First in Class

11506 at Stratford Docks in its original black livery
The lion & wheel logo was carried by 001 and 002 until the end
J Shipman

01 002 (with 01 001 behind) at Holyhead in 1980
Johndarm

01 002 on Holyhead Breakwater in 1974
Peter Brabham

D2953 at the Heritage Shunters Trust in BR green livery
CJM

Having said in my last posting that I would take a look at all of the classes of BR diesels, I thought that I would waste no time and make a start today with, of course, the Class 01.

British Rail's Class 01 diesel locomotive was a short wheelbase, diesel mechanical shunter built in 1956 by Andrew Barclay Sons and Co of Kilmarnock in Scotland.

Four of these locos were built initially and were allocated to Stratford for use at Stratford Docks. They were originally numbered 11503 - 11506 and, in 1948, they were renumbered D2953 - D2956 Two of the four locos survived long enough to enter the TOPS numbering scheme and became 01 001 (D2954) and 01 002 (D2955). 

In 1958 a fifth loco was built for departmental maintenance work and this was initially numbered 81. However, it was renumbered D2956 in mid 1967 when the original D2956 was withdrawn from traffic.

01 001 and 01 002 survived because they were needed at Holyhead breakwater being, as they were, the only locomotives light enough to run on the track there. After 1973 only 01 002 was in use with her sister loco being used to supply her with spares to keep her in service. 01 001 was then withdrawn in 1979 with 01 002 following two years later after a service life of 25 years.

Both locos were cut up on site still sporting the BR Lion Logo and, indeed, were the last locomotives in BR service to do so.

Two of the Class 01s have survived into preservation, these are:

D2953 is owned by the Heritage Shunters Trust.

D2956 is at the East Lancashire Railway.

Because these little 0-4-0 dock shunters were not equipped with train brakes they were unable to haul more than a couple of wagons. That said, however, their small size meant that they were able to work in areas where there were tight curves and limited clearance.

The full loco specification is given in the table below:

What's In A Number?

Over the next few weeks I thought that it might be fun to take a more detailed look at each class of diesel locomotive, as allocated under the TOPS classification.

So, beginning with Class 01, I intend to give a brief history of each loco class, its technical specification and numbers built etc.

However, before I do that I thought it would be a good idea to take a brief look back at the history of diesel locomotive numbering since it can be a little confusing. 

It was in 1957 that the then British Transport Commission announced a new numbering system for diesel locomotives and this involved the use of the prefix letter "D" (for Diesel) followed by a number. This number would not only identify the locomotive but would also indicate its power range.

At the same time the power of main-line locomotives was also to be indicated by Type numbers and these would be in the following ranges:

Type 1:   Up to 1,000 bhp

Type 2:   1,000 - 1,499 bhp

Type 3:   1,500 - 1,999 bhp

Type 4:   2,000 - 2,999 bhp

Type 5:   3,000 bhp and above

The table below shows the relationship between the number range of the locomotive, its type and engine power:  

Subsequent to this, however, new batches of locos were delivered that were numbered outside of the original groups for its type with the result being that it soon became difficult to ascertain the power of a locomotive solely by its number.

With the withdrawal of standard gauge steam locos in 1968, the "D" prefix was discontinued and then, from 1973, BR applied a new numbering system to both their diesel locomotives and multiple units. 

This classification was known as the Total Operations Processing System or TOPS for short and the numbers were in the format 'xxx zzz' where 'xxx' is the class number and 'zzz' is the unique locomotive identifier, for example 33 025 and 45 053

The table below, therefore, shows the relationship between this class numbering system, the type number, the power range and the original "D" numbering system.

Under the TOPS scheme, all locomotives (with a few exceptions) had a unique number in the form xx001 with the majority of locomotives retaining the final two digits of their "D" numbering. As such, D411 became 50 011 and so on.

One exception to this rule was with the first loco in each class, which had usually been numbered "Dxx00". The problem being that TOPS could not cope with numbers ending in 000 and that is the reason why there has never been a 37 000 or a 47 000. In these instances the locomotive concerned would either be renumbered and moved to the end of the class, hence "D400" became 50 050, or it would take the number of a loco that had been withdrawn from service.

Of course this is a very simplistic look at diesel numbering and I appreciate that I have not covered multiple units nor locomotive sub classes but I promise to cover these in a separate posting.

