Dorkingian

Catching the Winter Sunshine We've had quite a few uncharacteristically sunny February days recently, but last weekend was the first opportunity to dust off the railway, polish up the track and get something running. These photos feature the DGR's stalwart BR Standard Class 4MT, first caught here crossing Foxdale Bank: Then here whistling a greeting to the Throstlebeck Sidings signalman And finally a bit of late afternoon glint (shame the offside front steps are missing, but such things tend to happen on garden railways): In between the still photography I was shooting video and trying to introduce smoke effects -- but that's another story.

Thanks, Paul. Fortunately I found those coaches secondhand (and very cheap). They are old Graham Farish brand, and if you look carefully you may see they are lettered LNER and have a woodgrain teak effect. Of course this wasn't how Annie and Clarabel were finished, but it's probably close enough.

Winter Sunshine Seeing today's bright weather, the Fat Controller suggested Thomas should show off his new brake pipes and front coupling by posing for some photos with recently-arrived Annie and Clarabel. Even the troublesome trucks were happy to join in the fun.

'Tis still just about the season, so a very Happy Christmas to all our readers! Here's a suitable photo, of Jubilee "Hong Kong" with its parcels train heralding the delights of Christmas:

There's a much better documentary in National Geographic's "Seconds from Disaster" series called "Wreck of the Sunset Limited". In contrast to the over-dramatised mystery of Medical Detectives, this 45 minute programme makes clear the obvious cause, which was a bridge originally designed to swing, without stops but with CWR laid across it, which was then knocked out of alignment by a barge which had taken a wrong turning in fog. Sadly, it the train had been running to time, it would have reached the bridge before the barge. The programme hasn't always been accessible in the UK, but is currently here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4i17ve

Australian Narrow Gauge - Dawdling through the Dandenongs The recent weeks of murky weather haven't been conducive to garden railway operations, so it's good to recall the more cheerful days of September and the Indian summer we enjoyed. One afternoon we had a very special visitor in the form of Frank with his Baldwin-pattern 2-6-2T from the Victorian Railways 2'6" gauge line in the Dandenong Ranges. This line, now preserved as the Puffing Billy Railway, was built in the early 1900s and saw some hard times, although it seemed to be surviving alright when the following photos were taken during its early decades. The fireman waves to the camera during shunting activities at Gembrook Number 6A dawdles through the Dandenongs with a goods train The driver keeps an eye out as the train runs across the Northern Viaduct... ...from where it's best not to look down!

We Shall Remember Them It seems appropriate today to post photos of Wagons-Lits rolling stock, including dining car 2419D in which the armistice was signed exactly a hundred years ago. These models by Liliput and Pocher arrived as a gift from Philip when I went to last month's ever-excellent O Gauge American and Continental Exhibition at Winchester. The photos would have been taken either during the First World War or very shortly afterwards, at carriage sidings somewhere, possibly even those at Landy outside Paris. The Wagons-Lits rolling stock is being serviced before being attached to various international expresses to run across Europe as through coaches, or indeed as complete trains in various versions of the Orient Express. Many of these services continued to run despite the war. Dining car 2419D, which had only been built in 1914, was taken out of service in September 1919 and preserved for its historic significance. Eventually it came to a sticky end, and the car bearing that number seen in France today is a renumbered stablemate. Eventually the varnished teak gave way to the more modern blue livery. Here's a sleeping car in teak. All ready for intrigue! 2419D again and a sleeper, both in teak: This end shot of a dining car shows the space-saving storage lockers provided each side of the corridor connection:

Thanks Paul. Yes, anyone who knows anything about Thomas understands that Annie and Clarabel are bogie coaches, not four wheeled jobs. I'm on the lookout for a couple of secondhand ones that I can respray to the right light-brown colour, but as our grandson is only three weeks old, I don't need to rush.

The Fat Controller's Birthday Yesterday was the 6th anniversary of the opening of the DGR, and the Fat Controller was delighted to welcome Thomas as a new arrival to the railway, to celebrate the birth of our grandson a couple of weeks ago. When he first arrived, Thomas was a rather lonely engine, having no-one to play with: He tried talking to the Throstlebeck signalman, but that wasn't much fun: At last he met a couple of friendly coaches and persuaded them to come out for a run: They had a lot of fun puffing along Foxdale Bank: And then Thomas found another two coaches to join them. "Look at me now!" he shouted as they charged across the Northern Viaduct:

Video Tasty My favourite garden railway video team, Duck End Pictures, have just produced another superb gauge 1 epic which I think you'll enjoy: Here's the link: https://youtu.be/f3SOzcLvaGk

Probably easier to upload your video to Youtube first, then just provide a link here.

