Warmley, modelling and the S&D

I was born in Warmley, a little station on the Midland branch into Bath, on September the 8^th 1962. A fateful day for the S&D as it was the last day the Pines ran over its metals before being diverted by the Western Region via Oxford. As I grew up and became interested in modelling things and then modelling railway things and finally modelling real railway things it was only logical that my interest should turn to the place of my birth and a long term goal of building a layout of the station as it was in the early 1930s. Why then - well it was in the days when the biggest things allowed along the branch in steam were 4-4-0s and 0-6-0s.

That's all very well you cry but we're the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust and we don't want to know about stations not on our line so I won't go on about it anymore except to say that much of what went through Warmley carried on South down the S&D or had come off it going North - just look at the Pines!

If there's one thing I've learnt over the last couple of decades about modelling the real thing it's that whatever you make has to be based on reality so you need facts and this might be a good place to start looking at the models I displayed at this years AGM. Firstly they models are all to OO gauge but finescale standards. The reason for this is that I didn't know enough about the different gauges when I started out otherwise I probably would have gone for 'EM' or even 'P4' and by the time I learnt of the difference I had invested too much effort in too many models to be willing to change.

Starting at the front of the train: The locomotive

The locomotive is a standard Midland/LMS 4F 0-6-0 but why did I make it as 4422, apart from the fact that it is now preserved? Well in the early 1930s this engine was shedded in Bristol and was certainly used over the S&D during its life as a photograph in John Owen's Life on the Railway shows it in Lyncombe Vale on a stopping train in 1964. Ok so this isn't when in the guise I've modelled but the link to the S&D does exist. The base kit is an Alan Gibson etched brass one with his own wheels and the motor upright in the firebox. The chassis is sprung - my first attempt at this and not one I am that happy with. I will probably return to my normal system of the point suspension in future. I have added many extras - for example I have installed a crew to drive the train, a real load of crushed anthracite and a set of fire irons. I have also fitted screw couplings - fiddly to couple up but I don't believe in the 'Ready To Run' monstrosities as they look nothing like the real thing. You will also notice that my models are never clean - some might argue this covers a multitude of faults but for me it means my models look like they are actually running in the real world not in some cleaner's fantasy.

A rake of Yeovil Gas Works wagons came next. It is my understanding that the gas works got its coal up North and that their wagons passed through Westerleigh sidings on their way to Bath and Templecombe before going on to Yeovil with some of it. The models are based on a photograph of one of these wagons taken by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Co Ltd which is in a book on private owner wagons I have by Bill Hudson. These wagons are plastic kits with replacement brake gear from brass etchings by Michael Clark of Masobits Masterkits. The buffers have been modified and are sprung, as are the three link couplings. The lettering is by POWSIDES and comes with a selection of numbers and I would assure you that no two of these wagons carries the same number even if the weathering disguises this. My long-term aim is to have two complete rakes of these wagons - one empty and one loaded.

Two butter vans, which could well have traversed the line came next - one an ex-LSWR vehicle in faded SR livery and one an ex-L&Y van in LMS livery. Both of these vans are cast white metal bodies with plastic sheet roves. Both these kits came from David Geen.

At the end of the rake of goods vehicles I placed this brake van. A plastic kit from Parkside Dundas, which I have improved with wire handrails and lamp irons as well as three link couplings.

Just to show I do make passenger stock I also showed a couple of six wheel coaches

As can be seen, one is an ex-MR luggage third from a Slater's kit. These kits are a mix of plastic, etched brass and lost wax castings. They can be fiddly to put together but I think they look good when finished. The other kit is a Connoisseur Models 'Pocket Money Kit' of an S&D brake third. This is mainly etched brass with white metal castings for the detail parts. Both of these coaches, and the horsebox below, were lined by me using a bowpen. A skill that I haven't really mastered yet as getting the paint to flow just right sometimes eludes me. I feel the results are well worth striving for though.

If your curious to know, here's a picture of the inside of the S&D six wheeler to show that I model the insides of carriages as I don't like my trains to run empty. I purposefully made this kit so the roof can be removed so I can admire my handiwork occasionally.

A horse on its way to Wincanton perhaps? Possibly one of the fiddliest models to make this one as all of the hinge strapping for the doors was added separately. But let me tell you compared to the horsebox I am building at the moment which is in 2mm as against the 4mm of these, it was a doddle! Yes, I do model in two different scales - I have ambitions to model the Mangotsfield triangle in the smaller scale one day - Carson chocolate factory and all!

And to round all this off I brought along a couple of railway road vehicles based on photographs in a couple of books I have on that subject specifically.

A steam lorry with a firebox load made from a couple of white metal kits and hand lettered as I couldn't find any transfers to match the side of the lorry. I think it looks okay.

And finally, an Austin 7 van. The kit I used for this had the wrong style of doors so I removed the white metal ones and made these from plastic to match the photograph. I also worked on the wheels so they do go round - unfortunately I couldn't motorise the van so this was a bit of a pointless exercise. Again this van is hand lettered - I'm not a sign writer but I'm happy with the result.

I don't know if these two road vehicles ever entered S&D territory but I see no reason why they couldn't have, especially the Austin 7 van.

That completes the tail of this years models - now it's back to the grindstone to prepare something for next year as I must defend my title. Not sure yet what it will be or what scale it will be in but I put up this challenge.