Wheeltapper Competition 2022
The Wheeltapper 2022 competition took place on Friday May 6th. Last year Jerry Clifford of Missenden Modellers judged the entries remotely. We were back to meeting in person again this year so club members were delighted to be able to invite Jerry Clifford to judge the competition in person and give a short talk on his 2 mm layout Bath Queen Square.
Wheeltapper Trophy
Jerry presented the Wheeltapper trophy for the best model out of all the rolling stock categories to Mick Moignard for his HO Scale, HOn3 gauge model of locomotive #41 of the Denver and Rio Grande Southern, a 2-8-0 locomotive which operated on the narrow gauge system.
Rio Grande Southern class C-19 #41 has long held the honour as one of the more photographed and cherished pieces of motive power of the old road. In 1881, D&RG #409 arrived on the Colorado narrow gauge scene among an order of twelve new Class 70 consolidations bound to climb the steep grades of the fledgling Denver and Rio Grande Railway. The locomotive was sold to the Rio Grande Southern in 1916, and most likely received a new steel boiler around the same time period. After serving for just over a year with her new owner, #409 was finally repainted for the RGS and re-numbered as #41 in February of 1918. While serving the Southern faithfully for nearly 35 years, #41 underwent a few cosmetic changes as the eras passed.
This model also was the overall winner of the steam locomotive category.
Steam Locomotives
Number 199 is a model of an ex-LSWR class O2 0-4-4T locomotive. Number 199 was built in 1891 and was one of a successful long-lived class of mixed traffic steam locomotives designed by William Adams for the London and South Western Railway. 60 were built in total and al of them survived to be taken into Southern Railway ownership in 1923. They continued to be used across the former LSWR network until they were gradually made redundant by electrification and the introduction of more modern types. Redundant locomotives were withdrawn, with eight going in the 1930s, and four more in the 1940s.
Coaching Stock and NPCS
The winner of the Coaching Stock and NPCS competition was John Casson’s Southern Railway (ex-SECR) Birdcage Set (O gauge).
The 60ft three-coach ‘Birdcage’ ‘C’ sets were introduced by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR) between 1912 and 1915. Built by Ashford Works, Metropolitan Amalgamated RC&W (later Metro-Cammell) and Cravens. A total of sixty-two Trio C sets were manufactured and these were the most numerous type of ‘Birdcage’ design.
Each three-coach set comprised:
• Brake Third.
• Lavatory Composite (1st/2nd class) which was declassified to Lavatory Composite 1st/3rd class.
• Brake Lavatory Composite (2nd/3rd class) which was later declassified to Brake Lavatory Third
John’s model is of Southern Railway set 620 and is presented in its late SR livery of Malachite Green. This set was taken into BR ownership at nationalisation and was final retired from service in September 1958.
Freight and Engineers Stock
The winner of the freight and engineers stock category was James Aitken for his 40 ton ballast hopper to SR diagram 1774. This was an evolution of a design first introduced by the London & South Western Railway in 1903 and were the forerunner of the later BR built Walrus, Sealion and Seacow hoppers.
Other entries in this category included a Southern Railway brake van, a Denver & Rio Grande Western Section Men Bunk Car, and various other wagons and vans, most of which were weathered to make them look well used.
Scenic Models: Buildings, Trees, Signals etc
The winner of the Jack Kine Trophy for Scenic Models: Buildings, Trees and Signals was Tim Peacock for his model of a GWR 3 doll bracket signal.
Tim Peacock receiving the Jack Kine Trophy from Jerry Clifford.
Other entries in this category included a grounded coach, a pair of loading gauges, and a water tank.
Dioramas & Figurines
The winner of the Dioramas & Figurines category was Ken Harris for this model of a thatched cottage and surrounding garden in 4 mm scale. The cottage has been modelled using one of the Petite Properties range of laser cut buildings as the base for the cottage. As can be seen, this has made up to be a really superb looking model.
This exquisite model was also awarded the Chairman’s cup. Ken Harris receiving the Chairman's Cup from Paul Wright, which was taken after the day of the competition.
And finally, the club had a table set aside for works in progress. This contained an assortment of different models in various stages of completion.
