Southampton MRS exhibition 2019 #1

Posted on January 27, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

A trip down to Eastleigh today for the excellent Southampton MRS exhibition.  There were some excellent layouts on show, and plenty of trade, though I was a good boy and bought absolutely nothing.  Derek came along with me and it was good to have some company for the 80 mile trip each way.  This is definitely at the limits of my exhibition visiting!

I’ll do the usual pictorialsurvey of the layouts, but they will be as we looked at them, rather than by scale.  We start with Stoke-by-Nayland, an attractive slice of ex-Great Eastern Railway in Suffolk, in P4.  Very recognisable as Suffolk, and some added interest in that ‘Dingham’ automatic couplers are used.  These are certainly one of the least conspicuous couplers available, a good balance between the robust and the invisible, but unfortunately they are only found in 4mm and larger scales.

 

Next Bradfield Gloucester Square, in fine-scale ‘OO’.  Excellent dirty and careworn scenery with a sort of ‘Minories plus’ layout and some attractive complex trackwork.

 

I’ve seen Addison Park, 3mm finescale (14.2mm gauge) before, but it’s always worth another look, as London Transport layouts are far from common.  And I love the trolleybuses with full overhead wires.

 

So to Courtmacsherry (4mm scale, 21mm gauge), a slice of southern Ireland.  The layout notice sums it up better than I can put it….

A delightful model, even without the strange light railway stock.  I understand that the model is exact scale in its length, and the path of the railway can easily be traced today.

Fawley shows the line to the refinery when it was a light railway taken over by the Southern Railway, rather than the major industrial branch line of layer days.  Shunting was being carried out by an Adams ‘Jubilee’ 0-4-2 locomotive, not as well known, but longer lived, than the LBSCR ‘Gladstone’ class of the same wheel arrangement.

 

Bosun’s Wharf, in OO had some excellent ship modelling, and some interesting cameos – spot the stretcher case being carried to the ambulance!

One of my favourites – Littleton in ‘O’, with Southern Region electrics to the fore.

 

Brixcombe, in P4, was, in one way, the classic GWR branch line.  However, this is not the typical GWR branch – maroon coaches, and open cabbed, brass domed pannier tanks.  Have to say this is more interesting than the usual stereotype….

 

Redbridge Wharf, in ‘OO’ is a model of the coastal industrial area of this corner of Hampshire.

 

More layouts to follow next time….

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Wordless Wednesday

Posted on January 23, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

No inspiration today – my brain resembles this incident on the Chicago elevated – or perhaps it is just an ESNG running night?

Nice bit of Health and Safety, though, especially the hard hat….

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It’s shunting, Jim, but not as we know it….

Posted on January 21, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

With apologies to Star Trek!

This video, hi-jacked from the 2mm Association site, is just one incredible bit of model making.  And I’m not (for once) talking about the fine scale.  Shunting using a tractor – whatever next – working horses!!!!?!!!!

Shunting Tractor at Yeovil Town.
For many years, Laurie Adams has been constructing a model of Yeovil Town. Some of the sidings are impractical and off-limits for locomotives, and shunting was undertaken by a modified tractor. So, never short of wanting a challenge, Laurie set out to make a tractor work to perform the shunting operations.
The video below is about 20 minutes long and explains the construction and shows the operation of this amazing vehicle.

It would be very easy to get depressed by this level of skill, and take up knitting (apart from the fact that I’d be no good at it).  So I’m impressed and inspired.  Hope you are too?

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ESNG meeting – 16 January 2019

Posted on January 19, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Eleven members present on Wednesday, and it was good to see the Cha(I)rman, having risked the early milk round the following day, and especially Ian, having been out of circulation for a while.

 

Sunday was goods train evening.  Wednesday was passenger, especially multiple unit, night.  Paul had a technicolour selection of bullet trains on display.

An 8-CEP races a European ICE….

A little bit of history with a T9….

Budd railcars….

Technicolour trams….

But there was a little bit of goods stock present.  Modern coal….

And a Santa Fe works train….

 

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B**x** free zone!

Posted on January 17, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Just to show that things could be worse, this man in Austria seems to have a steady job.  It may take some time to get the trains running, though.  Are you there, Ron?

Is this the world’s most dangerous commute – worse than Southern, even?

Manila’s ‘trolley boys’
One way to travel in the Philippine capital, Manila, is by trolley. Passengers choose this unofficial transport service because it’s quicker and cheaper than other options. For the homeless community that runs the illegal service, it puts food on the table. But it’s also incredibly dangerous.

And one of the neatest switching layouts around.

 

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ESNG PlayDay – 13 January 2019

Posted on January 15, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Eight of us made it to Sunday’s PlayDay.  After the usual curry lunch, we resisted the temptation of an afternoon nap, and put the layout together.  It was a bit smaller than recent meetings, as Paul couldn’t bring his Kato modules along, but there was still plenty of room for trains to stretch their legs.

