esngblog

Must ease back into the blog, but the summer church recess has been filled with work for the ESNG open day (more later) and lots and lots of gardening, catching up on things.  I believe that 26 large bags of cuttings have gone to the tip.  At least the brambles produced some good fruit before their demise!

However, Wednesday was a railway day, as we started with a working party.  A whole eight members turned up, including Richard and Brian.  The Derek’s investigated the wiring of the fiddle yard…..

Brian repaired some rolling stock, and Richard worked on his station module….

Others just sat and chatted and drank tea!

The Derek’s found the fiddle yard fault (eventually), having resoldered a few things, then found a broken connection in a plug. 

Work was followed by the usual chip supper.  Our local chippy was shut (probably Tommy’s annual holiday) so Allan tried the Salford’s one.  The portions of chips were GIGANTIC.  I ate some of mine and delivered the rest home for Maxine’s supper.  Allan took his home for a chip butty breakfast.

By the evening we had actually lost a couple of members, and no more came, so we ran a few trains and packed up early.

Slowing down my blogging for a week or two, though I do have photos from two exhibitions to post.  But on Sunday afternoon eight ESNG members turned out to run a few trains and talk a lot.  Dodgy looking lot…..

Richard, as usual, was first to run a train, a sleeping car express I reckon…

Brian’s 73’s were a bit hesitant running.  Not quite what they seem as one is a dummy.

Coal, ancient….

Modern…..

And somewhere in between….

Finally, Frank ran an intercontinental special!

We finished quite early and had time to try out the electrics of the fiddle yard again.  We left as puzzled as we were on Wednesday!

And more pictures, courtesy of Brian,,,,

Wednesday afternoon, four of us arrived for a working party, and joined by Ian Carter to talk about show catering.  My afternoon was spent checking out the wiring on the fiddle yard.  A dry solder joint on a microswitch seems to have solved the main board’s problems.  However, the extension board is still a puzzle – power is not getting through to two tracks, but everything seems to check out for continuity.  An investigation for next time…..

In the evening, numbers swelled to nine, but there seemed to be more talking than running.  So just the one photo, with the usual suspects in characteristic poses!

So I’ll add a few bonus photos.  This the most realistic model track that I’ve ever seen (HO).

Porthywaen Halt on the Tanat Valley Line in Shropshire, long after closure.  (John Williams).

This would make a lovely short train with heavy traction.  Rio Grande’s “Yampa Valley”  near Plainview, Colorado; March, 1967. (Ken Crist.).

Hook Spring 88 – Don Gilham.  The tube vehicle was LT’s track recording coach.

And for bus fans, an ex-London trolleybus in Georgetown, Penang, 1950’s.

G.T.M.T. stood for George Town Municipal Transport. This double-decker trolleybus was photographed on Duke Street, next to Dewan Sri Pinang.

Just a few pictures today.  I had to do some house clearing for my youngest, but slipped down to the club for an hour or so.  I then slipped away ready to watch the England ladies win the Euros – again!  But here are a few.  Neil’s container train.

Two generations of mail trains (one slightly blurred.)

A brake van special.

Modern material transport….

And Brian’s view.  The club members all seem to have had their injection of monkey glands.  I’ve never seen them move so fast……

Back at home, I’ve been having a mega-sort out in the railway room, before I returned all the NCI modules upstairs.  I put my lockdown micro-layouts back on the shelf together, and trains are running on the American one.

I also corrected the minor fault on Cazenovia, that the traffic on the bridge was all on the wrong side of the road for the USA.   Some wise guy told me this when I first exhibited it!  So I prised the cars off the bridge and stuck them down the other way around.

Next job will be to finish the loops.