October 30, 2012 · 5:20 pm

Ashes to ashes

The latest variations on Bachmann’s LNER clasp-braked chassis are also recently in the shops.   These were pretty obviously on the same boat as the SR brakes, but missed the boat when it came to getting my finger out with this post…

One of these variations is the LNER corrugated end van, albeit in its initial form without ventilator hoods; I’ve not bothered taking a pic of this as it’s so similar to the existing vans, which will now be familiar to most.  The other introductions comprise three variations on the beastie below:

Although cannily being marketed as ‘Highbars’ (which they undoubtedly are), the box label doesn’t quite tell the whole story.  Strictly speaking, they are an adaptation of the steel High Goods intended for soda ash traffic, and it’s not quite such a stretching of a point as Dapol coming up with their own use for the codename ‘Rectank’ a few years ago.

This designation can be seen from the exquisite lettering seen above, which I have every intention of keeping most of and will need some careful work whilst weathering.  Physical differences are essentially the provision of a sheet rail or bar, and the doubling of the crossmember across the side door.

The wagon itself, like the unvented van, shares all the virtues and vices of the initial models.  The   distinctive brakegear is well represented and detailed, the wagon body is good on the outside but has no interior detail.  Obviously a Parkside kit will provide some of the latter, but still needs work if it is to accurately portray the chequer-plated surface of the inside of the doors; and the chassis will take up a fair bit of time to finish to the standard of detail of the RTR example.

Quite a few batches of these soda ash carriers seem to have existed, some built thus from new and some (I think) by conversion, some in the regular number series and others in the B74xxxx series for bulk carriers.  Whilst it’s very likely that some found their way into ‘ordinary’ traffic, I do wonder what good they would actually have been, as soda ash is known to be a very corrosive substance.  Steel Highs in general tended to find their way into assorted mineral traffics in later life, and the modified door arrangements of the soda ash wagons might well have marked them out as particularly suited to such use.  There is some circumstantial photographic evidence to support the possibility of their use on the seasonal flows of rock salt (for winter road use) to Inverness.

Below is a closeup of the sheet bar arrangement, which has probably been adapted from that already in use on the firm’s Shock Highs.  It does pop out quite easily, should you wish to run a wagon that has lost the bar (and/or use it on something else).  Those moulding feeds are also more evident at this level of enlargement than on viewing the model.  The 180 degree quadrant that the bar pivots on is moulded onto the wagon, but looks effective, and could be carved off if required (often, but not always, this part was left on when wagons lost the bars in later life).

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October 21, 2012 · 4:50 pm

Pillbox precision

Latest wagon-shaped retail therapy to hit the shops comes in the form of Bachmann’s range of SR ‘Pillbox’ brakevans.  These come in a commendable range of variations, reflecting not only changes in livery as you’d expect, but also the three distinct patterns of bodywork prevalent through the build runs.  This van is the 25T version – there was also a lighter but less numerous 15 tonner, easily recognisable by its much shallower solebar.  Another recognition point, for BR days at least, is that the 25T vans generally lost the distinctive sandboxes at the ends, whereas the 15 tonners kept them.

Without thinking too deeply about it, I went for the BR bauxite version, which is an even-planked van with right-hand duckets; I do fancy an uneven-planked one, which is for the moment only being issued in SR and olive green liveries, but I’m in no rush and will see what comes along in the next batch.

There’s not a lot to say about basic aspects of the model other than that it’s well up to the standard you’d expect, crisply moulded and capturing the shape and general appearance very well.  Distinctive features like the deep solebars and self-contained buffers are very well rendered.  The stepboards seem a tad more sturdy than those on Bachmann’s BR brake vans, and the handrails are now in metal rather than plastic, which should enable them to retain their shape much more easily.

Errors are few, and all pretty minor.  They appear to be tied in with the change from the left hand ducket of the first vans to the right hand arrangement, and the consequent positioning of the chimney and of the brake pull rod under the van, both of which changed as a consequence of repositioning the ducket.  Unfortunately, all of the models have a chimney which is correct for RH ducket vans with a brake pull that’s correct for LH ducket ones, meaning that they all have a minor error as they come.  One forum poster did seem to use this to promote the notion that Bachmann should only have marketed one body type, which I found strangely backward-looking; I’d much rather we were offered maximum choice as to the bodywork, even if it does mean that some minor details have to be corrected by what is really minor surgery.  One other thing, which I’ve not seen mentioned elsewhere but only affects (I think) this particular van, is that the exterior vacuum pipe (installed when the vans were vacuum through-piped by BR) should only appear on one side – this I’ll rectify when I get around to relettering and weathering.

