One of the great joys for me is to recreate and photograph prototypical scenes on my model railway. Engine smoke/steam effects have been added to the photograph of the model, where appropriate. Apart from that they are true images of the model.
T9 at Swanage in 1958.
Click to view (opens in a new Browser window).
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.
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| 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 :-
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| Not perfect but, much more authentic |
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| With an S15 |
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| In colour |
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| None of the sign wordings are readable without a magnifying glass! |
