typical UK shunting engine for a 30ies layout

[AlexanderJesse]

I am thinking about a shunting layout which should allow to be situated also in the UK (maybe using exchangeable structures). Without much of a station, scenery or running track.

Due to space limitations I am looking for short stuff.
So far I have found a fair number of goods wagons like
- Grafar 377-326 Conflat with AF container BR light blue
- Grafar 373-702A 12t ventilated van departemental olive green
- Grafar 377-200 8 plank wagon with coke rail "Birley"
- several Peco and minitrix wagons looking similar to the above mentioned Grafars

Potential locos (already in possession) are
- Lima 4F in Australian livery (all black)
- Grafar 371-980 61xx Prairie tank BR black early emblem
- 2-6-4 tank 80033 black with blue lining...

I am looking now at Graham Farish 371-988 Class64xx Pannier Lined green Late Crest (wheathered).

Would one or more of the above locos be a a reasonable choice for shunting?

Thanks in advance for each piece of advice
Alexander

[Phoenix]

Hi Alexander,

hope you are well, and all is good with you 

I don't really know much about the uses of the loco, but as far as the model goes, I have 3 of them, and can confirm that they are lovely models, and run really well.

If you do get one, you should have no trouble with its running 

Here is one weathered on Windmill Hill



All best wishes

Kevin

[Karhedron]

I am looking now at Graham Farish 371-988 Class64xx Pannier Lined green Late Crest (wheathered).

The 6400s were mainly used for passenger work on auto-trains. If you want a Pannier tank for shunting, the Dapol 5700 or 8750 pannier tanks would be a better choice.

It depends to some extent on what you are planning to shunt but smaller 0-6-0 tank engines would be more common than larger ones like the 4MT or 4F. The Farish 3F Jinty might be a good choice.

[chrism]

I am looking now at Graham Farish 371-988 Class64xx Pannier Lined green Late Crest (wheathered).

The 6400s were mainly used for passenger work on auto-trains. If you want a Pannier tank for shunting, the Dapol 5700 or 8750 pannier tanks would be a better choice.

It depends to some extent on what you are planning to shunt but smaller 0-6-0 tank engines would be more common than larger ones like the 4MT or 4F. The Farish 3F Jinty might be a good choice.

The Jinty's definitely a good 'un - although if there's any possibility of pickup issues across points the 4F has pickup on both loco and tender so can be more reliable at slow running.

[Dorsetmike]

When you say 30's layout you don't mention a location nor even a general area, the 1930s were during the period of the 4 mainline companies, LMS covering form London through Birmingham to the nrth west coast & Lancashire and on north to Scotland, the LNER took it's route to Scotland via the east coast Yorkshire & Newcastle, the GWR covered from London to the west, Bristol, Wales, Devon and Cornwall, the Southern covered from London to Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset Wiltshire and parts of Devon and Cornwall.
BR did not come on the scene until 1948, so your prairie will need a repaint and the BR tank wasn't built until the 50s. The Lima 4F is an LMS loco, black is correct but it'll need LMS on the tender and an LMS number, also the Lima 4F has its motor in the tender and does not pick up current on the loco, methinks Chris is thinking of the Farish 4F.
Best place for a Lima 4F is heavily rusted with the smoke box door open & part hidden behind the Loco shed, they are over scale and very poor runners, either full speed or stopped,nowt between.

[chrism]

The Lima 4F is an LMS loco, black is correct but it'll need LMS on the tender and an LMS number, also the Lima 4F has its motor in the tender and does not pick up current on the loco, methinks Chris is thinking of the Farish 4F.

You're quite correct, Mike. I failed to notice the word Lima in the OP 

Also, I was specifically referring to the current Farish 4F. I don't know if the Poole era one had tender pickup or not.

[Newportnobby]

For a shunting plank I would recommend avoiding insulfrog points.

[AlexanderJesse]

For a shunting plank I would recommend avoiding insulfrog points.

