Childhood fascination: 03179 in N (part 1)…
It’s the price that swung it. £69.99 for a wonderful Graham Farish shunter - and in my favourite livery from childhood. Plus, I’m due a YouTube payment of about that for December and January’s advert revenue on the channel - so almost a reinvestment…
I know I don’t need to justify myself to you lot, many of you will already be personally familiar with the process of accidental retail therapy. Here we have talked before about the power of nostalgia (rather than melancholy) and one important aspect of railway modelling being the ability to escape to a mental space before the stress and pressures of adulthood, when life was simple and revolved around monthly issues of Railway Modeller, a new train for a Christmas and pocket money that never went much beyond a wagon from the local model shop…
Buying this model, on a whim, back then would have been the stuff of dreams.
I must really have made it…
03179 in its unique Network South East livery has always held a special place in my heart. As previously mentioned it wears my favourite livery - perhaps because of being born and early years in London despite moving to Chester, I always felt an affinity with the capital and the livery of its suburban network - perhaps I just liked the red lampposts… 03179 was the first colour picture in my first train spotting book (bar the cover - and we know where that itself led), and it was pictured clean and freshly painted, full of purpose and promise outside the almost mythical Ryde depot - the Isle of Wight? Where and what was that?
It’s funny, the story of the pair (03079 and 03179) on the island is difficult to uncover despite being so relatively ‘recent’ - but from my limited understanding, they weren’t for depot shunting of the new tube stock, but rather to run engineering trains during the winter. Even worse, 03179 was to help with lifting the double track from Sandown to Brading - and then become a parts donor to keep 03079 working… looking about on Flickr it’s difficult to find a photo of either of the 03s anywhere but Ryde depot or Sandown Engineering sidings - certainly I’ve never found them working a train. So why do we all hold the prototype in such regard, Modelzone commissioned one in OO going so far as to re-tool the cab - and in 2022 Kernow commissioned this beauty in N - hundreds of models, bought by us modellers, of an obscure and landlocked prototype…
The prototype was cut down to clear the tunnel and road bridge between Ryde St John’s Road and Ryde Esplanade. Not as severe as the Burry Port and Gwendraeth conversions - the roof profile was simply cut off and replaced with a sheet of steel at a gentle curve, lower overall height.
Rather than drastic razor saw action I masked the bodywork to protect both details and finish and used a sanding stick to modify the model. It isn’t perfect, there is a tiny curve front to back that you often get with sanding in this way - and I haven’t added the rain strips as I think they’d be a bit visually distracting. I have taken about 1mm off the total height and it visually looks lower - but I stopped with a fear of weakening the centre of the roof if I went much further. The plastic moulding is blue plastic, so I could leave this as is - but I expect I won’t - but that can wait for part 2…
The story is not over - a new book ‘Ryde Rail’ by Richard Long is here - I tracked down a hard cover example via my good friend Simon’s bookshop - it is nice to support a smaller trader sometimes. This would suggest the brake van will be detailed and repainted in Dutch livery, the loco weathered and perhaps some rolling stock constructed… even a micro at some point? The model feels like it deserves it.
Maybe I deserve it too?
Until next time, more soon…
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Morning James. The entire engineer's stock on the island was preserved at Haven street, 03179 famously going on to become the bounds green pilot engine for WAGN. 03179 is now back on the island at Haven street, looking great in NSE livery. The cab modification is quite noticeable. I've spent time having official brake van rides in those pill box brake vans, I used to be an active volunteer on the Isle of Wight steam railway, my parents still are. A great model James. I bought my Mum one and she introduced it to the real locomotive! Have a good weekend. Take care.
ReplyDeleteMorning Tom, from the afternoon! Thank you, I am aware of her more recent past, and it’s great she has returned to the island in the unique and rather lovely NSE colours. Definitely a quality heritage addition to the island.
