Dapol's NBL Class 29

Here we see the latest addition to our fleet of locomotives, namely Dapol's model of the North British Ltd's Type 2, later designated Class 29, although they never survived long enough to actually carry the TOPS numbering system.

They were also nicknamed Baby Warships since they looked very similar to the original Warship D600 class of locomotives.

This model comes with Dapol's own sound files and, I must say, she sounds very good too.

She is seen here, literally, straight out of the box, after a minimal test run, just to make sure that she was working as she should.

She will be fully 'run-in' later before being put to work, so both photos here have been specially posed for the camera.

The running number of this model is D6114 and Dapol's Catalogue Nº is: 4D-014-001.

I purchased this one from Hattons and it was the last one of this particular model that they had in stock.

Full credit must go to them, too, as well as to Royal Mail, because I ordered this on Friday morning and it arrived 08:30 on Saturday morning.

Amazing!

These Class 29's were borne out of the original North British Type 2's, which were to become Class 21.

Externally, both locos were the same, however, the 21s were fitted with a 12-cylinder Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnburg AG (MAN) type L12V18/21S engine that was built under license at North British and rated at 1,100 bhp.

Unfortunately these engines proved to be quite troublesome in both the diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic (Class 22) versions of the North British Type 2s.

Actually, the engine was only a small part of the problem with the Class 21s since a bigger offender was the electrical system supplied by GEC.

Anyway the decision was taken by BR to replace the MAN engine in one of the Class 21s (D6123) with the, more powerful, Paxman Ventura 12YJXL, which was rated at 1350 bhp.

This re-engined locomotive was, together with those subsequently converted, reclassified as Class 29 and it would appear that the trials suitably impressed the powers that be such that a further 19 locos were similarly converted.

A noticeable difference between the two classes was the fact that the re-engined locos were given a striking new livery of pale green to the upper body sides and standard BR green for the rest of the loco, with a thin white line along the sides to separate the two tones of green.

It is this livery that decorates our model and very attractive she looks too!

As we already have a model of the Class 22 in green, see below, my intention was to have a blue liveried Class 29 but, upon seeing this two-tone livery, well, I was smitten!

Our model of Dapol's Class 22 - D6319 - Catalogue Nº: D1000d.

There were 58 Class 21s built and they were introduced between 1958 and 1960.

Of these, 20 were converted to Class 29, namely: 

D6100-03, D6106-08, D6112-14, D6116, D6119, D6121, D6123-24, D6129-30, D6132-33 and D6137.

These new engines did prove to be more reliable although the main problem remained the electrical power train.

The Class 29s did, therefore, outlast their Class 21 sisters but all were removed from traffic by October 1971.

The big sister of our model was introduced in May 1959.

She was refurbished in June 1966 and was one of the last batch to be withdrawn in October 1971.

Sadly none of this class survived into preservation.

Gunnmere Going Green

Over the past couple of weeks Gunnmere Junction has had something of a make-over.

To begin with, and probably most important, is the addition of two new signals to control the three goods sidings - these can be seen in the photos above.

One of the signals is a two-aspect junction signal controlling both sides of the long freight transfer platform.

The second one is just a two aspect signal to control trains departing the small loading platform to the left.

I have also 'built' a wall between the sidings and added some greenery here and there to try and soften the landscape a bit.

White edging has also been added to both the freight transfer platform and the loading platform since health and safety is always paramount on the railway!

In the top two photos we have 37251 getting a green light from the new signal, at the head of a rake of scrap wagons.

In the bottom photo we see Hymek, D7035, with a short rake of ventilated vans while, at Platform 4, there is Class 43, D865 'Zealous' waiting to depart with a semi-fast.

Type 1 Turkeys

Here we see, from slightly different angles, four of our Type 1 diesels in action, in and around the coal depot.

None of these four proved to be a great success on BR and, indeed, were considered a total failure and were all withdrawn quite quickly.

In the Coal Depot siding we see two Class 17s or Clayton Type 1s as they were also known.

These models, like all of those featured here, are by Heljan with the one in the rear being D8568 Ribble Cement, Catalogue Nº: 1706. 

This is actually a model of the only Class 17 (of the 117 produced) to be preserved and is currently at the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway in Oxfordshire.
She was introduced in January 1964 and was withdrawn in October 1971.

In front of her is D8529, in BR Blue livery, Catalogue Nº: 17021.

The prototype of this model was introduced in May 1963 and withdrawn in December 1971. Sadly, though, unlike Ribble Cement, she suffered the same fate as the other 116 members of this ill-fated class and was cut up in September 1975.

On the main line, and hauling an NCB coach, doubtless full of workers for the depot, is Class 16, D8407, Catalogue Nº 1603.

The Class 16s were only 10 in number and were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow.

Unfortunately these locos proved to be every bit as unreliable as the Class 17s and all were withdrawn in 1968.

Our loco was introduced in September 1958 and withdrawn exactly ten years later, in September 1968.

Sadly none of these locos survived into preservation

Finally we have a British Thomson Houston Class 15 at the head of a rake of TTA tank wagons.

Our model is D8239, Catalogue Nº: 1508.

These locos were very similar in appearance to the Class 16 and, in fact, both classes were fitted with the same Paxman 16YHXL engine.

The fleet of these BTH Type 1s numbered 44 and were only marginally more successful than the Class 16 with the problem, in both locomotives, being oil and water leakage, which would in time cover the engine room floor. This, and the general accumulation of dirt, leading to several engine room fires.

Our Class 15 was introduced in January 1961 and was withdrawn in March 1971.

Happily, D8233, a former Train Heating Unit, was preserved and, I believe, is currently being restored on the East Lancashire Railway.

This is the only Class 15 survivor.

New Brewery Siding

When we first created the Gunness Brewery, several years ago now, we only allowed for one siding and, since then, have often wished that we had created a second one for the storage of extra wagons and / or a brewery shunter.

Although, to be honest, in the beginning we only ever thought that there would be a couple of wagons serving the brewery at any one time and that it was never likely to have its own allocated shunter.

Well, times have changed and we now have a rake of nine Oakhill Brewery wagons and, well, you have to do something while you are furloughed, so I decided that now was as good a time as any to install that second siding.

The photograph, below, shows how the brewery looked, when first constructed, and with its single siding:

While the following photographs show it as it is now, with the second siding installed and, I hope you will agree, looking much better too.

You will also note that there are a couple of the Oakhill wagons in the new siding plus the brewery seems to have acquired its own shunter in the form of a Hornby 'Ruston & Hornsby' 48DS plus Flatbed Wagon - Catalogue Nº R3707.

This will, eventually, have a sound decoder fitted with Stay-alive as I would like to use it without the flat wagon.

The next three photos show the little loco in better detail.