[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

From a couple of years ago on the Dorking Garden Railway. Note prototypical telegraph pole projecting from locomotive.

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

Happy Christmas to all at RMweb

from the Dorking Garden Railway

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

After France, yesterday it was time to visit Germany and drive some trains...

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to the UK FREMO group for an entertaining time yesterday operating the latest configuration of their German outline modular approach to model railways, complete with fully detailed timetabling which drivers and signalmen have to follow.  Some Anglo-Saxon interlopers appeared on the track during the lunchbreak.

Altogether an ambitious undertaking, but very rewarding to be able to share in it.

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

The models were here:

 

 

Well worth a visit.

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

All a bit quiet in the garden recently - but I've been to Paris:

 

 

 

And coming back was pretty fast too:

 

 

[Little Trains & Big Names with Pete Waterman]

On 27/10/2023 at 20:14, Captain Kernow said:

Just seen the Eddie Izzard one, both CTMK and I thought it was also fab.

 

The Izzard bits seemed to lack quite a bit of model railway detail though, not least how they made the snow.

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Emerging from the backwoods

 

A bit of transAtlantic eBay shopping produced this wonderful beast, a Doodlebug from just a century ago in America, displayed on the remaining part of the layout:

 

 

See: https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/locomotives/emc-delivers-first-doodlebug-motorcar/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't had time yet to see if this Bachmann product actually runs, but it looks promising. 

I really want to acquire a decent interurban model, but they are scarce and pricey and mostly in America.  Of course to be realistic that would need an overhead power wire anyway.  The Doodlebug isn't an interurban but looks like a useful midway option.

Not having bought anything on eBay from the US before, I was half expecting to have to pay import duty here.  But the bill somehow included 20 per cent VAT and airmail shipping and nothing further, so I'm happy.

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Temporary suspension of service

 

It was a sad day when, after over eleven years of happy DGR running, I had to dismantle half the layout to make way for garden landscapers to remove the rotting decking at the front of the railway (and elsewhere in the garden) before installing replacement paving.  The future infrastructure should be on more durable foundations, but for the moment, no more fun days in the sun.

 

On the first day of the project, the landscapers made quite an impact.  It was hard to visualise where the front of the railway went...

 

 

 

The decking will be replaced by more-durable Indian sandstone paving, and the retaining walls are being done in oak timber which I'm told will last longer than I will.  The landscapers have given me four upright sleepers on which to rebuild the front of the railway.  The bamboos in their pots have been temporarily moved, so Bamboo Curtain Straight should retain its name.  And as befits a railway that sometimes represents parts of the north of England, a modest amount of levelling-up has taken place behind the sleeper retaining wall using the pile of spoil in front of the digger.

In this photo you can just see the A-frame forming the end of what was the Northern Viaduct, with the bamboo pots still in place...

 

 

 

And here is the new work, all ready for me to lay some timber trackbase once the landscapers have departed in a few weeks time.

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Rehab and more

 

Not a lot has happened in the last six months, and no trains have run despite my eagerness to dispel the idea that winter isn't always good for garden railways, mainly because of wet weather.

So the railway has been suffering from neglect, and this week's sunshine prompted a serious effort to excavate it from the leaves and rubbish that had covered the scenic side.  This also revealed a number of problems which need to be dealt with - some easier than others.

For the first time, the vegetation on both sides of the track has died back during the winter.  This has affected both the ivy above the railway and the mind-your-own-business below it.  Presumably they will both recover in due course.

 

 

 

Secondly, moss has flourished on some stretches of track, which would be fine if a scale overgrown look was required - but it's not.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, scraping the moss out from between the sleepers often meant that the scraper just disappeared into the rotten wood beneath.  And holes are appearing elsewhere.  Not good, although after 11 years it shouldn't be a surprise.

 

 

 

And inevitably there are a few rail-end bonds which need resoldering, usually in the most awkward locations.

 

 

So there's still work to be done before trains can run.  And that's only in the short term, because the garden decking replacement project is due in May and will entail dismantling and rebuilding much of the railway.  Hope I can get some running sessions in beforehand...

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

London Transport steam

 

The DGR is rather suffering from rot in the decking which operators have to stand on, such that SWMBO has forbidden visitors until restoration work is implemented.  Separately some track maintenance is needed, so the following photos are just posed and sadly don't show a real operating session.

 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s after the end of BR steam, it was still possible to see steam workings in the London area as LT Pannier tanks used to work spoil trains out along the Metropolitan Line to Croxley Tip near Watford.  Robert and I sometimes used to go and see them, so with my new Oxford 'Pilchard' wagons and his Bachmann L97 we decided to do a re-enactment of those scenes from long ago.

 

Here is the morning's Down working, heading out into rural Hertfordshire...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then at Croxley there's a bit of shunting to get things the right way round...

