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andyram

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  1. andyram

    Loco problems

    By andyram,

    As half term approaches I am beginning to plan my next bout of scenic work on Skaleby. As mentioned in my previous post I am looking to work on the rear station platform by adding a dry stone wall to the rear and adding various trees, scatter and other foliege. I am also hoping to tidy up the board as it has become a little bit of a "dumping ground" during the last few weeks as the baby takes priority over everything else.
     
    Unfortunately it looks like I will have another job added to the railway's "to do" list. As I mentioned before, the layout has been hampered by the "flying fur" from the house rabbit that shares the railway room. I have had to clear small bits of fluff and hair from those locos which are stored on the layout at regular intervals. This week my trusty Railroad Jinty needed quite a bit of "defluffing". Sadly, despite my best efforts, it seems that the engine is developing a problem. Whilst running a train this morning the motor sounded quite rough. I can only describe it as a bit of a "croaky" sound. Strangely it only makes the sound when travelling forwards, as the motor is fine in reverse.
     
    It looks like I may have to learn how to do a few more loco repairs next week.

    In the meantime I thought I'd add this very old shot of the engine on the layout. This was taken before all of the boards were in place. The shorter running line resulting in the use of the old coaches.
  2. andyram

    Made to Measure

    By andyram,

    Another week has past since my last post about the show. The last seven days seem to have been spent with some kind of measuring implement or another in my hand. So here is the latest.
     
    The show
    This week I have raided the school's P.E store and blown the cobwebs off the long athletics tape measure that is only usually dragged out for the summer sporting events. I have measured the basic dimensions of the main hall and used this to create a "show plan" grid on my computer using scale "1 foot squares".
    Whilst my class were enjoying / enduring a session in the hall learning "first aid" from a visitor I was busy hunting for plug sockets and adding these to the plan. It beat getting bandaged up anyway!
    I have also started to measure the two long corridors in the school which are wide enough for some of the smaller layouts offered so far!
     
    November may seem a long way off, but I want to keep on top of things. Taking a little and often approach I hope to keep things ticking over and avoid a mad rush at the end of the year. With that in mind I have started to place some of the layouts on the floor plan already. Three of the seven layouts confirmed have been, provisonally, allocated space in the hall. The other four are all smaller layouts and should go in the corridors or a smaller room once I have finished the measuring up. I am sure the staff think I'm mad. Not a day seems to go by without me measuring up some part of the school!
     
    So 7 layouts confirmed so far! As it stands I am waiting on confirmation from three others who have previously expressed an interest. I have another exhibitior definitely coming after chatting to him at Mansfield. All I need to do is decide which of his show layouts I want. Even if all of these confirm I still think I could fit three or four more layouts in, possibly more so I will be continuing to keep an eye out during future shows.
    I also have a couple of other exhibitors on the possibles list and need to speak to them to confirm space. These include some practical demonstrations and at least one static diorama.
     
    As for trade stands I have two confirmed and contacted another today. I also have three others still to get back to me. Everyone stocks different stuff so it should give me a good range of products available if they all agree to come, and it will put some money in the kitty too!
     
    As someone who often distracts himself from the school paper work by messing around on dtp programmes, I have already made a start on designing a show guide. Some layout owners have kindly sent me some stuff and that has gone in already, photographs and all. I have sold one piece of advertising space and will be trying to sell more nearer the time.
     
    Phew! It's only when I sat down to write this blog that I realise just how much I have done this week! I really had better get back to writing those school reports!!!
    Just before I do I had better update on
     
    The layout
     
    My kind father took the baseboard away last weekend to begin work on the supports for underneath, allowing the board to be raised to accomodate the point motors. The supports have now been fitted and he is adding the side and backboards this week before he returns the boards to me. I will upload a photo once this has been done.
     
    Whilst at the Mansfield show I did purchase a couple of tunnel portals for each end of the layout and some ballast. I also bought a Gaugemaster backscene print. This was not quite in the plan, but I couldn't resist it.
     
