Castle Aching

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Above photo was taken no more than half a mile from our house....

Groningen?

and to think Edwardian was trying to pass the picture off as being the Fens.

 dh

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And while I'm applying DD to this thread:

But the Duke of Norfolk actually lives in Arundel...

 

which is about as absurd as Edwardian purchasing a ticket from Aberystwyth to Camarthen intending to travel the length of the Manchester & Milford Railway.

   dh

[Edwardian]

If that's not a picture of the Whittlesey Washes, I'm a Dutchman!

 

.... in Groningen.

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Edwardian]

Well, she certainly seems to think so

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I've heard Amsterdams canals may be turning a rather nasty male urine colour during King's Day today

 

dh

[Edwardian]

I've heard Amsterdams canals may be turning a rather nasty male urine colour during

King's Da

y today

 

dh

 

Great link, and I quote "Amsterdam’s famous King's Day carnival is held on 27 April and sees over a million people spill into the streets and onto the canals to paint the town orange..."

 

That would be orange, David, and if your urine is that colour, I think you need to see a doctor.

 

Moving away from the Fens and, indeed, the Netherlands, and nearer to a West Norfolk style railway, if not to Norfolk itself, I submit the following as an example of an ideal fantasy light railway train:

1 little saddle tank plus 2 verandah and 2 old panelled coaches.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[runs as required]

Moving .... nearer to a West Norfolk style railway, if not to Norfolk itself, I submit the following as an example of an ideal fantasy light railway train:

1 little saddle tank plus 2 verandah and 2 old panelled coaches.

agree - and my grandchildren's fave too.

try this link to some almost Edwardian poignent images

dh

[Nearholmer]

Try this link, if you want to see a typical British LR loco (a Terrier), running on a Dutch LR that looks as if it is located in the fens http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/news/twinning/

 

It is an absolutely superb railway, and, if you haven't been there ..... go.

 

K

Edited April 27, 2016 by Nearholmer

[Trains&armour]

Try this link, if you want to see a typical British LR loco (a Terrier), running on a Dutch LR that looks as if it is located in the fens http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/news/twinning/

 

It is an absolutely superb railway, and, if you haven't been there ..... go.

 

K

Agree. There are not that many preserved railways in the Netherlands, but there are some, and this is one of the best. 

[Edwardian]

agree - and my grandchildren's fave too.

try this link

to some

almost Edwardian

poignent images

dh

 

Beautiful and evocative photographs.  I have a real soft spot for the Tanfield.  It's a great little line in every respect and the volunteers are very friendly.  The Guard insisted, insisted, I went into his compartment to photograph the interior.  IMHO it's everything you want from a preserved line.

 

Try this link, if you want to see a typical British LR loco (a Terrier), running on a Dutch LR that looks as if it is located in the fens

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/news/twinning/

 

It is an absolutely superb railway, and, if you haven't been there ..... go.

 

K

 

A locomotive called Fenchurch crossing a Fen!  There is, of course, a  Fenchurch St. Paul in Dorothy L Sayers's The Nine Tailors, but, rather like East Lynn, it's already been taken as a layout title.  I am sure there is a Fenchurch St Johns near the Isle of Eldernell, however.

 

Anyway, an excellent link, though not all the pictures are of the Dutch countryside; this one's not half a mile from where I lived:

Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian

[Nearholmer]

Have you noticed the way they've used H0 scale coaches and vans, with a 00 Terrier, and it makes the Terrier look quite big?

 

When I rode on it, the local Women's Institute was on A Grand Day Out, about 100 women on bicycles, and the train stopped to permit them to board, then proceeded, with bikes hanging off all parts, because they wouldn't all fit into the van.

 

And, the line crosses a huge multi-lane bypass, almost a motorway, where internal combustion has to give way to steam - very entertaining.

 

K

[Edwardian]

Have been a little stressed lately, partly due to finances (still atrocious) and partly due to health concerns.  I just wanted to thank Him upstairs for my X-ray results coming back clear today. Thank you. 

[Trains&armour]

If that's not a picture of the Whittlesey Washes, I'm a Dutchman!

 

.... in Groningen.

 

Yep, your a Dutchman, and I gather you used to live not that far away:

 

 

 

View from my backyard, other side of the dyke. You can see the dyke on the horizon....

[Shadow]

Shereford has a small church with a round tower. Got some photos somewhere but can't find them at the moment!

 

http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/shereford/shereford.htm

[Nearholmer]

Moving swiftly on ...........

 

Here is the winner of "The Cheesiest Postcard from the Netherlands" trophy, for the one hundred and sixteenth year in a row.

 

Oh, sorry, just a moment, maybe I should have filed that in with my other "Winners - 'Miss Spalding' 1978-84" pictures.

 

K

 

Edit: I Googled "Miss Spalding", and much to my astonishment, there have been such competitions; see logo below from 2012. Although perhaps that's an advert for a welcome new bypass road.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

Great link, and I quote "Amsterdam’s famous King's Day carnival is held on 27 April and sees over a million people spill into the streets and onto the canals to paint the town orange..."

