Channel 4 model railway challenge

[Mallard60022]

I enjoyed it and from a people watching point of view it was fascinating despite the inevitable editing that makes or breaks things. Great to get a viewpoint on difference from the chap who was talking about his 'condition' (autism). I should think it was an interesting experience of integrating for all that took part. I suspect some gained a lot more than others but also there would have been some serious respect developed between team members?

As for me, I'd rather watch something like that than call the ###### Midwife or yet another X factor style pile of carp.

P

Edited February 6, 2018 by Mallard60022

[Colin_McLeod]

Errr. How many charged batteries do you think the cameras and portable lights were using? If your answer is lots and lots you're not underestimating too badly. 

:scratchhead:Thinks, a steam driven camera battery charger, now there's an idea  

 

.... that the greater (but certainly not all) proportion of the filming was in the more easily accessible from a road locations.

Where all the 13A sockets for battery chargers are! lol.

[Jenny Emily]

Well they saved the best till last. It was good to see Jenny and her team perform at last and "anyone who can breathe" has got to be the defining comment of the series.

 

Jenny, I would get yourself a projector and screen put a presentation together and get round a few model rail shows, you should be able to make a bob or two out of it especially if you can get hold of any out takes.

 

Well done to you and the crew.

 

Richard

 

 

Thanks. I too was glad to see team D get some coverage in the last episode.

 

<plug time> I wrote an article for BRM magazine that goes to print soon, and I talk a little in that about what went in to making this programme. </plug>

 

I am available to book for talks (no-one has yet asked me) and I even have a layout too that has occasionally appeared in print and on the exhibition circuit. I have many stories to tell about the filming, and did recently talk about some of the most common questions I get asked about the filming on my Youtube channel in a Q&A video that features a very small bit of unused footage as well as some behind the scenes footage of bits that you didn't really get to see as they were trimmed for time.

[Phil Parker]

I wrote an article for BRM magazine that goes to print soon, and I talk a little in that about what went in to making this programme.

 

I've seen this, it's an excellent read with superb photos. Well worth buying the Spring issue of BRM for. 

[Legend]

Perhaps the sequel should involve a team of fully grown adults, split into four teams, who have to wire up a layout in DCC, using all the available, but different, best practice suggestions, but also including people who don't want to do it. It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. The opener, and probably a further three episodes, will be the team building necessary to agree what control system to settle on, and the finale will be the fault finding, where they discover they have each used a different set of protocols and interfaces, but it all has to be working by the time the community hall opens at 10 am for the WI.

 

Should have enough drama, bust-ups and potential for interesting characters. I have not worked out yet as to how to introduce annoying insects (spiders this time perhaps?) or horrendous working conditions...... a roof leak, or busted kettle, maybe.

See you said DCC . I’ve already turned off

[Pacific231G]

Where all the 13A sockets for battery chargers are! lol.

You can charge batteries from vehicle borne chargers but you'd normally start the day with a good supply of charged batteries. Camera crews can get to a location just as easily as the "navvies" and  In any case quad bikes or whatever can transport more than lengths of track. Jenny and others can probably tell us whether there were camera crews attached to each team or whether they were all roaming across the whole project.

 

I notice from the end credits that it was produced by Love West. Does that mean the core production team was working out of Bristol?

Edited February 5, 2018 by Pacific231G

[Signaller69]

Well done Jenny and all the teams, found the series very enjoyable. Well deserved celebrations at the end too!

[Reorte]

Where all the 13A sockets for battery chargers are! lol.

Sure, but do you want to keep running back there with another battery for the loco? The question is whether it's easier to carry the water and gas it needed or the batteries an electric one would've needed.

[Robin Brasher]

Thanks. I too was glad to see team D get some coverage in the last episode.

