Mid-Cornwall Lines - 1950s Western Region in 00

[St Enodoc]

6 hours ago, roundhouse said:

Only two locos???

So far...

[St Enodoc]

Now in Leeds for a week, staying with Mr & Mrs @Barry O.

 

On Monday we set out in the pouring rain to @31A's house, where we operated Finsbury Square for an hour or so. Fully signalled (but not interlocked!), once I got the hang of reading every word in the instructions for each move, rather than just trying to wing it, things seemed to go much better. Thanks, Steve!

 

Then a short drive to @acg5324 and an excellent pub lunch (Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker and Greene King Abbot) followed by a session on Kensington Olympia. A measure of Andy's skills is that this N gauge layout looks far smaller in real life than it does (to my 4mm scale eyes) in his photos.

 

Finally, after some unplanned and extensive detours (read: we got hopelessly lost) we arrived at the home of our old friend and Leeds MRS member Ken Nelson. Ken has family connections to the Derwent Valley Railway and it was great to see his latest versions in both 00 and 0 gauge.

 

Another great day out - thanks to all our hosts and I hope to se you all again before too long.

[31A]

3 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Now in Leeds for a week, staying with Mr & Mrs @Barry O.

 

On Monday we set out in the pouring rain to @31A's house, where we operated Finsbury Square for an hour or so. Fully signalled (but not interlocked!), once I got the hang of reading every word in the instructions for each move, rather than just trying to wing it, things seemed to go much better. Thanks, Steve!

 

Then a short drive to @acg5324 and an excellent pub lunch (Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker and Greene King Abbot) followed by a session on Kensington Olympia. A measure of Andy's skills is that this N gauge layout looks far smaller in real life than it does (to my 4mm scale eyes) in his photos.

 

Finally, after some unplanned and extensive detours (read: we got hopelessly lost) we arrived at the home of our old friend and Leeds MRS member Ken Nelson. Ken has family connections to the Derwent Valley Railway and it was great to see his latest versions in both 00 and 0 gauge.

 

Another great day out - thanks to all our hosts and I hope to se you all again before too long.

 

It was great to see you both and thanks for coming round.  It's always interesting when somebody else operates the layout; they sometimes find different ways of doing things and expose flaws I wasn't aware of, but in this case probably my fault for not explaining the instructions fully!

 

Enjoy the rest of your stay, and please come again if you're passing.

[5BarVT]

My thanks to Barry O for bringing you to Warley so that we could meet face to face rather than by words and photos or Zooming.

Was good to put the railway world to rights with you and The Stationmaster.

And good that The Stationmaster Gen2 passed by while I was there as I now have an invite to Great Cockrow Railway to inspect the signalling once they open up next summer.
Paul.

[t-b-g]

I was honoured to be part of the St Enodoc UK tour 2023 today. The official photographer recorded the visit, which included a couple of other familiar faces.

 

It was a most enjoyable afternoon and a great reminder to me as to why I enjoy this wonderful hobby so much. Please consider yourselves welcome for another session on Buckingham any time.

Tony

[Barry O]

A great day!

 

I will return soon.. and will partake of driving the trains!

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, t-b-g said:

I was honoured to be part of the St Enodoc UK tour 2023 today. The official photographer recorded the visit, which included a couple of other familiar faces.

 

It was a most enjoyable afternoon and a great reminder to me as to why I enjoy this wonderful hobby so much. Please consider yourselves welcome for another session on Buckingham any time.

Tony

Thanks Tony. The pleasure was all mine - I will never forget the chance to fulfil a dream I have had since first reading about Buckingham nearly 60 years ago.

[St Enodoc]

Yesterday we drove to deepest North Lincolnshire, where we spent an excellent day with @Clive Mortimore operating Sheffield Exchange, laughing a lot and generally having a lot of fun. Well worth the trip.

 

Today we called on @Michael Edge and saw Wentworth Junction in action, with the ex-LNER Garratt banking coal empties and a coal train reversing to the colliery. We all then carried on to @t-b-g's where, after yet another fine pub lunch (Jennings' Cumberland and a superb mixed grill), we operated the Buckingham Branch for what seemed like an hour but was actually well over two.

 

As I commented in Tony's post above, I first encountered this layout in the Railway Modeller in the early 1960s and it became an inspiration for my successive attempts to create a proper operating model railway. The chance actually to sit at the famous Buckingham control panel with its 64 sliding point and signal switches, three-position block instruments and other period accoutrements was almost overwhelming. It was an honour, a privilege and a pleasure to be invited.

 

 

 

Thank you again, Tony, for inviting us to share this wonderful experience.

[ian]

An ambition fulfilled. That is one that you can cross off your bucket list!