 

That would be orange, David, and if your urine is that colour, I think you need to see a doctor.

 

Moving away from the Fens and, indeed, the Netherlands, and nearer to a West Norfolk style railway, if not to Norfolk itself, I submit the following as an example of an ideal fantasy light railway train:

1 little saddle tank plus 2 verandah and 2 old panelled coaches.

 

A delightful set of pictures Edwardian that would look rather nice in 0 gauge. I shall have to watch out following this thread it doesn't really fit with a GWR/Cambrian layout

Don

[Edwardian]

A delightful set of pictures Edwardian that would look rather nice in 0 gauge. I shall have to watch out following this thread it doesn't really fit with a GWR/Cambrian layout

Don

 

Thanks, great layout taking shape there Don, and surely a light railway feeder from one of the remoter districts could justify such a train on your layout?  If you really wanted it too!

 

Thank you everyone for your good wishes.  Much appreciated, as ever. 

Edited April 28, 2016 by Edwardian

[runs as required]

Thanks, great layout taking shape there Don, and surely a light railway feeder from one of the remoter districts could justify such a train on your layout?  If you really wanted it too!

The Shropshire and Montgomery connecting at Llanymynech might be an exemplar, given the Colonel's famously impecunious aproach - as well as the Tanat Valley Light Railway.

And not strictly Cambrian, but geographically close, I once managed to travel back to Manchester from work at Boston Lodge via Afon Wen and Caernarfon. There were some standard gauge slate branches adjacent to the Lleyn off that ex LNW tentacle that were pretty rudimentary.

Sadly I only learnt of them afterwards... although, before they closed, I did see the LNW branches into Snowdonia off the Irish Mail main line

dh

[Donw]

I know there are some very light lines in Wales the delightful Kerry Branch is most inspiring. The photos of Plynlimon making its way with a short mixed train would meet the criteria. BUT I do not have room for that and somewhere where the Cambrian and GWR met. There are just too many interesting subjects to model them all.

[Nearholmer]

Oakwood publish an excellent book on the Mawddy, Van and Kerry railways, which would tempt anyone down light rails.

 

K

[Nearholmer]

And, I can't resist sharing this snippet of local history, which I found during my Googling about Spalding:

 

"He convinced fellow growers it was a great idea and the hearse was abandoned for a proper Queen’s float and the Dutch designer Adrianus van Driel was invited to design a small parade."

 

It begs so many questions.

 

(Edwardian - raise a red flag when I'm wrecking your thread by going too far off topic)

 

K

[Andy Kirkham]

But the Duke of Norfolk actually lives in Arundel...

It seems to be almost a rule that that the nobility of England have a country seat that is nearly as far away as possible from the place named in their title, e.g.

 

Duke of Devonshire - Chatsworth, Derbyshire

Earl of Pembroke - Wilton, Wiltshire

Marquis of Salisbury - Hatfield, Hertfordshire

Earl of Egremont - Petworth, Sussex

etc.

 

(Unlike Scotland, where the Duke of Hamilton actually lived at Hamilton and the Duke of Atholl lives at Blair Atholl)

Edited April 28, 2016 by Andy Kirkham

[corneliuslundie]

There were also some delightful timber narrow gauge lines - see "The Kerry Tramway and other timber light railways" by David Cox and Christopher Krupa (Plateway Press, 1992). It covers the UK, not just Wales. There were also narrow gauge railways above Dinas Mawddwy. And further south there were narrow gauge lines connecting with the Brecon & Abergavenny Canal and a whole network connecting the ironworks. Then there was the Brecon Forest Tramroad, but you will need automated horses for that one.

I could go on but I had better not.

Jonathan

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(Edwardian - raise a red flag when I'm wrecking your thread by going too far off topic)

K

To ease this thread back into 'straight and level' mode - may I, on behalf of Edwardian's many followers, post a request for a mock-up (perhaps allied to an imagined narrative) of how the light railway tracks into Castle Aching?

Wil it have the usual tin buildings - or perhaps does it, thanks to its titled sponsor, avail itself of some partially unused structures of the once grand castle and its baileys/outworks?

   dh

[Nearholmer]

A Folly for a station.

 

I tried to flog this idea to Edwardian before, for a Sussex layout, so will try again.

 

While the WNR still had pretensions, and hadn't yet fallen to become the WNLR, the owner of Aching Hall required a station to be built for his sole use, in exchange for the line being permitted to cross his land, and dictated that it had to present a picturesque aspect when viewed from his study window across the fields.

 

I think that there is a Pyramid at Blickling Hall, which could serve as a model, or inspiration could be taken from any number of faux-gothic towers, faux-classical temples, Chinese-style pagodas, etc. If the date of construction of the line is established, it should be possible to identify what was fashionable in the way of follies at the time.

 

K

 

PS: Blickling Hall, Norfolk was, quite logically, the home of The Duke of Buckinghamshire, who presumably looked after the county while his peer was down in Sussex.

Edited April 28, 2016 by Nearholmer