    More updates soon!
  3. andyram

    Mansfield

    By andyram,

    I must have a very understanding wife! Five shows in five weekends! Mind you I am taking her out for a meal this evening in return for today's "pass out" to the Mansfield show!
     
    I have never been to this event before and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The venue was a bit hard to find, not knowing Mansfield very well and I did drive past it once. Never mind! I got there in the end.
    The show is on two floors in lots of different rooms in the St Peter's Church Centre. It is a bit like a rabbit warren with lots of different places to find, but the show map made things nice and clear. Some great layouts too. It was nice to see "Hatton Parkway" which I remember from a series of articles in the Hornby Magazine. I am not a modern image fan, but I did enjoy seeing this particular layout. I have also seen St Minions in a magazine recently and it was also nice to see this layout "in the flesh". It shows just how much you can realistically pack into a small space. The display space was even smaller than "Board Lane", the ironing board shunting layout which I saw for a second weekend in a row. I am looking forward to welcoming "Board Lane" to our show in November - just a pity I ran out of time and didn't get to speak to the owner of St Minions.
    The two stand out layouts for me were the O gauge "Tummel VIII". I saw this at the Nottingham show last year and loved it. The layout is a lovely model of a Scottish branch terminus and depicts it very well - the "protesting cows" were a rather amusing addition!
    Avyn-a-Llyin is the second stand out layout of the show. This narrow gauge layout had lots to see. The scenics were fantastic with a beautiful wooden pier on one corner of the layout. Superb.
    I don't usually pay a lot of attention to Thomas layouts. But the N gauge one on show here was using the Hornby Railmaster control system. This is the first time I have seen it used and it looks fantastic.
     
    Unlike the other shows I have visited recently I did actually end up spending money on some scenic items as work gathers pace on my Skaleby West show layout. I picked up some ballast, a Gaugemaster backscene and a couple of Skaledale tunnel portals for each end of the layout. I did hang an admiring glance over the newly released Heljan "Railbus". There was no price on this so I hate to think how much it would have set me back. Although not a diesel fan, I have ridden on one of these at the North Norfolk Railway and thought one would add something different to my smaller layout. Maybe next time then!
     
    The show did seem to have a really friendly atmosphere. It was great to chat to so many people. Some were quite interested in attending my school's show too which is encouraging. More on that in my next show blog!
    Oh and the bacon sandwiches were nice too - biggest I've had so far!
     
    Now 5 / 5 - don't think there is a local show next week. But its Nottingham the following weekend so I think I will need to save money until then!
  4. andyram

    Mansfield 2013

    By andyram,

    If you are free tomorrow (Sunday 3rd March) I recommend you get over to Mansfield for the second day of this show. I am sure you will not be disappointed!
     
    I first visited the Mansfield show last year and found it to be a very friendly show. This year's visit was the same. I only expected to stay for about an hour, but ended up staying for over three. So many of the exhibitors and visitors to this show are friendly and are willing to chat. Of course it helps that many are RMWeb members.
    I have only been a member of this site for about a year or so, so still consider myself a "newbie", but there were so many fellow users who said hello and wanted to chat that I was made to feel very welcome. Even one of the stallholders asked my name and conducted business on first name terms - it is just those little touches!
     
    As for the layouts there were some very impressive ones on display too. Several familiar models were present - Jim Read with his excellent "Moxley Heath" and "Dava" with his new layout "Coney Hill" which is coming along a treat. It was great to see the Ixion O gauge tank engine running on this layout. What a nice model and very smooth runner too.
    Redgate Models "Fourgig East" was on display again. It is still a work in progress, but is looking a very nice model. It was nice to watch Ian at work with tooth brush and ballast.
    I saw Andy Peters' "Glen Roy" for a second week in a row. This time there were a few steam interlopers on this B.R blue era layout - these had DCC sound too. The Black 5 was an excellent model - wish I had the cash for one! Oh well I can't be greedy. I did pick up a lovely Bachmann D11 today. Not sure what to tell the wife!!
     
