Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale

[Dorkingian]

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

 

[Dorkingian]

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!

[Dorkingian]

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

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

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:

 

 

[Dorkingian]

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

[Dorkingian]

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:

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Dorkingian

[Paul_sterling]

Brilliant! I like how the carriages are actually more like those that Wilber Audrey envisioned rather than the four wheelers that Britt Alcroft gave us. 

 

I bought Thomas last year for my son (now 15 months), he loves watching him going around our line. my Parents have bought Henry for him for Christmas (probably Christmas 2020!) and I'm going to order Edward. Diesel will be made by putting a face onto my Bachmann Black 08, and a few others may arrive as and when I can get them for a half sensible price. 

 

I had a Thomas of my own when I was young (er) but he never ran very well, and did eventually strip a gear, so was sold about 4-5 years ago, it also had the earlier, somewhat ropey looking face, at least the new one only looks a little crosseyed   . 

 

Cheers, Paul. 

[Dorkingian]

I like how the carriages are actually more like those that Wilber Audrey envisioned rather than the four wheelers that Britt Alcroft gave us. 

 

 

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.

[Dorkingian]

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:

 

 

[Dorkingian]

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!

 

[Dorkingian]

'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:

 

[Dorkingian]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Paul_sterling]

Very nice, did you respray those coaches in the end or did you source these ones as they are? What brand are they? sorry for the masses of questions.  

 

I'm thinking of making a set for Samson, as I got him Thomas in the summer, and more recently Edward and Henry. He's only 18 months, but very keen on the railway, and he'll get the loco's for Christmas over the next few years. 

 

Cheers, Paul. 

[Dorkingian]

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.

[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.

[Dorkingian]

Adding smoke effects to a model railway

 

I've taken up smoking!  A first attempt is shown in this video (please ignore the opening INVALID caption inserted by software gremlins):

 

https://youtu.be/meFiPPiyLRk

 

Plenty of scope for improving on these faltering first steps - as well as for getting the hang of the new video editing software.

[Dorkingian]

A dishy Duchess

 

An attractive duchess arrived to stay with us recently, courtesy of friend Colin who couldn't see his way to continuing his relationship with her.  So it seemed only polite to give her an opportunity to pose in the afternoon sun. 

 

Unfortunately that's all she'll be able to do on the Dorking Garden Railway unless I can find a 2-rail chassis for her or get her converted (do Scalespeed do such operations, I wonder).  Anyway, she appeared to be enjoying today's outing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with many of us, close-up photos reveal quite a few blemishes, not least the rust around the tender handrails:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

It's been a while...

 

...since I've been able to have a running session, what with visitors, a holiday, and life in general.  So here's a photo I like from some years ago of the 9F running onto Foxdale Bank with a longish string of wagons:

 

[Dorkingian]

Not Forgotten

 

 

My great uncle Ralph Lloyd passed away in Ontario this week.

He seems to have had a long, full and happy life.  This included a large HO layout in his basement.  When he was 65 he started to lose his eyesight, so changed to G scale modelling, and he gave me a demonstration of the current layout in his basement in November 2017.

The staff of the Dorking Garden Railway honour his departure.

 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by Dorkingian
date accuracy

[Dorkingian]

Goods Vibrations

 

To celebrate some fine weather this week I decided to have a freight train day.  Recently I've been buying up secondhand 16 ton mineral wagons wherever possible, which has produced a nicely differentiated and battered rake (although a few more wagons wouldn't go amiss).  So it was out with the 8F and the 9F and plenty of wagons to shoot.

First, the 9F on a coal train:

 

Crossing the Northern Viaduct

 

 

 

Running along Foxdale Bank

 

 

 

On Sycamore Curve

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Continuing:

 

9F and train approaching Throstlebeck Sidings

 

 

 

With the 9F in the headshunt, the 8F takes its train past Throstlebeck signalbox.

 

 

 

 

 

After which, the 9F gets the road and heads away.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Going Great Western

 

Visiting locomotives and rolling stock aren't exactly unusual on the DGR, but yesterday was a bit of a first with some visiting signals.  More specifically, some beautifully finished lower quadrant Ratio signals arrived for the day (helpfully tailored to the DGR track plan), along with Julian's ever growing stock of realistically grubby GW-origin rolling stock.  So we planted the signals and ran some trains.

 

First out of the box was Resolven Grange, seen here on a parcels train passing some fine signals (note the bucket on the tender footplate):

 

 

 

Later, the Grange paused with some coaches in the headshunt, to admire the signal controlling access to the main line...

 

 

 

and King William IV ran past with an express to Paddington from the west Midlands and the Principality beyond:

 

 

[Dorkingian]

That's Entertainment

 

Yesterday the DGR was delighted to welcome Hal and Joe to see the trains.  As neither has reached their third birthday yet, it was an excuse to run some older, more robust stock, so I dug out the battered Tri-ang BR green Class 37 no. D6830 and some Tri-ang Mk I coaches (very passable models for their day) - which seemed to keep the visitors happy. 

Afterwards, as everything was up and running, I decided to exercise the BR Standard 4MT and relax while watching it trundle past with a coal train.

 

First the 37.  Someone seems to have taken a bite out of its bodywork:

 

 

Then the Class 4, here running onto Sycamore Curve:

 

 

and on verdant Foxdale Bank:

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Summer comes soonest in the South

 

This week David H. brought ten very handsome locomotives from his large Southern collection to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine in Dorking.  First up was a double headed ensemble of King Arthurs, with Sir Meliagrance piloting Pendragon:

 

 

 

 

After running successfully for some time, we noticed that Sir Meliagrance had nevertheless sustained an earlier injury.  Visible in this next photo is the dislodged off-side slidebar assembly.  So he is now in the shops for care and attention.

 

 

 

 

Number 30915 Schools class "Brighton" ran well, seen here running off the Northern Viaduct with a very light load.  But she then shed a traction tyre, so also had to be removed from service for later attention. 

 

 

 

 

Deciding a beauty contest can be hard, but Dugald Drummond's T9s, nicknamed "Greyhounds", will always be strong contenders:

 

 

 

 

The last photo shows an Adams Radial tank as the train engine with an M7 as pilot, passing Northdown Sidings:

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Foreign Visitors to the DGR

 

Geoff and Josh braved the intense sun in Dorking yesterday and, as usual, brought a welcome eclectic mix of rolling stock new to this railway.  First up, the Germans:

 

Here's a handsome NordWestBahn "Lint" diesel unit from Niedersachsen:

 

 

 

and here, somehow coasting over the Northern Viaduct with its pan down, is the Piko model of a Talent emu in DB Regio livery:

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Dorkingian
unit name added