Dorking Garden Railway - videos in 00 scale

[Dorkingian]

Virgin territory

 

Just after the turn of the Millennium, Virgin Voyager Class 220 units revolutionised Cross Country services with their useful connections, elongated routes centred on Birmingham New Street and regular interval timings.  Not rocket science, but it made an impact, as did the comfortable and good-looking units themselves.  This is the Bachmann version:

 

 

 

 

Here's a Brighton to Manchester service (or is it the other way round?) on the North Downs Line near Dorking:

 

[Dorkingian]

Magical mystery tour

 

Roll up for the Hogwarts Express, fittingly hauled by Hogwarts Castle (Anyone seen a Ford Anglia flying around?):

 

 

 

Isn't this a wizard loco!

 

 

[Dorkingian]

With a little help from my friends

 

While getting the railway ready for today's running session, the guardian robin popped up to see what was happening:

 

 

 

Shortly afterwards, a less common visitor turned up:

 

 

 

and eventually the trains started to run:

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

As the Black 5 headed off with its train of vans...

 

...leaving Throstlebeck Sidings with extra wagons in tow:

 

 

 

Before crossing Foxdale Bank:

 

 

 

...and, having dropped off some wagons, rounding Sycamore Curve:

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

The country used to run on coal

 

So scenes like this Standard Class 4 with a rake of mostly mineral wagons were common.  First, passing Throstlebeck Sidings:

 

 

 

Then on Sycamore Curve:

 

 

 

And finally passing Foxdale Carr Hall:

 

[Dorkingian]

Here's another coal train

 

on Foxdale Bank in the charge of a Black 5:

 

 

[Dorkingian]

More visiting engines

 

Yesterday afternoon David P. came round with a great selection of engines needing to stretch their legs in the fresh air.  First a BR Standard 2-6-2T:

 

 

 

The uniquely rebuilt Duke looked in fine form:

 

 

 

...while somehow the Class 66 and the S15 managed to avoid the photographer.

[Dorkingian]

David's rebuilt Battle of Britain class "603 Squadron" looked at home on Foxdale Bank (although the p.w. men don't seem to have spotted a failed jumper joint):

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Size isn't everything

 

But it's a nuisance if we have to shrink photos first in order to stay within the daily 10MB quota, whereas some websites reduce uploaded files automatically.  So for anything more than a couple of pictures (including in this case a real Little Barford, a GW Pannier and Stephenson's Rocket), it's much easier to put them somewhere more convenient and then just provide a link:

 

https://www.oogardenrailway.co.uk/index.php?/topic/354-the-dorking-garden-railway/&do=findComment&comment=19556

 

[Dorkingian]

It would be churlish not to share even one photo here, so here's the Little Barford at the exchange sidings (with a bigger b****rd waiting nearby):

 

[Dorkingian]

Yesterday I had an enjoyable morning at the annual American flavoured exhibition of the Seaboard Southern group who are based in Crawley.  Ian Lampkin's excellent Fort Myres layout is a very effective depiction of railroads in Florida, as in this photo with two local residents thinking about lunch.

 

[Dorkingian]

Black 5 on a stopping train

 

The new platelayers' hut needs a bit more weathering.  And the platelayers need to deal with all that vegetation in the four-foot -- this isn't Network Rail!

 

 

 

It won't be long before Sycamore Curve is knee-deep in leaves...

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

A touch of Jubilation

 

Jubilee "Hong Kong" tackling Foxdale Bank with a mixed rake of pre- and post-nationalisation coaches:

 

 

 

And at the end of the day, heading home along Bamboo Curtain Straight:

 

[Pteremy]

Looks like great fun. I have always thought of garden railways as the preserve of larger scales - but you prove otherwise.

