Potpourri #1040

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… 

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Ron flies North

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.

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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….

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My class 68 hauled train to Scarborough.

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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….

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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…

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ESNG meeting – 15 December 2021

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…

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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!

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And Paul, of course, contributed some Japanese stock.  We’ll miss these bullets when they move north!

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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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Ignorance is bliss….

I suppose it depends how far the Merchant Navy got….

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And for those breaking out in a cold sweat, here is a nice Bulleid 3rd coach to calm you down….

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More Stuttgart – the Danish junction #2

And here are the construction photos.  I’ve just ‘dumped’ the lot without comment, but do note the impressive multi-level baseboards.  There are also a few useful techniques on show – ballasting and a use for bottled water!!!!

Thanks again, Kim, for the photos, and I hope to see this great set of modules next year.

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More Stuttgart – the Danish junction #1

You’ll recall that I posted a few pictures of a most impressive junction built by our Danish friends and exhibited at Stuttgart.  But I knew that I’d seen some better pictures somewhere.  So having put in a request through Allan the Cha(i)rman, Kim Lee Christensen kindly sent me a load of pictures of the junction, completed and also some of it under construction.

Here’s our quick chat on the subject….

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I’ve posted all the pictures that I’ve been sent, so there may be a few duplicates with those I posted a week or two ago.  Here’s the overview of the junction….

Trains in the landscape….

Trains from the UK….

The flyover…

Just the two pictures with trains from Europe, rather than the UK.  Just as some of ESNG model Europe, the USA and Japan, some of Europe model the UK!

To close for today, some scenery….

All most impressive.  I wish that I had the room (and time and inclination) to do something like this at home!

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Christmas is coming….

Before I post a few more Stuttgart photos, a little reminder that Christmas is coming – even Boris can’t stop it!

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Mind you, that tree looks about right for N gauge….

This is, of course, completely true!

And today’s modelling project – a Moses bridge.  Build one of these and wait for the comments from the punters at the show!  This is in the Netherlands (so it’s probably below sea level.)

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ESNG meeting – 5 December 2021

The third meeting of the week, and once again we seemed to hit the Rule of Six.  I’ll let Paul introduce the proceedings: 

A third ESNG meeting in a week with just 6 attendees. The running session was enjoyable as ever. I went for a selection of Shinkansen sets from JR East. The E4 MAX Tohoku livery, E3 Tsubasa, E2 Hayate J Series, E5 Hayabusa and the E4 MAX Toki livery.

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There was a bigger desk for the Treasurer….

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Brian had built a very nice rail head treatment unit (RHTT).  No scale leaves to go with it, though….

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Some colourful Swiss goods from Allan….

Derek’s (Apps) little autocoach and loco were running very well…

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More of Paul’s Japanese selection….

My Farish BR 2-6-2T, that I bought second hand, ran very well….

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To close, here’s Brian’s usual record of the afternoon…..

And here’s how he built his RHTT…

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Potpourri #1039

Haven’t done one of these for a month!

I’m tempted to change scale – this looks easier than code 40 Finetrax!

Old and new on the Isle of Wight

This looks even more crowded than Paul’s lounge!

Ideas for your next (small) layout here??

A lovely Dutch layout of a French prototype….

Goodbye Waterloo as the busiest station in the UK – though I always thought it was Clapham Junction, anyway…

“Stratford overtakes Waterloo as Britain’s busiest railway station”

And if you are fed up with trains, try this site….

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ESNG meeting – 1 December 2021

My birthday evening was spent at the second ESNG meeting of the week.  Just the six of us, but that is quite OK with all the Covid cases about at the moment.  We had the usual relaxed evening running, and of course, chatting.

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Paul had his usual selection of Japanese trains on show….

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Derek ran, amongst others, a long passenger train hauled by the Deltic prototype.  It stayed coupled up most of the time!

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And Michael had a traditional goods train on show….

I didn’t run anything, but sat and watched the trains go by!


Finally, for today’s post, we have an interesting modelling challenge.  A Universal Carrier with rail wheels…..

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And a lovely picture of Allentown on the Lehigh Valley.  Note the streetcar on the bridge….

lv

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