 

<plug time> I wrote an article for BRM magazine that goes to print soon, and I talk a little in that about what went in to making this programme. </plug>

 

I am available to book for talks (no-one has yet asked me) and I even have a layout too that has occasionally appeared in print and on the exhibition circuit. I have many stories to tell about the filming, and did recently talk about some of the most common questions I get asked about the filming on my Youtube channel in a Q&A video that features a very small bit of unused footage as well as some behind the scenes footage of bits that you didn't really get to see as they were trimmed for time.

The Purbeck Railway Circle hosts talks at Harmans Cross Village Hall by the Swanage Railway. These are normally in the evening of the second Friday of each month but it may be too far for you to travel. Dakota, who was also on the Model Railway Challenge, has organised a couple of model railway exhibitions there in summer.

[ejstubbs]

I think the clue is in the music at the end: "Over the sea to Skye"

 

I think that was just rather obviously and gratuitously taking advantage of the Flora MacDonald statue outside Inverness Castle to play a somewhat over-wrought version of A Well Known Scottish Song as background to the general (and certainly deserved) celebrations.

 

(I was actually a bit miffed that they felt it necessary to add some utterly unmemorable background music over the sequence of the loco approaching the station, drowning out the piper that was playing.  I mean, I know some people aren't that fond of the pipes but hey, suck it up, we're in Scotland!)

 

Speaking of railways on Skye, in the early 1900s Skye Marble Ltd built a 4 mile long 3ft gauge railway to carry (you guessed it) marble from their quarries at Kilbride to Broadford.  Unfortunately the company didn't last long, going in to liquidation in 1912 with the railway equipment was sold off in 1913.  You can still walk the trackbed from Broadford to Kilbride - and there is an operational marble quarry in Kilbride these days (albeit using road haulage to transport its product).  There's even a remote Flora MacDonald link, since Kilbride was where her bonnie boat landed when she made the trip over the sea to Skye carrying Charles Edward Stuart in drag.

 

There were other industrial railways on Skye at various times, built to help exploit deposits of quartzite and diatomite.  There was also an opencast iron ore mine on Raasay which had a railway.

 

In the late 1890s there were a couple of proposals for "real" railways on Skye.  The Highland had an idea to build a railway from Kyleakin, on the other side of the water from Kyle of Lochalsh, to Torrin a bit north of Kilbride.  A more ambitious proposal was the Hebridean Light Railway, with the North British as backer, which envisaged a line from Isleoronsay, via Broadford, Sligachan and Portree to Uig, with a branch to Dunvegan, giving a total length of around 70 miles.  Needless to say, neither of these came to fruition.  Having spent time at Isleoronsay last summer, I do rather think that in this instance the presence of a railway might actually have spoilt the location somewhat (heresy, I know).

Edited February 5, 2018 by ejstubbs

[caradoc]

I also thoroughly enjoyed the series, and the scenes of delight in the final programme of the loco surmounting the helix, and then arriving at Inverness, were wonderful. Congratulations again to all involved.

[RJS1977]

There was an Isle Oronsay layout on the exhibition circuit a while back (the layout still exists but under a different name with a new owner).

[Jenny Emily]

You can charge batteries from vehicle borne chargers but you'd normally start the day with a good supply of charged batteries. Camera crews can get to a location just as easily as the "navvies" and  In any case quad bikes or whatever can transport more than lengths of track. Jenny and others can probably tell us whether there were camera crews attached to each team or whether they were all roaming across the whole project.

 

I notice from the end credits that it was produced by Love Productions West. Does that mean the core production team was working out of Bristol?

 

We had our own camera crew embedded in team D: (L-R) Tom, Cara and Jeff. They were superb, and had to go everywhere we did in the same conditions, but carrying some very heavy gear. Without them we would have become invisible!

 

 

The Purbeck Railway Circle hosts talks at Harmans Cross Village Hall by the Swanage Railway. These are normally in the evening of the second Friday of each month but it may be too far for you to travel. Dakota, who was also on the Model Railway Challenge, has organised a couple of model railway exhibitions there in summer.

