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  • SouthernRegionSteam

    Coastguard Creek - 15 months of planning!

    By SouthernRegionSteam

    Hold on to your socks - this is going to be a lengthy one! (In fact it's so long, I've now split it into 2 separate posts - the next will be up soon...)   I think it's fair to say that you are all long overdue an update on Coastguard Creek. Due to other commitments, no real progress has been made since the last post way back in March 2021; almost 15 months ago! If anything, things went backwards for quite a while, as I kept finding more and more inspiring locations that I really wanted
    • 8 comments
    • 2,048 views
DBC90024's Blog

Loco update - 2nd December 2023 - Latest DB90 to arrive

Christmas is on the nearby horizon and in light of this, Santa Claus's sleigh accidentally dropped a couple of new arrivals in to the Johnson Street stable.   One of the Skodas I had been looking to add to my stable for some time was Christine, in DB red. 90037 had been going to Toton along with 90039 for new liveries. 90039 had been going for Grand Central liverying. It was all set to become the fourth of five DB90s into Bumblebee livery, when the news broke that the plan to operate p
What happened next? A blog by Keith Addenbrooke

When I were 'lad

When I were 'lad - Introduction They say nostalgia ain't what it used to be, and who am I to argue?  Memories of times past, when life was simpler and days were longer, trousers were short and knees were grubby, pockets were for train spotting books and paper railway timetables; those memories can all have a significant influence over us when it comes to our modelling choices.  I wrote in my previous post about the desire to recreate childhood memories.  I'd like to take that thought in a d
MikeOxon's Pre-Grouping Blog

Early GWR 'Absorbed' Engines

I wrote a Forum post about some of these ‘absorbed’ engines back in 2014 but it has now been archived and has lost its illustrations, so I thought it was worth restoring these in this blog post, which is partly based on my original text.   Some time ago, I acquired a bound set of the RCTS "Locomotives of the Great Western Railway", mainly to learn more about the various pre-grouping designs by William Dean.  I had tended to skip over the volumes on 'Absorbed Engines' but later found my
MikeOxon

MikeOxon in general

6
Jim Champ's "Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development"

Errors/Inaccuracies etc

Mistakes. We all make them, and if I was immune I wouldn't have to publish this errata sheet for my [hopefully first] book.  https://www.devboats.co.uk/gwdrawings/errata/GWRlocoDevelopmentErrataFirstEdition.pdf   At the moment I've been going through some of my sketches for the book, improving some of the older ones where I think I can do better now, and adding some new ones where I can. I reuse everything I can, so coming to do a 79 class (1858 0-6-0) based on the Ahrons drawing i
What happened next? A blog by Keith Addenbrooke

The Dream, the Marshmallow Test and a (small) win on the Premium Bonds

Introduction - Part 2 One of my favourite layouts on RMweb is @ian's HO scale "Die Ercallbahn" in the German Railways Forum.  Drawing on childhood memories of the Marklin 3-rail AC system, Ian has brought those memories to life once more, creating the kind of system layout I'm sure many of us dreamt about when growing up.  I find it tells such an absorbing story that the first time I saw a video of the layout in operation, I was surprised when the doors of a small railcar didn't open on arr
pheaton's Blog

Keeping 26043 alive.....lets see what's under the dome....

Nostalgia alert, as with all these blogs things are fairly depressing....       The glory days.....pre covid...pre inflation...pre quite a lot really...     Last week..... fireman Sam has been busy with his white paint brush and now all of the air pipework is picked out in white, the conduit (which was just floating has been removed and the wiring now enclosed in modern copex, temporarily draped downwards away from welding operations....  
pheaton

pheaton in preservation

5
Chesworth - Horsham MRC's 00 Finescale project

Reflections from back at base

The Dorking show was an interesting experience, and back at base we had time to reflect. One surprising area of interest for visitors was our timber work. The Club chairman had offered us a curtain to modestly cover the baseboard legs but we turned it down, thinking that the "layout under construction" tag was better met by having everything open. It turned out to be a good decision. Many people asked about our designs.   The baseboards were discussed in an earlier blog, but as a remin
whart57

whart57 in Monthly Reports

0
What happened next? A blog by Keith Addenbrooke

An Introduction

Introduction Railway modelling is mainly a Spring and Summer hobby for me.  Autumn and Winter bring busier times, and as much of my modelling takes place outside (benchwork, paint spraying and big sticky jobs), or inside with the window open for ventilation (gluing and painting), free winter evenings are often spent on research and reflection.   I enjoy exploring fresh ideas, dreaming up new projects and shopping around for bits and pieces.  I've discovered I also enjoy writing ab
Playing with 1/50 scale

