Penhayle Bay

[Physicsman]

Good luck with the move, Rick, and I hope you can find a solution that - in the end - allows you to resurrect PB or a variant of it.

 

It's been a lovely layout and I daresay you have plenty of ideas for future projects running through your head!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

[Markeg]

Hi Rick,

 

Not long to go then.  Well done on the following on Facebook.  You have a lot of 'Friends.' Well your layout has a lot of followers.

Its good that know you have found a place in London, convenient and good for Sharon.  Good that Penhayle will be displayed in part in the flat.  Lots of photo opportunities with a variety of rolling stock.

 

I wont be able to make it this time.  I will be going into the club to fix up the club's English layout Oakham for our Easter Open days.

I will be helping out on Saturday only. 

 

We are thinking that we will visit the old dart next year.  May be able to catch up.  We have accommodation available to us in Chelsea and a couple of other places.

 

All the best. 

 

Mark

[Andrew P]

Ladies and gents.

 

Just a reminder that next weekend sees the FINAL chance to enjoy Penhayle Bay in operation.  Friday evening (only if there is sufficient demand) and Saturday 31st March and 1st April will be the last chance I have to offer an open-house to anyone interested.  I shall keep the layout intact until the advertised closure date of 17th April - Easter Monday - but have to work on every other day until then.  

 

We have successfully relocated to London and a small flat in the Strawberry Hill area of Twickenham.  Rail enthusiasts will be aware that this is also the site of a depot operated by South West Trains and currently home to the Bluebell Railway's preserved class 423 (4Vep) unit in addition to maintaining a fleet of suburban and main-line trains.

 

The space available, smaller than we had expected, means that it will not be possible to retain a working portion of Penhayle Bay.  While we have accepted a smaller property than intended or hoped it is in many ways very suitable for us.  It is under two minutes' walk from the station which, with Sharon's somewhat restricted mobility, is extremely helpful.  She has a reasonably easy and short commute to work at Kew Gardens by way of a change between train and bus at Richmond.  We viewed numerous larger places including one I really liked which had a loft conversion that would have been a perfect railway room.  However Sharon found the stairs too steep there and in several other places we saw which ruled them out and favoured the ground floor flat we agreed would be our best option.  Those who have met Sharon will understand why a step-free (or almost step-free) home and trip to work are desirable.  She can manage stairs but often only with some difficulty.  The older London houses we saw mostly had rather steep central staircases - and in one instance without a continuous handrail.

 

So what of the immediate future?  

 

I have set up my room in the flat with an elevated bed to maximise floor space.  There will be space for a couple of sections of Penhayle Bay.  There will be room to store Boghouses and return it to operable condition though it would need to normally live flat against a wall.  There is room to use the boards originally track-laid for Beer & Branscombe either to finally built the Beer part of that project or, more likely, to build something else entirely.  Something else entirely would be Southern electric-themed though I shall find a way to allow steam and perhaps the occasional WR freight to appear.   Whether to weather is another conundrum.  The flat is newly carpeted and I have no outdoor space of any kind.  If I do "dirty stuff" it must be in the bedroom and with the carpet covered with a drop sheet.  I already have nearly all the rolling stock I would need and of that nearly all is already weathered meaning I might not need to do too much more.

 

It's "All Change" on the layout front and in many other ways.  

 

Come and enjoy Penhayle Bay if you can.  While you can.

All the VERY best with the final running session and ultimately the move.

 

I hope you find somewhere to enjoy your Hobby enough, and as for weathering, I'm sure you'll soon find a Club or some mates where you can do some bits and pieces.

 

All the best to you and Sharon.

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

Welcome back, glad to hear you have some digs sorted though a pity you don't have much room. As Andy said I am sure you will find a local club which might have somewhere to work on rolling stock, better still a layout to run some trains on.

 

Still planning to come up next Saturday so will see you then.

 

Cheers Peter. 

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

Have you thought of finding a local model railway club that may be able to accommodate the layouts baseboard sections?

[Gwiwer]

Have you thought of finding a local model railway club that may be able to accommodate the layouts baseboard sections?

 

I know of no actual club anywhere around here.  There are the numerous BRMA members some of whom I am in regular contact with but nowhere with a club room and certainly nowhere with 34 metres of space.  Apart from which Penhayle Bay is so firmly built into its location, around fence posts, house plumbing and even being bolted into the brick wall in places that it won't come apart cleanly.  Every board is also custom-cut to its own unique shape and size.

[brushman47544]

Pleased to hear you've found something suitable for you both close to where Sharon will work. My sister lives that way and although the traffic can be a nightmare, the trains and buses are good.

 

I look forward to seeing your new projects, whatever they may be in the space available, although I do hope you will retain some operations with your WR hydraulics.