Dakota was actually booking stuff whilst we were on location. One of the other members of team D runs a B&B so deals were being done for accommodation for exhibitors! Swanage would be too far for me to pop along to though.

Edited February 5, 2018 by Jenny Emily

[mozzer models]

There was an Isle Oronsay layout on the exhibition circuit a while back (the layout still exists but under a different name with a new owner).

do you mean

Isle Ornsay - Hebridean Light Railway (009) which was built by Tom Dauben

 

if so I now own it

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/122980-loch-kimmage-on-the-lb/&do=findComment&comment=2998395

[MJI]

We had our own camera crew embedded in team D: (L-R) Tom, Cara and Jeff. They were superb, and had to go everywhere we did in the same conditions, but carrying some very heavy gear. Without them we would have become invisible!

 

Biggest_little_railway21-Jennifer-Kirk.jpg

 

Dakota was actually booking stuff whilst we were on location. One of the other members of team D runs a B&B so deals were being done for accommodation for exhibitors! Swanage would be too far for me to pop along to though.

 

That broadcast stuff is getting smaller, about the same size as 1980s domestic kit.

 

I always feel that the production crews never get enough credit.

[Pacific231G]

That broadcast stuff is getting smaller, about the same size as 1980s domestic kit.

 

I always feel that the production crews never get enough credit.

Definitely. It's amazing how many viewers think the presenters make all the production decisions. Mind you I can think of a few presenters who seem to think that too. Good to see that they all had the appropriate clothes for high summer in the Highlands. 

[Huw Griffiths]

I was a bit mystified by the use of the battery shunter, as it was evident that there were two Silver Ladies in the equation, and the second could easily have been kept in steam as a substitute.

 

Me too - I was hoping for something with a pantograph. (OK - perhaps not ... .)

 

Seriously though, the battery shunter certainly seems to have come in useful in places - like very steep gradients, for instance.

 

As for the second "kettle" (!), this also seems to have had some uses.

 

 

Perhaps we can move on now to arguing about something else

 

Perhaps it might be worth starting with something uncontroversial - like "gauge wars".

 

On second thoughts, perhaps not.

 

 

Perhaps the sequel should involve a team of fully grown adults, split into four teams, who have to wire up a layout in DCC, using all the available, but different, best practice suggestions, but also including people who don't want to do it. It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. The opener, and probably a further three episodes, will be the team building necessary to agree what control system to settle on, and the finale will be the fault finding, where they discover they have each used a different set of protocols and interfaces, but it all has to be working by the time the community hall opens at 10 am for the WI.

 

Should have enough drama, bust-ups and potential for interesting characters. I have not worked out yet as to how to introduce annoying insects (spiders this time perhaps?) or horrendous working conditions...... a roof leak, or busted kettle, maybe.

 

Sounds like fun.

 

(As for "critters", some of our American friends already have them. However, they are actually talking about different types of "critters" - essentially, small shunting locos, usually with added "character" - think in terms of slightly more "offbeat" versions of that battery shunter in the TV series, but made to look a bit "rough & ready".)

 

 

That wouldn’t work- surely DCC only requires two wires......

 

So does a battery, with a switch.

 

Come to think of it, that could be an alternative form of digital control:

• "0" = "switch is off - no juice flows - so the train stops";
• "1" = "switch is on - juice flows - so the train moves".

If anyone really wants to be "clever", they could even add a variable resistor (to improve controllability on sharp curves) or the use of two digits on one hand, to assist with "explaining" things to any "wise guy" who tries to suggest that "official" DCC systems are so much easier to wire and set up.

 

Seriously though, both DC and DCC have their adherents (and advantages). I, personally, see nothing wrong with either, as long as people are sensible about which they choose (and why) - and respectful of other people's right to make their own decisions.

 

 

Using a battery electric for more of it would've probably been more difficult for keeping it supplied with charged batteries. Steam probably was the most practical choice.

 

Errr. How many charged batteries do you think the cameras and portable lights were using? If your answer is lots and lots you're not underestimating too badly. 

