Last meeting of the year, and eight members obviously needed a break between Christmas and the New Year. Just a few pictures of the meeting (and a few fuzzy ones….)
Brian was less fuzzy…..
This show in Maidstone is an ideal outing for that period between Christmas and the New Year. So Derek, Chris and I piled into Allan’s van for a visit, arriving early enough for a fry-up in the café before the show opened. We had a pleasant morning out, and as last year there were some interesting exhibits at the show as well as plenty of trade. I was very good, and just bought a cheap book for £1.
Here are some of the layouts. Good to meet up with Ian and his little layouts.
Brankstone (OO) is a compact shed layout, showing what can be done in a small space, and presented in realistic surroundings.
Richborough Port (N) is an interesting layout – rare to see pre-grouping modelled in N. It’s a SECR line serving a military port in WW1, with lots of railway, military and marine interest.
Queen Charlotte Dock gets better (and closer to complete) every time I see it. I asked why there wasn’t a club member soldering one of the points (as has been the case in the past.) I was told he was under the baseboard….
Long trains on a small modular version of Los Tanimals (N).
I liked the quaint narrow gauge of the Largar and Lime Works.
Pictures from the excellent Hobbs Hill, St Mellion and Upperton….
Dawn Quest’s new layout – based on ‘The Ladykillers’ movie – is a definite improvement on her monochrome layout. Smaller, but more interesting and some lovely cameo scenes.
To finish, I enjoyed the ‘toy’ train displays, Lionel and Hornby-Dublo.
This notice is a good one for the layout – or perhaps not for today’s society?
Christmas greetings and blessings to all our readers!
If you’re thinking of going away by train this Christmas, you might have done better during the 1930’s!
Running down fast into Christmas, so a few more random pictures….
Modelling challenges. The loco comes from France, circa 1880. I think that it can stay there!
The Pacific Electric Railway is such an interesting prototype. Here’s the LA Central Station with a load of parcels units….
North Hollywood remains a great favourite….
And Culver Junction in colour (or should it be color?)
More local, Elmstead Woods in the snow in 1991. (Probably a John Atkinson photo.) The nearby tunnel is interesting as it is barely below ground. It was constructed as a tunnel rather than a cutting to satisfy the local landowner when the line was built. My secondary school long cross-country run route (to be avoided if at all possible) passed through the woods close to one of the tunnel portals.
Scanner
For the bus enthusiasts, some real buses. The 94, when extended beyond Petts Wood to Orpington was one of two to get to secondary school. Just a 2d half, I recall!
This is probably my festive season summed up in a meme….
Twas the last meeting before Christmas….. Six hardy members gathered to run a few trains.
We three kings…. Or wise monkeys?
Terry’s USA goods, and Frank’s UK goods….
And that’s the sum total of my pictures, I’m afraid. I’d had a very busy day, including being discharged from the hospital physio – come back if it goes wrong! I suppose I shall have to stop malingering now, and help set the layout up, though I still can’t do any heavy lifting. All good news, but by evening I had had enough. But I enjoyed a comfy chair, a good chat, and a quality piece of cake.
As my shoulder has improved, I’ve got back to a little simple model making. This 1/48 scale Westland Whirlwind kit just needs a coat of flat varnish. I’ve messed up a few of the decals, but am pretty happy with the end result.
Let’s finish with a rather fine poster of a rather fine railway.
An early Christmas present. I’ve been discharged from the hospital fracture clinic. My shoulder is well advanced in healing, and free moving (though not totally back to normal.) The doctor said I’m doing very well, and keep on with the physio and exercises. Only phone them if the arm drops off….. So I think it’s back to modelling, but no heavy lifting.
In celebration, here is a totally random selection of photographs….
Try modelling this! Dorking Lime Works locomotive.
This early east European electric loco is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen, but I’d buy a model immediately!
This is real. But why?
Camberwell in 1952. All my children were born just up the road in Kings College Hospital!