[Oldddudders]

I am not amazed that you so enjoyed the surreality of operating Buckingham. I believe a few years ago, t-b-g brought part of the Denny empire to Railex, and that was certainly a day to remember. Even more implausibly, I think Crispin Denny, he who had been 'automated' by his father in an early '60s episode in RM, was an onlooker while I was there. 

 

I think Hamilton Ellis summed up such experiences in the final sentence of his history of the LBSCR:

 

"They may even sound Gladstone's whistle, so that the forgotten sound of a Brighton Fast will cry eerily out of time, like Pharaoh's trumpets." Operating Buckingham is of the same order of implausible magnitude. 

[t-b-g]

34 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I am not amazed that you so enjoyed the surreality of operating Buckingham. I believe a few years ago, t-b-g brought part of the Denny empire to Railex, and that was certainly a day to remember. Even more implausibly, I think Crispin Denny, he who had been 'automated' by his father in an early '60s episode in RM, was an onlooker while I was there. 

 

I think Hamilton Ellis summed up such experiences in the final sentence of his history of the LBSCR:

 

"They may even sound Gladstone's whistle, so that the forgotten sound of a Brighton Fast will cry eerily out of time, like Pharaoh's trumpets." Operating Buckingham is of the same order of implausible magnitude. 

 

Both Crispin and Stephen Denny still have an interest in model railways. Stephen has just finished rebuilding the old "TVLR" garden railway in his garage and garden. Crispin had built an N gauge layout a while ago.

 

During our time exhibiting Leighton Buzzard, there were several occasions when they both came along as operators and that included at Railex. Watching the layout being operated by Crispin and Stephen was quite special to me.

 

It was lovely to have them along and I think they were quite touched by the number of people who were telling them how much Peter had influenced their own modelling. I think they were a bit taken aback at just how much people still remembered and appreciated all that he did.

 

I get to operate Buckingham whenever I like and I usually have a couple of friends round once a week for a good operating session. It is still quite magical to me after running it for around 12 years now.

 

I am such a lucky sod to have it!

[t-b-g]

11 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Yesterday we drove to deepest North Lincolnshire, where we spent an excellent day with @Clive Mortimore operating Sheffield Exchange, laughing a lot and generally having a lot of fun. Well worth the trip.

 

Today we called on @Michael Edge and saw Wentworth Junction in action, with the ex-LNER Garratt banking coal empties and a coal train reversing to the colliery. We all then carried on to @t-b-g's where, after yet another fine pub lunch (Jennings' Cumberland and a superb mixed grill), we operated the Buckingham Branch for what seemed like an hour but was actually well over two.

 

As I commented in Tony's post above, I first encountered this layout in the Railway Modeller in the early 1960s and it became an inspiration for my successive attempts to create a proper operating model railway. The chance actually to sit at the famous Buckingham control panel with its 64 sliding point and signal switches, three-position block instruments and other period accoutrements was almost overwhelming. It was an honour, a privilege and a pleasure to be invited.

 

 

 

Thank you again, Tony, for inviting us to share this wonderful experience.

 

It was a "grand day" as they say around these parts.

 

One of the biggest benefits I get from having Buckingham is days like yesterday. I have had all sorts of wonderful visitors from all over the world, who I probably wouldn't have ever got to meet if the layout wasn't here.

 

You weren't counting well though.....

 

There are 69 levers at Buckingham and I may issue a written test on what each lever does later!

 

I am not sure quite when we came back from the pub but if we started running trains between 2.00 and 2.30 then we were operating for about 3 hours, maybe a bit longer. It is like a time machine in that it really did seem like about an hour. That is the magic of Buckingham.

 

Best wishes and thanks for taking the time and trouble to come and see the old trainset.

 

Tony   

[lmsforever]

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

I am not amazed that you so enjoyed the surreality of operating Buckingham. I believe a few years ago, t-b-g brought part of the Denny empire to Railex, and that was certainly a day to remember. Even more implausibly, I think Crispin Denny, he who had been 'automated' by his father in an early '60s episode in RM, was an onlooker while I was there. 

 

I think Hamilton Ellis summed up such experiences in the final sentence of his history of the LBSCR:

 

"They may even sound Gladstone's whistle, so that the forgotten sound of a Brighton Fast will cry eerily out of time, like Pharaoh's trumpets." Operating Buckingham is of the same order of implausible magnitude. 

Yes I cant remember the year but it was good to see it and it ran very well must go to next Raillex  glad after my ten years its still going.

[acg5324]

From Mondays visit to Haxby. Great Miniature Rail Journeys with Michael Portillo  St Enodoc…..

PS The Minions didn’t help much!