As ever, the add-on ‘bag of bits’ has caused some consternation – these comprise the brake pull yoke assemblies together with the catch bars that on the real wagon, prevent any loose brake rigging from descending to the ballast and thereby causing great mischief.  The shot below shows these fitted into place – you’ll also note that I’ve removed the NEM coupling pockets, which if it’s something you need to do, is obviously easier now than later.  The yoke assemblies are plastic, and fit (with some persuasion) into pilot holes in the back of the brakeshoes, then the catch bars (which are metal) go over these.  The spigots which locate the yokes have an offset, which should be  arranged so the yokes sit lower than the spigot (otherwise they’ll foul the axle), and the catch bars are best fitted by first inserting the end with the small cross shape into the hole in the floor, then locating the other (longer) end into the gap in the framing behind the headstock.

In each case, an appropriate adhesive was used to keep things in place – once fixed, the whole assembly seems quite sturdy.  You might also see that I sorted the brake pull whilst I was at it (the original position shown by the white tell-tale mark); if you’re canny as to how and where you cut it, this literally takes less than five minutes. The image is clickable (to two levels of enlargement) if you want to get in really close:

Usage of the vans in the BR period was more widespread than might be imagined.  Whilst they were obviously never as widespread as the much more numerous LMS, LNER and BR 20 tonners, I’ve seen so many pictures now showing the Southern vans off-Region that I’ve long since stopped counting, and really there’s no reason why they wouldn’t have wandered just as the LMS and LNER brakes did – they wouldn’t have been restricted by lack of duckets or being single-ended like the GW Toads, and there’s some apocryphal evidence that the greater oomph of their 25T rating could have endeared them to staff in some instances.

Edit 2.12.12 – this shot on  Jodel Aviator’s Flickr stream depicts a van just like the one above in trip freight use at Northampton in 1966.

You can find a further review of the models, including more in the way of history and build details, on Graham Muz’s SR-themed blog. 

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October 21, 2012 · 2:51 pm

Modern Locomotives Illustrated

Issue 197 of this periodical has now been out a short while, and deals with the North British type 2s, both diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic, of what became classes 21, 22 and 29.  The editor says that this one has been by far the most difficult to put together, and wearing the less charitable hat that I’m known to don on occasion, I’d probably say that’s because it hasn’t been possible to rely on the padding of privatisation or preservation era material….  But cynicism aside, whilst this is a publication I’ve been known to criticise, I have to balance that by saying that this issue really is a cracker, and well reflects the effort that must have gone into it.

The diesel-hydraulic content seems stronger, but that’s not to say that that of the diesel-electrics isn’t worthwhile.  The shots that I’ve seen before do generally fall into the category of ones that I’m happy to see again (some of these being Jim Binnie’s, from his erstwhile Fotopic Diesel Image Gallery),  and there are some new GNoS area images.   The selection of class 29 rebuilds seems to include class members that are less commonly photographed, and the freight formation behind 6124 at Eastfield is characteristically fascinating.  The WR selection includes some very interesting or unusual locations and workings; Cheddar Valley, S&D demolition, Torrington, the Callington branch and the Paddington – Bude summer service seen at Halwill Junction.

Much of the text, too, makes pleasant reading.  In the uncredited introduction on Order and Design, the myth of unreliability, particularly of the diesel-hydraulic 22s, is addressed.  It’s become far too fashionable for commentators to ascribe the demise of much of BR’s Modernisation Plan fleet as due to unreliability or (that other hackneyed phrase) being ‘non-standard’.  Whilst it’s unarguable that some poor decisions and purchases were made, it’s also the case that too many locos were ordered at a time when rail traffic and trackage were being decimated; that being the case, it’s only natural that the larger or stronger classes would fare better once steam had been eliminated and surpluses identified.  Had it been the case, however, that the work had been there for the other classes, then effort would have been put into making them fit for service.  One thing that I didn’t expect to see addressed though (because it rarely is), is the generally better reputation of the 21s allocated to Kittybrewster for the GNoS section – whilst these are usually tarred with the same brush as the Eastfield contingent, it’s rare to see a photo of one in anything less than immaculate condition and anecdotal comment suggests they were looked after mechanically and performed accordingly.