Thinks, a steam driven camera battery charger, now there's an idea  

 

I know you're joking - but it might have been rather more useful than a solar charger, if some of the programmes (and comments in this thread) are anything to go by.

 

 

I enjoyed it and from a people watching point of view it was fascinating despite the inevitable editing that makes or breaks things.

 

... As for me, I'd rather watch something like that than call the ###### Midwife yeat another X factor style pile of carp.

 

I'm sure it would be possible to find far worse TV programmes.

 

In particular, it would be possible to watch those late morning shows, full of foul mouthed wasters screaming abuse at each other (and anyone else within a 10 mile radius) - and some guy making suggestions along the lines of "you go that way - you go that way - get off my stage", before introducing yet another ad break by saying that he's about to "go and lie down in a darkened room".

 

Well, it would be possible to watch those programmes. I, personally, wouldn't bother.

 

 

That broadcast stuff is getting smaller, about the same size as 1980s domestic kit.

 

I always feel that the production crews never get enough credit.

 

I couldn't agree more about production crews.

 

Anyone who really wants to know how small and light broadcast cameras etc are these days could get a pretty good idea by visiting BVE (I think it's short for Broadcast & Video Expo - or something like that), at London's Excel in a few weeks' time.

 

Somehow, I suspect that a lot of people would struggle with carrying even the smallest, lightest, "pro" filming gear - leave alone holding it steady for extended periods of time. The same would probably be true of equipment like "steadi-cams" etc.

 

 

Huw.

[Signalist]

The programme has been broadcast in full now so it is probably safe to comment as a participant without spoiling anything. It has been interesting to read some of the comments suggesting what might have been going on and the perception of what was successful and what was not.

 

It was a fun thing to do, and I think on balance everyone who took part had a very positive experience. We are all very fit now having walked about 150 miles during that fortnight much of it carrying heavy kit over difficult terrain inaccessible to even a quadbike. What was broadcast bears very little resemblance to the reality of what went on, and the finished cut was obviously created based on the footage that was obtained rather than what they thought they were going to show - otherwise the hours of footage following the teams filming every waking minute and interrogating us on every detail both on and off the job would not have been bothered with. Left in the can is material for a whole different series of programmes showing how the teams worked around problems and innovated to create solutions to problems that were not seen beforehand despite some quite meticulous planning for the most part.

 

I think in the end most participants featured have been shown in a positive light - you need to see the whole story thread in some cases to get the whole context. We all have personalities and don't always show a sunny disposition twenty four hours a day, so it only takes ten seconds to create a sound bite that can last a life time. My wife has her's printed on a tee-shirt now after her appearance on four in a bed (yes I do have a B&B too).

 

When we started I don't think any of us thought that we were going to get all the way, but we tried our hardest and working in our teams we managed to make progress way beyond what any of us thought we could do.

 

The question has been asked 'is it modelling or is it engineering?' The answer has to be it is both. The fundamental task was an engineering one - creating a railway in the landscape. The solutions to the problems though were often more akin to modelling where we were using what we had to hand and often using materials in a less than ideal way but in a way that did the job.

 

For those that think the crew just stood around and watched I can assure you that they were always on the move. While a team might be spread over a mile or more of worksite the crew would be constantly moving from place to place to ensure that everything got filmed and nothing at all was missed, and the crew took everything they needed for the whole day's filming with them on foot.

 

There was quite a lot of false jeopardy done with the intention to create suspense - but on the whole it probably backfired. Things were kept secret like the scale of the train which rather thwarted us being able to add a lot more. If I had known it was 16mm scale I could have brought along my rake of W&L wagons - they would have been great for testing!

 

You might have seen the Silver Lady fall off the track a few times. The rather beaten state of the loco at the end testifies that it was not really compatible with the track which was insufficiently rigid for a top heavy loco of such a weight. While the little steam loco definitely became the star of the show it was not quite as popular with the majority of track laying teams. There was a definite disconnect between the train provider and the track designers! The smaller and lighter and less top heavy battery locos would run all day on that track and never derail (well, not on Team 'D' track anyway!) It might have been nice to have more than one train run as a comparison.