    Upon visiting the show I expected to be voting for Kirkby Stephen West as the best in show. A truely impressive 00 gauge model of the S & C. I did watch this for quite a while. The scenics and the procession of trains never disappoint. There is always something new to see, and to raise a smile. The "Rivet Counter detector van" was still doing its rounds, and has been joined by a builders van - neatly belonging to Bob!
    However "Mozzers" Coombe Rock layout gave me a dilema! Now I am not usually a fan of U.S layouts. Nothing against them, they are just not my thing. But the detail in this was superb right down to the details inside the buildings including the card game in the saloon bar and the drunk slumped outside. So much to see - this really is a fantastic layout and it made choosing which to vote for very tricky!
    I could mention all the layouts as they were all great. I enjoyed the two modern image layouts Dudley Road and Peter's Street and one or both could be winging their way to Weston at the end of the year. In fact there could be a couple of other layouts being added to the show from today. That was completely unexpected - but I will tell more when I update the Weston show blog.
  5. andyram
    Me and my big mouth!
     
    My South Derbyshire school is celebrating its 5th anniversary in its new building this year. As part of the celebrations we have set up a fundraising drive in order to pay off our remaining share of the cost of the new build. The headteacher had asked for fundraising ideas.
    I have run many a quiz night for the school over the last few years and I am sure I will be doing another one before the summer. But apparantly we need more events. Well I said it didn't I? I made the suggestion of holding a small model railway show in our building to help with the fundraising. Of course I expected the women in the school, who all have no railway interest, to laugh it off and tell the token male in the school to not be so silly.
     
    Right???
     
    Wrong!!!!!
     
    The headteacher thought it was an excellent idea, and now I found myself responsible for organising it! Oh and she wants it this year as well!!!
     
    What was I thinking???
     
    Now at present the date is to be finalised. The three favoured dates are Saturday 8th September, Saturday 13th October and Saturday 10th November. Not sure which one it will be yet, but expect this to be decided in the near future. I am just checking dates of other local shows in order to avoid any clashes.
    I do have two traders who have promised to attend the event whatever the date. Once I know the actual date I will be approaching a few more.
     
    But its layouts I need. I need help here!!!! I need small exhibition layouts whose owners are prepared to help out a stressed fellow modeller and attend. As this is a new show I am looking for local people as we can't be paying out loads on expenses. Can anyone help???
     
    Oh...and if that wasn't enough! If my big mouth had not got me in enough trouble, I then heard myself saying that I would display a layout of my own. It looks like my developing home layout, Skaleby, is going to have a little brother!!!! I think I'm going to be going for the old classic of an ex-GWR branch terminus. More on this as I make, what will have to be rapid, progress.
     
    Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  6. andyram

    Mickleover

    By andyram,

    Another blog entry!
     
     
    It has been a few weeks since I last posted in the "show visits" blog. Last week I visited the Loughborough show, thoroughly enjoyed it, but never got the chance to write an entry. This weekend saw me visit the Mickleover show. This is one of my local shows, held at the Mickleover Community Centre, home of the club that runs this and the Moorways show.
     
    My visit spanned both the Saturday and Sunday. On the first day I managed a brief visit to drop some leaflets off for the Weston-on-Trent show. Family commitments meant that I couldn't stay long. With my wife feeling ill and in need of a break from mummy duty, I was able to return on the Sunday with my baby daughter in tow again as we gave mum some much needed peace and quiet.
     
    I have to say I really enjoyed my visits. There were some excellent layouts on show. In the club room it was great to see the latest developments on the group's "Duffield" layout. This has been a long term project and looks very nice indeed. There is a long scenic run and there was plenty of action as a procession of long trains past in each directions.
    A second 00 gauge layout was "Everywhere" which is the new club running layout. This has five tracks and is made to allow a wide variety of stock to run, something that is important to cater for the wide interests within such a large club. Whilst watching the action I saw everything from a Black 5 hauled passenger train to a motorised "hand cart" and an American diesel express.
    The final layout in this room was the group's 0 gauge "Warner Street". On the Sunday this was being run with a variety DMU's whilst there was a mix of steam and diesel in action on the Saturday.
     