All in all though, a good buy at less than a fiver and even if you only favour one class over the other, the coverage of each is good enough that you shouldn’t be disappointed.

More information on the series can be found at http://www.mli-magazine.com/index.html

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October 21, 2012 · 2:46 pm

News from the Land of Green Ginger

Yes, I know.  Months since I last posted, and all I can come up with is something only tenuously railway-connected.  But that’s life, of which a hobby is only part; I’ve been on holiday, enjoyed the tail end of what laughingly passed for summer here, and been to two shows in two consecutive weekends.  All of which links in nicely now with the notion that modellers are generally not unknown to enjoy a nice beer or three.

The above is a pump clip from Caledonian’s Flying Scotsman premium ale, brewed to assist with the restoration of said loco.  This one suffered a slight accident when the actual clippy bit broke, and rather than chuck it in the bin, it was very kindly put aside for us by the landlord of one of our  favoured hostelries in Hull’s Old Town.  It’s nice when people think of you like that, and we’re very appreciative.  As to the liquid itself, we can’t speak highly enough of it – Caledonian do seem to be one of those outfits that can’t brew a bad beer, and a brewery tour is on the ‘to do’ list.

http://www.caledonianbeer.com/

Again tangentially related, there are even blogs about pump clips – I found http://pumpclipparade.blogspot.co.uk/#uds-search-results whilst checking out the enticingly named Kitty Brewster.  And on the subject of railway-themed beer names, you could also be unlucky enough to encounter Junction Brewery’s Trainspotter…

In other news, I’ve added two very worthwhile blogs to the links bar, those of Chris Nevard and Phil Parker.  Both gentlemen are far more prolific than I, and I hope you enjoy the reads.

Also below is an image of one of Ken Gibbons’ more recent creations, Llangerran.  Now that his North Devon micro Stone has moved on to a new owner, Llangerran is set to fulfil its potential and having already done shows at Expo EM, Rochdale and Thirsk, is booked in for the York show next Easter.

The shot below should show a flavour of what the layout is about, being essential a revisiting of his New Quay micro that featured in Santona’s Modelling the British Rail Era.  Although still a ‘bitsa ‘ station, this is a full length layout and has a surprising amount of shunting potential for what is a relatively simple trackplan.  Again it draws inspiration from the lines to the west of Carmarthen, being situated on a route to a coastal terminus at Saint Davids (a name that will need no introduction to those who recall the work of Mac Pryke in the 1970s).

Here, one of the indigenous class 37s is busy shunting the MOD siding, with one of the last gasps of domestic coal in evidence to the right:

I would have liked to have featured Llangerran as a full page with the other layouts, but the images we have of it are simply not of sufficient quality; in setting up this blog, I’ve never had any pretensions to be an ace behind the lens, but I do have some standards!  Anyway for now, our sincere apologies until that state of affairs is rectified.

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July 7, 2012 · 9:48 pm

From steam to the blue era – a bluffer’s guide to TOPS-numbered locos

Oh yes; the end of steam,  what happened during its last few years and afterwards.  Quite a misunderstood interlude, if recurrent questions around the forums are anything to go by.    The aspect on which I’ve most recently seen an unusual amount of hot air expended is that of five-figure computerised numbering (usually known as ‘TOPS numbers’); though whether they were strictly necessary for TOPS to function isn’t something I’m going to get into here – as far as the modeller or enthusiast is concerned, it’s their effect on the appearance of the loco that matters.

The class numbers were initially allocated as far back as 1968, although as is often the way with these things, many types were withdrawn before carrying the five-figure numbering.  The first loco to actually carry the new style was an EM1 electric, 26050, which was renumbered 76050 in November 1971.  A few more 76s followed during 1972, along with AC electrics of classes 83 and 84 which, after a period in store, were undergoing work to augment the fleet for the extension of 25kV wires to Glasgow.

