Ron on the road again #2

Posted on March 14, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Day 2, and plenty of snow in evidence!

A cold day started clear but the weather changed.  Went down to Chur and caught train to Arosa.  On leaving Chur it was starting to snow and by Arosa it was light but steady.  Decided to take a walk before catching the train but the light snow became a blizzard so dived to the cake shop/cafe we have used before for a hot chocolate and a cake until it relented.  When it had eased off I had 50 minutes wait for next train so rather than freeze on sthe tation I took a walk around the frozen lake.  On returning to Chur took train via Klosters to Samedan and for most of the journey it was verging on white out conditions.  It was snowing heavily in Samedan whilst I waited for train back to Filisur where light snow is falling.

Filisur am

Filisur pm

0800 Filisur to Chur

Langweis viaduct

Arosa station

 

Arosa bus

Carriage on Arosa to Chur station

Chur post bus station

Chur station

 

Samedan station

  

Arosa.  These pictures shows just how much snow they have had.

   

Samedan

Bergen

View from bedroom window – rather different from yesterday.

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Ron on the road again #1

Posted on March 12, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Next few days will have some of Ron’s Swiss travels, transport with a bit of scenery thrown in for good measure.  I just hope he’s home by March 29th….

An early start – left home at 0445 GET for 0725 flight from Heathrow to Basel.  Landed 15 minutes early but a bumpy landing due to strong winds.  Just missed bus into town and as a result had to wait 45 minutes for next train to Chur, not helped by a late change of platform.  Just arrived in Filisur at 1500 CET.  Hope to make quick trip to Davos and back at 1600.

RHINE Valley at Sargans

Walensee

He does know how to have a good time!!!!!

Albula Valley

View from Ron’s hotel room

Tram station and airport bus outside Basel SBB

 

Basel SBB

Landquart

A famous spot – RhB train entering tunnel from Landwasser Viaduct – looks better in Switzerland than on a GWR branch line?

Took 1604 to Davos Platz and am now waiting for the 1731 back to Filisur.  There was a lot more lying snow which I believe is due to the valley not getting the sun.  Here are some more photos taken from the platform.

     

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ESNG PlayDay – 10 March 2019

Posted on March 11, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

A busy Sunday afternoon with 13 members and friends at the PlayDay.  The curry house was rather busy for once, so Miles had some competition for his fourth helpings.  And a pleasant surprise was Duncan and Davida joining us.  Duncan has gone over to the dark side of Nm, but was meeting up with John B to look at the Alpenbahn cable car.  Here they are, trying to adjust the electronics to give an acceleration appropriate neither for a Ferrari nor an Reliant Robin.

It was also good to see Geoff, who had brought some German stock along…

What a collection….

Red DB locomotives:  Brian’s UK aggregate train….

And from Germany, Derek’s locos and Allan’s oil tankers.

 

And some video from Brian…..

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ESNG meeting – 7 March 2019

Posted on March 10, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

A busy evening, with 11 members in attendance.  Paul was testing some old Farish Class 50’s – perhaps to sell them before the new Dapol one appears?

A couple of Mr Atfield’s bargains seemed to be running well….

‘Tother Paul was back – and Kitty came along too….

Peter’s new module is coming together well….

  

Spot the deliberate mistake from Neil.  Both Pullman liveried Class 73’s are real names and numbers, but one became the other – you’d never have seen them together.

Paul was packing out the fiddle yard again.  What do you call a group of bullet trains?

Wonder how many will turn out for Sunday’s PlayDay?

 

 

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Off track on the Lehigh Valley

Posted on March 7, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Sorry, I’ve not been blogging as often recently – a mixture of NGSE rather monopolising my thinking, plus being called into work to look at an interesting problem with sediment in the River Thames.  But here are a couple of photos on the LV that Simon sent to me.  I’m not sure whether the F units have had an accident, or are sitting on an overgrown siding.  The other photo is more clear cut – just like an ESNG running night!

 

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Katrine aqueduct

Posted on March 4, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

An interesting set of photos, with not much railway, but a lot of interesting engineering.   They show construction of the Katrine aqueduct, that provides water to Glasgow.  I did some hydraulic analysis on the treatment works at the end of the tunnels a while back.

Old photographs showing one of Scotland’s most important public works being built have been found in a skip.  The photos show the construction of one of the Katrine Aqueducts, which take water to treatment works that supply 1.3 million people around Glasgow. The aqueducts were part of a radical 19th Century plan to supply fresh water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow, 35 miles away.

 

 

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N Gauge SouthEast getting close….

Posted on March 2, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Too much of the past couple of weeks have been spent planning for the rapidly approaching show (as well as enjoying the unseasonally warm weather.)  There are still a few loose ends to tidy up, but it’s coming together well.  A couple of exhibitors have had to drop out, but to be honest, this has made planning the halls easier.  So the show looks something like this – all lovely ‘N’ gauge.

And the first draft of the show guide is finished….

And here’s a list of exhibitors…..

There must be something quite a lot that we’ve forgotten, but so far, so good!

 

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Loop the loop?

Posted on February 24, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

From the prototype for everything department.  How about a yard inside a reversing loop, including an engine shed and turntable.  Try Danbury, Connecticut, where there is a full loop at the end of the commuter services from New York.  Lines also lead into the top left of the photo, and there is a branch off the loop bottom right (just the right place for the staging?)

 

The Danbury station is now a commuter rail stop on the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line. The station is the northern terminus of Danbury Branch. In 1968, you might have had views like this.

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How to build the perfect model railway

Posted on February 22, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

It’s good to see the media get our hobby exactly right.  Have a read of this article:

“How to build the perfect model railway”

It describes the 34ft-long 1:76 finescale model of Alloa station built by members of the Glasgow-based Scottish Region Study Group (SRSG).  And also a shout out for the Model Rail Scotland show.

I liked the model-real comparison.  It shows just how good the model is. And no comments about strange old men in anoraks (however accurate that might be…..)

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ESNG meeting – 20 February 2019

Posted on February 21, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

The three members who had arrived by 7:30pm were almost ready to pack up and go home, when there was a sudden flurry, and we soon had ten members putting a small layout up for running.  We were missing Allan again (early milk round) and one Derek (lost without trace in Croydon.)

On the rails, there was plenty on the move.  Paul was on holiday, so Neil and Martin took over the outside tracks, and instead of Japanese we had modern UK stock on show.

   

I gave my second hand 70-tonner a run, and it was very smooth out the box.

The Bubblecar got towed home in disgrace – but after all, it is a dummy….

And a shot from the office window on Monday.  Usually I miss passing trains of interest, as I don’t have my phone at the critical moment, but this one was moving so slowly, and waited at the junction from the Tonbridge line for so lone, that I had time to get it.

 

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