Rain Stopped Play

 

So, after making regular statements recently saying that we were soon to begin work on the unfinished part of the town, I can finally confirm that we actually made a start at the weekend - hooray!

Now, I have to be honest at this point and say that no work was due to take place since we had long since made plans to take a trip down to the Swanage Railway who were holding their annual Diesel Gala Weekend. The idea was to video and photograph (and ride behind too, of course) an assortment of diesels, which included: Class 73, 56, 55, 52, 37 and 33 - hmm, what fun! However, since the weather chose this same weekend to bring a spectacular end to our long, dry spell, we decided instead to stay home and work on the layout.

We commenced by laying the foundation for the paved area beneath the row of shops in the middle of the town. This was achieved using grey board topped off with cork tiling but it will only be paved when all of the other messy work is completed.

We then used some more of the very useful grey board to link the road that runs through the town to the bridge that takes it over the railway line. For the road surface itself, when we get around to doing it, we will probably use some of the Noch Asphalt Road on a Roll since it did look quite effective when we experimented with it at the weekend.

Another job that we did was to raise the embankment to the stream and lake so that we could make these slightly deeper and, thereby, create more of a waterfall at the inlet.

The outlet of the lake will disappear into a culvert and, then, under the embankment, bridge and railway.

The area of white that you can see as being marked as a future car park will probably be a lot smaller than this since the plan now is to develop this corner into a church yard. 

For this, St Andrew's church will be relocated to here from where it is at the moment - in the northern half of the layout.

With that half being earmarked for a future rebuild, the church (together with much else of what is there) would anyway either be moved or disappear altogether. Besides, it is better to have the church in the town rather than where it is at the moment, which is somewhat isolated.

As for the Diesel Gala at Swanage, I believe that it was a great success and photos of the event can be seen here. 

Ah well, there is always next year!

Service Area

Having finally managed to get hold of the, now discontinued, Bachmann Modern Servicing Depot together with a Diesel Fueling Point, we looked again at how the track layout might look in our Diesel Depot, when we eventually get around to creating it.

This is by no means set in stone and it may well change when we do start work. However, I think this is pretty close to how the track will be since lack of space means that we cannot expand much beyond what we have here.

If you look closely you might, just, be able to make out the chalk scribblings on the base board which mark out where further buildings etc might be situated, once we have acquired them.

So far we have the space for a site office, some carriage walkways, a depot crane, water tower, fuel storage tanks and a washing plant; all of which should add quite a bit of interest to this particular location.

So, now, we cannot wait to get started but, in the meantime, we have to finish the town area and this will be progressed during the next few weeks.

In fact, if you look even more closely, you might just see a part of Pete (our artistic director) landscaping the embankment that we created a couple of weeks ago. 

Of course I could have asked him to move while I took this photograph but I have long-since learned that you should never interrupt an artist when he is engrossed in his work - well, not this artist anyway!

Lion's Roar!

Due to other commitments, we have not done much work on the layout during the past couple of weeks, although we did do a bit this past weekend; however, more of that in a later posting.

For now I just want to introduce you to the latest addition to our ever-growing fleet of locomotives, namely Heljan's newest prototype diesel Nº: D0260 'Lion'.

She is fitted with a sound decoder which has an Olivias Trains, Class 47 sound file installed. Obviously, with Lion being withdrawn in the early 1960s, no sound recording exists of this striking locomotive. However, since her engine was supplied by Sulzer which, upon Lion's dismantling, was then installed into an unknown Class 47, it seems reasonable enough to assume that she would have sounded something like a Duff.

The model is terrific and captures the essence of the original very well. My only gripes being that the bogies look a little plasticky, when compared to the rest of the loco, and the route indicator panel is slightly recessed whereas, on the original, this was actually flush with the front of the loco.

Well, I won't get too upset over the route indicator panel and, as we will probably get her lightly weathered in time, this should help to improve the look of the bogies.

The locomotive comes supplied with all buffer beam detailing factory-fitted so we will have to trim this at the Nº 2 End to allow a coupling to be fitted.

Clearly, for our purposes, Lion was saved from the cutter's torch in 1963 and survived to be restored to her pristine condition and will, now, run the occasional special.