Diesel renumbering didn’t start until 1973, initially with class 45 ‘Peaks’; the first was 45101 in March 1973, which had undergone conversion for ETH (electric train heating).  The wholesale renumbering of the rest of the fleet started from the autumn of that year, and was initially quite slow as locos were generally only done on works visits.  By early 1974, ‘crash’ renumbering programmes had been instituted at depots and the bulk of renumbering work had been completed by that summer.   No longer did the new numbers only sit on shiny new paint, but were applied to scruffy blue and scruffy green alike – over 500 locos ran with TOPS numbering whilst still in green, with the last still being around in 1980.

Old Oak’s 31416 (ex-5842) was notable in being one of the first (if not the first) loco to be renumbered without a works visit.  It’s seen here at Royal Oak on 29.9.73, on its usual Paddington carriage pilot duties.  

Below, a recipient of an ER depot renumbering (in this case quite neatly done), 20133 (ex-8133) is seen at Barrow Hill on 5.7.75.  It also shows three distinct styles of allocation sticker.

As ever, records do present anomalies, notably in that several Scottish Region locos (including 27s and 37s)  don’t seem to have been renumbered until as late as autumn 1974, but it’s generally thought that this was just a question of late record keeping with the actual locos having been done some months earlier.  The ScR also gave us some interesting variations, such as numbers on secondman’s side cabs on locos with tablet catcher recesses, and a handful of locos like the one below.

26005 (ex-5305) at Glasgow Works on 10.8.75 has its new number applied with old transfers in the serif style used on green locos.  This is the only 26 known, although there were several 27s (including some push-pull ones with the ’27’ in one style and the rest in the other), and a sole 25, 25217.

There were some bona fide exceptions to the 1974 cutoff though, being members of classes 45 and 47 which had been identified for conversion to ETH but rather than carrying numbers in the 45/0 or 47/0 series, kept their four digit numbers until called to works.  Some of these stragglers ran with the old numbers well into 1975,  and as is fairly well known, WR hydraulics of classes 35 and 52 also remained untouched due to being slated for early withdrawal and the difficulty in removing their cast numbers.

As mentioned in the text, renumbering of class 45 started slightly before other diesels.  One peculiarity of this was that the first ones done had numbers on all four corners, as seen here with 45110 (ex- 73) at Holbeck on 7.8.73.   By the time renumbering had started on other diesels, the familiar pattern of numbers on driver’s side only had been established.

Sources

The  Allocation History of BR Diesels and Electrics, self-published by Roger Harris.  My copy is the original 1986 edition but the work has more recently been reissued in expanded form.

Green TOPS – The Definitive List

Livery guru Russell Saxton’s diligently researched findings originally appeared in Rail Express Aug 2003 and now appear on the Rail Blue website:

http://www.railblue.com/rail_blue_history_2.htm

Russ also has a Flickr group on the same theme, which is at:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/br_green_liveried_tops_locos/pool/with/4574395547/#photo_4574395547

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April 22, 2012 · 8:01 pm

The LMS Van

The LMS, as the largest of the four companies, was the one which contributed most to the ‘pool’ of wagons controlled by the RCH and which of course eventually came into BR ownership.  Vast quantities were built to various designs, no doubt causing some degree of confusion at first glance.  As is often the case though, with a little analysis it is evident that a very large percentage of them had a distinct familial resemblance, with the corrugated ends that had first been used back in the 1920s and being essentially to one standard body shape, which also accommodated a post-war change to plywood body sheeting instead of planking.  The last batches to LMS orders actually appeared with BR numbers, and many lasted in significant numbers into the mid-1960s and hence the diesel era.

The vans of the  SR and LNER have recently been quite well catered for out of the box, together with Parkside’s retooling of its post-war LNER plywood van.  The old Mainline moulding for the GW Mink is now middle aged but still acceptable, and this leaves a gap that is surely ripe for RTR exploitation.  For now though, there are three principal LMS-pattern van models available which can round out the picture for a BR van fleet.   These are the venerable Ratio 591/5091 kit, a very similar one-piece moulding in the Airfix RTR range and Parkside’s PC42 kit, which although intended as a BR fruit van to a plywood LMS-inspired design, can be used to represent ordinary vans built by both the LMS and BR.  Contemporary with the Airfix model, an equivalent model appeared in Mainline’s range, easily recognisable by its crude working sliding door;  at some point this was retooled to lose the gimmick, but retained its squat appearance.  To be honest it’s best avoided, as the ex-Airfix moulding is way superior, still available from Dapol and secondhand examples are not rare.