 

You saw the back stories of a handful of the participants, but there were equally interesting stories to be told of most of the participants. When you recognise someone from the telly don't be shy - have a chat. For the most part you will find someone a lot more interesting than you have seen for twenty seconds on the telly, probably someone who is a major spoke in the wheel of the UK modelling industry and more than likely the organiser of your favourite exhibition.

 

Paul

[Reorte]

There were other industrial railways on Skye at various times, built to help exploit deposits of quartzite and diatomite.  There was also an opencast iron ore mine on Raasay which had a railway.

There are some viaduct piers left of the Raasay one, would've looked quite impressive when it was in use.,

[Andrew P]

The programme has been broadcast in full now so it is probably safe to comment as a participant without spoiling anything. It has been interesting to read some of the comments suggesting what might have been going on and the perception of what was successful and what was not.

 

It was a fun thing to do, and I think on balance everyone who took part had a very positive experience. We are all very fit now having walked about 150 miles during that fortnight much of it carrying heavy kit over difficult terrain inaccessible to even a quadbike. What was broadcast bears very little resemblance to the reality of what went on, and the finished cut was obviously created based on the footage that was obtained rather than what they thought they were going to show - otherwise the hours of footage following the teams filming every waking minute and interrogating us on every detail both on and off the job would not have been bothered with. Left in the can is material for a whole different series of programmes showing how the teams worked around problems and innovated to create solutions to problems that were not seen beforehand despite some quite meticulous planning for the most part.

 

I think in the end most participants featured have been shown in a positive light - you need to see the whole story thread in some cases to get the whole context. We all have personalities and don't always show a sunny disposition twenty four hours a day, so it only takes ten seconds to create a sound bite that can last a life time. My wife has her's printed on a tee-shirt now after her appearance on four in a bed (yes I do have a B&B too).

 

When we started I don't think any of us thought that we were going to get all the way, but we tried our hardest and working in our teams we managed to make progress way beyond what any of us thought we could do.

 

The question has been asked 'is it modelling or is it engineering?' The answer has to be it is both. The fundamental task was an engineering one - creating a railway in the landscape. The solutions to the problems though were often more akin to modelling where we were using what we had to hand and often using materials in a less than ideal way but in a way that did the job.

 

For those that think the crew just stood around and watched I can assure you that they were always on the move. While a team might be spread over a mile or more of worksite the crew would be constantly moving from place to place to ensure that everything got filmed and nothing at all was missed, and the crew took everything they needed for the whole day's filming with them on foot.

 

There was quite a lot of false jeopardy done with the intention to create suspense - but on the whole it probably backfired. Things were kept secret like the scale of the train which rather thwarted us being able to add a lot more. If I had known it was 16mm scale I could have brought along my rake of W&L wagons - they would have been great for testing!

 

You might have seen the Silver Lady fall off the track a few times. The rather beaten state of the loco at the end testifies that it was not really compatible with the track which was insufficiently rigid for a top heavy loco of such a weight. While the little steam loco definitely became the star of the show it was not quite as popular with the majority of track laying teams. There was a definite disconnect between the train provider and the track designers! The smaller and lighter and less top heavy battery locos would run all day on that track and never derail (well, not on Team 'D' track anyway!) It might have been nice to have more than one train run as a comparison.

 

You saw the back stories of a handful of the participants, but there were equally interesting stories to be told of most of the participants. When you recognise someone from the telly don't be shy - have a chat. For the most part you will find someone a lot more interesting than you have seen for twenty seconds on the telly, probably someone who is a major spoke in the wheel of the UK modelling industry and more than likely the organiser of your favourite exhibition.

 

Paul

Hi Paul, a great piece, how about a pic of you in your Avatar so we know who you are / were?