At the weekend we ran her, light engine, for a while just to run her in so that, next week, should see her hauling her first train and, judging by her weight and excellent running, she should prove to be a sure-footed and consummate performer. 

Zzzz ...

A Märklin Z gauge layout in a briefcase

Well, there is no time to sleep as I am clearly on a roll with regards to scales and now turn my attention to Z gauge. This is the smallest commercially available model railway size, with a scale of 1:220, which nominally represents 1.38 mm to 1 foot and a track gauge of 6.5 mm.

As you can imagine, there was quite a lot of excitement when Märklin introduced their Z gauge to the world at the 1972 Nuremberg Toy Fair for it was presented as something quite unique. This was supported by illustrations that appeared showing a Z gauge railway running around the rim of a hat, a locomotive inside a light bulb and a complete layout for the professional person ... in the top drawer of their desk!

Apparently the letter Z was chosen because it was thought, at the time, that no-one would commercially produce a smaller model railway scale. Therefore, with Z being the last letter of both the German and English alphabets it was chosen to represent the newest and smallest scale. 

Since 1972, however, there have been a few attempts to bring even smaller scales to the market but these remain niche products without a wider following at this time.

Due to its very small size there are, understandably, very few enthusiasts who are prepared to model in Z gauge using scratch built items and other traditional techniques.

Despite this the gauge has caught on and, now, Märklin, the leaders in the field, produce an extensive range of items with enough choice to suit a variety of enthusiasts who wish to model the European scene. Unfortunately, though, there are no British outline, ready to run, models available and very few British retailers stock Z gauge continental equipment.

In 1984, Micro Trains Line Co of Talent in Oregon, under the name of Kadee, introduced a range of detailed wagons and, now, produce a nice selection of rolling stock as well as a variety of locomotives. They also make flexi-track with correct sleeper spacing and a Code 55 rail section.

Because they are so small one mustn't assume that these products are cheap; on the contrary, in fact since, relatively speaking, they are all quite expensive. However, we must not forget that they are, in reality, fine pieces of craftsmanship that are built to a high standard of quality and, therefore, perform extremely well.

So, if you are wanting to build a small but fun model railway in either a European or an American scene then doing so in this gauge is not that difficult. Although, as you can probably imagine, you do have to be fairly dexterous and have good eyesight! Simply connecting the track and placing locomotives on to it is not easy and requires a keen eye and a steady hand!

This railway system is, therefore, not ideal for the beginner but is more suitable for someone who already has experience in building a layout and would like, now, to build something in the smallest of locations, whether that be as a diorama in the home … or the office!

On The Rack

One of the trains making its way up the mountain.
(Photo courtesy of the Corcovado website)

Inside one of the carriages.
(Photo courtesy of the Corcovado website)

Christ The Redeemer - with the station visible just below.

A view from the top on, sadly, a rather cloudy day.

For my final rail-oriented posting following my recent trip to Brazil, I will take a look at the rack or cog railway that climbs and winds its way through the Tijuca rainforest in Rio de Janeiro towards, almost, the 710 m summit of Corcovado mountain.

On top of this mountain stands, of course, the statue of Christ the Redeemer with magnificent views over the city of Rio and its beaches.

The line of the Trem do Corcovado was opened in 1884 by Emperor Dom Pedro II and was, initially, steam hauled before, in 1910, becoming the first railway in Brazil to be electrified.

Your journey commences at Estação Cosme Velho and the train takes around 20 minutes to travel the 3.8 km to the top, with two intermediate stations where trains pass each other. On our way up a 4-piece samba band boarded the train at the second of these two stops and then proceeded to entertain us for the remainder of the journey with their songs  and their music - fantastic!  

The track is 1000 m gauge and the railway uses four two-car trains, built in 1980 by SLM of Winterthur in Switzerland. These use 3-phase electric power (one of the few railways that still does) via two overhead cables at 800 V 60 Hz.

The trains depart, approximately, every 30 minutes and can transport (according to their website) 360 passengers every hour so that, at busy times, you can have a long wait at each terminus! When we went we had to wait an hour at Cosme Velho but only about half an hour for the return journey.

The railway is open from 08:30 until 19:00 each day of the week and, both for the ride and the view from the top, it is well worth the trip.

For more information visit the website at: www.corcovado.com.br.