The Ratio kit dates back some forty years now, an all-time classic wagon kit in my opinion, and is still a hard act to follow.  The assembled kit captures the look and proportions beautifully, particularly the characteristic corrugated end and the shape and size of the vent hoods.  Over 20,000 vans were built to the diagrams that it covers  (LMS D1891/1897/1978/2039), so it’s a model that can easily be justified on any layout from the mid-1930s to around 1970.

The one below is in progress, awaiting the ‘metalwork’ stage where it will acquire buffers and tiebars.  Most of these vans acquired additional diagonal strapping during BR days, and this has been represented with plastic strip.  The sharp eyed will see that I didn’t get this positioned spot-on the first time,  which irks me, but it’ll come right once it’s painted and weathered.  I’m also deliberating over providing boltheads on the additional strapping, it may provide an excursion for my Archers rivet transfers.

Although in shadow in this shot (showery in E Yorks today, indoor photography only), it also sits on a Parkside 10ft wheelbase underframe, which I used in order to give a bit of variety and portray a van with BR-pattern axleguards and plate axleboxes.  You can normally do this sort of thing with different chassis kit parts, although a little thought can be needed to accommodate the disparate brakegear parts.  The Parkside floor though fits as if it was made for the job. A second Ratio kit is in build, this one being altered to an early D1891 van with vertically planked doors, and will join a third van that’s been left as intended, although it will acquire a clasp braked, J-hanger suspended chassis courtesy of Parkside’s PA16 parts.  Not that there’s much wrong with the Ratio underframe as it comes, it can be used to represent  a van as vac fitted by BR or (by omitting one set of pushrods, the ones on the side without the Morton clutch), an  unfitted van as originally built.  Other than the rather thick moulding feeds, as visible here on those end sprues, the crispness of these mouldings could easily be mistaken for a modern Parkside kit:

Below is an example of the Airfix RTR  offering; one important recognition feature it depicts is that whereas pukka LMS vans have channel section vertical uprights, BR builds ( diagram 1/204)  have a different section.  The diagonal stanchions are also doubled at points. All of the BR examples were built in vac fitted form, again this is catered for by the appropriate parts from Parkside’s useful PA16 chassis kit:

A bit of added bolthead detail appears on that top board, and also seen here is a very distressed example of a trader’s label, of which more anon…

The Parkside PC42 van is a very rare thing, a model in their range which doesn’t convincingly capture the prototype.  This is because it mistakenly uses a roof profile more akin to the BR standard van.  It is possible to reprofile the top edge of the ends, but this still leaves the vent hood position looking a bit odd, so the solution I chose was to use the ends and roof from the aforementioned Ratio kit, which sets everything up right from the off and immediately shows how far out the sides are .  If you’re frugal in outlook, by the way, there’s no need to shell out for a brand new kit for this purpose as indifferently-built examples can be picked up for a few quid at swapmeets and can with care be dismantled for spares.

My part-finished model here shows the extra 40 thou or so that was inserted  between the body top and the roof.  Again a PA16 chassis provides the undergear, for what will be a BR built example of diagram 1/200. Well one day it will, although I’d vainly add that this is a ‘library’ photo and since it was taken, it has progressed slightly; label boards have been added, together with the boltheads along that upper join in the corrugated end.  LMS vans didn’t always have these details, and so I might just yet do another one as a relative quickie to pair with it.  It’s probably worth pointing out as well that the LMS ply vans, unlike the planked variants above, did have the pattern of upright shown here (D2108), although a small batch to D2097 didn’t have the diagonals and don’t generally seem to have acquired them later.

Other LMS vans that should be mentioned are an all-plywood wartime van, plus some to LNER and SR designs that were delivered during WW2.  There’s also the odd earlier van that can form part of the ’60s scene, and one or two of these might be along in due course.

Useful references:  An Illustrated History of LMS Wagons vol. 1, R J Essery; article in MRJ 205 by Mick Moore; plus the many photographic references provided by Paul Bartlett’s website, David Larkin’s books for Santona and Kestrel, and the late Geoff Gamble’s Cheona volumes.

