at my picture a couple of posts back, it could well be west of Exeter, since by 1957 I think that flat-bottom rail was becoming common on the ex-LSWR lines and I need as many choices as possible!

Edited by robmcg
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Never one to leave a picture unchanged, I thought a trip to the Kent coast might offer new opportunities...

 

The descriptions of firing an original Bulleid light Pacific in the Haynes book 'The Original Bulleid Pacifics' by John Scott-Morgan leaves me in no doubt that they often looked spectacular when getting to grips with a heavy express. I heartily recommend Chapter 6 written by James Solly who was a fireman in the 1950s at 73B Bricklayers Arms, a vivid description of a run from Charing Cross to Ramsgate via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford, Folkestone and Dover, with 11 on for 345 tons. Reaching mid-high 80s in places. Locos that day for out and back were 34002 out and 34078, the latter back via a more convoluted route due to points failure at Paddock Wood.

 

...so I have re-named and re-numbered Hornby's 34061 to 34078 '222 Squadron'... with cylinder drains slightly blowing, sanders on, steam pressure at around 250lb and injectors on, for a fast trip from Ramsgate up to London Bridge and Charing Cross. I have chosen what I hope is the right headcode for the route from Ashford back into London via Maidstone East, Swanley Junction and Chislehurst Junction, the change of the headcode having been mentioned in the story.  Also mentioned was the fine condition of the engines that day, where he observed three rings in the exhaust smoke signature, and later, 'tubing out' with sand thrown forwards into the fire over the arch when accelerating towards Sandling Tunnel. He kept a good fire and pressure throughout the day.

 

A great tribute to these locomotives. A surprise to me was the high speeds reached on the outward journey, as mentioned, in the mid-to-high 80s., approaching both Tonbridge and Paddock Wood respectively, which gained only a couple of minutes on schedule, and this gave a little time for pulling coal forward at Ashford, as well as the usual watering. 

 

 

Lovely what you can do with modeller's licence... the actual location is not exactly anywhere, based on a pastiche of digital images.

 

post-7929-0-41765600-1360123564.jpg

 

Rob

Edited by robmcg
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Never one to leave a picture unchanged, I thought a trip to the Kent coast might offer new opportunities...

 

The descriptions of firing an original Bulleid light Pacific in the Haynes book 'The Original Bulleid Pacifics' by John Scott-Morgan leaves me in no doubt that they often looked spectacular when getting to grips with a heavy express. I heartily recommend Chapter 6 written by James Solly who was a fireman in the 1950s at 73B Bricklayers Arms, a vivid description of a run from Charing Cross to Ramsgate via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford, Folkestone and Dover, with 11 on for 345 tons. Reaching mid-high 80s in places. Locos that day for out and back were 34002 out and 34078, the latter back via a more convoluted route due to points failure at Paddock Wood.

 

...so I have re-named and re-numbered Hornby's 34061 to 34078 '222 Squadron'... with cylinder drains slightly blowing, sanders on, steam pressure at around 250lb and injectors on, for a fast trip from Ramsgate up to London Bridge and Charing Cross. I have chosen what I hope is the right headcode for the route from Ashford back into London via Maidstone East, Swanley Junction and Chislehurst Junction, the change of the headcode having been mentioned in the story.  Also mentioned was the fine condition of the engines that day, where he observed three rings in the exhaust smoke signature, and later, 'tubing out' with sand thrown forwards into the fire over the arch when accelerating towards Sandling Tunnel. He kept a good fire and pressure throughout the day.

 

A great tribute to these locomotives. A surprise to me was the high speeds reached on the outward journey, as mentioned, in the mid-to-high 80s., approaching both Tonbridge and Paddock Wood respectively, which gained only a couple of minutes on schedule, and this gave a little time for pulling coal forward at Ashford, as well as the usual watering. 

 

 

Lovely what you can do with modeller's licence... the actual location is not exactly anywhere, based on a pastiche of digital images.

 

attachicon.gifBulleid_Accelerating_Junction_34078_1ab_r800.jpg

 

Rob

Evocative as ever Robbie - brilliant!

 

Jeremy English

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For those who prefer the look of the rebuilt engines... and I can never decide which I prefer as they both have great beauty, here is Hornby factory weathered 34003...

 

I think the factory weathering very good considering the limits of volume-production.

 

I image this scene as being a 73B turn somewhere in Kent, with a few stray red and cream carriages as well as a Mk1 and a Maunsell behind a well-fettled but grimy 'Plymouth'.

 

post-7929-0-94911100-1360294923.jpg

Edited by robmcg
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  • 4 months later...

Hello All, I have just photographed a weathered 21C123 'Blackmoor Vale' in c1947 form and would appreciate it if someone could help me firm up on a few details.

 

Short smoke deflectors, narrow cab with flat front, front sander, but importantly, to me, did all 'narrow cab' engines have the flat front or did some have 8' 6" cabs with wedge fronts and stepped lower cab?  Have Hornby got it wrong when they describe 'narrow cab' for this model, when the model has wedge front and shoulder?

 

Also was the lubricator arrangement above the slidebars quite like the photo below in 1947 or was it more covered, ignoring the period of full covers used for a while?

 

(I photo-edited it to make it look more like photos in books.)

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Rob

 

post-7929-0-22652200-1373318389.jpg

Edited by robmcg
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Rob

 

21c101 to 21c170 all had 8'6" narrow cabs and up to 21c163 had the flat front cabs from new. When modified to the wedge shaped cabs the width was not changed (21c123 got the cab mod in Sept 1954) 34071 to 34110 had 9' wedge shaped cabs from new.

