Author Archives: snitchthebudgie

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About snitchthebudgie

Secretary of the East Surrey N Gauge railway club

ESNG meeting – 17 June 2015 – and AGM coming

Posted on June 20, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

We seem to be having a run of slow meetings.  On Wednesday only two of us were there between 7 and 7:30, to be joined by the Cha(i)rman who had been doing some accidental babysitting.  Four others arrived after 8, … Continue reading →

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Direct train to Europe

Posted on June 18, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

This is a good post to follow our Berlin adventures, and explains why we had to fly EasyJet rather than get a direct train London-Berlin.  In this article, the BBC looks at the new Eurostar service to Marseille and gives some … Continue reading →

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The Bartlett’s in Berlin – 3

Posted on June 16, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

The area around the Warschauer Str. terminus is of both railway and historic interest.  Behind the station itself is this small maintenance shed, and a large carriage shed.  I don’t think Lidl are now operating trains!  Although I didn’t see any trains enter the … Continue reading →

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The Bartlett’s in Berlin – 2

Posted on June 14, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Just next to the Warstrauer Str. U-Bahn station was the S-Bahn station and the DB main lines.  I suppose in UK London terms, the U-Bahn is like London Underground, whilst the S-Bahn is more like London commuter trains – the … Continue reading →

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The Bartlett’s in Berlin – 1

Posted on June 12, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Maxine and I recently spent a long weekend in Berlin, visiting our eldest daughter.  We thoroughly enjoyed Berlin, despite having chosen to visit the same weekend as the Champion’s League (football) final.  It’s an interesting city, the greenest in Europe, with all those Cold … Continue reading →

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Why do layouts fail?

Posted on June 10, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Good words from Lance Mindheim: When I work with a design client, one question I always ask is why previous layouts didn’t get off the ground and gain critical mass.  After almost fifteen years the answers haven’t changed.  The three … Continue reading →

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Off my trolley – Pacific Electric to Watts – 3

Posted on June 8, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Finally, could one model the northern end, at Oscar’s junction, or the southern end, at Watts, of the four-track main line?  The prototype track layouts below are taken from the Model Railroader article.  Both have real potential as stand-alone layouts, but … Continue reading →

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What would you change?

Posted on June 6, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Mike Cougil contributes another thought provoking post.  He starts with…. If you had a blank slate to begin again in the craft, would you change anything? Would you switch scales, stick with the same theme, explore a different one or, do … Continue reading →

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Off my trolley – Pacific Electric to Watts – 2

Posted on June 4, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Now for a couple of simple ideas for Pacific Electric N-mod modules.  I’ve selected two places where other lines crossed the four-track main line.  The first of these, nearest Watts, is at Slauson Tower, where the ATSF Harbor branch crossed the PE.  The … Continue reading →

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What do you care about?

Posted on June 2, 2015 by snitchthebudgie

Another short, but excellent post by Mike Cougill on the OST blog… What do trains help you to care about? For what it’s worth, here’s my answer: trains help me remember times and events that are meaningful. Memories that I … Continue reading →

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