Simon’s Santa Fe reefer train….

Is overtaken by Brian’s Spanish PW train…..

Dave’s station model continues to impress, with the church now in place….

       

Japanese rolling stock waits in the fiddle yard….

Before being added to Paul’s loooong goods train.  The curry seems to have beaten Derek and Allan!

And I got around to testing my second-hand 4-CEP.  Ran like a watch!

And some video from Brian…..

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Bognor Regis MRC show 2019

Posted on January 13, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Derek & I paid a visit to the Bognor show this morning.  It’s a pretty drive down to the south coast, and far more pleasant than battling up to Stevenage.  The Bognor show might not have been as good, but it was half the price to get in – and the bacon rolls didn’t run out like the last time I went to Stevenage.

One interesting (or maybe depressing) observation was the price of second hand items from the traders.  The prices seemed so high – in some cases an extra £5 would have bought a new item.  But on to the layouts….

Coleford in oo9 and based on a real Forest of Dean line featured some very nice trackwork, mainly cut-and-shut from Peco narrow gauge track.  I liked the man pushing his van out of the station yard.

Glasgow Emerald was interesting as that rarity, a British ‘HO’ scale layout.  An interesting twin level design in the blue diesel era.

   

Deansmoor is based on a ply-faced door and models the Stockport area.  I liked the most realistic (and tensioned) overhead wiring.

 

Oakley Green is based on some corner of the Southern Region in the 1970’s.

Lemmingon Park offers ‘HO’ American switching.  With a name like that, it’s a wonder that the trains didn’t keep driving off the end of the layout onto the floor….

A lovely model of the Hastings Tramways….

 

The preservation scene at Oakley.

1930’s summer by the sea in 3mm scale – Exebridge.

   

Finally, Richard Hance’s little layout sailing under a false flag.  Don’t ask…..

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Odds and s**s

Posted on January 11, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

I’ve found the modelling mojo on the low side recently – a mixture of Christmas busy-ness, cold weather, and too much NGSE exhibition planning I guess.  However, I hope to have some workbench pictures to show soon – I’ve been working on some of my old Lehigh Valley stock.  But more of that another time.

For now, just be grateful that our hobby is mostly constructive…..

And unusual prototype of the week.  Twi Canadian snowploughs for an interurban railroad, The Toronto & York, one being double ended.

I’m fascinated by the trolley poles. I suspect they were required to activate signals. But they could also be there to power an onboard air compressor to lift the flanger blades at crossings. On a non-electric line, that air is supplied by a locomotive – which would also supply propulsion. But this is an electric line, so maybe they took advantage of that? Fortunately, one doesn’t need to know the answer to model The Electric Snowplow and have a wicked conversation piece.

 

I recall that Pacific Electric/Southern Pacific did something similar with diesel switchers, another interesting model!

 

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Waterloo

Posted on January 9, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Some inspiring shots of Waterloo station from this site.

In 1912.  Wonderful locomotives, and short trains.

In 1964.  Green electrics and looks like a rebuilt West Country 4-6-2 departing.

In 1971.  Blue-grey coaches and Warship diesels.  But note hoe the bomb-sites on the right are still not developed, with some seedy Lambeth terraced housing still standing in the otherwise empty areas.

 

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Just three months to go….

Posted on January 7, 2019 by snitchthebudgie

Just three months to the N Gauge SouthEast exhibition.  Hopefully it’s all coming together, though there may be a few sleepless nights on the way.  I’m hoping that the Railway Modeller will include the following in an edition before April (it won’t be much use after…)

An anniversary and a new show

East Surrey N Gauge celebrates 21 years of modular railway modelling and its 21st exhibition in 2019. This year’s show, titled N Gauge SouthEast will be our largest to date and is to be a joint show with the N Gauge Forum. There will be over 25 ‘N’ gauge layouts on display, including Ambleton Vale, Banbury, Forrestone, Lightermans Yard, Millfield Yard and Wenlock. There will be modular layouts from East Surrey N Gauge and the West Sussex ‘N’ Gauge MRC. 12 specialist traders and 3 society stands will complete the show.

The show will be held on Saturday 6th April 2019 at Riddlesdown Collegiate, Honister Heights, Purley, Surrey, CR8 1EX. The school offers level access and plenty of parking, and there will be a shuttle minibus from Purley Station.
For further details, see the exhibition website, and the Societies and Clubs entry.

East Surrey N Gauge meets twice monthly in Redhill, where the club modular layout is set up and is available for running trains from all corners of the world. For details, see the club website.

http://www.ngaugesoutheast.co.uk & http://www.esng.club

Actually, this will be ESNG’s 22nd anniversary in September, but 21 sounds better!

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