RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted May 1, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 1, 2012 Go enjoy your life - you only get one go at it! Well put...we'll be happy to see you, whenever you return... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sounds like a great plan, happy holidays! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanLister Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Hello Following on from my last post about our plans and the acceleration of them, here's where we'll be living for a few years: It's not off topic, as it's going to be my model railway workshop.........a bit less space, but the view will be much better than the current one, and there's a fridge for the Peroni. More on the layout soon, when I've finished shifting a load of stuff around the house and done a bit more practice for the LGV test.......... Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devondynosoar118 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 its a beast of a bus! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted May 2, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 2, 2012 Before we became Carers we spent quite a bit of time in our motorhome. I have a worktray which fits into an old briefcase with a couple of plastic tubs for tools and adhesives I could work on stuff with the tray balanced on my lap. Even coped with building 16mm wooden wagons but not up to live steamers though. Mind you we prefer a small motorhome much more manouverable under 6m is our style. We could use the small sites some of which are great. One favourite is alongside the Tal-y-Llyn even has a station by the farmhouse. Driving Dolgoch up to BrynGlas and back was a great treat. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted May 3, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 3, 2012 here's where we'll be living for a few years: You could fit a nice 2mmFS layout in there there's a fridge for the Peroni. Glad to see that's up in the prioritys list... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 You could fit a nice 2mmFS layout in there And no need to hire a van to take it to exhibitions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanLister Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 You could fit a nice 2mmFS layout in there Glad to see that's up in the prioritys list... Interestingly, the 9m (approx) linear version of my plan would fit lengthways, whereas it won't fit in the house........wouldn't be much room for much else though, and I'm not sure how Val would feel about the Flying Kipper passing 2 inches in front of her nose while she's on the loo....... The transverse rear garage will take all the planned boards comfortably, but not if we have bikes, sun loungers, barbecue etc. Decisions, decisions....... DonW: one of the key things you have to decide on when living full time in a motorhome is size of vehicle. Ours is designed to be ultra comfortable in Scandinavia in Winter, which was one of our requirements. Manoeuvrability? I know where you're coming from on that; we've had a 7m motorhome for several yrs and been all over in it, but the new one tows a trailer with a 2 seater cabrio on it, so once we're in a carefully chosen spot for a month or so the car will be our way of getting around. Pete: we'll be passing through Barcelona on our travels; be good to meet you. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Bu**er me! A shed with style! Looks far better and just a little bit safer than the Kombis we all knocked about in, in the 70s. I think growing old and being an ex-hippy is a contradiction in terms! No thoughts to having a roof pod with layout inside then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted May 3, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 3, 2012 Pete: we'll be passing through Barcelona on our travels; be good to meet you. Likewise Ian...If you are out of Peroni by then, I know some rather nice Catalan Beer... Drop me a PM when you are in the area... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 ... the new [motorhome] tows a trailer with a 2 seater cabrio on it ... Even a cabrio's tiny boot has enough space for a 2FS layout! Maybe you can spirit away chunks of Spittal Station in it... and it sounds like you'll need to model a private saloon coupled to an open carriage truck and a Peroni-liveried box van, for the mysterious foreigners wintering in the area in pre-motor-home days I just spent an enjoyable half hour revisiting some of your earlier posts. Any chance of seeing some of your work at the upcoming 2mm Expo/NEAG 30th anniversary show at Bournmoor? Good luck with the trip preparations! Graham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanLister Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Even a cabrio's tiny boot has enough space for a 2FS layout! Maybe you can spirit away chunks of Spittal Station in it... and it sounds like you'll need to model a private saloon coupled to an open carriage truck and a Peroni-liveried box van, for the mysterious foreigners wintering in the area in pre-motor-home days I just spent an enjoyable half hour revisiting some of your earlier posts. Any chance of seeing some of your work at the upcoming 2mm Expo/NEAG 30th anniversary show at Bournmoor? Good luck with the trip preparations! Graham Thanks for the comments Graham, and for the ideas re 2mm layouts while travelling. Rest assured, how to continue with the layout given the acceleration of our travelling dream is occupying a lot of my thoughts. My 2 retirement ambitions have met head on here, and will be resolved somehow; I never knew model railway building would become so important to me! I'd love to take my first board to the NEAG anniversary meet, but it's not finished, our old motorhome has gone in px for the new one which we haven't collected yet ( board won't fit in back of car; it was never intended to be an exhibition layout!) and I have little in the way of rolling stock to operate on it. Otherwise.......... We're too busy to think about the railway at the moment; my favourite modus operandi is to just immerse myself in it for 2 or 3 days and let it take over, and I can't do that at the moment, which is frustrating!!! