A Happy New Year to you all! Once again, I’m sure none of us could have predicted how 2021 turned out. All one can say is that it was better than 2020!! Keep safe, and have a good 2022, with plenty of productive modelling.
My wife asked how my 2021 resolutions went. I said that they’re on track….
The very last meeting of 2021, for a chat on Zoom. Paul added his usual assessment on Facebook.
An ESNG Zoom meeting this evening, less than half a dozen attendees, but plenty of topics covered. I don’t think the words ‘Farish’ or ‘Dapol’ were mentioned at all. Plenty of interest in my impending move to the Midlands especially with regard to the size of my model railway layout once rebuilt. All I could say is Watch This Space!
Great to see Phil, who has wisely been isolating over the year. We’ve decided to carry on with club meetings at the moment – we’ll mask up, and will go back on line either if Boris tells us to, or the other meetings in the hall decide to take a break.
The usual suspects! One or two regulars send their apologies – if, “people coming round” or “I’m off to Stamford Bridge” are at all convincing….
And this is also the last post of 2021. It’s been another “interesting” year. But at least we have been able to meet as a club for over half of it, and run some trains. 2022 – who knows? Let’s finish the year with a picture of the club mascot – Earlswood at Earlswood!
I was just getting back into my Minories, and coming to terms with the Finetrax points and making the point blades. Then I saw this (I thought it must be coming, as Wayne Kinney has already done it for a set of 2mm Finescale products.)
This really is a gamechanger, as making the point blades is not difficult, but is the tricky part of a simple point construction. And rail built frogs that look better. And all chairs already in place, rather than having to peg them all in place!
From N Gauge Forum….
As such, I thought it would be a fitting time to announce some exciting news regarding upcoming changes to the Finetrax N Gauge range. Some of you maybe familiar with my recently released 4mm ‘Easy Build’ range, which differ quite a bit from the current N Gauge range in that the turnout base comes provided with all the chairs already pre installed. No sprues or individual chairs that need cutting off and inserting into the base one by one – a massive time saver!
Another huge change is the use of actual rail for the common crossing instead of using a casting. Instead, the kits come with 2x pre machined ‘V’ rails which simply slide into the base. This greatly improves the visual appearance and results in smoother running of stock.
The kits also come included with a pair of pre machined switch blades with plates and pins already pre soldered to them. No jigs, no filing of switch blades and no soldering of plates!
Having successfully done this in 4mm and now in 2mm Finescale for the 2mm Scale Association, it is of course only a matter of time before transferring these advancements over to the N Gauge range!
So I’ll shelve Minories again till January, and then order some new points. It will cost a little, but will improve the project’s chances of completion. In the mean time, I’ve plenty to get on with…..
So on to that great British tradition, unintelligible to the rest of the world, Boxing Day!
This may of course be the day when you pick a fight with the family….
Or take all your newly acquired trains out of their boxes? But not in the Bartlett household!
We had a very pleasant Christmas day, with 7.5 persons to Christmas lunch. The 0.5 was a 21 month old, who coped very well. And all as covid-safe as we could manage – our youngest daughter has just recovered from the virus, and there were two nurses and a prison warder who are testing very regularly. Then on to our traditional Christmas visit to Maxine eldest brother and family, where Maxine (traditionally) went to sleep in an armchair after a glass of mulled wine. It was so nice to meet with people again at Christmas (no guarantees for the new year.)
But what about the presents? No railway stuff as such – the family are sensible enough to know that it would probably be the wrong thing (GWR for instance.) But Chris had mentioned that tipped me off that Rails were selling Southern ‘N’ class 2-6-0’s at a good price. I have several, but this one in black with sunshine lettering was irresistible. I prefer this livery to the full malachite green passenger livery, as the yellow, shaded green, lettering looks very smart.
As for the real presents, there were some socks (!!) One joy of retirement is that I can now wear all those silly Christmas socks accumulated over the years. And a pre-Christmas visit to Hobbycraft, so that Maxine could buy some odds and ends, resulted in me buying a Kangaroo. No, not a new pet, but a WW2 Canadian Ram with its turret removed to make an armoured personnel carrier. I like these tank oddities, and I thought that a little non-railway modelling could be good for the mojo! But being the fussy modeller that I am, I have just ordered a set of plastic tracks to replace the rubber, Airfix-style, ones that were included.
I have another tank kit coming from China too, but more of this anon….
It’s another strange Christmas, but seasonal greetings to all my readers, and every blessing for the coming year.
I wish….
Christmas past – a modelling idea for the festive season…..
Interesting backstory, too (Dr. David Turner, from Facebook)…..
Christmas trees being unloaded at the London & South Western Railway’s Nine Elms Goods Station in December 1906. They would soon be auctioned off to merchants from Covent Garden and other markets.
Whilst the trees shown came in from the Woking area, before 1914 the Christmas trees found in British homes also originated in Scotland and Yorkshire, with about a quarter being imported from Germany, Norway and Belgium.
Traders always hoped for a dry period before Christmas. As one reported in 1895, the railways’ charge for carriage was determined by weight, so if the weather was wet trees would be heavier and thus transit costs would be higher. Rates also influenced the nature of the product. In the 1890s most domestically grown Christmas trees were supplied with their roots. However, this added to the bulk and so, to reduce transit costs, these were increasingly cut off by the growers.