 

 

 

Before setting off back Up the line with the empties for Neasden:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

Managed to scan this 70 year-old slide of Jubilee 45611 taking an excited crowd of people to London for a special occasion...

 

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

1952 Jubilation (well, I haven't got a Coronation)

 

I managed to dig out and scan some 70 year-old slides of Jubilee 45611 taking an excited crowd of people to London for a special occasion in 1952!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note trespasser on roof of first coach in final photo.

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Sleeping Cars on the West Highland Line

 

Here's the video:

 

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Sleeping Cars for Fort William

 

It being high summer(!), photos can more easily be taken of sleeping cars in daylight.  So here are a few taken on the West Highland Line of a train carrying drowsy passengers towards the Western Isles...

 

The first photo shows the sleepers arriving from London in the suburbs of Glasgow, to be joined to a local portion for the onward journey.

 

 

 

The two portions are gently combined into a 9 coach train...

 

 

 

Quite a challenge for a Class 4 engine on what will be an arduous route

 

 

 

Listen to those exhaust echoes ringing off the rocks...

 

 

 

But the footplate crew enjoy the downgrades...

 

 

 

And glance out at the dramatic scenery...

 

 

 

While keeping careful eyes on the road ahead...

 

 

 

So all is looking good for an on-time arrival:

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Goods to Go

 

Before we were so unfortunately interrupted (and service so masterfully restored, thank you guys), there was a freightful day in Dorking.

 

First, a 9F came through Throstlebeck with a mixed goods train:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was then seen passing Foxdale Carr Hall

 

 

 

and crossing Foxdale Bank

 

 

 

and rounding Sycamore Curve

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back at Throstlebeck Sidings a Black 5 was assisting with shunting

 

 

 

and after being turned, departed with a rake of coal wagons

 

 

 

Here seen running off the Northern Viaduct

 

 

 

across Foxdale Bank

 

 

 

and passing beneath Black Ghyll

 

 

 

Not long after, the 9F returned with another mixed goods

 

 

 

which was last seen heading away from Foxdale Bank...

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

Sleeping cars heading towards Fort William on the Dorking Garden Railway today

 

 

[Legacy new Flat Bottom code 75 finescale flexi]

I'd like to be able to buy a sample piece to see how it compares with C & L  and Peco.  Sadly it only seems to be sold in boxes of 25, which is too much of an investment in the unknown.

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

Class 66 running in the garden today

 

 

The rest of today's pics are here:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/84103-dorking-garden-railway-videos-in-00-scale/&do=findComment&comment=4727612

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

Back at the Ranch

 

I like to get some winter running done, partly to show the doubters that it's nothing special.  Outdoor operation is down to the weather, not the season.  Today's chilly sunshine following a dry period was ideal.  Mind you, I had to do quite a bit of gardening first to clear growth and debris off the track, but once the rails were rubbed clean and vacuumed the Class 66 with her newly acquired sound chip had a good day out, as did I.  Now that the loco has a chip, photos can be taken with the headlights on which looks much better.  Thanks, Josh.

 

Memo to self: need to weight the containers to improve the poor riding - and to weather the wagons and containers...

 

Not sure the pictures need any captions, except to say that the loco is shown hauling two different intermodal trains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Show us yours - Realistic modelling]

66209 with a ballast train attracts critical attention from the station staff at Wellbridge (courtesy of Crawley MRS) on her way back to the Dorking Garden Railway:

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

The Long Way Home

 

The Bachmann Class 66 has been away for a works visit to have superb sound installed (ESU LokSound chip, Jamie Goodman sound files and two speakers), the result of Josh being generous with his skills, time and advice.  This evening we tested her out on Wellbridge, a layout belonging to the Crawley Model Railway Society, and the result was impressive.  I'm hoping to get her out onto DGR metals again soon.

Here's a nice photo of her attracting professional attention from the station staff (thanks to Ewan for the pic):

 

 

[Hornby-Dublo, Built to Last]

And the 8F doesn't look too bad either:

 

[Hornby-Dublo, Built to Last]

Continuing in the spirit of the Hornby Dublo 2-6-4T, here's mine in a staged photo in the snows of four years ago.

 

 

In this photo the plastic bogie wheels look surprisingly like the original metal ones, but that's just coincidence.

[Hornby-Dublo, Built to Last]

My example of 80054 arrived at a similar time, in support of the existing motive power "Sir Nigel Gresley".  And yes, I also had the Standard tank converted to 2-rail - and she's still going strong, as in this video:

 

 

[Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale]

The sound of Class 66 music

 

Josh, who is a regular visitor to the DGR, has very kindly fitted my Class 66 with top quality sound.  Here's a video of it running on his layout - which is well worth a listen.  Looking forward to letting her out on the DGR again...