Venture to the dark side....what steam loco should I buy

[sparky]

I have decided to buy a steamer for "saturday specials" on my all diesel layout....I am looking for something that is DCC ready and reliable out of the box...I model the Western Region so was thinking about something GWR related...plus some matching coaches...ideas and recommendations most welcome !

[OwL]

You cannot go far wrong with a Farish Tornado A1 pacific. Different liveries to choose from, can be seen on real railways and the model is DCC ready. Very reliable too

[paulprice]

LMS LMS LMS LMS

[NeMo]

If you're talking blue diesel-era, you've got two options. One is to choose something that did a lot of excursion work at the time... Flying Scotsman, Clan Line, King George V, Duchess of Hamilton, Evening Star and Kolhapur all spring to mind, but there are numerous others... various Black 5s, GWR 4-6-0s, and other less celebrated engines. All worked off their traditional region, limited only by route availability. So even if you're modelling the Western Region, there's nothing to stop you having a Jubilee or West Country visiting!

Your other option is buy a model of something that wasn't preserved, and create a new history for your model railway where it *was* preserved. So anything that appeals will do! Union Mills do some nice quirky locomotives that are inexpensive, reliable, and with a little detailing and weathering, polish up into something more than adequate. Their Prince of Wales class in LMS red for example would look rather striking in a sea of banger blue diesels!

In any event, steam specials at this time usually comprised Mk1 coaches in blue and grey, possibly even InterCity coaches (for example the 'Shakespeare Express' out of Marylebone often had IC-liveried stock). You might get some maroon or chocolate-and-cream liveried MK1 stock in 1980s steam specials, but it was far less consistently the case than it is now.

Often, you might get some Pullman stock included in these trains as well, usually in the traditional umber brown livery rather than the grey-and-blue livery used during by diesel and electric Pullman trains in the 60s/70s.

So far as I know, pre-nationalisation coaches weren't in use for passenger traffic by the 1980s, and even in the 1970s there were very, very few still in such use (the Gresley dining cars are the only ones that spring to mind) even though quite a few were used for non-passenger work like parcels. In other words, and others might know better, you wouldn't have, say King George V pulling a rake of Collett or Hawksworth coaches on a 1970s or 80s steam special. It'd be either Mk1s or Pullmans (I think the lack of air brakes would rule out Mk2s).

One of the characteristics of 1980s steam specials were the "ETHELs" often in place behind the steam locomotive to provide electric train heating for Mk1 coaches that weren't being steam heated. Photographers hated them because the last thing they wanted on their picturesque shot of a steam train was a scrappy old Class 25 wedged between the loco and the coaches! As it happens, Electra Graphics make vinyls for these, so if you want an ETHEL, you're all set!

Cheers, NeMo

I have decided to buy a steamer for "saturday specials" on my all diesel layout....I am looking for something that is DCC ready and reliable out of the box...I model the Western Region so was thinking about something GWR related...plus some matching coaches...ideas and recommendations most welcome !

[MalcolmInN]

and reliable out of the box...

Somewhere here * there is a "reliable outada box" steam topic that I caused recently, I believe some GWR got a mention
but as Paul says :
LMS LMS LMS ! After all, their paths did cross here and there so , , , ummmm one of each ?
As a result of said thread we now have a Standard Class 5MT and a Duchess of Hamilton 

* here it is :
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=30861.msg351064#msg351064

[glenng]

LNER 

[railsquid]

In any event, steam specials at this time usually comprised Mk1 coaches in blue and grey, possibly even InterCity coaches (for example the 'Shakespeare Express' out of Marylebone often had IC-liveried stock).

This is interesting - having just acquired a couple of new IC-liveried Mk1s on general principles, that will be a most excellent use for them.

Reference photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnel_one/15372675366

[EtchedPixels]

I have decided to buy a steamer for "saturday specials" on my all diesel layout....I am looking for something that is DCC ready and reliable out of the box...I model the Western Region so was thinking about something GWR related...plus some matching coaches...ideas and recommendations most welcome !

There's not a lot of choice when it comes to reliable

You don't really give a period but for 1950's there are a few WR options, by the early 1960s almost none. After that is the long gap before BR grew up and allowed preserved steam back and some WR locos returned to the rails.

Matching coaching stock is a fairly modern invention. 1960s BR(W) steam would have been mostly mark 1 coaches and most preserved rakes run with mark 1 or mark 2 coaches. Mark 1 coaches almost always have a mark 2 or a full brake or generator van at the ends in order to provide extra crash protection. A pullman or two is also a possible addition.

They may be painted mock GWR colours but they were Mark 1 stock. Conveniently Farish do BR(W) mock GWR liveries as were used in the BR era briefly on some crack trains, and those work well for steam specials.

The most obvious WR loco to me for preserved running would be a King such as Spud 2 (King Edward II) or George V  but the King is a very old model.

What period did you have in mind ?

Alan

[TylerB]

You could always buy the Farish 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' train pack (yes I know Cumbria is a little outside your patch, but anyhow...)

Duchess of Hamilton in BR red with three Blue&Grey Mark 1's (and a signal box too), add a few more Mk1's and have a nice Saturday rail tour right there

Don't forget to stick a diesel on the back to push when it runs out of steam

[railsquid]

Don't forget to stick a diesel on the back to push when it runs out of steam

Surely taping over the chimney would solve that problem? 

[sparky]

My period is BR Blue South Wales mid 70`s ish....I remember very well the Steam specials going through Newport plus the station open days....still undecided but favour a GWR greeny type colour plus maybe a couple of pullmans/maroon or chocalte MK1`s.........were Halls,Manors & Kings all GWR ??

[NeMo]

My period is BR Blue South Wales mid 70`s ish....I remember very well the Steam specials going through Newport plus the station open days....still undecided but favour a GWR greeny type colour plus maybe a couple of pullmans/maroon or chocalte MK1`s.........were Halls,Manors & Kings all GWR ??

See if you can track down "Great Western Revival", an mid-80s colour album of shots of GWR engines on the BR mainline at the time. Amazon sell it for a penny plus postage, so a bargain! Lots of relevant shots.

Yes, Halls, Manors and Kings all GWR. Not sure off the top of my head which of these had mainline-certified examples active during the BR blue era. But the above book should help.

Cheers, NeMo

[Newportnobby]

Ah, but what era/livery is your all diesel layout?

Personally, I'd plump for a Hall, Manor or Grange or (wait for it........literally), the forthcoming Farish Castle. All of these could have potentially been based at the GWR centre at Didcot and been used for running excursions hauling maybe a mixture of maroon/choc & cream MK1s.

[Les1952]

I'd go for the upcoming Farish Castle-

Look for Clun Castle or Pendennis Castle, which were around on the main line until BR's total steam ban.  Alternately get plates from the NGS and renumber one.

Only downside is that it has the first of the new generation of decoder sockets- Next18. That might give you problems finding a decoder until suppliers catch up.  Apparently Bachfar have decided the six-pin is obsolete....

Les

[railsquid]

Oooh, I need a Clun Castle for my planned take on Birmingham Moor Street. DC only, so no decoder angst