 

There are a number of model railway clubs in the area, most of which are members of the Chiltern Model Railway Association (see list here: http://www.cmra.org.uk/members.html), including Twickenham & District MRC whose thread here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/29186-twickenham-district-mrc/ I've called into from time to time.

[Gwiwer]

Many thanks Andrew.  Bookmarked for future reference.

[Donw]

I would echo the comments about joining a local club. I doubt they would want to store a big layout but the chance of a bit of space to work in would be ideal. Beside you might find someone living nearby that may allow you to use space at their place. Our club space has also been used for the model press to photograph members layouts as well as club ones.

Don

[Peter Beckett]

Hi Rick,

Great to hear you and Sharron have a place that's not to far from transport. Much better than my last place in Potters Bar. A mile to the nearest bus then half an hour trip to nearest tube, Cockfosters.

I am looking forward to Friday night and have just converted the Garratt to run on DC. I even get the sound though not as good as DCC for some reason.   

 

Cheers

 

Peter

[Gwiwer]

Hi Rick,

Great to hear you and Sharron have a place that's not to far from transport. Much better than my last place in Potters Bar. A mile to the nearest bus then half an hour trip to nearest tube, Cockfosters.

I am looking forward to Friday night and have just converted the Garratt to run on DC. I even get the sound though not as good as DCC for some reason.   

 

Cheers

 

Peter

 

 

 

Friday evening (only if there is sufficient demand) 31st March

 

Just to confirm that Friday evening running is taking place.

 

The place in Strawberry Hill is very close to the station but a modest walk from any bus.  Not a mile but certainly half.  Depending upon required destination the nearest is the 33 at Strawberry Hill House (Hammersmith - Fulwell) with the R68 (Kew Retail Park - Hampton Court) only a few yards farther at Cross Deep / Strawberry Vale.  There are multiple routes at Twickenham Green which is slightly farther in the opposite direction and we are spoiled for all-night choice by having both the 33 and the N22 up at the Green (Piccadilly Circus - Fulwell) running all night every night.  

[Jim76]

Hi Rick, glad you got a place sorted. Looking forward to Saturday. Cheers, Jim

[brushman47544]

A direct bus to Kew Retail Park could be helpful. Only a few shops - Boots, M&S, Next, Gap, TK Maxx (and Mothercare) I think, but they are big so have plenty of stock. A shame it's not really in walking distance from the Green. Another good shopping option with everything on one place is Westfield. White City tube or bus 33 to Hammersmith then bus 72.

[Gwiwer]

Now that London has succumbed to the "out-of-town" shopping mall and traditional High Street supermarkets are thin on the ground a bus trip is often the only way for those who choose to live without cars.  That will include us.  There is so little need for a car that we can do without.  But a decent-sized supermarket requires a trip to Kingston (10 minutes on the train then a short walk to Sainsburys) or perhaps an online order placed for delivery when we're home.  There's Tesco at the back of Twickenham in a location they call Ivybridge (Ivybridge to me is in Devon) but it has no direct bus link in our direction.  We might have to check out the Retail Park.

 

On the other hand both Sainsburys and Tesco are doing a community service in buying up large former pubs on strategic street corners and making use of what might otherwise have become long-term eyesores.  And there's a decent Waitrose at Twickenham station, but that's not out end of town and requires Sharon to hop off the train and back on a later one, or me to make a special trip for more expensive, but sometimes better quality, groceries than the others offer.

[DougN]

Fantastic news Rick. It sounds like you have found the bolt hole for the foreseeable future. Sharon's aversion to stairs in understandable. I will be in touch with the other Blackburn crew and see what they are interested in catching up for the final time at the bay!

 

As I mentioned a while ago we now have some where to catch up with you in London!

[Gwiwer]

The final Open House at Penhayle Bay got under way tonight.  The "web-cam" captured some very unusual movements indeed .....

First up was a Garratt running tender first with a decent freight in tow.  Despite the power of the loco and the fitted head two 20-ton brake vans were felt necessary.  Legomanbiffo Olivias sound fitted loco running successfully on DC and sounding good.

 

As if that wasn't odd enough the next train down must have suffered a very serious diversion.  The Adelaide - Melbourne "Overland" led by one of the ubiquitous NR-class locos, NR41, in its original livery, eases through the curves.  This loco has, incidentally, already been twice around the world and is about to embark on its third trip, has appeared at two exhibitions in the UK and on numerous layouts there not all of them HO/OO scale!

 

The Garratt sustained a sheared coupler and was replaced by a class 23 "Baby Deltic" 

 

While someone in authority must have had a word as the Australian loco was exchanged for a British class 45 "Peak" which coped well with its most unusual train.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2017 by Gwiwer

[Peter Beckett]

Rick,

Great videos and even greater night.

