Indice dei contenuti per August 2023 in Model Rail

A new kit has been added to the Connoisseur Models range, in the form of the Drewry 204hp 0-6-0 diesel locomotive. Built in large numbers for industrial users, BR purchased a small fleet of this initial design in 1952, numbering them D2200-2214. A few examples became well-known for working the Wisbech & Upwell Tramway, complete with side skirts and cowcatchers. The kit consists largely of etched brass components, along with whitemetal castings, and alternative parts are provided to enable the similar BR Class 04 to be modelled. Full instructions are provided, a copy of which can be downloaded free from the website below. Wheels and drive unit must be sourced separately. Price: £280.00 Availability: Connoisseur Models Tel: 01544 318263 Web: www.jimmcgeown.com NEWTON CHAMBERS CAR CARRIERS FROM EFE Unveiled at the…

…and finally On the Highbridge Branch of the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway - which made its lonely journey across the Somerset Levels - few, if any, crossing keeper's cottages had running water. This situation lasted right up until closure of the line in 1966. For this reason, water was supplied in milk churns by passing locomotive crews. Old Arthur, the keeper's husband, has a bad back, and is wondering how he's going to swap the empty churn for the full container on the footplace of the locomotive. Fireman Reg, who is also getting on a bit, is wondering the same thing… „Maybe we should do this on the platform”, suggests Reg, “we're too old to worry about looking tough!”…

As mentioned last month, after unearthing a rather forlorn Bachmann Class 20 from my collection, I set about fixing the damaged bodyshell and installed a new chassis. With new buffers and a few enhanced details in place, the next job was to touch up the paintwork. Achieving a flawless, pristine finish would take quite a bit of time and, despite the model originally being part of a Model Rail exclusive commission (of Tinsley depot's famous green Class 20 ‘twins’), I was more concerned with giving it a work-worn appearance. Therefore, after priming and brush-painting the new parts as neatly as possible, a combination of oil-based weathering washes and airbrushed enamel paints created the desired effects. After waiting patiently in a box for nearly 20 years, it's great to finally see…

‘OO’ GAUGE LAYOUT BANKS ROAD What do you do when you can't decide which area of the country to base your layout on, or which era to model? You do what Neil Stanley has done and commandeer a 30ft long space in your local club room which would become home to everything from BR blue locomotives to modern traction. “‘Banks Road’ is a collection of all of my favourite bits of trainspotting in one layout, combined with some of the club's desires for elements of a variety of prototypical locations around the UK. There are elements of Crewe Depot, Bescot in the Midlands, and the terminus station is modelled on a real one, but I cannot for the life of me remember which! It's modern but not super-modern. I run…

Workbench EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW The creation of the ‘Dutch’ livery, as embraced by British Rail's Civil Engineers sector, proved a real hit with enthusiasts. However, its genesis wasn't all plain sailing. As part of BR's sector re-branding exercise in the late 1980s, freight and passenger sectors gained striking new colour schemes. But the Engineers' fleet was initially allotted a dreary overall grey treatment. Railway staff and the press soon raised their objections to this nondescript ‘livery', leading to the adoption of a yellow stripe along the bodysides to match the scheme already applied to the Engineers' wagon fleet. Between 1990-94, over 200 locomotives were adorned in the grey/yellow scheme, nicknamed ‘Dutch’ due to its similarity to the colours of the Netherlands state railway. A diverse range of traction…

‘OO’ GAUGE DIORAMA WEST MEON VIADUCT We regularly see layouts in which the station is the dominant feature and the focal point of the entire build. Occasionally, however, we see features that aren't just the main point of interest of a larger layout, but which also stand in their own right as a diorama. Ian Griffiths' model of West Meon Viaduct may have been built 20 years ago but it still looks just as good today as it did when it was first constructed. “The viaduct consisted of four wrought iron lattice arches spanning 56 feet each and took the Meon Valley Railway over the River Meon. The line connected Alton and Fareham so, being a project of the Fareham and District Model Railway Club, the line naturally attracted much…