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April 15, 2012 · 5:27 pm

Spring shows

A couple of recent shows, at Nottingham and York, have provided some enjoyable and varied opportunities for playing trains.

Cully sallies south

First up, Culreoch’s second trip back south of the border, in the capable hands of its new owner Jamie Wood and co-operator Dave Franks (of Lanarkshire Models & Supplies note).   It was pleasing to be able to give them an hour or so off on the Sunday, and also to make reacquaintance with the layout, which looks well and now has the benefit of some lovely 1960s stock, marshalled into authentic and thoughtful formations.

I don’t often do badges, not when I’m theoretically a punter anyway, but it’s good to know they were there.  Rather than another layout shot, I’ll provide a loco portrait to showcase  one of Jamie’s own lovely Black Fives, although Dave had brought one or two of his own exquisite creations, including another Five, a 4F and a very nice kitbuilt Fairburn tank.   Good use was also made of Jamie’s Standard 4 tank, recreating the image of ‘the Mad McCann’ at Creetown which will be known to Port Road afficionadoes!

Bomber jacket required

During March I also took an opportunity mooted for some time of training on the Hull MRS ‘Stealth Bomber’, so named because of its unusual shape and the ‘cockpit’ arrangement of one of the operating positions.  This was something very different for me; I’ve obviously been used to being around the creations of our narrow gauge section since joining the club as a teenager, but have never operated them at a show.  The ‘Bomber’ or to give it its correct name, ‘Crumley and Little Wickhill’, is a very well thought out layout in all aspects, and with the standard of scenery, a real pleasure to operate.

The above shot is courtesy of Steve Flint and the Railway Modeller, and is of the intermediate station Little Wickhill.  In the near distance, a goods train is dropping down the hill to the crossing point, and hidden to the right is a further incline down into Crumley.  A siding runs past the abandoned tipdock to the right and also serves a cattle dock, and is probably my favourite spot on a very atmospheric layout.

Last train from Bonchester Bridge

Finally, a farewell to Brian Sunman’s second exhibition layout Bonchester Bridge, a North British terminus station located in the Borders of Scotland, about equidistant from Jedburgh and Hawick.  The layout is now over twenty years old and featured in the first volume of British Railway Modelling, although because of the pre-digital nature of the available images, I’ve not been able to feature it here before.

Having once been retired, ‘Bonny’ has over the last few years made reprise appearances at a few shows.  The time comes though to move on, other projects come to assume prominence, and the layout will shortly be in the hands of a new owner.

We had to have a wee dram of course to see the old girl off, and pictured above are some of the people who have been associated with her in some way or other over the years.  Left to right, they are Ken Gibbons (who, most importantly, provided the Scotch), Steve Flint  (editor RM), Brian himself, your scribe, Mal Scrimshaw (taller), York Show acting manager, and Paul Windle.  Not shown, being behind the camera, is Paul Derrick; the three last-named gents  being instrumental in the construction of the ‘Bomber’.

Brian originally ran the layout with early 1960s steam power, including a B1, V3 and N2, but in recent years a slight shift to the later ’60s made sense, using the proprietary diesels with superior mechanisms that had been easily converted to EM for use on Peffermill Road.  

The pic above shows a class 26 clearing the last few wagons from the yard, in just the way that must have happened on so many branches like this in the 1960s and ’70s.  And now, with mention of Spring and the inspiration glands recharged, it must be time to at least think about doing some modelling!

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March 20, 2012 · 10:41 pm

Too many books…

Despite the sentiment of the title, a situation that I think is true of most modellers, over the festive season I’ve managed to acquire three books that I convinced myself I couldn’t be without.  And yes, I know it’s March already…

First up is an obvious ‘reference purchase’ for someone with my background, the latest in David Larkin’s series for Kestrel Books. As the title suggests, Civil Engineers Wagons Volume 1 – British Railways: 1948-1967  deals (in more depth than anything has previously), with the departmental wagon fleet.  It follows the usual pattern set by previous books and those he did for Santona, in having several illustrations of each type combined with information on number series, and allocations from a time when the fleet was rather more fragmented and parochial.  A particularly nice touch is the headings giving the biological derivations of the ‘Fishkind’ names.  Also included is an insight into some of the ex-traffic wagons transferred into use by the engineers, although given the variety of types involved, this obviously can’t be as comprehensive as the purpose-built types.