The 1/50 project, Batteries and another loco

I was looking for batteries for my old phone on the cheap end of the net. The direct from china end. This thing popped up and I had one of those “hmm, I wonder” moments. Add to basket.   Essentially they are Li batteries stacked to form a pp3 size with all the gubbins for charging inside, even has a bi coloured led to say when they are charged. Twin pack with a neat twin usb charge lead for 12 quid. Easy to lift the lid off a loco and swap them out.     But are the
Up the Line - 1918

Bogieing On Down!

My last post concerned the WDLR Bogies I had designed for my 30 odd 7mm Narrow Gauge wagons and several marathon sessions to get the ready for the Cardiff exhibition. It was traumatic but I did manage it and layout, exhibition and bogies went well. While playing at the end of the second day one of the Hunslets managed to pull a load of 16 fully loaded wagons which proved the point of the whole exercise. After a suitable recovery period and to keep Andy happy, I will now turn back to the long run
KH1

KH1 in Up the Line

0
Brunel Gauge Workshop/Showcase

Old and New

And my pain is over (not really).   I have just finished my most favorite and most proud of model of any Broad Gauge locomotive, the Rover class! I've been building this for weeks, and I've shown my progress in my previous blog post about it.   I don't really know what else to say so here! Left: New Right: Old
pheaton's Blog

Keeping 26043 alive.....No1 end.....Show me the good metal..

First a bit of nostalgia :)     26043 2 weeks off the production line from BCRW and at the time was on commissioning trials, as 26043 is a series 1 class 26 it never had cab droplights fitted, we see the tablet catcher recess, and its front connecting doors, we also see that like all 26s its boiler fitted. Note it does not yet have the opening window instead it has a boiler filler hatch.   26/1s incorporated a number of weight saving measures, such as the cantrail
pheaton

pheaton in Preservation

3
Freshwater, Isle of Wight, in 2FS

Running Repairs

At its last outing at the Farnham Club's exhibition in Aldershot, Freshwater sarted to show its age. Two minor problems developed.   The point in the fiddle yard had a blade come detached from the moving tie-bar The central uncoupling magnets started sticking in either the 'up' or 'down' positions.   Fortunately, neither of these problems were too detrimental to the operation of the layout, and were probably not noticed by the viewing public. However, they needed
Ian Morgan

Ian Morgan in The Layout

0
rockershovel's Blog

Tex-Mex, East Anglian style

At least three days a week, my good wife (who is retired) "forgets" to take anything out of the freezer for dinner.    Results can be .... varied. Yesterday's effort was a "vegetarian chili". This sounds good, but like many things she produces, it was bulked up with coarsely-cut carrot and tinned sweetcorn.    I quite like carrots.... but not like this. She also tends to add far too much liquid, so that many dishes appear swimming in a weak liquor and must be carried with car
Brunel Gauge Workshop/Showcase

"Rover Class"

Today's blog entry features one of the most, if not, the most beautiful and very much popular broad gauge locomotives of the Great Western, the Rover (Or Alma) Class!   From Wikipedia     The prototype locomotive, Great Western, was built as a 2-2-2 locomotive in April 1846, but was soon converted to a 4-2-2 arrangement, with the leading wheels set rigidly within the sandwich framing, rather than in a separate bogie. The remainder of the class entered service between Apr
Oxendale

Diesel locomotives

Class 04 11226 (Bachmann) 11226 is my most recent purchase. It was brought from the model shop opposite Grosmont level crossing in September this year.     Class 20 D8156 (Bachmann)     Class 24 D5061 (Bachmann) The real D5061 is part of the NYMR fleet and is currently stored awaiting overhaul at Grosmont MPD.
Stevethomas6444's modelling blog.

