Day of the Deltics

Here we have two more additions to the loco fleet in the shape of a Class 55 Deltic and her smaller sister, a Class 23 'Baby Deltic'.

So, let me begin with the smaller of the two locos, namely this Heljan Class 23 in Early BR Green Livery, Running Nº D5909, Catalogue Nº 2323.

I picked this loco up at auction for a very reasonable price, especially considering she came with a DCC sound decoder already fitted.

The only down side is that we already have D5909 in the fleet, and in blue livery. So we will have to see about renumbering this one. 

She is nicely weathered, though, and sounds very good too although I am not sure whose sound files have been installed.

In the photos above we see her at pulling away from Petersfield, with a brewery train,

While, in the photo above, we see her passing the entrance to the Service Depot as she heads south with her train of brewery wagons.

Next we have Bachmann's Class 55, 55002 'Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry', Catalogue Nº 32-525NRM.

This model was produced in 2015 and was exclusive to the National Railway Museum at Shildon as part of their National Collection in Miniature.

In the photo above she is seen at Sueston, waiting to depart with an express for Davemoor.

She currently does not have a sound decoder fitted but will do so very soon and, if she sounds anything like 55001 'St Paddy', a loco that has been in our fleet since 2009, she will sound amazing!

Finally we glimpse both Deltics, looking absolutely magnificent, at Gunnmere, as they await their next turn of duty.

More Royal Coaches

We recently acquire four more coaches for the Royal Train while, at the same time, losing one such that there has been a net gain of three making the complete train a rake of nine coaches.

The new coaches are as follows:

Royal Household Sleeper

This is the only Bachmann vehicle that we have in the Royal Train.

It is a Royal Household Sleeping Car, Running Nº: 2908 and Bachmann Catalogue Nº: 39-500K. 

It was only available via the Bachmann Collectors Club with just 504 being produced in 2013.

The real coach was converted in 1977 and was originally Nº 2013. Sadly, though, she is no more as she was scrapped in 2012.

 Royal Household Car

This is the first of two Royal Household Cars and is Nº 2918. 

It was issued by Hornby as a Royal Coach Pack, consisting of this and the next two coaches, below. 

The Catalogue Nº is R4197 and the pack was issued in 2003.

The real coach was converted in 1986, was originally Nº 40515 and is currently stored out of use.

Royal Household Car

This is the second of the two Royal Household Cars, issued by Hornby as part of R4197 and this has the Running Nº 2919.

She was converted at the same time as 2918 and, like her sister, is currently stored out of use.

Royal Household Couchette, Diesel Generator & Brake Van

The final addition to our Royal Train is this Royal Household Couchette, Nº 2920, which replaces one of the two Couchettes we had that were both numbered 2921.

This couchette acts as a diesel generator and brake van while 2921 is a kitchen come brake van.

Both cars were converted in 1986 and 2920's previous numbers were 14109 and 17109 while 2921 was previously numbered 14107 and 17107. 

Both cars are happily still in use.

So our Royal Train now consists of the following cars:

2920: Royal Household Couchette, Diesel Generator and Brake Van
2903: The Queen's Lounge, Bedroom and Bathroom
2904: The Duke of Edinburgh's Lounge, Bedroom and Bathroom
2908: Royal Household Sleeping Car
2915: Royal Household Sleeping Car
2917: Royal Household Dining Car with Kitchen
2918: Royal Household Car
2919: Royal Household Car
2921: Royal Household Couchette, Kitchen and Brake Van

Two Duffs and a Tractor

Three more diesel locomotives have recently joined the stable of motive power working on the railway in the guise of two Class 47s and another Class 37.

The first of the new trio is this Heljan Class 47, D1916 (47812) in BR green livery, Catalogue Nº: 4792

She is seen here held at signals on the up fast line at Manxton, with a south-bound express.

Behind her a Class 23 at the head of a down stopper is standing at Platform 2 while, in the background, an S&DJR Prussian Blue liveried Class 3F 0-6-0 is ambling along the branch line towards High Bridge.