And New Cross that same year.
A snowy Lehigh Valley Transit in 1950.
King’s Cross Top Shed in 1928. Cleanest steam shed I’ve ever seen….
A West Country class passes through Folkstone.
People are bad at shunting and parking!
Finally, how rivet counting was born….
Back to relative normality on the blog, having got past all the Stuttgart posts. Dave was back in the northeast, and took these pictures of viaducts and bridges, plus a few of the Newcastle model railway exhibition. The bridges…..
And the show. The wonderful Fencehouses (2mm finescale)…..
And two Rosedales, in ‘S’ and 4mm scales.
And for light relief, I’ve been catching up on a few Jago Hazzard videos. Enjoy….
On the Monday, Maxine and I went into town hoping to visit a museum or two. I had generously decided against the tram museum, on the basis that Maxine had seen enough trains for the week. However, that didn’t work out, as we found that the museums were mostly closed on Monday! But we had a good walk round anyway.
We travelled in on the newish U6 light rail, which we also used to get to the Messe during the week. It’s an interesting 45 minute run through fields and suburbs, then a precipitous drop into the city centre through a winding tunnel and then through steep streets. In my photo below of our local station, out in the fields, you can see the Messe in the distance.
It’s an easy walk across to get to the halls nearest to the station, but an awful extra walk to the halls at the far end – where we were. The walk across the fields can be tricky at night, as Sean discovered one year returning slightly worse for wear from the Thursday night party, and finding himself in a field of cabbages.
I was very impressed by the vending machine by the station – it sold useful things like bread, eggs, and vegetables, things for a quick but real supper!
This interesting building was a history museum – shut of course!
A fine church, and around it a Christmas market being set up. The markets weren’t open for another few days – we always find this when visiting the show.
The Market Hall was very much open and was a fun visit, full of local produce, and home furnishings upstairs.
And a walk through a park area before returning to the station for the trip back to the hotel.
We did have an embarrassing moment when asked to vacate a coffee shop, when the two of us ordered one coffee. As it was a balmy 17C, we opted for a sit down on a convenient bench to watch the world go by. Although the closed museums was a disappointment, it was interesting to walk around part of the city.
Tuesday morning, we left before 9am for the journey home. 550 miles, and 11 hours door to door (including Eurotunnel and loo stops.) Actually a simple and comfortable journey, especially as Allan had arranged du luxe seating for Maxine in the back of the van! It’s also an interesting run, with a lot of things to look at.
And so to next year. I’m sure we will be there in 2025, all being well. It’s not a conventional model railway exhibition (though it is an N gauge convention), but it’s a fun week spent with friends. We may need to build a module or two, though, to ring the changes in our display.
In past years, we have returned home on the Monday, directly after the exhibition. However, this time around we decided to stay on another day and get into the centre of Stuttgart. Most years, there is just too much to do at the show to escape for long!
Maxine and I went into town, but Allan and Derek took what turned out to be the better option with a visit to the tram museum, quite close to the central station. Stuttgart’s trams were metre gauge, but became standard gauge in the 1960’s, when the system began to expand (and is still expanding) into an integrated tram, light rail, and metro systems.
Allan’s pictures are all taken in the museum, with the odd sneaky shot into the workshops through an open door. I understand that the city has maintained a loop of metre gauge track to allow the preserved trams a little outing. I doubt that the horse gets out much, though!
An overview…
Trams old….
Trams new…
An interesting ro-rail lorry….
And something that I’m not sure what it is, but it looks useful!
A few buses…
A nice little tram layout to finish.
Maxine and my excursion will complete the Stuttgart epic in the next post.
 | Allan Dawes on On my workbench – module… |
| “Stuttgart 202… on Stuttgart 2025 – 4… | |
 | Jonathan Caswell on Stuttgart 2025 – 4… |
 | Chuckster on Brockenhurst show 2025 |
 | snitchthebudgie on Potpourri #1130 |
esngblog 