Question, Early BR Southern ?

[VESPA]

I am not very au fait with Southern railways, so can someone please give me an idea of what coaches or goods wagons that an early crest BR Adams Radial Tank would have hauled. I have seen photos around Axminster but cannot equate any to Hornby coaches at present. I am doing this train with rolling stock first then loco, so I don't end up with a loco and no suitable rolling stock.

[VESPA]

I have found 5 photos so far with 1-3 Maunsels behind them. Mainly used on the seaside links to Sidmouth, Seaton Exmouth etc where weight restrictions gave them an advantage.

[poliss]

LC&DR will know.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

IF you wanted to be strictly prototypical, then you would be limited to that stock used between Axminster and Lyme Regis.

Early crest BR (1949-1956 application) COULD just include some late Southern Railway livery coaching stock and pre-BR wagons (mainly the ones with the small lettering over the wagon number GW, NE, LMS, SR.) Some pretty worn Private Owner Wagons, possibly with BR "P" prefix numbers.

The Southern kept its coaches in green as much as possible by re-varishing rather than re-painting...

The through coaches could possibly include Crimson and Cream Re-painted SR or BR Mk1 coaches (introduced 1951, so pretty new then!)

Official BR colours for non-corridor SR coaches was Plain Crimson. some were lined, others not lined it seems.

[LCDR]

In BR days the 0415 class were confined exclusively to the Axminster to Lyme Regis branch This was due to the sharp curves and restrictive axle loadings on the branch for which the Radials were the only really suitable class. The Southern Railway kept two for this purpose long after the rest of the class were sold or scrapped. Then after the War another one came up for sale from the East Kent Railway who had bought it from the War Department in 1920, and they bought it as a spare.

The branch was for most of the year a rural backwater, but during the summer it suddenly got very busy with holiday makers.

So most of the year one or two coaches were more than adequate for passenger trains.  The Maunsell rebuilds of LSWR non-corridor coaches on new 58 foot underframes were typical  stock for many years. These consisted of some 2 car sets formed from a 58 foot Lavatory Third Brake coupled to an unconverted Lavatory Composite Brake (sets 7 to 21, and sets 51 to 56), a 58 foot Lavatory Composite Brake  coupled to a 58 foot Lavatory Third Brake (Sets 42 to 46), a unconverted Lavatory Third brake coupled to a 58 foot Lavatory Composite (sets 57 to 62), and a 58 foot  Lavatory Composite flanked by two unconverted Lavatory Third Brakes. There were also some loose Thirds on 58 foot underframes used to strengthen trains at busy times. Of these 58 foot non-corridor carriages seen on the Lyme Regis branch were Brake Third 2639 (set 45), Brake Composites 6401 (set  42)  and 6404 (set 45). NB Hornby are intending to sell examples of these vehicles in 2016. (R4746 to R4749) in BR Crimson.

After about 1955 these non-corridor coaches were wearing out, and so surplus Maunsell corridor coaches were drafted in as replacements.  When a single coach was needed a Maunsell deep window corridor brake composite was used, but at busy times two or more corridor seconds or open Seconds were added.  The W Set pack in BR Green, R4745 is suitable for this period.

On busy occasions a loose 64' BR Mark 1 non-corridor Second from the Exeter /Exmouth pool (only Replica make these) would be added to the Maunsell carroages.

Goods stock is more difficult.  You may have to look at other manufacturers or kits to find appropriate stock.  The SR ‘Pill Box’ brake van is made by Bachmann. The Bullied or Maunsell cattle van from Hornby will be useful, but there isn’t really anything else appropriate in Hornby’s current range. Freight stock generally consisted of coal in 13 ton or 16 ton mineral wagons (try Bachmann or Dapol), And general merchandise in 12 ton vans of SR, GWR, LMSR, LNER or BR origin, and open general merchandise, shock open wagons  and shock van, double bolster wagons , plate wagons, and low sided and medium open wagons. Avoid exotic bulk carriers and tank wagons as these were usually only found on specific traffic flows to industrial terminals or major goods depots.

[VESPA]

Thank you all for your replies. LC&DR you are brill with your details again and I can now pre order the coaches. I thought I may do a small layout of Sidmouth as Axminster is just too big.

[LCDR]

 The Hornby Maunsell (ex LSWR) 58 foot Non-Corridors will be good for most former LSWR branch lines in Hampshire, Dorset, Devon or Cornwall. Also some especially the all thirds, were found at nearly all places on the Southern.  They were used by BR up to about 1957, still in crimson, by which time BR Mark 1 coaches were displacing the Maunsell corridor stock on main line expresses which were then cascaded on to the secondary routes and branch lines. To get best use out of them you really also need some of the unconverted LSWR carriages too as they tended to work together. However Hornby are not planning to make these.

[VESPA]

LC&DR, I bought the Oxford Rail Adams tank loco today in Monk Bar, after seeing it. I have pre ordered the crimson coaches that you mentioned ( Due August). Expensive day really, as I bought the new Flying Scotsman book in the NRM and a gold rimmed tea mug. I also managed to get some of that gloob that makes windows in small apertures. So I will have to see how that works.