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Author Archives: snitchthebudgie
How long to keep an old layout?
For the author, this would have been a academic question 15 years ago. At that time I hadn’t actually ‘finished’ a layout. This has only happened after joining ESNG and going ‘N’ gauge (after forays in OO, EM, OO9 and … Continue reading
Posted in ESNG, Jon's layout ramblings
Tagged layout design, Lehigh Valley, model railroad, N gauge
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ESNG curry – 11 January 2014
Well, it is a meeting….. And a very simple blog post. Eleven out of the expected twelve intrepid members of ESNG enjoyed the delights of the Earlswood Ruchita (yet again) to see in the New Year. As ever food, service, … Continue reading
Off my trolley – streetcars and trolley layouts
Again we need a cultural translation here: trolley = streetcar = tram. Streetcars tended to be smaller that the big interurbans running between towns. But you could find an interurban winding its way through the city traffic on its way to … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Traction
Tagged interurban, layout design, model railroad, traction
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Review of 2013
It seems to be the done thing to produce a review of the year. So what did 2013 bring for the Budgie: A total lack of modelling for 8 months, thanks to too much engineering to do, especially Chinese dams, … Continue reading
Layout design – different voices – simple layout, complex operation
Another interesting voice in the layout design world is Lance Mindheim, who most originally posts at http://www.lancemindheim.com/. He has built a number of very interesting layouts. The first was a 20×20 foot N gauge layout of the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design
Tagged layout design, model railroad
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ESNG meeting – 2 January 2014
Well, who was going to turn up at the first meeting in 2014? We got a very creditable nine members in attendance, including Ian back after time out for a broken arm. So we had a full circuit up and running. … Continue reading
Jon’s modules – the thrill is gone…
According to B.B. King and numerous other bluesmen. You may have noted how my module posts have slowed up. I seem to have been distracted from railway modelling over this Christmas. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve now laid all … Continue reading
Posted in Inspiration, Jon's layout ramblings
Tagged model railroad, modular layouts, N gauge
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And a Happy New Year
Who knows what 2014 will bring? There are some very interesting models promised by the UK manufacturers. I am very much tempted by the Farish Merchant Navy and Dapol’s 33 and Maunsell coaches. But no doubt they are still stuck … Continue reading
Off my trolley – a new design series
As I continue to make good progress on my modules, the armchair modeller in me is already thinking about another layout. I have this irrational urge to build an N-gauge US trolley or interurban layout – sometimes known as a … Continue reading
Posted in Jon's layout ramblings, Layout design, Traction
Tagged interurban, layout design, N gauge, traction
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Java junction
Keeping the overseas flavour, here are four shots of Banjar, Java, and some Indonesian trains. A modelling point I liked are the grassed areas between tracks. You don’t see those at Clapham Junction!
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