Next, Ian Allan’s First Generation Diesel Railbuses.  I was initially sceptical when I saw this announced, partly because I doubted there was actually enough material on 22 vehicles with a ten-year life to fill a book, and partly because the author’s writings in Hornby Magazine are not usually associated with unimpeachable authenticity.  It has to be said though that Evan has brought together some intersting and not commonly known information – it’s a sobering thought that some of the early withdrawals could have been bought for the price of a 4mm scale loco!  I do wonder therefore if the old bogey of working to deadlines is what differentiates the magazine writings from this work.

As well as the expected chapters grouped by manufacturer, there are also separate summations of operation by Region, together with one on decline and withdrawal.  If I have a criticism (apart from the high cover price), it’s that many of the photos are not the clearest, although as is often the case, the interest factor does tend to outweigh this.  Particular faves are the Park Royal having hit a landslide, passengers on the ballast and generally wondering ‘what’s to be done’, and the WR halt which is scarcely bigger than the pram occupying it.

Also now available in the same series is a volume on the early Derby Lightweight DMUs, which I’ve not yet obtained but may well at some future point.  The choice of subject for these two may well have been to tie in with current RTR releases.

Lastly is something that was a bit of a surprise when I saw it lying on the counter of my local model shop, Bellcode’s Steam Age Diesels across Yorkshire.  I was familiar with this publisher, already having their volume on the railways around Selby and Goole, and as is often the case with such outfits, it combines an original approach with production values second to none.

The title sums up what it’s about – those elusive few years where diesels were following much the same working patterns as the steam locos they’d replaced – and the compilers have done exceptionally well in pulling together so many scenes of departed locations, traction and traffics.  Of obvious local interest to me were some unpublished shots of D95xx type 1s and the Beverley – York line, but there are many other gems including Metrovicks in Leeds and various early shunters.  In fact other than in size, I’d actually say that this is a Yorkshire equivalent to George O’Hara’s Scottish volume reviewed in an earlier post, and I really can’t recommend it enough.

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January 8, 2012 · 5:33 pm

The Kyle mixed, and ‘XP’ brandings

The above shot shows the evening Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness leaving Dingwall in August 1976.  Apologies for the quality, the light was fading but as I expect you’ll realise, it was taken for its intrinsic interest rather than any intention of being an artistic masterpiece.

At the back of the formation are a 13T Highfit loaded with a cable drum and a Presflo; it was at this time that Stromeferry (Loch Kishorn) was being used as a construction base for oil platforms for Howard Doris and I believe that both wagons would have originated there.  At this distance in time though, I’m a bit hazy as to how the wagons actually got onto the back of the train, which we’d just alighted from in order to step back onto the last Far North service into Inverness.  They could have been there when we boarded at Kyle, although if so, why I didn’t take the photograph then is debatable; if they were attached at Strome Ferry, I don’t recall any shunt move (though I could have been asleep, it’s not unusual).

The rest of the pic is not without interest; the lattice post signal, goods shed with GUV in attendance and the opposing turnouts and diamond of the goods yard trackage.

In more traditional days, mixed trains had been characteristic of many Scottish branches (that said, it should be pointed out  that the definition of a  ‘mixed’ is complicated, and in earlier years such workings often included unfitted wagons and thus required a brakevan).    The Kyle line, along with the Fort William – Mallaig section of the West Highland, had retained this propensity even in the diesel era, although by then the term ‘tail traffic’ is probably more appropriate as the freight vehicles were always vacuum fitted.  Often this would be with plebian 12T Vanfits, but occasionally something giving a more unusual appearance would turn up.  Indeed on the Mallaig line, 45T tank cars were conveyed into the early ’80s, and a shot in ‘Scottish Urban and Rural Branch Lines’ shows a fitted 16T mineral on the Kyle working.

Now neither 16 tonners nor Presflos carried the fabled ‘XP’ branding, although the Presflo’s 10’6 wheelbase should accordingly  qualify it.  But whatever, this is one of those subjects that modellers delight in trotting out the ‘official’ line on, often without realising what they’re scratching the surface of.  Whilst there certainly were some very specific rulings around this subject, they did change over time, and there would also have been the usual host of  exceptions, qualifications and ‘local arrangements’.  Overall my feeling is that being too prescriptive about them without access to extensive official records is like trying to nail jam to the wall.