    In the Community Centre there were some more club layouts. I am not a diesel fan, but the club's modern image layout "Farkham" is excellent. Set in the suburbs of Stoke on Trent it gives a good impression of a railway passing through a city area. The tower blocks are nicely modelled and I loved the Del Boy cameo.
    Other layouts on show included the Famous Train's group's "Darley Green" layout. This was making its exhibition debut and was quite impressive too. There was also plenty of action on this layout with a good procession of passenger trains arriving and departing and freight being shunted. My daughter also seemed to enjoy the action. She was also very interested in club's N gauge "Derwent Valley". On Saturday this was being operated as a preserved railway's gala. On the Sunday modern traction was the order of the day with lots of EWS and Scot Rail liveried stock. Thomas the Tank Engine also made an appearence now and again. He was also present on the club's Thomas layout of course. 10 months old and already my daughter seems to have a taste for the little blue tank engine and his friends. She was captivated by the procession of trains on this particular model.
     
    To be honest all the layouts were excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. It was also made by the many friendly people I met. I have often considered becoming a member of this group and / or the Famous Trains charity. The friendly nature of the people from both groups continue to make this a tempting option. They all helped make the visit very enjoyable.
    It was also nice to chat to fellow RM Web member Don and to view his Hockley Goods diorama which is excellent. No wonder it was voted into the top 10 of a competition on this website. I look forward to seeing the model again at our show in November.
     
    An enjoyable visit and a big thanks to all involved.
  7. andyram

    Midland Railex

    By andyram,

    This is another show I have been looking forward to. I visited the first Midland Railex show last year and thoroughly enjoyed it with the chance to ride on the full sized trains as well as seeing the model ones aswell.
     
    This year the model railway show did not disappoint. There were lots of excellent layouts, many seen in the modelling press in recent months. Derek Gelsthorpe's "Idle Way" is a superb shunting layout in such a small space. I had seen this featured in its original form in the book "Layouts in Small Spaces" which I purchased at the beginning of the year. Set on a 4ft x 1ft baseboard it helped inspire my own similar sized layout which remains under construction at present.
    The expanded version of this layout was seen in a recent issue of Hornby magazine and it was nice to see it in the flesh and to chat to its owner.
     
    Another excellent layout was the Cambrian Coast inspired Rhyd-y-Clafdy. This was also featured in a recent issue of the Hornby magazine and is truely superb. A lovely, spacious layout with rolling fields and authentic trains. I could have watched it for hours.
     
    The show also featured a few layouts I had seen before. This included the exceptional O gauge "Hospital Gates". I always see something new amongst the detailed scenery. Another superb O gauge model was "St Marnock Shed" which featured smoke and sound fitted models. The Jubilee model was particularly impressive.
    In 00 gauge there was "Skip Hill". A model based on the Cromford and High Peak Line. I had to admire the skill of the operators as they worked the mineral wagons up and down the severe gradients. The scenery included a wonderfully detailed wharf and a moving water crane arm.
     
    There really was plenty to see spread across several buildings around the Swanick Junction site. It was great to meet people from this very website, including Andy. There was also plenty of trade stands, selling a range of goods. Sadly the scenic elements I had been looking for, including some Gaugemaster hedging was not available and the Bachmann "returns" stand was looking rather bare. I guess the latter had rather been picked over on the Saturday. I did manage to pick up a nice weathered loco from "Grimy Times". The Fairburn tank will provide perfect branch line motive power for Skaleby West when it attends its first show at the end of the year.
     
    The show was excellent and I really did enjoy it. My only critcism would be directed at the Midland Railway Centre itself. I do feel that they were not as well organised as they could have been on some occasions. The first train was advertised as being 9.30, but it did not arrive into Butterley platform until about 9.55am. This proceeded to travel onto the causeway towards Hammersmith first, before returning to Butterley for a second stop prior to travelling to Swanick. I guess this may have been to "kill time" prior to the show's 10am start time and avoid the events of last year when the first train arrived at Swanick at 9.35 and deposited visitors well before show exhibitors had even finished setting up! Fair enough if this was the reason, but why advertise the first train at 9.30???
    The second criticism I have of them was with the advertised "Real Ale Bar". This was not very well signposted, not easy to find and featured only ONE cask real ale!
     
