esngblog

Just a couple or three inspirational pictures today.

First, Waddon Marsh in 1929.  Before the station was built and the industrial development around the area, and only one of the two power stations had been built.  Also pre-electrification.  Great details such as the ground frame in the open in the foreground, with two smart railway employees and their hut behind.  And what must be the little toilet hut behind.  There’s some fine fencing next to the road on the left, with an interesting ‘bump’ where a private siding seems to cross the main line and join the sidings.  In the background, the many factories and other works are expanding.

I’ve posted this second picture before, but I’ll add it for comparison.  Although the Waddon line remained quite rural, the Croydon end became heavily developed, with a second power station (now an IKEA superstore.)  This is in later BR days, perhaps the early 1960’s.

Both pictures are inspiring and have lots of modelling detail.

And in contrast, here’s Victoria in 1951.  A Merchant Navy class, probably in blue livery, heads the Golden Arrow.  A small boy looks on.  Another great picture of a bygone age.

And why not add these three pictures of St Lawrence station, the last stop before Ventnor West on the Isle of Wight.  A strange halt, tucked under the cliffs along the coast.  In it’s early days there was one siding, just the other side of the road bridge, for the odd sack of coal.  The bridge is still there, with its nasty sharp zig-zag in the road, as is the station building, now a private dwelling.  Like the first photograph, a simple but very satisfying scene. 

I even got a little modelling since my last post. Just a little…..  But Terrier addiction has resulted in a little retail therapy.  Wapping and Stepney were on order and have arrived.

And I couldn’t resist this O gauge beauty.  I’ve resisted the O gauge version for so long, but Rails had this SECR liveried Terrier for a lot less than the two N gauge ones.  Rude not to!

Perhaps this should be the next club project – Frankfurt – as long as I don’t have to do the wiring!!!!

Now this would be a challenge – triple dual gauge modelling!

“Gauge stacking”. Sweden once had a network of “complementary secondary networks” of narrow gauge intertwining between the standard gauge network and covering “places to go” that the standard gauge lines didn’t find worth covering. The narrow gauge networks were divided into two different gauges (leaving out the odd lines of other gauges that didn’t create networks), most extended were the 891 mm gauge corresponding to 3 swedish feet, and a 1067 mm gauge network in the southternmost parts of the country. These networks connected at some points but couldn’t “cooperate” because of the small difference in gauge.

In this picture we see the engine class W3t of 1067 mm gauge hauling two low-built transporter cars for carrying standard gauge cars upon. Loaded to these are a standard gauge transporter car for carrying 891 mm and 1067 mm vehicles. It’s loaded with an old 891 mm passenger car bound for the workshops in Ronneby to be rebuilt for other purposes. Quite odd and seems a bit wiggly.

And a US Civil War prototype for the ESNG rail gun enthusiast.

A little more normal, the LVR crosses the PRR.

Brighton in 1933, and two iconic items of rolling stock – the last ‘Gladstone’ and a new 6PUL unit.

Just a few odds and ends for today…. 

This is a modelling challenge for someone.  The cost of the figures would probably be far more than the cost of the rolling stock…….

This is a pretty rural scene.  And then the German Pacer arrives!  What an oddity, but it would make a lovely model.

I had a look, but only on Shapeways.  I wouldn’t want to be the one glazing all those windows.

Some fine modelling here in this rather long video from Japan.  I find looking at modellers work from other countries often gives me new ideas.  The Japanese seem especially good at the micro-layout – probably to suit their housing.

Jago Hazzard takes to the high seas….

My memories of exploring Hong Kong in 1981….

In 1981, Hong Kong had just one tunnel and one Mass Transit Railway across the harbour, so exploration was generally by bus. To explore HK Island, you got on the bus and rode to the terminal, then rode back. The China Motor Bus route 11 to Tai Hang Road was run by old London Transport buses sold out of service. Rejected by LT, in HK they chugged up the steep hill to Tai Hang Road and at the terminus a little man refilled the radiator from a watering can. Inside, you were still advised to phone “Abbey 1234” in case of complaint, and seats had genuine LT mocquette that was loved by the cockroaches living over the rear engine. I was also fortunate to just catch the Kowloon-Canton Railway before electrification, when old diesel engines and American style coaches were replaced by multiple units. And the Star Ferry ride across the harbour offered the best 60 cents (first class) of entertainment in the world.

A different time!  I didn’t even mention the trams, where another few cents would give you a top deck view of the shops, businesses and commerce of the island.

And 30 years later, Jinan in the PRC was still running trolleybuses…

Next time, reports of another ESNG meeting.

Maxine and I spent a few days in Birmingham this week with friends, so I left the computer at home.  So today I just have a few pictures to show and tell.

Some more of John Atkinson’s excellent EMU pictures.  First Earlswood in 1979, five minutes walk from home.  We moved in shortly after the resignalling, so never saw Earlswood North signal box, lurking under the bridge in one of these photos.  And we never saw platforms 3 & 4 also pictured below.

Next, Redhill in 1978, 1979 and 1982.

Three pictures of the handsome LBSCR J class 4-6-2T.  There were two in the class, and one survived to carry a British Railways number. (Unlike the larger 4-6-4T locos, that were rebuilt into 4-6-0’s.)

Further afield, this is Stuttgart in 1980.  The new, tunnelled, through station is close to completion, replacing this terminus, where all through trains reversed.

And even further afield, a very modellable scene from the Lehigh Valley in 1950.  A trolley line passes under the main LV; perhaps the Lehigh Valley Transit?

Another modellable scene – Crabtree Crossing, near Belvedere on the North Kent Line.  One of those wartime signal boxes built to withstand a near miss from a bomb.  Unlike the other big-four companies, the Southern continued to build these boxes well into peace-time.  I suppose the North Kent Line has always been a bit of a war-zone…. 

ESNG meet again on Sunday, so I’ll have a few club pictures as get into next week.