Andrew Young

The 7mm NGA’s AGM and exhibition is fast approaching, Saturday 8th June is only fifteen days away. 
 

have put the list of layouts and traders on my blog and details of a special opportunity for members….
 

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/05/7mm-nga-agm-exhibition-8th-june-2024.html?m=1

Been a while since I was last here, but this project hasn’t been forgotten.
 

The Cameo layout I went away to build is nearing completion and is due to be exhibited at the 7mmNGA Convention in Burton in a couple of weeks.
 

There is a list of things to do on ‘Wheal Ponder’, it’s not a huge list and hoping that most will be done by Burton. Once complete, my thoughts will return to Abermelyn and to get back on this project over the summer. But this time, armed with some better knowledge of how to actually go about building a layout that was missing last time.

There is a thread on Wheal Ponder on RMweb, with more details on my blog. The latest update on my Cameo layout is here:

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/05/manic-may-part-deux.html?m=1

It’s all been going green lately.

Back soon.

Andrew

Been a busy few weeks with a lot going on. Finally starting to think that it will all come together by Burton.
 

More photos on the blog post. 
 

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/05/manic-may-part-deux.html?m=1

Andrew

It’s amazing what the challenge of a deadline can do to banish procrastination and replace it with a whole load of ‘getting the hell on with it’.

Posted an update on the layout three days ago on the blog:

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/05/manic-may.html?m=1#more

It’s already a little dated as the last week has seen the greenery coming on at a great rate of knots. Today’s view is this one. Shall post another blog update once the greenery is closer to completion. 

Anyway, now that my daughter is asleep, back into the attic I go. Have a meadow to sow…

Andrew

5 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Blurry phone snaps before I do a proper job in the week. Very appealing.

 

 

Your photos make me quite pleased with my choice of a Margaret on pre-order. Have so far resisted getting waggons but suspect it’s only a matter of time….

Thanks for the info of where you got it from, the banner really is effective and well worth the cost. It also gets rid of the joints in the more traditional style backscene when taking photos of the layout. 
 

Good luck with the loco!

Andrew

Layout looks great and second the comment about the photographic backdrop behind.

Out of interest, which loco is refusing to go forwards? I’ve got two, the Exe as delivered and the 1903 condition Yeo, I’ve noticed that there is very little clearance on the motion guard on the as built version and it occasionally catches. The 1903 version has a more cutaway version with extra clearance. 
 

The other thing to check is the pick ups. Have a Roco chassis under my Hunslet Mallet and it did the same. Turned out to be a pick up that had got dislodged somehow, in one direction it acted as a sprag in the spokes.

Andrew

Andrew

Today, I have mostly been adding wellies and a watering can to a building. As you do….

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/04/buildings-everywhere.html?m=1

Andrew

Looks great. Out of interest, where did you get your bricks from, are they home made or sourced from the web?

Think the result will repay the tediousness of laying the brick edging in this way.

Andrew

Took some photos and video of the Quarry Hunslet prototypes on the Bachmann stand on Sunday. They’re on my blog alongside my thoughts on it all.

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/04/Bachmann-quarry-hunslets.html?m=1
 

Andrew

9 hours ago, Quarryscapes said:

Wonderful news! I'm now looking at Quarry Hunslets in a 4th scale! 

 

On the whole looking good however I must point out that the handrail knobs look a bit naff, hopefully to be replaced by proper ones in production. I note the bracket securing the cab sheets to the tank is not shown on the cabless, hopefully an oversight too. The crossheads as well look a little bit  clunky, again hopefully better on production models and lastly to question what the cabbed variety with rounded front beam is meant to be? The square corner one is clearly Btitomart. I do hope we don't just get a rehash of the 009 identities when they are made public. 

 

I will be ordering as soon as they're out in any event!

‘Irish Mail’ by the looks of it. https://www.quarryhunslet.mste.co.uk/public/Irish_Mail.php
 

Though, with the toolbox being on the round cornered bufferbeam model, I suspect that as these are EP’s that not all the parts are in the right order. But they certainly show Bachmann’s intentions. 

Excellent news. Whilst I don’t need a Quarry Hunslet, I shall still be having one. 
 

The couplings interest me too, would be good to have a better looking coupling available. 
 

Exciting times,

Andrew 

8 hours ago, Karl said:

Sadly no clues to be seen at all during setting up at Statfold tonight. But given location of announcement and the green background in the video link 009 seems a definite doesn't it. Perhaps a James Spooner to finish off the preserved Fairlies or an NG16 as they seem to be popular wants every announcement cycle. Darjeeling 19B as an outside bet but again no doubt would be popular and could be done in partnership with with the 19b society with donations to the boiler fund.

The only given from the green background and the location of the announcement is that it will be a narrow gauge model….. those of us who don’t model 009 still have an hour and a half of hoping left. 

Whilst I keep my fingers crossed for an O-16.5 ‘Dorothea’…. If it’s 009, wonder what item of the Statfold collection could be next? Darj B?

Not long til we find out 😁

Andrew 

@PMP99 the buildings look great and sit well along the back. I’ve built a few Petite Properties buildings now. Have found them enjoyable to build and speeds the build up a bit. 
 

Cheers,

Andrew

Looking great. 
 

Agree about a platform ramp at the end of the building, unless you keep it so that the station entrance / exit is through the station building?