    The show also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the class 47 diesel. Now, as anyone who has read my "summer of steam" blog will know, I am not a diesel fan. For those that are however, the railway did put on a display of a number of class 47's. There were several full sized versions on display, and three in service on one of the trains. There was a large display of 00 gauge model 47's and the Swanick Junction model railway also featured such locos operating.
    Sadly, as a steam fan, the only loco in operation on the service trains was the Caprotti 5 number 73129 which was top and tailing with a class 20. Oh dear!
     
    Whilst I did not get any steam mileage in. I did enjoy the show, and apart from a couple of criticism I really could not fault the day. I hope that this event runs again next year and would recommend it to anyone.
  8. andyram

    Mixed feelings

    By andyram,

    I think the title of this entry fairly sums up my feelings towards the fourth Weston on Trent Model Railway Exhibition. Throughout the show's short history this year's event has been the hardest to organise. A plethora of layout withdrawals throughout the year resulted in the exhibit list having to be redrawn time and time again. In the months prior to the show we lost both Tom's Shed and Poundland due to the illness of their owners. We also lost Myrton because it had been double booked and an un-named shunting layout due to its owner's work pattern changing. All of these were understandable and unavoidable reasons for withdrawing. Added to these were the loss of three regular traders.
    I had just started to think I had covered these when I heard of Frank Collins' illness resulting in the withdrawal of "Steam on the Cambrian" in the week leading up to the show. No complaints there either and I am pleased to hear Frank is out of hospital and recovering at home. Hopefully we will see him next year.
    Then there was the layout that withdrew on Thursday night - don't get me started on that one! I have lost a lot of respect for that particular gentleman.
    The preparation of Skaleby West for its outing at the show was also fraught with problems. Scenic items never turned up on time and the signal box, purchased from EBay, was sent to my old house because I had forgotten to change my details.
     
    With so many issues it was no wonder I was feeling a little sick with nerves when I awoke at 5am on the Saturday morning. I skipped breakfast, loaded the car, and was on the road within 45 minutes. This year I had delegated most of the road signs to the school caretaker so there were less for me to do on the way. As a result I was able to open the school by 6.30am and had Skaleby West unloaded and in-situ before the official 7am opening up time.
    Still the problems arose. As I went to open the side gate that leads to the back entrance to the main hall I realised I no longer had a key. The school secretary had borrowed it a few months ago when hers broke. I only use mine once a year so no wonder I forgot! A frantic search and mad few minutes trying various keys finally got the padlock undone. Surely that was the end of the problems. No! Clearly the caretaker had been lax on his gardening duties. The gateway was blocked by several low lying branches from a nearby tree. So my next task was some ad-hoc branch trimming.
    At least it was all done for just after 7am when the kitchen staff started to arrive. They brought news that some of the signs were not yet up. Maybe that explained why no one else was there! In the last three years I have had people waiting on the doorstep for me. This year nothing! It was a nervy half hour before people started to arrive. At least they brought news that the signs were finally up!
    Skaleby West was the next to cause problems. During the set up I had to re-glue the cottage, garden roller, platform detail and remove some tree foliage which had been lost during the drive to the school. Then as I took the controller out of the bag I found it had lost its wires - and I had left the screw drivers at home. Thanks to Kev Hughes (Up the Line) for the loan of his tools. Once reconnected the extension lead blew a fuse so a replacement was sourced from school stock. This was not helping the stress levels!
     
    From then on things did seem to go smoothly. Everyone turned up and were set up on time, with only one layout in the corridor cutting it fine. There were one or two mumblings about our insistence that all cars were moved to an off-site car park before the doors opened, but all responded to the request eventually.
    My layout set up was made easier thanks to the offer of help from RMWeb member Andy Sharpe (leopard) who came along before the doors opened. He was a real help and cleaned the track and stocked the layout whilst I distributed lunch passes etc. He then insisted on paying his entry fee (I told him not to!) and went off to look around the show, heading off without having an operating turn - we must sort that next year!!
     