Now this is what I call REAL Christmas music….
I’m looking back at 2021, and wonder what I actually achieved, railway-wise. I’ve had a few months where I have done little modelling, and all my projects seem to have stalled. But let’s look at the good things this year…
And what am I going to try and progress in 2022?
I trust that this time next year, I can report rather more progress!
All that seems a bit depressing, so here’s another view of Heaton Lodge Junction. I love the ‘fly-by’ shot of the Deltic. I think that it’s the last day of running, as the layout is going on the road – but a bit like Pete Waterman’s rather inferior layout it needs it’s own accommodation.
A few pictures, all of which inspire a model….
First, some EMU’s. An ex-LSWR suburban unit….
And a 2-NOL just up the line for us at Purley. No Class 59’s on aggregate in those days.
A 2-BIL with a 2-HAL…
Another 2-NOL, at Chertsey….
A ‘Nelson’ or 4-COR….
And a pair of 6-PUL’s. Some real EMU’s here. None of that modern rubbish!
A very modellable scene of Luton in 1955, with plenty of Ford Motor Company products, and an interesting selection of other wagons in the goods yard.
Two pictures of Midford, on the Somerset & Dorset. The first is in 1961. The second is a totally staged Ivo Peters photograph, where he persuaded the demolition train on the GWR branch below to pose whilst the train on the viaduct produced smoke. Midford is a most modellable location, as the single track became double on the viaduct, as seen in Ivo Peter’s photograph.
And finally, a ‘wish I could have been there’ photo. Eastleigh in 1955 during a train drivers strike. A wonderful selection of ex-Southern Railway engines just waiting to be ‘copped’, including an interesting 4-6-0 in the background with a Drummond watercart tender. Perhaps one of the rebuilds from Drummond’s rather disastrous 4-6-0’s? What a contrast to the T9 4-4-0’s (second loco in the second row) that went on for ever….
PS I think I’ll give Eastleigh in 1947 a miss….
Another set of links that caught my eye recently….
N gauge on a grand scale…..
Larger scale, but a brilliant (and big) layout…..
Moving up to ‘O’ gauge, Heaton Lodge Junction is even more amazing…
For more than one reason…..
“Huge Calder Valley model railway hidden from girlfriend unveiled”
Bet he’s in trouble now!
Probably my favourite UK tram/interurban operation. I love the idea of the BR symbol on trams!
And the model version is here.
I would be first in the queue for any commercially produced model!
Finally, steam last summer – for no other reason than the first sequence being taken from the railway bridge just around the corner from us…
With apologies to Biggles – I remember as a kid reading lots of Biggles stories, and he flew north, south, east and west in various books. As Ron has failed to invade Europe, his holidays this year have been similarly spread to all points of the UK compass. So here are a few photos from his few days in the Northeast…..
Spending 4 nights in York. Travelled up via Manchester and Leeds. Left London just before 10 and arrived at 3.15. Having dropped my case off in hotel ventured into York in the pouring rain.
Next day, onto a train from Leeds to Carlisle, passing through Skipton station….
Carlisle Station….
As you will have seen from earlier emails am having a long day out. Weather is on the chilly side. Took train to Leeds for the 9,20 to Carlisle. Travelled over the Settle and Carlisle only to find low cloud/mist for the journey over the Pennines. Now on Tyne Valley line to Newcastle for journey down East Coast Main Line to York. Early email to avoid wifi problems at hotel so you may get further emails from trains.
And so to Newcastle Central…
The morning after the night before, York station 0830 15/12/21….
My class 68 hauled train to Scarborough.
York day 3…
A clear but freezing cold morning so am spending most of the day on tbe trains. Currently having a coffee in Scarborough and intend travelling down hbe coast to Hull before heading back to York. At the moment so cold and windy do not intend going down to sea front.
Well, what do you expect Ron, for the Yorkshire coast in mid-December?
Hull Station. Otherwise delightfully known as Hull Paragon….
And back to a busy Newcastle….
And so to the York trip, last day
Clear but cold. Have made my way to Newcastle to travel on Tyne and Wear Metro. Once again WiFi is hard to connect to.
Tynemouth station. It strikes me that one common feature of all these stations in the north-east is the fine overall roofing to the platforms. Perhaps the weather helps choose the design?
And back to Newcastle. Like the lumo livery…
The last meeting of 2021 (apart for a Zoom gathering after Christmas.) A good meeting with eight members present, mostly well masked against Omicron, garlic, or any other nasty emission…
The usual variety of trains were on the move. Derek (Atfield) had modified the Kato steeplecab to fit on a Kato bogie chassis. It really improves its appearance…
Simon’s Orient express suffered loco failure, but the Santa Fe goods ran very well….
Chris ran a Pullman liveried 73 on a ballast train. There are photos showing that this unusual combination actually happened. Chris replaced the 73 with a green 33, and somehow it looked rather more realistic!
And Paul, of course, contributed some Japanese stock. We’ll miss these bullets when they move north!
And Paul added a few comments on Facebook….
Last ESNG meeting of 2021, all masked up. Lots of questions regarding my impending move and whether I might get to a meeting from time to time. Certainly possible, and there may be the odd Zoom meeting as well. A farewell curry evening is being arranged for the 23rd January.
Put it in your diary Mr Dawes!!!
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