Model Railway Forum

A belated reply to your original question to which you have received many helpful answers - I thought I'd add my two pennyworth

Picture No.1 is, I'm sure, the Peco version but from Railroom Electronics in Wareham, Dorset. They come with an operating lamp and a resistor - once painted look very good.

IMG_0716 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

Picture No.2 is a detailed "rail" built version with operating lamp from DCC Concepts. They look very good, but are very fragile - I broke one getting it out of the packet. These are wired directly to the track - which is useful, as when I turn the layout power on, they are one of the first things to light-up.

IMG_0715 by Barry Clayton, on Flickr

If you're looking for something a bit different or more specific to your needs, Lanarkshire Models produce a range currently containing 18 varieties, mainly whitemetal kits.

Do ensure when using white metal buffer stops that you fit them to an electrically dead section of track. A short section isolated by two Insulated Rail Joiners (IRJs) or gaps in the two rails will do. Otherwise you can be looking for a mysterious short circuit that's suddenly occurred!
Lovely models though

Nick Holliday wrote: ↑Wed Sep 02, 2020 9:53 pm If you're looking for something a bit different or more specific to your needs, Lanarkshire Models produce a range currently containing 18 varieties, mainly whitemetal kits.

Lanarkshire Models are new to me, but their buffer kits look really good. For a neglected corner of goods yards, especially grubby private ones, I like the Peco SL-41 sleeper built version. It gives a good opportunity for extra detailing of weeds and rubbish dumped around it.

This is a photo of buffer stops at Huddersfield station. I cannot find the front view at the moment, but you can see that on these the lights are mounted on poles to bring them up the driver's level.

Having the red stop lamps on posts or poles is a relatively modern means of doing it. Buffer stops where a red light is exhibited pre around 1980/90ish would have either an oil or electric lamp mounted onto the buffer beam. Note that not all buffer stops exhibit a red light either.

This web site has some useful information on Buffer stop lights and also other UK signalling principles http://www.railsigns.uk/sect22page1/sect22page1.html

Brian wrote: ↑Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:19 am Having the red stop lamps on posts or poles is a relatively modern means of doing it. Buffer stops where a red light is exhibited pre around 1980/90ish would have either an oil or electric lamp mounted onto the buffer beam. Note that not all buffer stops exhibit a red light either.

This web site has some useful information on Buffer stop lights and also other UK signalling principles http://www.railsigns.uk/sect22page1/sect22page1.html

Good point Brian, I installed those tall lamps (the DCC ones that stay on when controller is on) on my old layout but won't be putting them on the new one as they are far too modern. Will find a way to add "oil lamps" to the Peco sleeper buffers.

The 'official' colours for buffer stops on the Southern Region were as follows-

The legs and supporting structure was to be green if adjacent to a station platform, otherwise they were to be treated with black tar.

The buffer beam / buffer plank on the front side should be white, with a horizontal red bar across the middle. (signal red), the back was black (or green)

The lamp, if provided should be black, If a circular surround was provided round the bullseye it should be red in terminal platforms, and white elsewhere.

A lamp on a post in a sand drag leading up to the buffer stops should be carried on a white painted post.

Hydraulic buffers in station terminal platforms had the cylinders painted red.

British Railways followed a similar scheme but more often than not the buffer stop supports were painted black. Many got a coat of white on the front of the buffer plank but not the red stripe but the most common 'colour' was black (or more likely weathered to a rusty colour) all over, especially in little used sidings, but as maintenance became less and less diligent all-black buffer stops became the norm.

Occasionally the buffer beam / buffer plank was painted red with a white stripe (reversed colours), which I think was done in error.

There is some great info on this thread! I love these little details that can take a layout to the next level.