A Standard Goods for North Leigh – part 1
On a number of occasions over the years, I have posted comments indicating my dis-satisfaction with the ‘Mainline’ Dean Goods that is currently serving on my North Leigh layout. It’s really too late for my period, with Belpaire firebox and other details that place it long after the turn of the century.
My model Dean Goods at North Leigh
I have recently been following Mikkel’s conversion of a ‘Belpaire’ Dean Goods into an earlier ‘round-top’ version and have thought of following suit but several events have sent me towards modelling an Armstrong Standard goods instead.
As readers of my Broad Gauge (BG) blog will know, my BG models were inspired by the knowledge that one of my wife’s ancestors was based at Bullo Pill at the time of a major accident in 1868. The official accident report provided me with ‘recipes’ for building two ‘authentic’ GWR trains of the period: an express mail train and a goods cattle train. Since then, however, more research into the family history has revealed a number of other engines that were driven by members of the family and one of these was (standard gauge) Armstrong Goods No.684 (built 1872).
As I thought about this, I realised that I had completely forgotten about having commented last year on ‘RosiesBoss’s conversion of the ‘Mainline’ model. Looking again at his version, I thought it also looked too ‘late’ for my modelling period, so I decided it was time to go back to some basic research.
Armstrong’s Standard Goods
The Standard Goods started life as the ‘388 class’ in 1866 and set a pattern which was closely followed by Armstrong’s successor, William Dean, with his own well-known ‘Goods’ class. The Armstrong version had a slightly longer wheelbase (by 2 inches) and a boiler that was 9” longer (at 11 feet), although the engine was a little shorter overall, owing to a much smaller footplate for the enginemen. The earliest engines had no cabs but these were added from 1879 onwards. As was usual with long-lived GWR engines, a long list of modifications was made at both the Swindon and Wolverhampton works, resulting in a bewildering number of variants. If only GWR engines really did all look the same, as some commentators have suggested!
To build a model, the first thing I needed was a reasonable drawing and I soon found that there are several pitfalls that I shall record briefly. I first turned to Russell’s ‘Pictorial Record of GW Engines’, which contains several photos and drawings of these engines but they all show examples after they had been re-built with many Dean-type features, including large domes and shorter chimneys.
I tried tracing some drawings from this book to compare the dimension with the Dean Goods and realised that they are not always reproduced accurately. When looking at a drawing by Maskelyne, it became obvious that the vertical dimensions as printed did not match the horizontal scale. Because of this, the boiler pitch appears very similar to the Dean Goods, whereas at should be 3½” lower, which makes a noticeable difference to the appearance of the prototypes.
Next, I turned to Holcroft’s ‘Ouline of GW Locomotive Practice’, where I found a good side-on illustration of engine No.31 (built in 1872) with a cab but still with the smaller type of dome as originally fitted. This book also contains a drawing of Armstrong’s earlier goods engine, No.361. By E.L.Ahrons. When I overlaid this drawing onto the photo of No. 31, it was clear that they were virtually identical above the footplate, so I decided to use this drawing as a basis for designing my model. The earlier design had a shorter wheelbase to the leading axle and a different design of safety valve cover
My plan is to use the technique I used for my model of a Broad Gauge ‘Gooch Standard Goods’, with a length of brass tube to provide a strong structural component around which I shall 3D-print the other features, such as smoke box front and backplate. I have not yet decided on the chassis. The wheelbase is so close to the ‘Dean Goods’ that I may look to use a commercial chassis.
My intention is to present my model in the livery introduced in 1881. This was the first move away from the original Holly Green and also introduced Indian Red frames and orange chrome lining. At that stage, the wheels remained green, although this was changed to red a few years later. I have colourised an early photograph to show the effect I wish to achieve:
My coloured impression of Armstrong Goods No.31, c.1881
I have taken the plunge and made a plan. In succeeding posts, I hope to follow through to a complete model – it may take some time
Mike
Edited by MikeOxon
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