 

Those with narrow cabs that were rebuilt gained 9' cabs at the time of rebuilding.

 

The Hornby release of 21c123 was as per its preserved condition as although it had the short deflectors and the wedge shaped cab it also has the later modified rear position for the safety valves.

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Thankyou Graham. I'm presuming then that all the original narrow cabs had flat fronts with no forward 'waist' below cab windows, and two side windows, then.

 

Here is another version of my latest picture,  I will call it a 'recently unearthed historical document, showing 21C123 'Blackmoor Vale' in September 1947 just after it was transferred from Ramsgate to Nine Elms.

 

How the photographer managed to obtain a sharp photo with the Kodak Colour film of the time, 8 asa for Kodachrome I, and 25 asa for Kodachrome II will remain a mystery known only by Hornby, who provided the engine, carriages, signals, signalbox and platelayer's hut.

Oh, might I also ask, do Hornby model the original narrow 2-window, flat-front cab?  I photo-edited mine from the wedge-shape version. I notice a Hornby R2286 grey version Light Pacific 21C164 'Fighter Command' sold for £210 on Ebay a few days ago, seller was Rails of Sheffield, and has a wedge-shape narrow version cab by the looks of it.

 

post-7929-0-53680800-1373346216.jpg

 

post-7929-0-61224500-1373345022.jpg

 

Edited by robmcg
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I will have to dig through my reference books but I have a feeling that one (possibly two) of the earliest narrow cab wedge fronts had the two side window arrangement before three were settled on as the standard. Graham (Muz) may be able to save me a bit of time though as he is a mine of information.

Edited by SRman
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SRman

21c164/5 were the first to get the wedge shaped cab and originally these still had two side windows, but this meant that the opening part of the window was too small so the use of three side windows that allowed two parts to slide behind the third was introduced to increase the opening area. The first two were also so fitted.

Rob

Hornby have not done the original style front. I have modified a number of mine, as can be seen in the second post on this thread, either with a scratch build cab or SRG castings. More details can be found on my blog here http://grahammuz.com/2012/04/28/talking-stock-7-bulleid-light-pacific-original-style-cabs/

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Thought I ought to add a can to help out the the modelled side, to show there are others, other than Hornby ones.

 

This was built from a very basic Carriage and Wagon Works kit. Finished as Watersmeet 34030.

 

post-13601-0-48941300-1374007061_thumb.jpg

 

 

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SRman

 

21c164/5 were the first to get the wedge shaped cab and originally these still had two side windows, but this meant that the opening part of the window was too small so the use of three side windows that allowed two parts to slide behind the third was introduced to increase the opening area. The first two were also so fitted.

 

Rob

 

Hornby have not done the original style front. I have modified a number of mine, as can be seen in the second post on this thread, either with a scratch build cab or SRG castings. More details can be found on my blog here http://grahammuz.com/2012/04/28/talking-stock-7-bulleid-light-pacific-original-style-cabs/

 

Thankyou Muz, finally it has become clear, and your sequence of pictures in msg. 2 in this thread show the difference in wedge/narrow cab and wedge/wide cab too, not always easy to see in prototype pictures.  Also the two window-three window thing is clear now.

 

Rob

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  • 1 year later...
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It's been over a year since the last post here so here are three photos of ones that I have been working on.

34108 Wincanton is the new Hornby release. However after looking at photos taken in 1964 she appeared with red nameplates so I have now fitted Fox Transfers plates over the Hornby black printed ones.

post-1557-0-05149800-1406351534_thumb.jpg

 

34053 Sir Keith Park had a split idler gear so after a very quick delivery from Peter Spares this one is now ready for its next run on Star Lane at Tinkers Park in a weeks time

post-1557-0-14474700-1406351677_thumb.jpg

 

34107 Blandford Forum did see use on Star Lane at RISEX last February and will probably do so again next weekend. It still requires the split piece Hornby ash pan replacing with RT a Models (ex Albert Goodhall) one piece castings.

 

post-1557-0-89738500-1406351788_thumb.jpg

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Hi Ian
 
Thanks for resurrecting this thread it has reminded me that I have few Merchant Navy variations to add to the thread.

The third and final series of Bulleid’s Merchant Navy Pacifics were not introduced until after the formation of British Railways in the Autumn of 1948. As a result they were numbered immediately into the new BR numbering series 35021 to 35030 but still initially appeared in malachite green whilst British Railways developed their own new livery schemes.
The locomotives were built at Eastleigh and five of the first seven were finished before the completion at Brighton of their 6000 gallon tenders and were introduced into service paired with Bullied Light Pacfiic tenders, either 5500 gallon (35021/22/24) or 4500 gallon (35026/27) versions for a few months.

post-243-0-16715300-1406363752_thumb.jpg
35021 once paired to her 6000 gallon tender in lined malachite green with lettering in British Railways Gills Sans.

post-243-0-35306700-1406363753_thumb.jpg
35022 looks a little strange in unlined malachite green, paired to a 5500 Gallon Light Pacific tender with names plates covered. Note also the mismatch of letting styles between loco and tender.

post-243-0-72899400-1406363750_thumb.jpg
35023 entered service from new with its correct 6000 gallon tender and was lettered in Southern Sunshine style.

There is still a few items to finish off on these models such as brake gear and at least one set of cylinder drains.

More information can be found on my blog here

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