Two S&DJR 7Fs - Sisters in Grime

We visited the West Camel Model Railway Exhibition yesterday where I felt the standard of layouts was somewhat below par when compared to previous events.

However, I did manage to acquire a second Bachmann S&DJR Fowler 7F 2-8-0 that will now join Nº 88 (53808) in Prussian Blue that is already in our fleet of locos.

I had always thought that it would be nice to have both of the preserved 7Fs and, now, having obtained 53809 in black livery, I have achieved this.

Pictured above is Nº 88, in S&DJR Prussian Blue, having had a sound chip and non-working headlamps fitted.

Here, then, is preserved sister loco, 53809, in BR black with late crest. 
The Catalogue Nº is 31-011 and she is dated 12 November 2010. 

In both of the locos the cab detailing is superb, please see below:

As yet, she has not been fitted with DCC but will be before too long and her duties will predominantly be freight workings while Nº 88 will continue to haul mostly passenger trains.

Bachmann Class 108

The photographs, above, show our three-car Class 108 DMU as it leaves Carswater station.

You will notice that the centre coach has a black roof while the two power cars each have grey roofs.

This is because the Power Cars (53959 - Powered and 54243 - Non-powered) came as a two-car set - Catalogue Nº  32-902, while the centre coach is from a different three-car set - Catalogue Nº 32-910.

This is not a problem since, for the most part, this will be used as a two-car DMU but it does give us the option to run three cars from time to time.

This train has been with the railway for quite a while now but was waiting to be fitted with DCC sound.

This has now been done and, like most of our sound locos, it has had the Howes sound files installed.

The 108 will be used, predominantly, on the Gunnmere Junction to Anchwood branch line although, I am sure, it will occasionally be pressed into service on the main line.

Hornby S&DJR 3-Coach Set

I have been wanting to acquire the Hornby Somerset and Dorset Maunsell 3-Coach Set for some time now and yesterday, at a local Model Railway Exhibition, I finally managed to lay my hands on one!

The coach pack dates from 2011 and, for some reason, it passed me by when it first appeared but, now, I have finally been able to add these coaches to the collection.

The first of the three coaches is the 4-Compartment, 3rd Class Brake, both sides of which are shown above. This coach has the Running Nº: S3214S.

Next is the Corridor Composite Coach (above), with the Running Nº: S5138S.

Finally we have a second 4-Compartment, 3rd Class Brake, with the Running Nº: S3215S.

These are great coaches that will definitely be used on the railway. 

They will go well with any of our S&D locomotives and, especially, the BR Standard 4MT, the tender of which can just be seen in the first two photos.

Coaches Old and New

I have just added three more coaches to our fleet and the difference between them could not be more pronounced!

The first two coaches are the grubby duo pictured above.

These are both Dapol kits that I acquired pre-built and, as you can see, heavily weathered!

The coach in the first photo is a BR 60' Corridor Composite in Carmine and Cream Livery, Catalogue Nº C105C

Its Running Nº is M3940M.

The second coach is a BR 57' Corridor Brake Coach in Carmine and Cream, Catalogue Nº C106C.

Its Running Nº is M5530M.

I love these coaches and the weathering makes them perfect for use on the branch or on local services.

The third coach is the one shown above.

It is a BR Mk1 BSK Coach in InterCity Exhibitions Livery, which is available through the Bachmann Collectors Club, Catalogue Nº 39-075K. Its Running Nº is 99620.

Only 504 of these coaches have been produced of which, I believe, there are only six currently available.

I do like the striking livery of this coach and the plan is to take it to the major stations on the layout in order to show our travelling public all of the improvements being made to the railway.

Perhaps the first improvement should be to ensure all of our coaches are nice and clean!

Fleet of Warships

We now have, what might be described as, a fleet of Warship Class locomotives in that I recently acquired two more to add to the two that we already had.

So, beginning with the two older locos we have:

Class 22 - D6319

Okay, so this is, strictly speaking, not a Warship Class loco but they were nicknamed Baby Warships due to the fact that they looked very much like a smaller version of the original Warship class of locomotives, the Class 41, of which more later.

This Dapol Class 22 has been in our fleet for quite some time now and sees regular use on both freight and local passenger work. 

She has been lightly weathered and also fitted with Howes sound files.

The larger version of D6319 was, in fact, purchased for preservation but was, sadly, cut up at Swindon in September 1971 before she could be retrieved.

A great loss, indeed!