I had turned on DC for the 3 locos and all ran very well. The Garratt was a bit of a surprise, too. It has a V4 Loksound decoder with the sound from Olivias (slight correction,not Legomanbiffo). I had tested it on a short length of track at home so I knew sound could work on DC but was pleasantly surprised how well when running on a much longer track. I had the sound, short whistle and light turned on for DC  and the sound was terrific. At one point just after Penhayle Station and passing the beach I even heard the fireman shovelling call so even the random sounds were working on DC.

I wonder how GWR would have reacted to a Midland Garratt working their metals

Again, Thanks to Rick

 

Peter  

[SRman]

Looks good, Rick, with a nice variety of trains. Perhaps 'The Overland' should have been renamed 'The Overseas'!

[Gwiwer]

Today's final public running session theme was "Anything Goes".  It certainly did.  Rule 1 was stretched to the limit.  A selection of still pictures shows some of the action.  There are also video clips which take longer to upload and process.

 

Nothing very unusual about a Beattie well-tank at Ponsangwyn shed except that the gantry crane isn't usually there.  The shot has been set up to resemble views captured at Wadebridge shed in the final days of the well-tanks.

 

Likewise there's nothing particularly unusual about the class 03 shunter parked beside the goods shed other than the fact of it not being a very frequent visitor

 

Two GWR pannier tanks prepare to depart with the milk train.  The lead loco is one of those sold to London Transport and wears its smart maroon livery

 

Up at Treheligan station the St. Agnes branch was operated for a time by a Southern Region 2EPB unit which would normally require third-rail electric power.
 

 

Very unexpected was the use of an engineer's trolley to haul a parcel working.  Even more out of place was the Australian train waiting at Carreglyp Dries with a rake of open bogies wagons led by a GM-class loco in the short-lived Great Northern livery (no link to the former British company of that name and rather surprising because they were based in Melbourne - the most southerly mainland city) 

 

 

On the main line another Aussie loco, a 1952-built Victorian A-class, leads a rake of elderly carriages over Darras Viaduct. Loco and coaches are owned by friends and were visiting for the day. 

 

A star performer was Stephenson's Rocket also brought along by a friend.  The loco is a plastic Airfix kit which has been skilfully built to run freely and is pushed by a Black Beetle motor mounted beneath the carriage which is a Hornby item.

 

Rocket was unable to complete a circuit of the layout owing to issues with structure gauging!!!  It did however manage several trips up and down parts of the layout without such problems.

 

 

Perhaps the most unexpected visitor to run - and it ran perfectly - was a working model of a Melbourne W5-class tram.  Normally powered from the overhead this too must have been draining its batteries to run on a two-rail system!

 

Finally back at Ponsangwyn the West Country which spent several hours working hard on a freight train which will feature in the videos rested beside a class 22 and the well-tanks.  Somehow the gantry crane has managed to vanish and the shed is back to relative normality.

 

 

[Andrew P]

Looks good Rick, almost like a few to many Sherrys before getting the Stock out mate.

[Donw]

Looks like you had a good session last one I presume. Rather sad but it has been interesting even for an online bystander.

 

On other matters it may be worth trying the order online for delivery shopping Marion much prefers it to wandering round the supermarket. We tend to use Tesco once you have ordered a few times you can call up a list of 'favourites' things you have ordered before which makes it much quicker to order as you don't need to search round for everything just anything out of the ordinary. It also avoids carrying heavy bags back on public transport. We have a midweek delivery plan costs about £3 a month and any deliveries midweek are free if spending over £40. It would cost us more in fuel to go once a week.

It makes sense not to have a car in London, the only thing is carrying heavy bags. Here we have few shops so a lot of stuff is ordered online for delivery, rather than go into Taunton.

Don 

[Gwiwer]

Thanks Don.  We tried using Tesco online but they have an allergy to overseas bank cards and will only accept UK ones it seems.  Further to that the attempt to use an Australian card on their site resulted in it being blocked as a suspicious transaction requiring an international phone call to have it unblocked.  We currently use Sainsburys delivery service and they have a decent-sized store close enough to Kingston station that I can walk it with a few bags.

The videos will be uploaded and posted later.  There are some trains I didn't catch in still mode still to show.

[Bogie]

The good folk of Treheligan are a mighty blasé lot.

 

Stephenson's Rocket pulls in and they cannot even look up from their newspapers!

[Gwiwer]

The good folk of Treheligan are a mighty blasé lot.

 

Stephenson's Rocket pulls in and they cannot even look up from their newspapers!

 

Maybe they were tipped off that it's a replica

 

"The train now arriving at platform 2 is Stephenson's Rocket.  We apologise to any surviving passengers for the delay to your service."

[P.C.M]

Hi Rick,

It was great to catch up yesterday and run a few trains. As always the layout looked superb and was running well.

 

Here are a few of my pics from the day.

 

All the best Peter.