esngblog

Well, it might have been a Zoom meeting, but we were practising for escaping lockdown and the dreaded ‘Rule of Six’ this evening.  The Cha(i)rman was missing, presumably already asleep ready for work in the morning.  Paul was running the latest iteration of his layout, with up to 10 trains passing by on screen.  We had to turn the sound off once or twice, as the sound generated by all those N gauge bullet trains was deafening.  Only matched by Phil sneezing, that also took out a few ear-drums!!

Simon signed off, to watch Chelsea try and get to the Champions League final, but we were joined by Chris to keep the Rule of Six intact.

Conversation was of the usual low standard.  Paul must have been listening, as his account of the evening sounds pretty accurate to me!

ESNG Zoom meeting again this evening, possibly the penultimate one given that real live meetings are likely to return after 17th May. Not many participants, but interesting nevertheless. Topics under discussion included The Isle of Wight (again), the restored Brighton Belle Set, football including Chelsea, Norwich and Hereford FC, and a trip down memory lane to grounds and games that were visited or watched in the days of our youth. School sport was also on the menu, even more distant days of our youth. The shortage of British outline models was discussed and blamed on the container ship which ran aground in Egypt. No wildlife or pets appeared this week, but my trains made an appearance, running well although keeping a eye 10 trains running at once is a real handful.

What is exciting is that ESNG will start meeting again on 19 May.  Just the six of us at a time, but we should be able to set up a small modular circuit and run a few trains.

Kuritu II is nearly complete.  I’m stringing the overhead at the moment.  This aerial shot shows all the real estate.  More pictures to come soon.

Allan and Sean produced these excellent pictures.  Some very young looking people around!  First, setting up for a club night, over 20 years ago.  Bartlett junior in the background of the second picture!!

Then Sean’s layout – same era, but a club show at the church in the first picture, and an away fixture at the Merstham show (long gone and much lamented) in the second.

Sean commented on Facebook…..

My Swiss layout I built as a teenager. Loved this layout but the board warped so ended its life

And the comments included….

Bargain time again.  Unfortunately, a contributer to RMweb was selling up his book collection due to ill health.  I was very restrained, and only bought these.  The illustrated history of wagon books filled a gap in my own collection – I have the LSWR and LBSCR volumes (that also include the SDJR and the Isle of Wight, bought from new, but never bothered with the later books.  A lot of good browsing here, and a few useful ideas for Minories, I hope.

Another Wednesday, another meeting…..

Missing Mr Dawes tonight, due to his usual anti-social working hours.  We started with just the six of us (plus Phil’s cat at one point)……

Paul was busy rebuilding his station again.  Otherwise the topics were the usual wide-ranging selection, from the weather, pubs on the South Coast, football and the short-lived European Super League.  We even mentioned trains here and there.  Brian had a new bus, and Peter’s tram is working again (though a wheel has fallen off the other one – a bit like Croydon, really.)

We were joined towards the end by Graham, who had been cutting the grass (in the dark?) and Maxine, who doesn’t log in for too long in case she falls asleep with all the scintillating conversation about trains. 

As usual, here’s Paul’s take on the evening.  We talked about more topics than I remembered!

ESNG Zoom meeting number ‘quite a few’ took place this evening. Not too many participants, but the technical hitches were much reduced and no cats made their presence felt either. The usual wide range of topics were discussed including the rise and demise of the European Super League, model Japanese temples and shrines, importing products from overseas, preserved railways and their reopening after lockdown and the lack of Peco track at retailers. My layout was not in operation owing to ongoing engineering work which I carried on with throughout the meeting. I should complete it within the next few days and then I can sort the electrics out.

Maybe one more Zoom meeting, and then six of us should be able to meet up and perhaps even run a train or six.  I’m looking forward to it!!

Prototype for everything department – when you mess up the road markings on the layout?

And for no reason, except that the Southern Railway utility vans are probably my favourite non-passenger rolling stock.  All because I had two Hornby Dublo ones, I guess.

Allan commented on the photo that I recently posted…..

Do like the closing photo of the two class 31’s.  Hand brake not put on fully. They rolled down the siding in Cricklewood and through a set of buffers and ended up on the North Circular Road. Luckily no vehicle or pedestrian got hurt. Both locomotives were cut up on site.

Good job it was the middle of the night.  Only time that you will find the North Circular empty!

Brian seems to have become interested in long trains!

The fact that a ‘jumbo freight train’ with 40 wagons has been trialled on the West Coast mainline, is a mere snip of thing compared to this US giant with eight locomotives:

And nearer home……

The Hump Master’s Longest Train Leaving Hamburg Yard – there’s an N Gauge challenge:

And back out to Asia for something completely different…

Made in 2018, this is a short film from the BBC Travel Show about the ‘Last Steam Train in China’ – and the benefits it has brought local people:

This is probably easier to model in the average house!

And my contribution.  A 2mm Fine Scale 9F with working reversing valve gear?  Some model!!

And the real thing….