Class 42 - 812 'The Royal Naval Reserve'

We have also had this Bachmann Class 42 for a long time and, as you can see, she, too, has  been weathered, and quite heavily so, in her case. 

She has also been fitted with sound files by Howes and is a regular runner on the railway. As with the prototypes, she is used on express passenger services as well as the more mundane freight work.

The real 812 received the rail blue livery in March 1970 and was withdrawn from service in December 1972.

Fortunately, two of the 38, BR-built, Class 42's have been preserved, these being: D821 'Greyhound' and D832 'Onslaught'.

There could, and should, have been a third member of the class preserved in that D818 'Glory' had become somewhat of a favourite of the employees at Swindon Works and was repainted from rail blue back to its original BR green livery with the hope being that it might be preserved. 

However, this failed to materialize and the loco was scrapped in 1985, just before the Works itself closed in March 1986.

Class 43 - D838 'Rapid'

So to the first of the two new Warships, a Bachmann Class 43 in maroon livery and looking somewhat smarter and cleaner than her Class 42 sister.

She is a recent acquisition and has been DCC fitted, albeit not with sound. She will, doubtless, be fitted with sound and will be weathered, too, to tone her down a bit.

She, like 812, is a cracking loco and will be called upon to perform similar duties. 

She looks especially good pulling a rake of maroon coaches, as shown above, but will also be tasked with regular freight duties.

The real 'Rapid' received her maroon livery in September 1968 and kept it until her demise in March 1971, so was never painted in rail blue.

Sad to say that not one of the 33, North British Locomotive Class 43's survived into preservation and, in fact, all of them were withdrawn before the Swindon-built Class 42s.

Class 41 - D603 'Conquest'

The final loco in our Warship quartet is this Class 41, commissioned by Kernow Model Railways. 

It only arrived last week but is already fitted with a DCC decoder and been given a short test run - and she performs beautifully!

She has yet to be fitted with all of the accessories, including couplings, but she will not be called upon to haul any trains, just yet, not until she has had a proper running-in period.

Eventually she will be slightly weathered and fitted with sound and, given that space has been allowed for a large speaker inside the loco, I think she should sound very good!

As you probably know, only six of these North British D600s were constructed and they were introduced between January 1958 and January 1959. 

As their nickname suggests, they were all named after Warships and were used on many crack Western Region expresses, such as the Cornish Riviera, until they were deposed by the more powerful Class 42 and 43 locos.

During 1967, two of the five received the rail blue livery; namely: D600 'Active' and D602 'Bulldog'. The rest (D601 'Ark Royal', D603 'Conquest' and D604 'Cossack') retaining their BR green livery until the end.

Our model will definitely be a mixed traffic loco, working expresses, local passenger services and goods trains in equal measure.

All six of the Class 41's were withdrawn in December 1967 and all were subsequently cut-up although D601 did languish at Woodhams Yard in Barry until June 1980 - and I do recall seeing her there in the mid-1970s!

Calstock on the Tamar Valley Line

Here are some photos from a trip we made last week to Calstock in Cornwall, on the Tamar Valley Line from Plymouth to Gunnislake.

We have been to Gunnislake before and walked down into the village, which is about half a mile away down a very steep hill - great for going down but a heck of a slog to walk back up!

Calstock is also downhill from the station but it is not as far and definitely not as steep!

We travelled to Plymouth on one of the new Class 800 trains, the HST's now having been withdrawn.

These trains are fast and smooth enough but the seats are like sitting on wooden planks. They are much too hard for long journeys. The arm rests are also too low, such that they are useless for doing what their name suggests.

We also miss being able to go to the buffet car whenever you want since you now have to wait for a trolley to pass by. This, of course, could be at any time and might even be just as you are about to alight from the train!

Also, a word of warning to those of you travelling to stations with shorter platforms, like Ivybridge, for instance. If you are on a train consisting of two five-car sets, which most are from Plymouth to Paddington, make sure you are in the correct set because, as at Ivybridge, the doors of the rear set do not open and there is no way you can move to the front set.

So, you will just have to travel on to Totnes and catch the next train back again! 

There are warnings given on the train but, if you board the train at the last minute, you might miss the announcement (as a couple did on the one that we were on) and, once the train is underway you are stuck!

Anyway, back to our journey and over on Platform 3 was our train to Gunnislake.

This was the usual two-car Class 150 and our train left Plymouth at 12:54 for the 45 minute journey up the branch.

After stops at Devonport, Dockyard, Keyham, St Budeaux Victoria Road and Bere Ferrers the train pulls into Bere Alston, above.