Edited November 30, 2023 by acg5324

[St Enodoc]

21 hours ago, t-b-g said:

There are 69 levers at Buckingham and I may issue a written test on what each lever does later!

Oops! Must have been the effects of lunch...

[Jesse Sim]

On 30/11/2023 at 10:30, St Enodoc said:

Yesterday we drove to deepest North Lincolnshire, where we spent an excellent day with @Clive Mortimore operating Sheffield Exchange, laughing a lot and generally having a lot of fun. Well worth the trip.

 

Today we called on @Michael Edge and saw Wentworth Junction in action, with the ex-LNER Garratt banking coal empties and a coal train reversing to the colliery. We all then carried on to @t-b-g's where, after yet another fine pub lunch (Jennings' Cumberland and a superb mixed grill), we operated the Buckingham Branch for what seemed like an hour but was actually well over two.

 

As I commented in Tony's post above, I first encountered this layout in the Railway Modeller in the early 1960s and it became an inspiration for my successive attempts to create a proper operating model railway. The chance actually to sit at the famous Buckingham control panel with its 64 sliding point and signal switches, three-position block instruments and other period accoutrements was almost overwhelming. It was an honour, a privilege and a pleasure to be invited.

 

 

 

Thank you again, Tony, for inviting us to share this wonderful experience.

Did you get yelled at as well? 

[St Enodoc]

24 minutes ago, Jesse Sim said:

Did you get yelled at as well? 

What do you think?

[St Enodoc]

After a visit to the LMRS clubrooms on Wednesday evening, Thursday saw us strolling around our old University haunts and the city itself. It was interesting to see not only how much had changed but how much hadn't. A large Yorkshire pudding filled with sausages, mash and onions, washed down with a couple of pints of Tim Taylor's at the Town Hall Tavern sustained us for the rest of the day until the LMRS Eating and Drinking Section met later in the Head of Steam at Headingley, where we quenched our thirsts once more.

 

Yesterday, after a look round Headingley Stadium, @Barry O and I had a session on his Leeds (London Road) layout, which exposed a few gremlins. We managed to get rid of most of them though, including a broken wire inside one of the ancient Q-Drivers that runs the fiddle yard.

 

Fish and chips last night with some old University friends - flatmates and/or fellow course members. As I hadn't seen most of them for over 30 years you can imagine that a lot of stories and laughs were exchanged.

 

The same group, plus a couple more, are meeting for dinner again tonight, so don't expect anything coherent here until well into tomorrow.

[St Enodoc]

Leeds to Bournemouth yesterday by CrossCountry on a dull grey and very wet day. The trip started well but poor regulation saw our class 220 crawl from Wakefield to Sheffield (via the S&K) resulting in a 20-minute late arrival at New Street. That didn't matter, as I still had plenty of time for my connection.

 

in due course, two coupled class 221s arrived from Manchester (I think) and were to be split to form an Edinburgh portion and a Bournemouth portion. That's when the fun started, as the platform displays, on-train displays and announcements didn't agree as to which half was which. Even the platform and on-board staff didn't know. Eventually a decision was reached but the need for a goodly number of passengers to move from one half of the train to the other (both ways) meant that departure was delayed by about 15 minutes. Totally chaotic until the load thinned out at International and Coventry - this train is apparently regarded by many as part of the Birmingham/Coventry local service. One odd feature was that the seat reservation displays couldn't cope with the Reading reversal...

 

No more delays en route so I arrived at my old school and university friend's home in good time to go out for a nice Italian meal.

[Mallard60022]

38 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Leeds to Bournemouth yesterday by CrossCountry on a dull grey and very wet day. The trip started well but poor regulation saw our class 220 crawl from Wakefield to Sheffield (via the S&K) resulting in a 20-minute late arrival at New Street. That didn't matter, as I still had plenty of time for my connection.

 

in due course, two coupled class 221s arrived from Manchester (I think) and were to be split to form an Edinburgh portion and a Bournemouth portion. That's when the fun started, as the platform displays, on-train displays and announcements didn't agree as to which half was which. Even the platform and on-board staff didn't know. Eventually a decision was reached but the need for a goodly number of passengers to move from one half of the train to the other (both ways) meant that departure was delayed by about 15 minutes. Totally chaotic until the load thinned out at International and Coventry - this train is apparently regarded by many as part of the Birmingham/Coventry local service. One odd feature was that the seat reservation displays couldn't cope with the Reading reversal...

 

No more delays en route so I arrived at my old school and university friend's home in good time to go out for a nice Italian meal.

Hate to say it Saint, but Leeds to the X and then Southern to Bournemouth would/could have been a less chaotic trip. Imagine the A4 and then the Merchant Navy experience!