[ejstubbs]

Fun episode and I feel that some editing may have not been kind to team C leader.

 

I didn't see Paul coming out of it particularly badly.  I can understand that his manner might not appeal to all - he seems to be rather too flippant when discussing serious matters* but that could be nerves as much as anything else.  He didn't make wasn't shown making any more glaring mistakes than any of the other team leaders AFAIR.  In the first episode he stood up to pressure from Hadrian to carry on working at a point in time which would have meant his team members having to skip a meal for no good reason (that was in the very early days of the project when the track laying teams were making vastly better progress than the driving teams so there was no risk to the objective in taking a break for lunch).  That was good team leadership IMO.

 

IIRC Paul and Jenny shook hands as Silver Lady passed the "golden spike" point where Team C and Team D met up.  (Of course it's possible that they were 'persuaded' into that gesture of friendship by the production team - but I'm sure that Jenny would never tell!)

You might have seen the Silver Lady fall off the track a few times. The rather beaten state of the loco at the end testifies that it was not really compatible with the track which was insufficiently rigid for a top heavy loco of such a weight.  There was a definite disconnect between the train provider and the track designers!

 

IIRC Hadrian was all too happy to take credit for the track design during the kick-off meeting in Episode 1.  It became clear almost as soon as they started driving Silver Lady northwards that the track was inadequate for the loco, even on the Caledonian Canal towpath but especially given some of the rough ground it had to be laid over later on the route.  Hence the driving team having to be accompanied by people holding the track level (using a hi-tech tool fashioned from a bit of stripwood and a shelf bracket, if I'm not mistaken!)

 

I have no idea whether the inadequate track design was a result of a decision by the production team based on cost constraints, or a failure of engineering.  Either way, it was that shortcoming which truly put the project's goal in jeopardy IMO.

 

* If you can ever call any thing to do with trying to drive a miniature steam locomotive through the Great Glen on plastic track "serious"!

Edited February 6, 2018 by ejstubbs

[Reorte]

 It became clear almost as soon as they started driving Silver Lady northwards that the track was inadequate for the loco, even on the Caledonian Canal towpath but especially given some of the rough ground it had to be laid over later on the route.  Hence the driving team having to be accompanied by people holding the track level (using a hi-tech tool fashioned from a bit of stripwood and a shelf bracket, if I'm not mistaken!)

That's the type of problem-solving I like to see at least (putting the issue of there being a problem in need of solving in the first place), nice, simple, and low-tech. Why try complicated solutions when simple ones work?

Considering the nature of the track getting up the spiral, albeit with a minor but very awkwardly placed derailment (hadn't realised how high it was until then!) was all the more impressive.

[Georgeconna]

The Purbeck Railway Circle hosts talks at Harmans Cross Village Hall by the Swanage Railway. These are normally in the evening of the second Friday of each month but it may be too far for you to travel. Dakota, who was also on the Model Railway Challenge, has organised a couple of model railway exhibitions there in summer.

 

Oh Nice,Do you know if there are any in the 1st 2 weeks of August? Missed  a exhibiton 2 years ago by 2 days the last time we had camping Holidays there.

 

Also there was a chap in the town flogging off Model Railway Items  advising there was a model railway shop to open in Swanage at some stage. Has that happened?

[Pacific231G]

The programme has been broadcast in full now so it is probably safe to comment as a participant without spoiling anything. It has been interesting to read some of the comments suggesting what might have been going on and the perception of what was successful and what was not.

 

It was a fun thing to do, and I think on balance everyone who took part had a very positive experience. We are all very fit now having walked about 150 miles during that fortnight much of it carrying heavy kit over difficult terrain inaccessible to even a quadbike. What was broadcast bears very little resemblance to the reality of what went on, and the finished cut was obviously created based on the footage that was obtained rather than what they thought they were going to show - otherwise the hours of footage following the teams filming every waking minute and interrogating us on every detail both on and off the job would not have been bothered with. Left in the can is material for a whole different series of programmes showing how the teams worked around problems and innovated to create solutions to problems that were not seen beforehand despite some quite meticulous planning for the most part.