[Dorkingian]

Cornish Pastures   (Thanks to Julian for bringing lots of superb GW assets to visit recently, including signals and now captions)

 

Large Prairie 51xx 2-6-2 tank No.5158 of St Blazey shed stands in the yard before working a short train of china clay empties up to Bugle. The year is 1947 and the cleanliness of ex-GW locomotives has yet to return to pre-War standards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Dorkingian
photo selection

[Dorkingian]

Cornish Pastures (2)

 

Following an overhaul at Swindon works c. 1961, 45xx ‘Small Prairie’ tank class No. 4570 stopped off at St Blazey shed (83E) for servicing whilst working its way back to it home depôt, Penzance (83G). Not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth, St Blazey used the locomotive for several runs up the former Cornwall Minerals Railway route towards Newquay on a succession of china clay workings. It is seen on a short train of empties en route for the Wheal Rose branch, firstly, climbing up the Luxulyan Valley towards the Treffry Viaduct and also on the approach to Bugle, where the train will be left.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

A third helping

 

Having eventually arrived back at its home shed, Penzance (83G), No. 4570 was returned to its more usual haunts on the St Erth to St Ives branch for the rest of 1961.

The first photograph shows No. 4570, with the usual ubiquitous B set, crossing the viaduct after leaving Carbis Bay, the penultimate stop before reaching St Ives. The train is starting to head due north on its way to round Porthminster Point below the erstwhile GWR Tregenna Castle Hotel.

 

 

 

The other image shows No. 4570 and its two-coach train down by the waterside, shortly after leaving Lelant, the first station after St. Erth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Dorkingian

[Dorkingian]

Furthermore...

 

After working an express down to Plymouth, Castle Class No. 5043 ‘Earl of Mount Edgcumbe’ of Old Oak Common (81A) retired to Laira shed (83D) for servicing and repairs to a damaged smoke-box dart. A smart turn-round on these tasks provided the Laira shed master with the opportunity to allocate this locomotive to a special duty, taking a large party from various local Sunday Schools back to Newquay after an outing.

 

The first photograph shows No. 5043 easing down towards Laira Junction, where it will turn on the triangle.

 

 

 

 

The next image shows No.5043 passing through the north end of the yards at St Blazey, before making an assault on the long climb up to Luxulyan, some of it at 1 in 37.  In the yard an unknown 45xx (but possibly visiting No.4570) is shunting china clay empties.

 

 

 

 

The last photograph shows No.5043 and its train approaching Luxulyan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Ultimate Cornish

 

To finish this photographic account of that foray into Cornwall, 68xx Grange class 4-6-0, No.6869 ‘Resolven Grange’, of Penzance shed (83G) brings an empty stock working down from Newquay into St Blazey. The first vehicle is a Siphon G.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, a 45xx (again probably No.4570), is still busy in the yard marshalling china clay empties.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Catching up

 

As I've not managed to post any new photos here for a while, here are some older ones (well, 2018 anyway) which haven't been shown before, of the Black 5 in sunny weather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Seeing the year out

 

It had been a long wait for a day of good weather that was also convenient for a running session, but the penultimate day of December was a good opportunity to test run the Caledonian Single locomotive and coaches acquired a couple of months ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew I should have tested the Single indoors first!  In fact she wouldn't turn a wheel that day, so these photos were just posed.  Will have to try some indoor TLC.

[Dorkingian]

Later that same day

After the uncooperative Caley loco, it was on with the trusty BR Standard 4MT which is always reliable.  Here, it is passing Throstlebeck signalbox with a few vans.

 

 

 

 

Coming off Foxdale Bank, with Sycamore Cottage in the background

 

 

 

 

and, with a couple more vans added on, bowling along Bamboo Curtain Straight

 

 

 

 

Despite the previous night's frost, everywhere was still very wet from the recent rain, and fortunately this trespasser was spotted and ejected before any damage was done:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Just to keep things ticking over...

 

while not much has happened in the garden recently, here are a couple of photos from 2017.  Looks like I had black and white film in the camera that day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

First train of the year

 

About time too, some may say.  Well, up till now the weather hasn't been great, and there's always real life which conspires to get in the way of running trains.  But with this recent spell of fine weather - and no social obligations intervening - I was able to make the most of yesterday.

It was a Southern day in honour of the sunshine, and the first train past was a coal train hauled by an N Class 2-6-0:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dorkingian]

Then,

 

a West Country appeared with a passenger train, seen here running past the goods train at Northdown Sidings:

 

 

 

Running across the Northern Viaduct and past Foxdale Carr Hall:

 

 

 

and heading past the new footbridge on towards Foxdale Bank: