ESNG meeting – 20 June 2018

Posted on June 22, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

A quiet evening with just the six punters, but everyone had brought some trains to run.  Derek was having a Longmoor Military Railway evening, I had some new Dapol coaches, and Paul, surprisingly, had a number of bullet trains.

Dereks’ WD took turns with an LMR ‘Austerity’ tank.

Some of the bullets on display….

 

I gave some of the new Dapol Maunsell coaches in BR custard and cream a run.  These are even better than the green ones, with a very well done livery.

 

Derek also had a venerable French ‘Nord’ pacific to run….

Simon was running his Santa Fe permanent way train….

I thought the breakdown crane was meant to clear up after accidents, not cause them….

Finally, more custard and cream from Peter, this time on the LNER.

And a reminder that the ESNG AGM is on Wednesday 18 July.  We’ve moved it to the Wednesday so that the Cha(I)rman can get back from holiday.  Any volunteers for committee, please drop me a mail….

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Berlin – the zoo

Posted on June 19, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Last weekend, we spent our usual summer weekend in Berlin seeing our eldest daughter.  Time for family and tourism – and a few trains in passing.  After last year spending our wedding anniversary looking at trains in the technology museum, this year was a little low key on railways…..

So we went to the zoo.  We got there on my favourite U-Bahn line (U1/U2/U3), that is elevated for much of its route, with elegant overhead stations.

And once the line went underground, we arrived at this impressive station…

And the zoo was great fun.  I’d forgotten how interesting it is to see the worlds animals and birds, in well kept surroundings.  And how much good conservation and education work is carried out there.  So here are just a few of the animals we saw.  It’s not really a zoo without pandas, elephants and penguins!

 

Somehow, a day at the zoo rolls back the years.  Can you believe that my ladies actually waited for children to get off this hippo to get their photos taken?

Now this is a good way to end the day.  Sitting outside a Mexican restaurant enjoying a good meal and watching the trains go by.

I have a few more photos, and will post those next time.

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A good read

Posted on June 13, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Well, I’ve had more reads of my signing off post, than all my previous interesting ones.  There must be a moral there somewhere.

So I couldn’t resist a quick post.  Recommended reading for anyone into BLT’s (branch line termini) American style, with lots of great photographs of short lines.  And a whole article of pictures of GE 70-tonners, as in the picture below.

One of my favourite locomotives.  Perhaps I need another of these?

I’ll keep the occasional post coming….

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ESNG updates

Posted on June 10, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

A couple up updates on club and blog….

Unfortunately we won’t be exhibiting at the Bluebell Railway model weekend in a couple of weeks time.  They have overrunning building work and haven’t got room for us.  Hopefully, it’s next year…..

And I’m taking my annual blog break for a few weeks, from today.  I’ll be posting a few odds and ends, but will be back on stream in a month or so.  See you then!

I’ll sign off with this great Australian idea for the complete BBQ.  Just what is needed for the summer….

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ESNG meeting – 08 June 2018

Posted on June 8, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

A good turn out tonight, and plenty of trains running – and the usual suspects!

Trains included some period German railcars….

Allan’s milk train….

Paul’s usual long Japanese goods…

And Simon’s USA superpower….

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Couple of links

Posted on June 5, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Couple of quick links on a busy Monday afternoon….

Some good thoughts on better track standards for ‘N’ gauge (without going 2mm FineScale) come from N Gauge Forum.  NMRA standards are not far off from the wheels on recent UK models, and the check rail gaps are significantly smaller, offering better appearance and running.  But are you prepared to tweak your loco driving wheels?

I’m rather taken with this idea though.  It allows me to run my stock on the standard club layouts, but gives better appearance, and doesn’t need new chassis for locos.

The Cambridge to Mildenhall branchline, last haunt of the lovely ex-GER E4 2-4-0’s.

Easy to build cassettes using Kato Unitrack.  Real potential for small fiddle yards….

Read here and here (N Gauge Forum again.)

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France 1976

Posted on June 3, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Unusually, my hosts on holiday actually wanted to see some of my old photographs, especially university ones.  These are of a visit to France in 1976, to two monasteries in fact.  One near Rouen, and the other in the Loire valley.  Only one railway photograph….

But the others include some good shots of old buildings and cars, that may be of interest to European modellers…

I’m afraid most amusement was reserved for my university pictures and what the budgie looked like in 1976.  No comments, PLEASE.

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Forest of Dean and Gloucester

Posted on June 1, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

A week away in the Forest of Dean, then Gloucester, has been very pleasant.  The Forest of Dean Railway was running with steam on the wrong days for us, but there was plenty to look at and enjoy.

What they need at Tintern Abbey is a few railway modellers to put this kit back together?

The Forest of Dean Heritage Centre was most interesting, with reminders of how in the early 19th century ‘plateways’ predated the railways of the area.

And on to Gloucester, and a visit to Stroud Jazz Festival.  One venue that obviously attracted me was ‘The Goods Shed’.  Apart from some excellent modern jazz, it was staged in one of Brunel’s railway buildings.

Finally Gloucester Docks, suitably gentrified, but with plenty of interesting cranes and narrow boats – and working locks on the canals.

 

 

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A day out with Miles

Posted on May 30, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

Another day out on a preserved railway.  Allan reports:

Sunday 20th of May was the last day of the 1940’s weekend at the Kent & East Sussex Railway.  It was an over cast morning but the sun came through about midday. Burnt the low cloud and mist off, to make a wonderful sunny afternoon.

We were looking forward to the planned flight of a Spitfire over the railway at three o’clock.  There were plenty of military personnel about. With a small section of vehicles both at Tenterden & Bodiam.

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Engine driver Phil – PS

Posted on May 28, 2018 by snitchthebudgie

As a PS to our day on the Mid Hants Railway, here are the photos that Phil sent me.  More evidence that I was there!

And an interesting article on the iconic HST 125 units.  I rather liked the comments:

The InterCity 125 was made of very robust moulded plastic, not sheet metal. This was groundbreaking. Also, with conventional trains, coaches were pulled or pushed by a locomotive – but our train would have a power car at each end, a clever piece of engineering. One day, I asked the chief engineer: “What do the buffers do?” He pointed out that because our engine car would never be pushing anything, it didn’t need them. So we took them off, and that became part of the iconic look. The distinctive yellow nose was to warn people working on the track that this bloody great thing was coming.

And

It was often said that the British Rail sandwich was curly. It wasn’t. It was soggy and sweaty – because it came wrapped in 1960s clingfilm. We put them in boxes. Suddenly you could be travelling at 125mph on this fantastically designed train – and have a decent meal. It was wonderful.

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