DeleteYou mention the engineering stock was all preserved - I wondered if the Dogfish trio went back to the mainland? I’d like to model the rail lifting train which I think was two modified Lowfits with some sort of bogie wagon fitted with cranes marshalled between them… I can’t find any good photos, certainly good enough to approximate the wagon in N. I’ve looked at IoWSR site but can’t see any mention of it…
I hope my cab modification is sufficient to give the feel. The brake van is already grey and yellow after a bit more work this morning…
We’ll see where this leads.
Hi James, this might give a few more hints as to where to look for information on the various bits of engineering stock used on the IoW around that time:
DeleteDS 70000 - Britannia bogie crane wagon built from an old LSWR carriage under frame with two Geismar cranes.
DB452219/453255 a pair of ex 13 ton Lowfits modified to runners for DS70000.
DE263276/263289 a pair of ex-LNER 25ton Lowmacs
DW100715 GWR 18 ton sleeper wagon
ADB452604/453241 ex-lowfits converted to adapter wagons for the tube stock
DB460239/461225 BR 13 ton medium goods
DP101453 former 24 ton iron ore hopper
DB992419/444/461 BR Herring ballast hoppers
DB983247/992730/993598 BR Dogfish ballast hoppers
DS55724 SR brake
I think that is all the engineers stock from around 1990 (and a lot of it is available as RTR/kits in N from the NGS or 2mm SA!). Cheers Mike
Super - thanks Mike!
DeleteI have many happy memories of visits to the depot, and the occasional cab ride in the original VEC TIS units.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the 03s is covered in some detail in Richard Long's Ryde Rail, including the trip when they proved they didn't the cab cut down to get through the tunnel - which was part of a cunning plan to use 503s that came to nothing
Yes I’m enjoying the book, and it does do a little t hill the gaps with the 03s… but not much coverage of the engineering stock or singling of the line in the 80s…
DeleteI’d love to visit one day.
As the line manager (Les Coote?) used to say, London was a long way away, and Eastleigh would give them warning of any management visits. The O3s were after my time, but I don't remember seeing the 05 in service
DeleteThe bogied wagon you mention is actually a carriage underframe, pre-gouping and I think is called a Britannia rail lifting wagon. It was probably converted at either Eastleigh or Ryde. It was still at Haven street last year. The Dogfish wagons are still there, some have been repainted black. A real gem is the former scenery van used in the former chipmans weed killing train in the early 90's. I've spent many hours travelling up and down between Wooton and small brook Jnc in the Wickham trolley formerly used by the island CE department. I may have photos of the CE wagons, I will have a look , they are buried somewhere! I think the lowfits have been repainted or were former single bolster wagons, I'm not entirely sure. There are certainly single bolster wagons in the demonstration freight trains on the I.O.W. steam railway.
ReplyDeleteAh that explains why I can’t work out what the wagon was! It isn’t one! I did wonder as the buffers looked like coach ones… I did look at using a Queen Mary brake van chassis as an approximation… might work? If I can get a better idea of what was ‘up top’… thanks Tom.
DeleteI've got a book called Southern Rolling Stock in Colour, by Mike King. I've got a feeling there might be a photo of the Britannia lifting wagon in there, I can check later. If you can wait till September, I may (with permission) get some photos of the real thing for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom, if you can check the book I’d appreciate any details. September? This will all be sold by then knowing me!!
DeleteI had that same spotting book (or rather my dad did, as I would have been 4 years old on publication). I seem to remember it was around at home for years afterwards though, as I vividly remember that photo! I developed a real soft spot for the 03s as a result and was likewise fascinated by the pair marooned on the IOW! I seem to recall that one of them had been a Gateshead engine, which provided even more of a link, given I was born and bred in the town. I've still never achieved my childhood goal of having a model of an 03 mind! Thanks for stirring up the memory bank.
ReplyDeleteI was only 9, when published. I picked it up when I was ten at Crewe iirc, from the book and magazine stall on one of the platforms… Kernow one is so cheap perhaps that’s the way to achieve your goal? Even without a layout plan?
DeleteThanks for the tip off...... I'll check out the Kernow website. Perfect for something Paxton Rd esque!
DeleteHi James - you weren't kidding in your recent email about how well it runs (ref: the YouTube short). The stay alive and sound make it superb
DeleteAndyB