The winners of the first British Model Railway Awards for 2016 have been announced today and can be read here. This year saw a resurgence for Hornby wining not only 00 manufacturer of the year, but also Overall Manufacturer of the year, helped by within a number of the categories Southern Railway / Region related products winning and or polling highly.
Congratulations to all the winners; and especially Hornby as mentioned above, coming top in a number of the individual categories including: 4mm scale carriage stock award, with their excellent SR Maunsell 58ft ex LSWR rebuilt coaches; and the 00 gauge wagons award with the super SR diagram 1529 / 1530 cattle trucks .
Also polling well was their Class 71 electric locomotive with over 25% of the vote in the 00 Gauge modern traction award; therefore ensuring that the Southern Railway is well represented in the awards, which is always good news. With the Hornby original Merchant Navy and ex SECR H Class 0-4-4T due to the hit retailers this year in my opinion they will also have a strong contenders for the awards in 2017 as well.
Also well done to the UK Model Shops website for justifiably winning the website of the year award, for the second year in a row, a category in which I was surprised to have been again nominated and came a creditable 5th among a wide range of high quality and informative websites, so many thanks to all who did take the time to vote.
At long last, assisted by a few days off work over the recent Easter weekend, I have finally completed a few outstanding items on the workbench. This has mainly been around renumbering, naming and weathering a few items of rolling stock so I thought I would share with you some of the locomotives that I have now finished.
I have detailed a few times on this blog my method of renumbering (see Workbench Witterings #3 here) and also weathering (such as in this post here) so I wont repeat all those details this time.
First up, is a Bullied Battle Britain Class 21c149 ‘Anti Aircraft Command’ for friend and fellow post war period modeller Robin Sweet (Gwrrob on RMweb) for use on his excellent, albeit GWR, layout ‘Brent’ based on South Brent in Devon to represent one the regular SR crew route familiarisation turns, via Dawlish to Plymouth that also took WR engines over the ex LSWR north Dartmoor route.
The other side of 21C149 the addition of the RT Models front steps and Cylinder Drain pipes certainly complete the look.
She started as a Hornby 21C159 split from one their train packs as this was in the correct condition with the original forward position of the safety valves, She gained the wedge shaped cab modification in March 1948, was named in April that year and not fully renumbered to 34049 until April 1949. In addition to the renumbering and naming using HMRS Pressfix decals and Fox Transfers etched nameplates, I also fitted front steps and cylinder drain pipes from the excellent RT Models range, Springside Models front lamps and real coal in the tender.
Secondly are two Hornby S15s, one as number 829 from the first batch of the Maunsell S15s built in July 1927 paired with a Urie style tender and one as number 845 from the third batch of Maunsell S15s built in October 1936 paired with a Maunsell flat sided bogie tender.
Number 829 was a Salisbury allocated engine during my 1946 to 1949 modelling period, whilst 845 was initially allocated to Feltham but in 1947 was moved to Exmouth Junction and therefore would also have regularly been seen at Salisbury.
Finally for now, is Hornby Schools Class V number 929 ‘Malvern’ whose repainting and numbering was the topic of my Workbench Wittering #2 post way back in June last year! Now finally her weathering is complete. As I mentioned in that post Schools class number 929 “Malvern” was one of only seven members of the class not to regain malachite green livery after the war, but stayed in SR black until January 1949. The Schools Class V were not often seen at Salisbury in SR days but as she was a Brighton allocated engine from 1947 my excuse is that she has arrived on one of the Brighton to Plymouth services that changed locomotives at Salisbury.
That’s all for now, I will post some details of some of the other items of rolling stock that I recently completed in due course.
Back at the start of December I started and posted about a repaint of a Bachmann N class into post war SR black livery for friend and fellow post war period modeller Robin Sweet (Gwrrob on RMweb) for use on his excellent, albeit GWR, layout ‘Brent’ based on South Brent in Devon.
I detailed my process in my post mentioned above but will remind you of it again here for completeness now that the process has been completed over the Christmas break and the locomotive weathered, delivered and run on its new home.
a rear 3/4 view of 1848, real coal has been added to the tender along with crew.
– Remove factory fitted such as smoke deflectors, pipework, valve fittings, glazing etc.
– Decal using HMRS Pressfix decals.
– Pick out some details in relevant colours such as block dust colour on and around brake blocks, rust on guard irons and exposed firebox sides under the running plate, oily steel and grease on brake pull rods and reversing rod etc.
Crossing the road bridge with a view of South Dartmoor beyond. Meanwhile the Postman is completing his round.
A final close up of 1848 at home amongst Rob’s excellent scenic work and very effective backscene.
– Airbrush a dirty track colour mix from the bottom upwards over the chassis and slightly up the body sides, not forgetting the tender rear and smokebox front. I do this as a couple of light passes moving the wheels and motion between passes to ensure no shadows appear.
– If required lightly clean off weathering from some areas such as around numbers etc or where crew might had lightly cleaned or grabbed handrails etc.
It was nice to see some Southern influence deep in GWR territory, but of course it was a usual practice for both SR and GWR crew to remain familiar with each other routes to Plymouth in case of the need of diversion, due for example to weather conditions. Number 1848 was in fact a Salisbury based in engine just post war, so quite apt from Fisherton Sarum perspective, she must therefore have been hijacked by Exmouth Junction shed for a run down to Plymouth.
Over the last few years an annual wish list poll has been run as a collaboration between MREmag and RMweb it is no coincidence that many of the items that have appeared at the top of these polls in past years have subsequently appeared in the main manufactures ranges.
The Wishlist Poll 2014 will run from 1 to 31 October and you can take part here.
The purpose of The Poll is to provide an easy and enjoyable way for modellers and collectors to tell the major manufacturers and commissioners of ready-to-run railway models what they would like to see made from new tooling (excluding models announced, tooled or made since 2000).
There are 21 categories in N and 00 covering: Steam locos of the Big Four and BR; Diesel & Electric Locos; DMUs & EMUs; Coaches; Non-passenger-carrying Coaching Stock; Freight Stock; General Service Stock; and other railway-related items (such as turntables). Two new categories this year cover Standard Gauge Industrial and London Underground.
To act as an aide-memoire, the 9-man Poll Team has again provided The Guide. If you don’t know the build dates of the various BR Mk1 catering vehicles, or whether one particular 0-6-0 steam loco will suit your needs better than others, you will find all the answers there – and many more! This guide can be found here.