Andrew

On 11/02/2024 at 12:38, Neil said:

Ahead of the game here ....

 

You weren’t the only one, my late friend Tim Allsopp made this 7mm narrow gauge fireless loco using one for the creamery on our group layout, though think in the end most of the body was discarded. 
 

Saw a 2’6” gauge fireless loco working in Cuba back in 2000. The Barclay versions are much prettier than this Baldwin one!

This announcement from Rapido has got me wondering about the possibilities of a Barclay narrow gauge version. 
 

Andrew

Have been busy at the modelling bench recently and there’s not one, but two blog updates to show for it. 
 

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/a-splash-of-colour.html?m=1

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/to-meander-along-or-rise-to-challenge.html?m=1

Andrew

10 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Wheres your coaches coming from, and the crews, the paperwork etc ?

Oxley carriage sidings doesnt have many mk2’s these days.

 

if overhauling / reregistering youve not just got £30ks worth of cdl to fit, youve the same in CET toilets, and in a few years need internal handles, maybe hopper windows too… not much change from £150-200k a coach to bring back a wreck, plus the purchase cost, certification, insurance etc..

 

Railtours are being canceled as theres no stock, this operation uses 2 rakes, twice a day for six months, doesnt wcrc swap them mid season too.. so maybe 4 rakes needed, plus spares… so say 26-30 coaches to run a safe operation. (Wcrc has over 100).

 

Then youve got time, who's going to overhaul them, and how long will it take ?… 2-3 years assuming order books have space ?

Then you need a regular maintenace provision.. and a base… go on where are you going to put it ?

 

Meanwhile you need to hire staff, professionals, train them, certify them, route learning, safety etc…

 

Then marketing… lots of it, you need to create a new brand, distinct from the old, and convince people that a dead dog has returned to life, assuming they havent gone on to fill tours with alternative ideas that are waiting to steal that tourist tour space.

 

Sorry but hiring a steam loco is the easy part, unless youve got wcrc on board, or a bunch of coaches hidden in strategic reserve you need time, patience and a ton of cash… hiring 3 black 5’s is the easy part.
 

we can all play fantasy TOC, but model railways is the only way to dream this idea.

 

The barrier to enter is too high, without wcrc, even for lsl. Best chance is adhoc tours or a limited program for the next few years, or you need wcrcs help, and why would they do that ?

Bottom line is all the coaching stock operators have dragged their feet on spending on their stock, not just wcrc… they are all guilty. Unfortunately the clock ran out on wcrc and whl is a very big requirement, without a deal with the ORR this isnt going anywhere… looking online, most operators have been given 5 years from 2023 to do it… i’m surprised its that generous, but now ive read it, i’m surprised wcrc didnt go for that either, that kind of timeline with the facilities they have would probably put them in a stronger position than others.

 

Crews shouldn’t be that hard to sort. There will be some WCRC crews with no work looking for something to do! Given the choice of not getting any work this summer if they stay on a zero hours WCRC contract, or going to work for another operator with their West Highland Route knowledge then I’m pretty certain what would happen. 

12 hours ago, BoD said:

We can all justifiably criticise WCRC’s actions before now and how they have gone about this recently , but let’s not forget there will be a knock on effect and some genuine ‘hard luck’ stories.  Whether that be disappointed punters, WCRC staff, or businesses (in the whole region and not just FW) they don’t deserve this but do deserve sympathy.

Which makes the position taken by WCRC management to ignore the requirement to fit CDL over many years and at several stages of consultation / litigation all the more disappointing. Their latest stance clearly shows a contempt for the ORR and the legislation they’re required to abide by, a stance of brinkmanship that should never have occurred if WCRC was a professionally run organisation with a robust safety culture.
 

Suspect that if we haven’t already, then we are close to the stage where the cost of CDL would be cheaper than the legal bill run up by WCRC in fighting this case. 
 

Or maybe, spend the money on CDL rather than buying steam locos…..

Andrew
 

In addition to playing trains, I’ve been getting some modelling done with a couple of small buildings on the workbench. 
 

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/03/little-and-often.html?m=1

Andrew

That’s going to look great with the trains sweeping round the corner under the bridge. 
 

Andrew

7 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

‘Annabel was pleased that “we are going to look after it for him.” ‘
 

That’s a great blog entry, having fun together and Annabel’s comment made me smile, lovely that she remembers him like that, I can just hear her saying it 👍

 

Thank you, yes, wasn’t sure how well she’d remember Neil but I’m pleased that she does. Operating the layouts together was fun and Annabel is starting to be pretty accomplished with the DC control on my ng layout that it wasn’t long before I was just telling her which points to operate. Reckon she will soon be on to the DCC Powercab and mastering that. 
 

Cheers,

Andrew

The Mickleover modelling day has proved a welcome boost to

productivity and my modelling mojo.
 

My attic space has had a long overdue good tidy up and sort out plus the first visit from the Hoover in a fair while!

Elsbridge is once more set up, albeit in a different place in the attic to where it was before, complete with the proper ETC stock on it and can be operated with the flick of a couple of switches with some more detail on my blog: 

https://melynvalleyrailway.blogspot.com/2024/02/attic-life.html?m=1

Going from none to two layouts available to play with is quite an improvement and have been enjoying doing some modelling and then running just the one or trains on the layout as part of this. 

Andrew