As one example, a factor that often crops up is the stated requirement for XP vehicles to be screw coupled, yet it’s an indisputable fact that in the early 1950s BR built many thousands of Instanter-fitted wagons which were nevertheless XP-rated.  Having said that, the strict requirement is probably more focused on the necessity for the screw coupling on the coaching stock to be used if the Instantered wagon was next to it.  By the late 1960s, the fast running of short wheelbase vehicles was under scrutiny anyway and particularly with rapidly changing patterns of working, I suspect the branding steadily lapsed into irrelevance.

My thanks to David Vinsen (Eggesford Box) for prompting me to dig this out from the hard drive and put it up.  The blame for the associated ramblings however is all mine.

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January 2, 2012 · 9:16 pm

2012 and all that

Hello there, and welcome to Windcutter’s first New Year.

Given the time of year, I suppose some initial comment might be appropriate on the now-established Hornby Christmas period announcements.  As I’ve said, I don’t want Windcutter to be excessively political, nor do I want it to promote RTR frothfrests, but there is even less than usual to actually get excited about now the news is out.   All quite understandable of course in the current climate, but it does have to be said that this year the much-criticised embargo has reached new heights of farce whilst increasing the froth : substance ratio beyond any reasonable limits.    No completely new freight stock is not entirely a surprise; I’m getting an inkling now that the backpedalling last year over prices with the brake and the tippler has made Hornby think that they can’t really compete with Bachmann, in the field of traditional wagons at least.

That said, I’m pleased enough about the Thompson suburbans, something I have to say I didn’t see coming as they fulfil such a similar role to the Gresleys which are just hitting the shops.  In my mind, they hit that same spot as the Hawksworths, in that they’re not so much an LNER coach as a BR (ER) one, something that can be used past the usually accepted ‘transition’ era, into the mid-1960s and even in some cases with diesels.  Parcels stock is always popular with BR modellers, so the SR bogie brake will no doubt go down well (once the price has settled to more modest levels), and the O1 2-8-0 is just a bit too tempting to me given its association with East Midlands iron ore trains!  There’s no point me putting up the whole list of releases, it’s available easily enough elsewhere including the now ‘legal’ copies of the magazine that wanted to be first with the news.

As for Windcutter, having updated Traditions in Decline, the basic ‘page’ structure is now complete, unless I have any other bright ideas of course.  One thing that’s still missing is a rundown on weathering roofs, which has to be slotted into the More on Techniques page – that’ll have to wait for those days of decent weather and lighting, I’m afraid.  I noticed the other day that some of the page headers have defaulted for some reason to the ‘running theme’ of the 47 and Mk2 coach; I’m not sure why this is, but unless I stumble across the right buttons, it’ll probably stay that way for the forseeable!

Something that is outside my control however is the periodic absence of the forum database hosting the original 6WTS weathering thread from 2008.  I’m pleased that this has continued to be something that tyro weatherers have found useful, that was the intention all along.  Its most recent,  prolonged spell of non-availability does rather vindicate my decision to transfer the essence of it onto this site, and  I hope the three weathering pages here are found to be  some substitute for it.  One other enhancement I’m thinking of here is a list of basic weathering colours in several ranges; although I always say that successful results are really not the result of following a ‘recipe’,  I appreciate it can be a bit daunting if you’ve never really looked amongst all those murky dull browns and greys in the paint stands.

All in all though, I’m pleased enough with how it’s all gone; in an age where glib soundbites dominate social media and even more considered pieces within this very hobby can prove to be rather transient, I do hope that I’ve provided something of substance for those who do drop by.  I’d very much like to thank all those who have made it possible and enjoyable, whether helping with material, making comments or just generally being around and supportive.  I’m also pleased to see that a few other independent-minded modellers whose work I respect are treading the same path, and will update the ‘blogroll’ links in due course with those that are most relevant to my own interests and outlook.

The pic above by the way is not a genuine Hogmanay item, but from September 1983.  Those two fine gents were actually welcoming the appropriately named ‘Skirl o’ the Pipes 3′ railtour into Burghead.  Locos are 27036 and 26042.

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