Regal Progress Julian's "King William IV" paid another visit last week, showing the excellent results of his further detailing work, and flaunting an impressive retinue of chocolate and cream coaches in the rear. Nice lamp handles: A glimpse of the cab detailing:

Some obviously regard the railway as a bit of an intrusion into their part of the garden...

A mixed couple Josh brought a welcome range of trains on his recent visit to the DGR. First was Tornado, sounding better than ever with a higher-grade replacement speaker in the tender, and looking good at the head of my ex-LNER crimson and cream coaches Then there was the Javelin set in part-2012 London Olympics vinyls. Looks good crossing the Northern Viaduct, but do feel free to photoshop either some overhead line equipment or a third rail!

Southern Splendour One sunny afternoon a few weeks ago when David came to visit, we had a session running Southern trains from our combined collections. Here is an S15 with a goods train somewhere near Dorking on the North Downs line heading for Guildford. Note the bogie tender and "Queen Mary" brake van. Later, at Northdown Sidings a waiting T9 almost completely obscures a passing N Class loco from the camera, while the S15 pauses nearby (left) . Out on the main line, 30737 "King Uther" pilots an S15 on an express train crossing Foxdale Bank The double-headed train races down Bamboo Curtain Straight And a few minutes later we see "Ottery St Mary" with an all-Pullman ocean liner train from Southampton to Waterloo

All very atmospheric - and slatey. Impressive amount of work, but to superb effect.

One for luck A final photo from yesterday:

Nevada meets Georgia One of the delights of attending model railway exhibitions is that you never know when you may find just that little something that you'd forgotten, or never realised, you wanted. This morning I went to the excellent Seaboard Southern show in Crawley: https://www.seaboard-southern.org.uk/ . It is of course an all-American show, and I found some C19th US coaches which are a good match with my Rivarossi 4-4-0 "Genoa" loco acquired at another exhibition about a decade ago. A purist would point out that the Virginia and Truckee RR was a long way from the Western and Atlantic RR -- but it's fine by me as long as the photos don't show both names at once! BTW, this was posted on 15 September, which was the day of the exhibition, not 8th as shown in the header.

A summer afternoon moment at Throstlebeck Sidings ...as a Black 5 runs through with a goods train: Several photographers capture the action from different viewpoints: Until the train finally disappears onto Sycamore Curve and beyond:

The day terror stalked the line, it was almost a catastrophe (Oooohhh!) What happens if I grab it? What do you mean, "I'm in the way"?

German Visitors Recently two lots of German themed visitors came to the Dorking Garden Railway. First, David returned with a range of smooth-running Teutonic monsters, of which this DB Class 41 2-8-2 is but one example: Then Geoff brought this fine Roco model of the DB Roco-themed Class 103 electric loco. The detailing is impressive - but it needs someone to Photoshop some overhead catenary please! Even the wheels are coloured (a bit like an A4 tender actually):

The King returns Earlier this week Julian reappeared with his ever more-detailed King William IV and some new coaches. Fortunately lineside photographers were on hand to capture the proceedings. In the first two pictures, Wills is hauling the Birmingham to London standby Blue Pullman set of coaches on a day when the diesel unit was unavailable. This gives a slightly better view of the train's makeup, consisting of chocolate and cream open Firsts sandwiched between Pullmans: The last photo shows King William IV hauling "The Inter City" which ran throughout the 1950s between Wolverhampton Low Level, Birmingham Snow Hill and Paddington. Some nice detailing visible on the loco.

Coal trains on the Central Wales Line We've had quite a few visitors to the DGR recently given all the fine weather, so there's a bit of catching up to be done with the photographs. For starters, here is a selection of coal train photos taken at various locations on the Central Wales line. A Black 5 trundles along Bamboo Curtain Straight: 9F on Foxdale Bank, a rare sight on the Central Wales: Black 5 rounds Sycamore Curve: 8F on Foxdale Bank: Black 5 on Foxdale Bank:

Just found this old photo in the archives: King William IV on a milk and parcels train, presumably in the early 1960s when the Kings had been relegated to less exacting duties.

Definitely not the Dorking Garden Railway Earlier this week I was fortunate to spend a day visiting the superb 0 gauge railway of a friend in Winchester. The session was devoted to running late C19th to early C20th American trains, mostly scratch built coaches and wagons and heavily modified proprietary locos. The railway creates a great atmosphere of big coal-fired railroading, centered around and beyond Chicago, just a decade or two after Huckleberry Finn. Enjoy the pictures, as I enjoyed the day.