Here the line once continued to Tavistock North, Brentor and Okehampton. 

Indeed there was talk of reopening this line following the gales of 2014, which damaged the track at Dawlish but nothing has come of it. 

For some time there has also been the possibility of reopening the section just to Tavistock but, again, nothing has happened yet.

So, for now at least, all trains into Bere Alston must reverse and travel up what was the branch line to Callington but which now terminates at Gunnislake.

On the approach to Calstock station you traverse the 120 foot high Calstock viaduct with views up and down the River Tamar, as shown above.

Here we see the line crossing the viaduct from just before Calstock station.

Turning around, the line is seen curving round to the station just beyond.

Our train is photographed departing for the two and a half mile journey to Gunnislake.

The viaduct, as viewed from Calstock village.

And from the other side.

And from directly underneath.

After our visit to Calstock we caught another train on to Gunnislake, above, where the train waits for about five minutes before commencing its return journey to Plymouth.

During which I took the two photographs above.

This truly is a lovely line that is well worth a visit if you have never travelled along it.

It was, of course, listed for closure in the Reshaping of British Railways Report.

However it was saved from closure, apart from the section between Gunnislake and Callington, due to the fact that the roads in the area are so poor.

And thank goodness for that, say I!

Swanage Diesel Gala 2019

This weekend was the annual Swanage Railway Diesel Gala and Dorset Beer Festival. The theme this year was Railfreight and the loco line-up was as follows:

Class 25 D7535

Class 26 26007

Class 31 97205

Class 33 33111

Class 33 D6515

Class 50 50007 'Hercules'

Class 59 59003 'Yeoman Highlander'

Class 73 73119 'Borough of Eastleigh'

Class 44 44004 'Great Gable' was also due to appear but, sadly, had to withdraw due to a mechanical issue.

Here are some of the photos that I took during a visit on Friday.

Upon arrival I took this photograph of the line, looking towards Corfe Castle, with the ruins of the old castle in the background.

Corfe Castle distant signal with the castle ruins behind.

Class 50, 50007 'Hercules' resplendent in GBRf livery, waits to depart Corfe Castle with the, already delayed, 10:57 to Swanage.

While, at the other end of the train, we have Class 31, 97205. 

This loco had taken the train to the River Frome Bridge, which is the extent of the Swanage Railway and which is about half a mile from the junction with Dorchester to Wareham main line.

With no runaround facility at the Bridge, trains were topped and tailed from Corfe Castle and it was doubtless this procedure that led to ever-increasing delays during the day.

Here the Class 31 has been uncoupled to allow the Class 50 to take the train on to Swanage.

Class 25, D7535 is seen standing beside the Class 31, having just arrived at Platform 1 with the 10:39 train from Swanage.

While, at the other end of that train, Class 33, 33111, has just been coupled up to top and tail the train to the Bridge over the River Frome.

This locomotive is one of the Swanage Railway's home fleet of locos and this is made obvious by the fact that she is dirty while all of the visiting locos are nice and clean!

As this train departs she passes the Class 31, which will now head to the sidings to await her next top and tailing duties.

And here she is, about to cross over to the siding while, in the background is Class 26, 26007. Unfortunately, and much to my annoyance, this was the only photograph that I managed to get of this loco!

Class 73, 73119 'Borough of Eastleigh' now stands at Corfe Castle with the 13:15 service to River Frome Bridge, which was running a bit late!

Meanwhile, at Swanage, I managed to capture BR Standard Class 4MT, 80104 and LSWR Drummond Class T9, 30120 while both were standing on shed.

Hercules stands at Platform 1 having earlier arrived with the delayed 15:39 from Corfe Castle.

While D7535 stands at Platform 1 having recently arrived with the delayed 15:32 from River Frome Bridge.

Class 50, 50026 'Indomitable' is seen in the sidings at Swanage. 

I am not sure why she was there as she was not part of the Gala but she did look rather good in her NSE livery.

Here are a couple more shots of the Class 25, awaiting departure from Swanage. I believe this was meant to have been the 17:15 to Norden although, by then, any semblance of a timetable was out the window, really.

The Class 73 at Swanage having arrived with the late running 17:39 from Corfe Castle.

The Class 73 had worked this train n tandem with Class 59, 59003 'Yeoman Highlander', seen here at the buffer stops.

Another view of the Class 59, standing beside a Class 08 and the station's Bird's Nest Buffet Car.

A final view of D7535, standing at Norden, having arrived with the much-delayed 18:45 from Swanage.