Project 27 - The End of Steam #2

 The first locomotive I am 'scrapping' is a Bulleid 2-6-4 pacific. As I searched for photos of locos in scrapyards one Bulleid showed up more often than others, and that was Battle of Britain class Manston 34070. 

Manston was withdrawn from service in 1964 and sent to Woodhams yard in Barry South Wales. There it lingered until 1983 when it was saved for restoration. Photos show it in various stages of decay over the years it was there.

I wanted to depict the locomotive model weathered but virtually intact and for this I opted for the ready assembled model that came with the 'Great British Locomotive Collection' magazine series.

This model lacks detail and is not totally accurate to prototype but it is close enough and with a few extra details added will look the part. It was bought second hand for £4.50 + postage.

The extent of weathering to be applied will be based on this photograph from 1967 (click to view) and a couple of others from about the same period. Colour hue/saturation in photographs may not be accurate, especially old photos, but by average sampling of colours in several photographs from the same period and by different photographers then it is the best we can do.

The Finished Model

Click image to enlarge

Changes to reflect the scrapped prototype of 1967

Note that a full load of coal in the tender is retained. Some photos of locos at scrapyard show this to be true.

Amendments (A) :-

• Cylinder body cut free from chassis and realigned to body as it was twisted and drooping (both sides)
• Existing vacuum pipe cut free from buffer beam (loco & tender) and realigned as it was too high on the beam

Deletions (D) :-

• Two window frame bars removed (both sides)
• Some copper pipes removed, as per the prototype at the scrapyard in 1967
• 'Southern' ringed plaque grinded off smokebox door
• Front valance removed (both sides) as it belongs to the earlier Southern era
• Inaccurate moulded brake shoes removed from between centre driving wheels
  

Installations (I). 

New parts 3D printed, except vacuum pipes and coupling :-

• Flange missing from centre driving wheels installed
• Full brake running gear installed on loco chassis
• Safety valves installed on roof
• Battery box installed on buffer beam
• Second vacuum pipe fitted (loco and tender)
• Screw link coupling installed (loco and tender) See 'How to' here > screwlink coupling

Livery :-

• Weathered Black Chassis, Wheels and Roof - mixed from black and white matt acrylic paint and air bushed in several layers
• Weathered Brunswick Green Body - Humbrol 65 matt acrylic sprayed in layers to cover existing colour scheme and then mixed with dark green & black and sprayed again until a close match with the prototype photo was achieved
• Lining and Numbers - Outer lines are yellow & white acrylic mix, inner line black & white acrylic mix. I assume the yellow on the prototype is faded orange since the standard was orange in the 1960s. Yellow is pre 1960s.
  
  The lines were drawn with a mapping pen and not as fine or crisp as I would like - acceptable though when viewed at distance.
  
  Numbers (and tender totem) are fox transfers.
  
  
• Rust - Sponge dabbed with Humbol 63 Matt and 70 Matt. Pink is a 63 & white mix.
  
  The lot was then sprayed with matt varnish.

To Part 1.

Project 27 - The End of Steam #1

Time for another diorama build.

Back Story

I came across Woodmoores scrapyard in the March 2014 edition of Hornby magazine and was totally captivated by it (probably influenced by the superb close up photography of the locomotives in various states of disarray).  I was particularly struck by the treatment of the locos, some being stripped down of parts and baring their inner workings.

Photographs of the diorama on the web are virtually non existent. Only one found that unfortunately, does not give the diorama the justice it deserves compared to those in the magazine. Click to view.

Woodmoores scrapyard is a pastiche of Woodhams and Cashmoores scrapyards of Wales when they were overrun by steam locomotives awaiting breaking up in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Woodhams is particularly famous as the locos were set aside whilst emphasis was given to wagon breaking. This gave the opportunity for enthusiasts to buy and restore many of the locos.

Inspired by all this I decided to have a go at modelling a scrapyard using the same footprint as Woodmoores (20 inches by 11 inches) and butchering mainly Dapol kits for the locos.

First, comes the research. Scouring the web for photos and browsing the book 'Steam For Scrap' Volume 1 I came across plenty of useful material on which to base the scene. 

Mobile Crane

One item I wanted was a mobile crane that was used for moving the scrap piles into wagons for dispatch to the foundry's. Woodhams had several especially this one (click to view). Whilst the image is poor on detail what does show prominently is the crane makers mark - JONES KL66 (or is it KL44?). Nevertheless, searching for both models uncovered many photos and even a breakaway drawing (click to view). There were subtle differences in style and two styles of jib in use. My model will be largely based on photos here except I'll model the Woodhams jib.

Dimensions will be obtained by scaling photographs but I need a reference to begin. Data on the web stated jib styles were either 30 or 40 feet in length. I could use that but wanted something smaller that related to the four wheeled truck. Nothing found until I had a eureka moment considering that a common replacement part would be the tyres. I found this:

Tyre Type 10.00-20

•  ~41.5 to 42.1 inches when fully inflated.

• Section Width: 10.0 to 10.9 inches from sidewall to sidewall.

• Rim Diameter: 20 inches.

So, that became the basis for scaling the photos and a CAD model was created ready for 3D print.

To part 2.

Hewish Gates #9

Rarely, when creating a model of a real location do we find sufficient photographic evidence to accurately portray it. This is the case for my Hewish Gates diorama. I had just three historical photographs to work from, all of which were taken at ground level close by the level crossing. This left the wider environs much to the imagination.

Take a moment to study this diorama before I reveal a photograph of the prototype I recently discovered, taken from this viewpoint.

Click images to enlarge.

Click to view the prototype scene (opens in a new browser window).

Photographed in the 1950s or early 1960s, long before drones were invented, the photographer climbed a nearby semaphore signal to snap the view. Judging from the onlooking signal box staff one wonders if he had permission to do so! Never the less, it is an astonishing photograph because it captures a plethora of detail within an expanse of landscape making it an ideal reference point for the modeller. 

The locomotive has the look of an S15, designed specifically for freight duties. But, it could be an N15 since these are near identical in style. The N15 was relegated from express passenger to occasional freight duties when the new Bulleids took over its express passenger duties around 1945. I can only make out the first three loco numbers as 304xx , which applies to either class.

Do you like 'spot the difference' challenges?

Comparing the diorama and prototype reveals significant differences. Most noticeable on the diorama is :-

• Two missing buildings
• A higher embankment near the signal box
• An embankment retaining wall
• Missing fenced refuges adjoining the wicket gates

There are many more.

Did you also spot the bicycles and milk churn (probably for drinking water) in the prototype photograph. These transient items bring life to a scene that make for a visually interesting model.

So, I decided to rework my diorama to closely reflect the prototype photo.

Not perfect but, much more authentic

With an S15

In colour

Click to view the prototype scene in 2026 (opens in a new browser window).

Not to scale

Postscript

So, no one spotted the missing warning signs. The reason I left them off was because I could not read any of the wordings. After more research though I found some likely candidates.

Only one of the seven signs in the prototype photo shows wording and it is quite substantial. This suggests to me a lot of legal jargon and the closest I found was the British Transport Commission sign that gives warning about trespass and the punishment thereof. The British Transport Commission was the governing body of the railway (and all public transport) at nationalisation until 1963.

The long sign might be a BTC 'Beware of Trains' and judging from photographs of other locations the remainder might be ex Southern Railway that lasted long after nationalisation.

None of the sign wordings are readable without a magnifying glass!

To Part 1.