There are now six Class 47s in our fleet with this one being the only one by Heljan. 

Four of the others are by Bachmann and we now have one by ViTrains, see below.

So, the second new Class 47 is this one by ViTrains, seen here in our Service Depot.

I actually acquired this loco some time ago but it had a broken chassis which, sadly, proved impossible to repair.

Indeed, she has long been in the condemned pool awaiting disposal but, for some reason, she was spared this ignominy and I am mightily pleased that she was because I managed to pick-up a chassis the other day that was in need of a new body.

Yay - happy days!

She currently only works on DC but she runs extremely smoothly so will definitely be converted to DCC quite quickly I would imagine.

The Running Nº is 47844, she is named 'Derby & Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry', which is quite a mouthful, I will admit, and her Catalogue Nº is V2059.

She now becomes our second 'Duff' with this striking Inter-City livery although the other one, by Bachmann, is much grubbier.

Still, maybe in time this loco, too, might acquire a layer of dirt and grime.

Finally we have this Bachmann Class 37, 37427 'Highland Enterprise' looking rather splendid in her ScotRail livery as she waits to depart Davemoor.

This is now the fifth Tractor to join the railway and all are by Bachmann.

As with the ViTrains Class 47, she is only DC at present but will have a sound decoder fitted before very long.

Test & Support Coaches

Some unusual coaches have recently been spotted tucked away in sidings on the railway.

The first of these was this Laboratory 14 coach, also named 'Wren'.

She is seen here in the middle road at Sueston station in the company of some other RTC liveried coaches.

This particular model is by Bachmann and it was commissioned by Modelzone in 2009.

Bachmann describe it as a BR Mk1 FK ex-Pullman Kitchen Laboratory coach and it has the Running Nº RDB 975427. The Catalogue Nº is 39-280Z.

The real Laboratory 14 was an acoustics test vehicle that was converted from a Metro Camel Pullman Car, Nº M323E, in 1975.

It was used to monitor noise levels and, for this, microphones and pressure measuring devices were attached to both the inside and outside of the coach. 

Therefore, in order that the noise from the locomotive would not affect these measurements, it was often attached to the rear of service trains.

Sadly this coach was scrapped in 1989.

The next two coaches were captured in one of the bay platforms at Gunnmere Junction behind a Class 24.

They are a pair of Mobile Track Assessment Engineers' Support Coaches and were, again, commissioned by Modelzone, this time in 2008.

The Running Nºs are DB977337 (top photo) and 977338 (bottom photo) and they have the Catalogue Nº 39-000S.

These coaches, I believe, formed part of the Network Rail/Serco High Speed Track Recording Train and each included a dormitory

As with Laboratory 14, these two coaches, I believe, were also scrapped, in 2008.

A Greyhound and a Tornado

The railway played host to a couple of rare visitors recently, in the form of an old BR 4-4-0 Class T9, Nº 30310 in BR Black Livery and the much more recent Peppercorn Class A1 Pacific 'Tornado' Nº. 60163 in BR Express Blue Livery.

In the photos, above, we see the T9 at Carswater on a local passenger service.

These handsome locomotives were introduced by the LSWR in 1899 and were designed for express passenger work by Dugald Drummond. There were 66 in total and they were given the nickname 'Greyhounds' due to their speed (up to 85 mph) and their reliability.

Happily one example of this fine class of locos has been preserved, namely 30120, and she is currently undergoing an overhaul to bring her up to main line condition.

This model is by Hornby, has the Catalogue Nº: R2713 and probably dates from around 2009.

In these photos we see a much newer locomotive in the shape of the Peppercorn Class A1 'Tornado' in charge of an express at Gunnmere Junction and she is looking rather splendid in her BR Express Blue livery..

This model is also by Hornby, has the Catalogue Nº R3206 and she dates from 2011.

The real loco was only completed in 2008 and is the 50th member of the class to be built.

Sadly all 49 of the original Peppercorn A1s were scrapped.