    I did manage to have a brief walk around before the doors opened. I must admit I started to feel a lot better. The layouts looked great. After the ups and downs of the week there were 20 layouts - helped by the very late addition, Werrington Road. The owner contacted me on Friday night to offer to come and cover for the lost layouts. I am very appreciative of this.
    Down at the entrance hall the raffle was well stocked with plenty of prizes, aided by Denise Hughes (wife of exhibitor Malcolm) who donated two large bags of prizes and a gift for my three year old daughter. The support and kindness of so many people really did take the stress away.
     
    As for the show itself - it flew by. We were busy in the morning, slackened off at lunch, with a brief revival in the afternoon. We sold out of bacon cobs, lunches and raffle tickets. I hear the ladies on the door developed a raffle ticket sales pitch which would not have been out of place on an episode of The Apprentice. I knew we must have done well by the steady stream of staff handing over piles of cash to "look after". At one point I had £500 in my back pocket - but I did not consider running away - honest!
    As I operated Skaleby West I was busy with so many people coming to say hello and have a chat. It was great. There were many kind words about the show which was nice to hear. The traders all seemed to do well too.
     
    In the end we raised £1050 for stocking the school library. This is our best total ever. And so, despite my initial concerns and worries, I can say that it has definitely been worthwhile. I feel very satisfied. But of course it would not be possible without all the staff who worked so tirelessly all day, the exhibitors and traders who supported us this year - some exhibitors even handed back their expenses at the end of the day which was unexpected. Thanks go to all who played their part - I am so appreciative.
     
    And so to next year - SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 2016.
  9. andyram

    Mixed fortunes

    By andyram,

    As regular readers of this blog will know, this year sees the fourth Weston on Trent Model Railway Show. I have had the honour of being the exhibition manager for the whole of that time, having originally come up with the idea for the show back in 2012. This show proved to be a success and, with the help of fellow RMWeb members and school staff, the event has continued to be successful throughout the past three years. It has raised over £2,700 for school funds, with the £900+ raised last year being invested in IPads for use in the classes. The three previous years have been very enjoyable and relatively stress free. Even the inaugural event, thrown together in just 9 months, was a very happy experience.
    I suppose it had to happen! This year's show has simply not gone smoothly. Every month there seems to have been one set back or another. In my previous entry I mentioned the problem of traders withdrawing due to being double booked or due to their decision to cut back on the number of events they were doing. Now the problem seems to have spread to layouts. Since my last entry I have lost two layouts from the show roster. One exhibitor has had to pull out due to work commitments, whilst another withdrew because his wife was having an operation in the week leading up to the event. Both thoroughly legitimate reasons for withdrawing, and both exhibitors have promised to attend in 2016. However it does not help my stress levels! I think I am finally beginning to experience the negative side of show management!
    Thankfully, as the title for this entry suggests, it is not all bad. The outstanding confirmation forms have started to drift in and more layouts have now been confirmed for the event. Another bonus came via one of our regular visitors. He contacted me with details of a layout he really likes and, after contacting the owner, this was promptly booked for this year's show. It may even bolster the planned "interactive room" which suffered as a result of one of the withdrawals.
     
    And so with a month to go it is time to take a deep breath and take stock.
    Currently the show has 16 layouts confirmed. I am waiting on another 4 or 5 layouts to send back their confirmations - but it does look like we are close to reaching my target of 20 layouts. With good luck and a following wind we may even exceed that total.
    We have replaced the missing traders - but are still hoping to secure one more. They just seem to be very quiet at present and I am not taking that as a good sign. The demonstrations are gradually coming together too.
    As I look more calmly at things it does look like we have a cracking show line up for 2015. There are old favourites returning in improved form and plenty of brand new layouts for the show too. Also there is a massive RMWeb turn out. I reckon that there will be at least 9, possibly 10, RMWeb members amongst the exhibitors - and it could be more... I am still trying to convince one more member to join us. This could be our biggest RMWeb turn out yet!
     