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rannoch Moor Posted May 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 9, 2012 Ian, Know the feeling - so many fun things to do, so little time to do them. Commuting between Fareham and Helensburgh on a weekly basis has meant slow progress on Kilbrannan Ferry has been too slow for me and when I'm home my absence at work means I've got to try and fit in all the non railway things as well! Have a great time on your trip (and preparing for it - that must be exciting too) and keep us posted on what you're up to railway wise - and of course where you're doing them. Best of luck Gus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serious7 Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 Hi, and thanks for the encouragement. When you're scratching your head at 1 a.m. wondering why you can't get something to work, it helps to have a little support!! Jamie: we'll have to see about the steam locos. They are the reason I'm interested, and I would love to think the branch will be shunted by J72s and worked by J21s and J25s and so on, but I'm going to approach loco building in 2mm very slowly indeed. If I get there successfully I'll be very happy. In the meantime, converted diesels will have to do.....possibly a rewheeled Farish J39 when it appears, and if it's possible. Tim: the line up to Tweedmouth station doesn't exist in my hypothesis. Let me explain (this is where it could get very boring unless you're particularly interested in the railway history of this area) Reality: When the Newcastle and Berwick railway was built it made an end-on junction with the NBR which had built to Berwick from Edinburgh. Politics led to stupidity...as it tends to. George Hudson had tried to take over the NBR but they resisted, so in a huff he became unco-operative. Instead of sharing Berwick station, he had Tweedmouth station built just a mile south of Berwick, and very grand in design - the classic 'my station's better than yours' approach. This was in the 1850s. The Kelso branch then left the mainline north of Tweedmouth, so trains left Berwick, reversed at Tweedmouth and set off up the valley. Not very bright. In 1873-ish the docks opened at Tweedmouth, to serve Berwick. Why not Berwick? The deep water channel is on the south side, and the salmon fishing needed protection as well. Tweed Dock should have been a real benefit to the area; it's a rich agricultural basin, and there was potential to import and export all sorts of stuff. It never really took off, and the Tweed Dock branch was one reason. Built in about 1878, it ran from Tweedmouth down to the harbour. Cramped by the geography of the area, it was extremely steep and needed 3 reversals to get down to sea level Even with this rather quaint track layout, the average gradient was something like 1 in 40 or so. Limited to J77 tanks and about 4 wagons max, it was massively hamstrung from the start, and never really did the docks justice. It also made no attempt to serve Spittal Point, just a mile or so down the coast, where there was a growing industrial area including gasworks, 2 chemical works, 4 fertiliser works and 2 foundries, in addition to smaller industries as well. The maltings opened in 1904 never really benefitted from the railway, and the mill on the dockside suffered in the same way. The NER had originally wanted to build the branch in a different way, but were prevented by local opposition. That's where I sensed an opportunity. My rewriting of history: Firstly, George Hudson was sensible. OK, OK, it's a bit far fetched, but I think it makes for a better model, so it's happening! The NER successfully negotiated with the NBR. Result: shared use of Berwick station, Tweedmouth station not built, and the Kelso branch leaving the mainline at a south facing junction and heading up the valley. Much cheaper, much more efficient and generally sensible. Secondly, the dock branch. A view is taken that this enterprise has a lot of potential for the area, so is built appropriately. The dock line branches from the Kelso branch about a mile along it, descends slowly while doubling back to pass under the Royal Border bridge. It enters Tweedmouth along the south bank of the Tweed, serves a small passenger terminus and continues through the docks and on to Spittal, goods only. My layout will ultimately model the route from the entry into Tweedmouth. Gradients are not a problem, and there is direct and straightforward access to Berwick, the main line and the Tweed Valley branch. No restrictions on locos or capacity, and the whole area benefitting from a proper railway connection. Interestingly, I've discussed this with the chairman of Simpsons Malt in Tweedmouth and his view is that if it had been done 'my' way the local industries would have been much more valuable. Maybe his dad's maltings wouldn't have been burnt to the ground by a passing loco in 1933 if the railway had been a little better designed.......... Incidentally Tim, I live about a mile from Berwick and have bridge number 7 on