Don't know what insulfrog is... I have choosen Peco 55 because of its e-frogs 

[AlexanderJesse]

When you say 30's layout you don't mention a location nor even a general area, the 1930s were during the period of the 4 mainline companies, LMS covering form London through Birmingham to the nrth west coast & Lancashire and on north to Scotland, the LNER took it's route to Scotland via the east coast Yorkshire & Newcastle, the GWR covered from London to the west, Bristol, Wales, Devon and Cornwall, the Southern covered from London to Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset Wiltshire and parts of Devon and Cornwall.
BR did not come on the scene until 1948, so your prairie will need a repaint and the BR tank wasn't built until the 50s. The Lima 4F is an LMS loco, black is correct but it'll need LMS on the tender and an LMS number, also the Lima 4F has its motor in the tender and does not pick up current on the loco, methinks Chris is thinking of the Farish 4F.
Best place for a Lima 4F is heavily rusted with the smoke box door open & part hidden behind the Loco shed, they are over scale and very poor runners, either full speed or stopped,nowt between.

I know, that the region is not specified. But the idea is that in german setting the layout shows a frontier station between two german countries and therefor two different railroad companies. In british setting this might be a fictious yard shared by two of the 4 big-ones. One of the reasons I want to exclude passenger traffic is that on the continent the stations offered less comfort for travellers (eg plattforms almost inexistent...)
I guess I will have to use rule #1 to set up the layout.
I try also to fit a rundown scenario of a transit yard somewhere in the states...
Time for some experiments.

As to whether repainting the rolling stock, I am not yet sure, if I want to modify rolling stock (even wheathering...). It sort of "destroys" the stock... As I said not yet sure of how to handle this....

Quite a bit of usefull comments so far.

[Steven B]

You might want to look again at the time period you're aiming at.

You say 1930s, yet all your locos, and much of your rolling stock is in British Rail liveries - i.e. post 1948.

For a shunting layout, 0-6-0 tender or tank engines would be ideal. Plain black, or lined black liveries would be most appropriate for a goods yard. Lined green was generally reserved for locos normally used for passenger trains.

Steven.

[Bealman]

Wot Steven said. Lined green was a passenger livery.

From your description of the duties, and lack of regional worries, I would recommend a Jinty.

Awesome locomotive, a favourite of mine as a kid, and not because of Thomas, even though he was obviously inspired by a Jinty!

[AlexanderJesse]

You say 1930s, yet all your locos, and much of your rolling stock is in British Rail liveries - i.e. post 1948.

Correct. The locos already in possession were included in wagon deals... Seems they were even built after the 40ies. So they will mainly remain in the box.

For a shunting layout, 0-6-0 tender or tank engines would be ideal. Plain black, or lined black liveries would be most appropriate for a goods yard. Lined green was generally reserved for locos normally used for passenger trains.

Only the Lima 4F would qualify, except for being a Lima 

From your description of the duties, and lack of regional worries, I would recommend a Jinty.

Awesome locomotive, a favourite of mine as a kid, and not because of Thomas, even though he was obviously inspired by a Jinty!

Now I know what I have to hunt for:
classes 57xx, 8750, 77xx and 3F preferably Dapol or GraFar.

[Dorsetmike]

It's well worth considering Union Mills locos, however they are all tender locos not tanks, but he has 0-6-0 tender engines for all of the 4 grouping companies, another advantage of UM locos is they are considerably cheaper than Farish and Dapol, not as highly detailed but that can be remedied by a little work and a few bits like vacuum pipes if you're fussy. They do not come ready wired for DCC control, but many of us on this forum still use DC control, personally I consider it an expensive gimmick and as for added sound I can't use the words to describe that - this is a family forum. Just stand next to an exhibition layout with sound, drives ya scatty before long.

[Train Waiting]

Hello Alexander

Put very simply, excluding hump yards, there are two types of shunting.

The first is in yards or sidings where trains are made up to be worked to their destination (or the next yard) or received at a major destination yard.  These would usually be shunted by one or more engines, normally 0-6-0 tanks.  If the work was heavy a tender engine might be allocated to the job; an example was at Moss Sidings near Heysham where the work was arduous and a '4F' 0-6-0 was employed.

The second type of shunting is typified by the 'pick up goods' train, which worked along a stretch of railway dropping off traffic at destination stations and collecting any originating traffic.  This entailed a fair bit of shunting at each station.  The locomotive working the train could be a tank engine or a tender engine; often a 0-6-0.  In the last years of steam, a wide variety of locomotives could be seen on these duties. 

You have a fair range of models to choose from.  From my own experience, I agree completely with @Dorsetmike regarding the Union Mills locomotives.

With best wishes.

John

[Bigmac]

my opinion..n gauge is not ideally suited to much shunting.  the standard couplings can be unreliable and frustrating.  i still use them--with tacky wax if needed..but run stock in rakes behind appropriate locos.