Reviews We call them ‘Siphons’ but we really need to be a little more specific. A ‘siphon’ was a GWR van for carrying milk-in-churn traffic, as was the norm before the glass-lined milk tank wagons were introduced in the 1930s. The word ‘siphon’ merely indicates the type of vehicle. It could be four or six-wheeled ora bogie van. However, the vehicle which we usually mean when we talk of a ‘Siphon’ is the 50ft long bogie van that the GWR knew as a ‘Siphon G’. Even this came in two distinct forms, the outside-framed version dating from around 1913 and the inside-framed, vertical planked Diagram 0.33 version introduced from 1929. The 0.33 was developed from a single 0.32 vehicle built in 1926 with horizontal planking. The 0.33 would be built…

Two of the latest additions to Hornby's wallet-friendly range of Mk 1 coaching stock depict a pair of repurposed vehicles in BR's Railway Technical Centre (RTC) red/blue livery. Test Coach Mercury is based on a Brake Composite (BCK), equipped with B4 bogies and was taken into BR's Research and Development department in the 1970s. Originally named Laboratory 18, it was equipped with various pieces of test equipment along with a 25kVA diesel generator in the guard's compartment. Catering and seating facilities were also provided and the coach was employed largely on development work for the Advanced Passenger Train project, testing train-trackside communication systems. Of note is that the coach was often hitched to passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line during the 1970s. RDB975280 later continued in use with…

Announced back in 2018, Peco's range of narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway ‘Bug Boxes’ is now available. Also known as ‘Small Birminghams’, these cute little twin-axle passenger cars were built originally by Brown, Marshall & Company of Birmingham and introduced on the FR from 1864. Peco has created tooling for First and Third class cars, along with the open-sided ‘Zoo Car’ observation coaches. There's also a choice of liveries, to suit the Victorian, early preservation and 1970s/1980s eras. Our samples feature the red/brown livery of the latter period and they've been running sweetly on my ‘OO9’ test track, with just a minor hiccup. The wheels of one car needed removing and cleaning to remove a layer of oxidisation, but once that was taken care of, the issue was resolved. Designed and…

The Big Picture The Big Picture This fascinating image captures two of this month's subjects - a Class 31 and the GWR 'Siphon G' somewhere between Reading and Paddington. It also illustrates how striking a 'mixed' train can appear, in contrast to a uniform rake of matching vehicle types and liveries. The Western Region parcels working shows how pre-nationalisation stock could still be seen well into the Rail blue era, with the 'Siphon Gs' joined by what looks like a pair of ex-SR bogie vans. Atrio of Mk 1 GUVs and a blue/grey Mk 1 BG complete the picture. Read Chris Leigh's in-depth review of Accurascale's new 'Siphon G' on page 92, and his Masterclass on 'Varied Trains' on page 42. Meanwhile, George Dent shares his tips for upgrading the…

Workbench EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW Pump trolleys first appeared around the 1850s and consisted of a simple wooden platform supported on two sets of wheels and axles. Also called handcars, these human-powered vehicles were used for track inspections and to transport maintenance crew and materials. Propulsion was provided by one or two crew pushing and pulling the operating handles, in a see-saw fashion. Power was transferred to a pivoting beam attached to a connecting rod, and on to cog gears fitted to the axles. Brakes, if fitted, were operated by foot or hand and consisted of simple wooden blocks which engaged the wheels. There are roughly a dozen original pump trolleys remaining in existence in the UK, including one built in 1907 for the Great Eastern Railway, which has…

Reviews Dapol first released a Drummond ‘M7’ in ‘N' gauge back in 2006, and it was an attractive little model that captured the look of the prototype well. However, since then the level of detail and finesse expected of new models, in all scales, has risen and the 2006 tooling now looks a little dated in several areas. Dapol's 2023 iteration of the ‘M7’, released last month, offers a definite step-up in appearance and performance, despite it not being a strictly all-new product. That said, the existing tooling has been modified significantly, particularly in terms of the chassis and wheels. The body, too, now features several improvements. Eight versions are being offered in this new production batch, covering LSWR, SR and BR eras and liveries. Each is available in DCC-fitted…