the Kelso branch in my garden. If you need photos of relics or whatever for your Coldstream project, I'll help if I can. Coldstream is a few miles away, and Cornhill, where the station was, is only about ten minutes in the car. One or two archive photos, to give a flavour of what I'm after with the waterside design: 2011-03-25 17.33.48c.jpg The dockyard track layout will be an exact replica of the original, except for the added through route to the south. There were 2 wagon turntables, one to the dock edge to load coal, and one into Shorts grain mill; the latter will be on ny model, though to have it working in the fifties is a bit far fetched. It's just visible in the shot above. Next an artist's impression of the maltings south of the dock: Tweedmouth Maltings 1902.jpg This will be be about 16 inches long on the model and will be accurate; I have a copy of the original architectural drawings to work from. It was built in 1904, and burned down in 1933, partly it would appear as a result of the cramped location and its proximity to the railway. In my world, there was more space, and it still exists!!! Because I like the building, basically. It's great, owning your own world, isn't it? Love the square-rigger tied up at the quay as I'm struggling to work out how to convert ALEXANDER von HUMBOLDT from the stock REVELL 1:150 (near enough for 2mm) kit into a salvaged tramp steamer..... That story will appear under a SLEEPY COVE heading once I can post enough photos to justify the appearance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanLister Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 Hi This is an update for the members who were very kindly following my layout thread, and to whom I apologise for the long absence! We had such a busy summer 2012 preparing for the motorhome life that the layout took a bit of a back seat, I'm afraid. We set off on our travels in October, spending the first 5 months on the Northumberland coast and the North York Moors; in March this year we went down to Cornwall where we stayed for 3 months, near Truro and then near St Ives. 3 weeks in West sussex visiting friends was followed by 2 months in Summer in various beautiful bits of Yorkshire, and we're currently in North West Scotland about 5 miles from Mallaig watching the sun go down over Eigg, Rhum, Muck and Canna. The motorhome is fantastic, the lifestyle liberating, economical and great fun and the plan is to carry on like this for as many years as we continue to love doing it. We lost both our 16 yr old dogs last year, and have a new puppy who is keeping us in the UK at the moment, but as soon as she is a year old we'll be travelling much further afield. So where does that leave the Berwick, Tweed Dock and Spittal Railway? After some halting attempts at further progress I've reluctantly decided to put it into storage and on hold for the foreseeable future; it just doesn't seem possible to continue working on it to the same level of finish and detail; it's too big to work on comfortably in the motorhome and I don't want to spoil it by trying to and failing. It's somewhere safe, and will be returned to when I'm too old for what we're doing now. And where does it leave me, when the project I'd devoted my retirement to so wholeheartedly has been put on hold? Well, this life is wonderful, but the model railway urge hasn'y gone away; I just need to find something lighter and less unwieldy to be getting on with. Buildings for the B, TD and S for one thing, but that won't satisfy the urge to run a railway, so a smaller and more manageable layout will be built, hopefully with the same level of detail and greater application of skill as I implement the lessons learned so far. My fascination for railways by the sea and harbours persists; las Winter I researched the North Sunderland Light Railway in Northumberland, and in the Spring the Hayle branch and Devoran Quay (Redruth and Chasewater) were both on the doorstep and making very suggestive whispering noises in my ear, as was Padstow. But the last couple of weeks has made the decision for me. We're staying on the beach a half mile from The West Highland Extension (Fort William - Mallaig). I travelled the West Highland Line from Arisaig to Glasgow and back a couple of weeks ago and was awestruck by the whole thing; I've seen it often but never travelled it until now. So my 'motorhome layout' will be a model of a West Highland prototype, much lighter and more manageable in construction. Planning is nearly complete, and the baseboards will appear in October when we will be back in the South West and I'll have temporary access to some woodworking facilities. I'll start a thread on it when there's something worth writing about.......... Apologies again for the long silence Regards Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 11, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 11, 2013 Glad to hear your enjoying the life Ian. As part of the process of moving we have been living in a 5.4m van since June. Sometimes we think do we really want another house? Don't quite fancy wintering in the van though. 9 month Nomads will suit us. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rannoch Moor Posted September 16, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 16, 2013 Ian, Delighted to see you back on here - and pleased you are getting so much out of retirement. Now you are risking catching the West Highland bug like I have! Don't let it stop your eventual return to the B, TD and S when the time comes though! Best wishes Gus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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