SECOND HAND N GAUGE MODELS #5 -- CLASS 52 WESTERN COURIER (D1062)

While we are on lock down have had a chance to give a fair few of my models a test run at home, sadly not got the room for a bigger layout and the O Gauge stuff will just have to wait till some of the local open days can restart but in this blog we'll talk about one of my favourite diesel classes from my childhood, the Westerns. Now you can keep your John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas' I mean the Class 52's that used to thunder across the Western Region of England hauling express passenger services to Bristol, Devon and Cornwall. Having picked up a couple of different Westerns (and I really want the sand coloured one now) I am pleased that they've both been out for a run around, very smooth immaculate looking locomotives just like the real thing. Some pictures of my model to follow;

Class 52 Background
Built : Crewe Works May 6th 1963, allocated to Old Oak Common (81A)
Livery, On entering service: Maroon with half-yellow warning panels, black-backed number and nameplates and black roof panels. Was allocated to Laira (84A) by the time it was withdrawn from service, originally preserved at the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway it's now preserved at Kidderminster home of the Severn Valley Railway.

The D1000 series locomotives were to be named after famous West of England place names; the portfolio shows D1000 bearing the working title "Cheddar Gorge". This trend was not followed in production, however, and the Westerns were named with general heraldic and regimental terms prefixed with the word "Western"

Class 52 in Preservation
Of the 74 locomotives built, 7 have survived to preservation. While 3 of these are at the Severn Valley Railway it's sad that only 1 is currently available for Main Line running. D1062 Western Courier attended the Rocket 150 celebrations at Rainhill in May 1980, the only privately owned diesel locomotive to do so. Would have been great to see these out in the summer on excursions and trips down to West Country.

D1010 Western Campaigner -- Withdrawn 28.02.77.
Owned by the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group, @West Somerset Railway

D1013 Western Ranger   --   Withdrawn 28.02.77.
Owned by the Western Locomotive Association, @Severn Valley Railway

D1015 Western Champion --  Withdrawn 13.12.76.
Owned by the Diesel Traction Group, @Severn Valley Railway.
It is the only Western Loco that is certified for mainline use.

D1023 Western Fusilier  --   Withdrawn 28.02.77.
The final Western to receive a general overhaul at Swindon works, in February 1973
Now part of the national collection, @National Railway Museum.

D1041 Western Prince -- Withdrawn 23.02.77.
Owned by Diesel Group of the East Lancashire Railway.

D1048 Western Lady -- Withdrawn 28.02.77.
Owned privately, Midland Diesel Group, @Midland Railway – Butterley.

D1062 Western Courier -- Withdrawn 22.08.74.
Owned by Western Locomotive Association, @Severn Valley Railway.

Graham Farish Class 52 [D1062] Western Courier

Although picked up on a popular online auction site it's in immaculate condition and a beautiful runner around my own test track. Liked it so much I went back and picked up a different Class 52 (Western Gauntlet) and on the look out for the sand livery worn by Western Enterprise but seems to be rare and expensive.

The Maroon livery does well to break up the regular Blues and Greens for my other BR Diesel's and as this model is preserved in real life on the Severn Valley Railway it allows for further variation in running stock as I can use my BR Mk1 coaches or GWR stock and simply call it an excursion (rule #1 always applies).

And here's the real thing again at Bridgenorth on the Severn Valley Railway, showing how good the detail is (in my humble opinion) to the real thing and how bad my camera work is with the small models.