Running in

I've made a start in running the fleet using DCC Concepts rolling road which I've had for a while. Space constraints makes this a very useful tool for running in.    First up were the two latest additions, 60015 and 4308 then slowly going through the older stuff which haven't been out of the box in three years. So far so good!    I am impressed by the Hornby class 60 with the level of detail and the weight is quite something! One day I would love to run this on a layout with
Stevethomas6444

Stevethomas6444 in Stock

0
Sixties Snapshots - 00 scale

GWR - the Great Way Round – the construction

Recapping from my last Post, some fifteen years ago when the layout was conceived there was a Mainline Terminus and a high level Branch Terminus, both constructed up against the plasterboard enclosure housing the Aga flue.  It was not long before the Mainline Terminus was converted to a through station with the running lines skirting the outside of the plasterboard enclosure.  This provided for a dumbbell shaped layout with reversing loops and storage sidings at both ends.  Most importantly it a
Coppenhall Good's

Coppenhall Good's

Well where to begin, 1964 ish My grandad was a guard on the railway and one of these people who knew everyone, I was about 4 and he would take me on his crossbar seat off to places (The station, Crewe works offices, depot's and coal yard) I can't remember for how long and why it stopped I must have been 10 or 11. This of course got me into Railways. When I was 11 We had a big car crash and my sister and me had to live at Gran and Grandads for about 3 weeks at this time I started building Airfix
Jim Champ's "Introduction to Great Western Locomotive Development"

2-4-0s, and the Armstrong era in particular

When I wrote the first book I was rather guilty of somewhat glossing over the 2-4-0s in the Armstrong and Dean eras. There were so many of them, they were rebuilt so much and I just found them confusing and, dare I say it, not that interesting. I'm paying for it now! Working up my experimental chronologically based GWR locomotive history I'm in into the late 1860s, early 1870s, and they are becoming impossible to avoid! I have to wonder, incidentally, why, with standard goods engines and standar
Brunel Gauge Workshop/Showcase

"Heron"

An interesting locomotive today, "Heron" from the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway (C&CR)   A Map of the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway line   From Wikipedia   Heron (1861–1872) Magpie (1861–1872) The first two locomotives for the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway were 4-4-0T locomotives with straight side tanks, built by Sharp Stewart and Company in 1861. After the line was converted to standard gauge in 1872, they were sold to the South

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  • Blog Comments

    • Compound2632
      'Special'- unique photo

      By Compound2632 · Posted

      "Restore images"!
    • MikeOxon
      A Missing Link?

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      At the time Whishaw was writing even the GWR itself was not fully operational.  He wrote (p.158): "The line was first opened to the public on the 4th June, 1838, as far as Maidenhead; … and now it is opened to the Faringdon Road, a distance of 63¼ miles from London. The opening of that portion of the line between Bath and Bristol took place on the 31st August last, so that the public have now the use of about 75 miles of this railway; and the whole line Mr. Brunel expects will be finished a
    • MikeOxon
      Early GWR 'Absorbed' Engines

      By MikeOxon · Posted

      Those were competitive times that broke out into real fighting in a few places.  I notice that the 1849 map, on which I based my North Leigh layout,  shows a different alignment at the Eastern end of the OW&W,  The planned route dipped further South near Cassington.   1849 Map of the Witney area reproduced from http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/ , with permission from Martin Loader
    • Compound2632
      Early GWR 'Absorbed' Engines

      By Compound2632 · Posted

      The OWW nearly fell into the hands of the LNWR - hence the Yarnton curve onto the Bletchley-Oxford line - and during the period when it was on worst terms with the GWR, worked a Eurston - Worcester - Wolverhampton service, The W&H was largely backed by the LNWR and MR. What with MR interest in the B&E and lines west of that, the GWR was really rather fortunate not to end up confined to London to Bristol and Birmingham. 
    • JimC
      A Missing Link?

      By JimC · Posted

      Maybe so , but it can be great fun. The massive beartrap waiting, though, is to be so pleased with one's highly logical and plausible theory that you attempt to hold onto it after contradictory evidence comes to light.   Been there, done it, hopefully metaphorically slapped myself round face and instructed self not to be so daft.

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