Reviews Sonic Models and Rails of Sheffield took us by surprise when they announced a ‘OO’ gauge model of the BR 20T Ferry Van, just a few months after Rapido Trains UK's version arrived (see review in MR311). It appears that the Sonic team had been working on its Ferry Van project for some time and the models had already been manufactured and shipped to the UK before they were announced. Available exclusively from Rails of Sheffield, 10 different versions are on offer, encompassing the prototype vehicle's long career. Custom weathered versions of each model are also available (£49.95 each). Two models are under review here, featuring the original BR freight brown, with BR ‘corporate image’ double arrow logos – ideal for the late 1960s and 1970s era – along…

Modellers with an interest in British Rail's Research Technical Centre (RTC) will be cheered by the arrival of this new Hornby release, depicting RDB975667. Based on Hornby's existing LMS twin-axle, covered carriage truck (CCT) tooling, the model represents a van employed by BR's Track Research Laboratory. Built by BR at Swindon Works, albeit to an LMS design, the van originally entered traffic in 1956 numbered M37210 as a Motor Car Van. Equipped with sets of folding doors and drop flaps at each end, cars could be loaded from a ramp and driven between vans, hence the presence of clipped rectangular buffers. The LMS CCT was added to Hornby's range in 2014 and it's great to see it being offered in a livery that appeals to modellers of the late BR…

Titfield tales These days, many a movie or major TV series will be accompanied by a book about how it was made, behind-thescenes glimpses and shots of the stars off stage. However, it is a modern phenomenon and it did not happen in the early 1950s, when The Titfield Thunderbolt was made. We ‘Titfield’ fans may have waited 70 years for it but this hardback large format volume by Mr Titfield himself, Simon Carstens, is worth the wait. The author was a friend of Bernard King, a local man who took a great interest in the filming back in 1952. He took a lot of behind-the-scenes photographs and left them to the author, who has added others from the film company and big name railway photographers such as Ivo Peters.…

Locomotive: GWR ‘38XX’ ‘County’ 4-4-0 Gauge: ‘00’ Proposedby: Alan Gordon What is it? Designed by George Jackson Churchward, the GWR's original class of ‘Counties’ (not to be confused with Hawksworth's later 4-6-0s) first emerged from Swindon in 1904. Utilising standardised parts from Churchward's famous ‘Star’ class, the ‘County’ 4-4-0s were built primarily for fast passenger work. This would be the GWR's last new class of 4-4-0s and, in contrast to earlier designs, the ‘Counties’ boasted inside frames and outside cylinders. Within a few years, the initial fleet of ten locomotives was bolstered by two further production batches in 1906 and 1911-12, creating a total of 40 examples. As a result, the full fleet was allotted numbers in the ‘38XX’ range (the first ten being originally numbered 3473-3482). Having worked expresses…

Opening the box News At a special event at Locomotion, Shildon, Bachmann Branchline announced a model of Class 41,41001. The only survivor of a pair of power cars developed in the 1970s as part of British Rail's High Speed Diesel Train (HSDT), 41001 forms a vital element of the National Collection. The forthcoming model has also been selected as the flagship of a new brand - Railway Icons which was launched at the event. Locomotion Models and retailer Rails of Sheffield have collaborated on numerous model projects, most notably the SR ‘D' Class, ‘Terrier', LNWR ‘Precedent' Hardwicke and the NER ‘ES1’. Cementing this existing partnership, the Railway Icons brand allows subjects within and outside of the National Collection to be considered. “We have worked closely with the National Railway Museum…

TURNTABLE TALES I am sure many of your readers have the humble Hornby R070 motorised turntable on their layouts, and with tracks already laid and wiring complete, it may be deemed by many to be too much effort to replace it with a more realistic one. By chance, I discovered that the Peco Plate Girder bridge sides (Ref. LK-10) fit exactly on either side of the Hornby turntable deck – they fit snugly without any need to trim or even glue them in place. I feel this improves the look of the basic turntable and, with a few cardboard pieces to cover the numerous track outlets which are often not all used, as shown in the attached photographs, this makes the Hornby item much more acceptable. Peter Trevaskus WEBB CRANE…