 

I think in the end most participants featured have been shown in a positive light - you need to see the whole story thread in some cases to get the whole context. We all have personalities and don't always show a sunny disposition twenty four hours a day, so it only takes ten seconds to create a sound bite that can last a life time. My wife has her's printed on a tee-shirt now after her appearance on four in a bed (yes I do have a B&B too).

 

When we started I don't think any of us thought that we were going to get all the way, but we tried our hardest and working in our teams we managed to make progress way beyond what any of us thought we could do.

 

The question has been asked 'is it modelling or is it engineering?' The answer has to be it is both. The fundamental task was an engineering one - creating a railway in the landscape. The solutions to the problems though were often more akin to modelling where we were using what we had to hand and often using materials in a less than ideal way but in a way that did the job.

 

For those that think the crew just stood around and watched I can assure you that they were always on the move. While a team might be spread over a mile or more of worksite the crew would be constantly moving from place to place to ensure that everything got filmed and nothing at all was missed, and the crew took everything they needed for the whole day's filming with them on foot.

 

There was quite a lot of false jeopardy done with the intention to create suspense - but on the whole it probably backfired. Things were kept secret like the scale of the train which rather thwarted us being able to add a lot more. If I had known it was 16mm scale I could have brought along my rake of W&L wagons - they would have been great for testing!

 

You might have seen the Silver Lady fall off the track a few times. The rather beaten state of the loco at the end testifies that it was not really compatible with the track which was insufficiently rigid for a top heavy loco of such a weight. While the little steam loco definitely became the star of the show it was not quite as popular with the majority of track laying teams. There was a definite disconnect between the train provider and the track designers! The smaller and lighter and less top heavy battery locos would run all day on that track and never derail (well, not on Team 'D' track anyway!) It might have been nice to have more than one train run as a comparison.

 

You saw the back stories of a handful of the participants, but there were equally interesting stories to be told of most of the participants. When you recognise someone from the telly don't be shy - have a chat. For the most part you will find someone a lot more interesting than you have seen for twenty seconds on the telly, probably someone who is a major spoke in the wheel of the UK modelling industry and more than likely the organiser of your favourite exhibition.

 

Paul

Thanks Paul

That's a really interesting insight into what was already a fascinating series to watch on many levels.

 

From a television production point of view  it must have been an enormous and possibly unique challenge to film and shape. Notwithstanding even the two James May Tarka Trail programmes I can't think of anything remotely similar in overall concept that I've ever seen before. It was also a leap of faith by Love Productions, who must have believed it could be done, for which they deserve great congratulation as of course do all of you who stuck with it for two obviously very gruelling weeks.

I have kept all five episodes on my Tivo box (digital video recorder) and will certainly go back and look through parts of it again in the light of what we now know. 

 

The question of track is interesting. I think it might be hard to come up with an alternative that could have been produced in sufficiently large quantities and laid on unprepared rough ground rapidly enough for this project. I had wondered whether the battery loco - presumably with a lower CofG- really didn't derail or whether that simply wasn't shown so it's good to know that. I don't think there would have been the same sense of struggle and triumph in seeing an electric rather than the steam loco making it from Ft. William to Inverness but was the decision to use it possibly a late one by the production team after the track had been designed?

Edited February 6, 2018 by Pacific231G

[rockershovel]

Regarding the plastic track, hasn’t someone already stated that the original concept was to use 0 Gauge and presumably, a rather smaller locomotive? Why was that changed? Perhaps because a suitable loco could not be sourced, or (perish the thought) Roundhouse were the only supplier to offer a loco and support, free of charge? It’s clear that running endurance was a significant constraint, as was the durability of the loco in such an aggressive environment (I greatly doubt that many such locos are used in such dirty conditions and foul weather, or for such long uninterrupted periods)