Sorry to say that X Country and Birmingham connections in particular, can often become really 'challenging'. 

All the best.

Phil

[TrevorP1]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

Leeds to Bournemouth yesterday by CrossCountry on a dull grey and very wet day. The trip started well but poor regulation saw our class 220 crawl from Wakefield to Sheffield (via the S&K) resulting in a 20-minute late arrival at New Street. That didn't matter, as I still had plenty of time for my connection.

 

in due course, two coupled class 221s arrived from Manchester (I think) and were to be split to form an Edinburgh portion and a Bournemouth portion. That's when the fun started, as the platform displays, on-train displays and announcements didn't agree as to which half was which. Even the platform and on-board staff didn't know. Eventually a decision was reached but the need for a goodly number of passengers to move from one half of the train to the other (both ways) meant that departure was delayed by about 15 minutes. Totally chaotic until the load thinned out at International and Coventry - this train is apparently regarded by many as part of the Birmingham/Coventry local service. One odd feature was that the seat reservation displays couldn't cope with the Reading reversal...

 

No more delays en route so I arrived at my old school and university friend's home in good time to go out for a nice Italian meal.

 

Something like 10 or 15 years ago I experienced much the same thing at Reading. It was complete and utter chaos and you had to feel very sorry for the poor guard (or whatever he's called these days) trying to sort it out. The situation carried on until the train was so full of very unhappy customers nobody could move, even the guard. We were lucky and had seats but not wanting to repeat the experience, it was the last time I travelled to the NEC by train.

 

On a positive note I've used the trains in Cornwall and it was like a breath of fresh air, going a long way to restoring my faith in today's railway. My train even stopped at Camborne on a Wednesday!

 

Keep enjoying the trip John! 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by TrevorP1
To add something.

[Mallard60022]

38 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Hate to say it Saint, but Leeds to the X and then Southern to Bournemouth would/could have been a less chaotic trip. Imagine the A4 and then the Merchant Navy experience!

Sorry to say that X Country and Birmingham connections in particular, can often become really 'challenging'. 

All the best.

Phil

Oops, just seen the mess at/near Woking!

P

[Tankerman]

10 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

Hate to say it Saint, but Leeds to the X and then Southern to Bournemouth would/could have been a less chaotic trip. Imagine the A4 and then the Merchant Navy experience!

Sorry to say that X Country and Birmingham connections in particular, can often become really 'challenging'. 

All the best.

Phil

 

It's not just nowadays that changing trains at Birmingham can be challenging, in the 1970's I lived in West Cornwall and I attended South Shields Marine College a number of times to obtain additional electrical qualifications as part of my time as Electrical Engineer Officer in the Merchant Navy.

 

At the time there was a train which if I remember correctly ran from Edinburgh or Aberdeen, to somewhere on the South Coast. This arrived at Birmingham within 30 minutes of another service which ran, again from memory,  from Glasgow to Plymouth, where I changed to a Paddington to Penzance service in order to get to Truro.

 

On one of the journeys I arrived at Birmingham to find that the train to Plymouth was delayed by at least 40 minutes, so I went to get a cup of coffee and a snack. On returning to the platform there was a train at both platform faces and instead of checking the departure board I asked a station staff member which was the Plymouth train, he replied  "The one on the left." you can guess what happened, I got on the train on my left, not his. As soon as the train departed I realised that it was headed north and not south, luckily it's first stop was Tamworth so I was able to get back to Birmingham in a reasonable time, but I was still over four hours late getting home.

[St Enodoc]

21 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

Hate to say it Saint, but Leeds to the X and then Southern to Bournemouth would/could have been a less chaotic trip. Imagine the A4 and then the Merchant Navy experience!

Sorry to say that X Country and Birmingham connections in particular, can often become really 'challenging'. 

All the best.

Phil

True enough but a) I wanted to avoid dragging my luggage on the Tube and b) I hadn't travelled on the CC route for many years, hence my choice.

 

It was only chaotic for those few minutes at New Street - everything else went smoothly, albeit a little slowly, in the morning.

 

21 hours ago, Mallard60022 said:

Oops, just seen the mess at/near Woking!

P

I didn't know about that until afterwards but of course my route avoided it!

[Oldddudders]

In defence of New St, if you have the time for a calm interchange, the facilities at concourse level, but inside the paid barriers, have never been better. Loos are free these days, and several of the usual trading concessions are present, with quite a bit of seating. Things are not so clever if you use the stairs at the Wolverhampton end of the platform, where you end up somewhere quite different. Look for escalators in mid-platform, or lifts w luggage!

 

New St can confuse because some trains can approach and leave by either end. XCs to/from the South West are an example.