Late 1960s traction in South Wales question

[Topgun333]

I shouldn't put this thread here really as there is a section about model railways but nobody ever seems to go there much.

This is a query for the older posters and the real buffs amongst us and I hope people can get involved with their knowledge or just be interested otherwise.

I want to build a model railway that might emulate a fictional Beeching branch before closure in the late 1960s after steam, on the Western Region, possibly in South Wales although open to ideas about exact geography. So about 1967 or so.

I think the layout would revolve around a small market town branch terminus that deals with some small scale commuter traffic to the big city, a quiet general goods yard, a dairy pick up point and, most importantly, a separate single line into the terminus that purports to come from a local coal mine or two.

My idea of traffic flow would be:

• Commuter train - DMU possibly Class 116?
• General goods train - baby Deltic or Hymek?
• Smallish coal train from the local mines - Class 03 or similar?
• Trip coal wagon train that picks up and drops off wagons left by the smaller coal train - Teddy Bear Class 14?
• Some shunting about between general goods wagons and dairy vans to order them up in the small yard by the station to be taken away - the 03 or similar again.
  

Questions for you:

1. Is the layout idea crap or good?
2. Is the proposed locomotion suitable or not for a branch line in South Wales?
3. Where might the idea work better across the Western Region for slightly realistic variety of locomotion and rolling stock?

Phew! Thanks in advance

 

[DY444]

A Hymek on a South Wales branch freight in the late 1960s would be reasonable. A baby deltic would most certainly not be.

I would think that other typical power for the period would be a Class 14, Class 37 or perhaps a Class 22. You could also probably get away with one of the original AIA-AIA warships or the later Class42/3 BB type, a Western or a Class 47.

A couple of Class 25s got transferred to Ebbw Jn in 1970 so I suppose you could have one of those if your time window was a bit flexible.

 

[bigdelboy]

I'd take a different appraoch.

Checkout the welsh sections of when some typical closeures occured.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_closed_railway_lines_in_Great_Britain

Research the chosen line.

the Llantrisant & Taff Vale Junction Railway might suit your criteria.

... The Hymek would be popular.

 

[Oswyntail]

As a spotter there at just that period, this brings back happy memories. Firstly, I never, ever saw a Warship, Class 22 or even a Class 25 in the area at that time. Hymeks and Class 14s most certainly, though the bulk of traffic was 37s and 47s. Westerns tended to be on express passenger, so not totally appropriate for your branch, though they could appear on the odd freight. There was an 08 stationed at Pontyclun usually for trip workings to Llanharry quarry and Talbot Green. AFAIK, the only 03s in the area were those based at Llanelli for the Burry Port workings.
Your chosen location sounds just like Cowbridge (had it not been closed!) and I can recommend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cowbridge-Railway-History-C-Chapman/dp/0860932842 as good reading. (Guess where I lived!)

 

[Topgun333]

Interesting and thanks. When I said baby deltic I meant Class 22 but was getting confused!!

I wonder if there was an area where Class 14s and Class 22s ever overlapped?

Oswyntail, I've ordered the Cowbridge book. It will serve two purposes. History of the railway with photos that will be useful and an xmas gift for my dad who also grew up in Cowbridge! Many thanks.

 

[StripeyNick]

I've nothing to add other than I live in Cowbridge. I wish we still had a railway here. It's nice to see the embankment at Ystradowen still in situ. I often imagine what it'd be like seeing 37s would look like on there as they make their way from Aberthaw!

I'd love to see a model of Cowbridge as it might have been.

 

[Bevan Price]

You would also have seen Class 119 & 120 dmus on services such as Cardiff - Crewe, Cardiff - Gloucester, and many services west of Swansea.
Class 37 worked some passenger services west of Swansea, some of which also ran east of Swansea to/from Cardiff. In mid 1960s summers, some 37s also worked a few passenger services from Rhymney to Barry Island . Most coal services would be 37s, with some 47s. Class 14 was built for trip workings, whilst 03 & 08 would be mainly confined to shunting and a few very short / light "trips".

Express passenger services would be mainly Class 52 or 47, but Class 45 or 46 also worked to Cardiff or Swansea on services from Birmingham or beyond.

 

[Taunton]

I wonder if there was an area where Class 14s and Class 22s ever overlapped?

There was a short interval at Bristol when they did, the last Class 22s built were there into 1965, when the Class 14s arrived - the latter may have even replaced the former on the same turns. As you are probably aware, most of the 14s were used, for their very short service life, in South Wales, while the 22s were a Westcountry (and particularly west of Exeter) specialty. There were a few of both together at Old Oak Common for a while.

In South Wales, coal trains from the mines, even up obscure valleys, were predominantly Class 37, apart from those lines where they were physically prevented from running.