Masterclass Great innovators don't always get it right. In the years following the Second World War the railways enjoyed a huge surge in passenger travel. The Southern Railway, however, was convinced that restaurant car services could be more profitable with a faster throughput of customers. Customers, of course, who could afford on-train meals, liked to relax and enjoy a leisurely meal and a drink or two as they watched the countryside roll past their window. The SR needed new locomotive-hauled dining cars. The Brighton line had its 6PUL electric units and ‘Brighton Belle’ Pullmans, and the Portsmouth line passengers were enjoying the benefits of the 1930s-built 4RES restaurant car EMUs. Kent coast passengers still had refreshment services provided by the Pullman Car Company but the Bournemouth and West of England…

Workbench EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW The quintessential item of rolling stock for any modern-era layout has to be the Diesel Multiple Unit, or DMU as we like to call them. They're a complete train in single or multiple cars, most commonly in two, three or four-car format. It's easy to see how they revolutionised the real railway, as they don't require a run-round loop to get the power unit to the opposite end of the coaching stock, or a turntable to ensure the locomotive is pointing the right way. And the same is true for railway modellers. All you need to do is just drive it into the station and then drive it back out again - job's a good 'un! But, OK, they can be a little boring…

The final two years of mainline steam on British Railways was centred mostly on the North West of England, where the final operational steam sheds were located. Therefore, it's not surprising that ex-LMS locomotives featured strongly in steam's swansong. A few former LMS sheds in Scotland were also among the last bastions of steam and the supremacy of ex-LMS traction was broken only by the continued use of some of BR's Standard classes. Initially, the projected date for the demise of steam on the network had varied from the early 1970s, when the modernisation programme was first announced, to as early as the end of 1967. In the event, it was August 1968 when the final curtain came down. The repair of steam engines at Crewe Works continued until early…

Reviews Since their introduction in 1991, following conversion from two-car Leyland Class 155s, the Class 153 railcars have worked across much of England and Wales, especially on quieter branch lines in northern England, Wales, East Anglia and the South West. Also handy for adding extra capacity to two-car DMUs during busier times, the ‘153s’ have proved to be a versatile asset to the modern railway. Until 2021, however, the ‘153s’ had not worked north of the border until ScotRail acquired a handful of units that were surplus to the Great Western franchise. Indeed, many ‘153s’ have gone off-lease over the last few years, from GWR, Greater Anglia, Northern and Transport for Wales (TfW) owing, mostly, to a lack of provision for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM). TfW has converted a…

The Southern Railway certainly liked to do things differently. While five, seven and nine-plank open wagons were common elsewhere, the SR chose an eight-plank design for what would become the railway company's most numerous wagon type. Several versions were produced, with subtle detail differences, and examples operated across the entire Southern network, including on the Isle of Wight. Featuring a large dropdown side door on each side, the wagons also boasted smaller ‘cupboard’ style doors above. Rapido Trains UK has concentrated on two distinct iterations of the eight-plank opens, the Diagram 1379 and 1400. The former type was first introduced in 1926, with nearly 8,000 examples constructed and employing a 9ft wheelbase. By the mid-1930s, the Diagram 1400 appeared with a 10ft wheelbase and many batches featured vacuum brake equipment.…

Following on from Rapido's South Eastern & Chatham Railway vans and open wagons, released over the past year, comes an ideal companion: the humble 20T six-wheel brake van. Based on a design dating back to the late 1890s, itself inspired by prevailing practice on the Midland Railway, the SECR built many examples during the early years of the 20th Century. Initially, only a single veranda was employed, but this was changed to the more familiar twin-veranda pattern from 1910, with older vans being converted during overhauls. Continuing into Southern ownership and into BR days, nearly 90 examples survived into the 1950s, with the last example withdrawn in 1960. A single van survives in preservation, based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. The Rapido team has created tooling to allow…