Hello everyone!
This may come across as an absolute amateurish question and it probably is because I am a newbie haha, but me and my father have a long term project to recreate evenwood railway station in miniature, so far we have made the signal box, waiting room and the coal bunker on the platform, all the scenery and buildings Etc are being done by dad and I'm in charge of the rolling stock. So back to the question,
I want to know what sort of trains/consists would have ran between bishop Auckland and Barnard castle? Anything from goods trains and passenger trains would be much appreciated, dad can only remember BR era trains and unfortunately my grandparents are no longer here so we've tried searching online and books to no avail, pictures are also quite rare to come across as well. So if anyone knows what type of wagons, engines, carriages etc... Would have ran through evenwood station that would be great and also if anyone knows what local trains would have consisted of and if there was a possibilty of excursions running between the 2 stations, the period we are modelling is pre war LNER.
I Look forward to reading the replies.
Many thanks
Nelson
Btw here's a map of evenwood and the surrounding area in case anyone doesn't know what I'm on about, but I'm sure you all do.
Map
Nelson
1̶6̶ 17 years old and modelling the LNER, LMS NCC and UTA (steam of course)
This is a secondary route in the territory of the former NER, before it became a constituent of the LNER. As such in the 1930s operated by the LNER, relatively little would have changed in locos and carriage stock, and the NER's designs of coal hoppers would probably dominate the freight traffic. The LNER didn't have the money to generally restock the system, so relatively few supplementary items of LNER design might be seen.
There is very little available RTR of NER design. The J72 0-6-0T is it. No other locos, no coaches, no wagons. Of the LNER designs that are most likely to be seen, D49 4-4-0s, J39 0-6-0, K3 2-6-0, V1 2-6-2T, and the Gresley non-gangwayed coaches in teak would be the RTR items most likely to fit. The NER's highly standardised and very distinctive wooden coal hoppers will be required in quantity. At present, much kit or scratchbuilding will be necessary.
West Auckland shed had ex-NER classes A8, J21,J25, J71, J72, Q5, and just the V1 of LNER design. Dominated by freight classes, the A8 and V1 tanks presumably for local passenger service. So the J72 and V1 from RTR; the J15 recently from Hornby a good candidate for conversion to a J21, and there is a Q6 announced which might substitute for the Q5.
With your skill in scratchbuilding, a P7 hopper won't be very hard to do but you will need dozens. Coopercraft (plastic) and ABS (whitemetal) both do kits but both are very hard to find as neither is very good at supplying at the moment. David Geen does whitemetal kits for some of the other patterns of hopper. There were relatively few private owner coal wagons in the north east.
For carriages, Dan Pinnock has reissued his north eastern carriage kits recently and they do crop up on Ebay. Bill B also does some diagrams and you can get away with non Gresley non -corridors if you model the last 1930s.
For locos you are really looking at building if you want to be completely accurate. The J72 is a lovely little model and the Mainly Trains kit to convert it to a J71 is very easy to put together. You're in luck if you fancy a whitemetal kit as the NuCast range is being reintroduced by South Eastern Finecast, but for a much better building experience you really need to look at Arthur Kimber's North Eastren kits. London Road Models also do some locos which might be suitable.
Have a look at this video 52D posted recently - this is what you're really trying to recreate, I imagine?
With regard to carriages the local services were made up of Composition-B sets. These had three carriages in them.
The precise make-up of these sets did change over time, so it is difficult to be totally accurate.
In the early 1930s Composition-B sets were straightforward, all were former North Eastern 49ft. arc roof stock. A composite with 3 first and 4 third class compartments, flanked on either side by 4 compartment brake thirds. Total weight around 65tons.
Now comes the tricky bit, by 1939 the Composition-B sets still had three carriages, but now comprising a composite with 2 first class and 5 third class compartments, at either end of the set was a five compartment brake third and a four compartment brake third. Total weight 72tons. As very very few Gresley non-corridor vehicles were allocated to the NE Area, they are unlikely to feature in these sets. But the North Eastern didn't build any composite (2/5) carriages (without lavatories), so the middle vehicle must have had at least one former first class compartment down-graded to a third. The increase in weight makes me think at least one, if not both of the outer BTs were NER 52ft stock, either clerestory or elliptical roof varieties.
As Jonathan says Dan Pinnock's NER kits are the best way to try and replicate these sets. Unfortunately for the 1930s nothing RTR will do.
As for passenger train motive power in the 1930s the NER G5 0-4-4Ts would have been very common.
Thank you very much all for your replies so far, it's certainly going to be an interesting project but should be fun, now to go and have a look at who makes what and for what sort of price thanks again!
Nelson
1̶6̶ 17 years old and modelling the LNER, LMS NCC and UTA (steam of course)
Middleton-in-Teesdale had runs to Sunderland and Durham, according to Ken Hoole's North Eastern Branch Lines. I guess the service ran through Evenwood.
Middleton's locos included D23 217, D3 4077, E4 7416, A5 1766, A8 1524, G5 1764 and J23 2514. Hoole also mentions a V1 was also stationed there.
The V1 is the only one which I know is available in RTR form. Various kits have been produced for D23, D3, E4, A5 and A8.
thanks again!