Classic layouts still on display

[Pacific231G]

On 12/07/2022 at 14:55, tomparryharry said:

Am I allowed to mention Pendon?  i still haven't been there yet.....

The Madder Valley Railway was running yesterday (Saturday) and will be again on 15th October. If you've not been there yet I really can recommend Pendon for all three scenes (MVR, Dartmoor and Vale of the White Horse)

Edited July 24, 2022 by Pacific231G

[dick rowland]

I managed to visit Pendon yesterday, it must be about thirty years since I was last there. As I had expected, it was excellent. It was good to see the Madder Valley actually working. I understand that the operating locos are not always John Ahern originals. I'm fairly sure the railcar, with interior lighting, is of more recent vintage.

 

I got there about 1300, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the MVR, Dartmoor, the Vale scene and last but not least, the Teignmouth Sea wall scene.

A good selection of trains, as always. I even saw a train on the Midland & South Western Junction line on the Vale scene.

 

A couple of 'wind up' points: the signal arms didn't 'bounce' and really good smoke units with drain cock simulation would make it 100% perfect instead of only 99.9%.

 

Some people are very hard to please!  

 

More and more simply superb buildings and scenes have appeared on the Vale scene, Pendon never fails to amaze me and inspire me.

 

A note: public transport from Didcot Parkway to Long Wittenham appears to be virtually non-existent. I used taxis from Didcot Parkway to Long Wittenham. The train fare, from Cambridge, was actually quite reasonable but, factoring in the taxi fares I may well hire a car next time.

Edited July 24, 2022 by dick rowland

[Pacific231G]

On 24/07/2022 at 15:50, dick rowland said:

I managed to visit Pendon yesterday, it must be about thirty years since I was last there. As I had expected, it was excellent. It was good to see the Madder Valley actually working. I understand that the operating locos are not always John Ahern originals. I'm fairly sure the railcar, with interior lighting, is of more recent vintage.

 

I got there about 1300, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the MVR, Dartmoor, the Vale scene and last but not least, the Teignmouth Sea wall scene.

A good selection of trains, as always. I even saw a train on the Midland & South Western Junction line on the Vale scene.

 

A couple of 'wind up' points: the signal arms didn't 'bounce' and really good smoke units with drain cock simulation would make it 100% perfect instead of only 99.9%.

 

Some people are very hard to please!  

 

More and more simply superb buildings and scenes have appeared on the Vale scene, Pendon never fails to amaze me and inspire me.

 

A note: public transport from Didcot Parkway to Long Wittenham appears to be virtually non-existent. I used taxis from Didcot Parkway to Long Wittenham. The train fare, from Cambridge, was actually quite reasonable but, factoring in the taxi fares I may well hire a car next time.

I'm very glad you enjoyed it. You probably saw me operating Madderport - my first full day as an operator there-  so I hope I wasn't being too ham fisted. (I actually felt incredibly privileged) 

The NE railcar IS recent - it appeared for the first time on the previous operating day and belongs to one of the operators. The general policy for some time been to augment John Ahern's original locos with modern replacements or reproductions on operating days but to display his original locos when, as on most of Pendon's opening days, it is just a static display (though still inspiring) .

There is obviously a balance between enabling visitors to see the MVR as a working layout and conserving every part of this historic and important artefact in as original a condition as possible, hence only demonstrating it on four or so days each year with a fair amount of TLC before each of them.

 

I've been fascinated by the MVR for decades and, even when it wasn't operating, have tended to spend more time admiring it than the fine scale scenes at Pendon. What has surprised me though, given that it's best known for pioneering the idea of a railway running through open scenery, is just how interesting it is to operate. Madderport in particular has a very well thought out trackplan and, like the rest of the layout (with the possible exception of Much Madder junction) feels authentic. John Ahern did explore and study real railways rather than other model railways (his survey published in MRN of the Watlington Branch is excellent)

The Madder valley does feel like a real place one would love to visit. The only thing I did notice on Saturday was that, for a fishing port, Madderport has plenty of pubs but no fish and chip shops!

 

Note for visiting Pendon by public transport. If the weather is dry (and the footpaths aren't muddy) It's only about a mile and a quarter (2 kms) to walk from Appleford Halt to the Museum. I know this because I've walked to Appleford and back for exercise from Pendon during a couple of previous visits.

Google maps doesn't recognise this route and gives a walking distance of two miles but, if you walk past the church and keep following the footpath in roughly the same direction, you'll reach the footpath that extends from Long Whitenham High Street about a hundred yards from the museum- it's a pleasant and fairly easy walk through or around fields close to the Thames. 

Edited July 25, 2022 by Pacific231G

[Harlequin]

I visited Pendon for the first time on Saturday. It was an inspirational experience!

 

I tried to grab a few "focus stacks" on my phone to get photos with more depth of field. Here's the first one I have processed with sky digitally inserted:

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Harlequin
Improved image

[bécasse]

A very impressive shot! I tried playing with a b/w version for comparison:

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by bécasse

[Flying Pig]

Applied a couple of filters to the black and white version:

[Harlequin]

Here's another:

 

And here's my attempt at an old scratchy version:

Edited August 18, 2022 by Harlequin