    So come and join us on Saturday 14th November from 10.30am. This year's event is helping to raise funds to stock our new library space!
     
    More news soon.
  10. andyram
    It has been a few weeks since I last posted in this blog and that rather reflects the lack of progress on Skaleby West recently. At every turn work seems to get in the way. First it was school report writing. Then it was parent’s evenings and more recently it has been SATs marking. If that was not enough the local authority have chosen our school for moderation this year, resulting in yet more work as I compiled the evidence for the “dragon†of a moderator who will be visiting me just after half term.

    The half term holiday did give me some modelling time, in fact more than I originally expected as the bad weather caused several cancelled trips out. On the first Friday I had planned a trip to the Severn Valley Railway whilst my wife was visiting her mum, only to postpone the trip due to bad weather. So a full day’s modelling then!

    First I tackled that troublesome final point motor. I finished filing the hole to open it out, and test fitted the new motor. Thankfully the arm moved freely, and after a large amount of “jiggling†I managed to get the motor to fully change the point in both directions. New screw holes were drilled and with a real sense of achievement I screwed the last motor into place. I couldn’t resist a quick picture. The fitting of that motor has been a long time in coming!


    No sooner had I fitted the motor I moved onto the station platforms. These were placed in-situ and then clearances were tested with a Hornby coach, initially propelled by finger power, and then by my recently purchased Bachmann 3F. I couldn’t resist running it! Once everything was in the correct place I marked this on the baseboard before marking and cutting out the cork base. This was then glued down, with the platforms placed on top, with tools on top of them to weigh down the cork whilst it dried. Things were then left overnight to dry.

    * Gluing down the cork base for the station. My home layout, Skaleby, can be seen in the background.
     

    * Checking the clearances for the station.
     

    * My Bachmann 3F on test. The rough floor plan for the show can be seen in the background.
     
    During the following week I moved back to the track. I painted the sleepers and the track sides with “Deck Brown†acrylic paint to provide some form of weathering. Although at first things looked a little bit messy, the result was quite effective once the paint had dried.

    On the final Thursday my wife was off to visit her mum again and I had once more planned a trip to the Severn Valley Railway. Sadly the weather beat me yet again. Even heavier rain forced me to cancel my trip for a second time and so I was left with a second full day of modelling. This time I finally turned my attention to the ballasting.

    For the ballast I mixed some Woodland Scenics medium and fine grade grey ballast with some coarser material purchased from “Brickyard Modelsâ€. To this mix I added a sprinkle of Woodland Scenics medium brown gravel. This was applied to the main running line and brushed into place. More brown was added to the mix before I repeated the process for the run round loop. A sprinkling of Woodland Scenics “fine cinders†was added to small patches of the main running line to indicate where a steam engine may stand when trains pause at the station. The cinder ballast was mixed with the brown and a small amount of grey and this was then added to the sidings. I was quite pleased with the effect, especially for a first attempt. My final job was to glue the ballast down. I followed the instructions given in many issues of the Hornby Magazine. I made up a 50 / 50 mix of PVA glue and water, with a few drops of washing up liquid. This was then dropped onto the ballast via a pipette. Prior to this I wet the ballast with water from a Woodlands Scenics “Scenic Sprayerâ€.
    I found the water / glue mix didn’t cover well out of the pipette, but patiently covered the whole layout. After leaving for a couple of hours to dry, I then mixed a second batch of glue, water and washing up liquid. This was then added over the top from the spray bottle. Things covered much better this time and the ballast looked very similar to those shown in the magazine’s “How to†guides.
     
    * Unfortunately things have not run quite as smoothly as I had hoped. Once the glue had dried I found that the points had also stuck fast. I know I should have covered them when spraying the second coat of glue, but never thought that the weak glue would stick them!! Looks like I have to get my "problem solving hat" back on to try and sort this out!
     
    The show

    After a quiet spell things have also moved forward with the show. I have begun the advertising for the event. I updated the leaflets to include directions to the school. These have been sent out to some of the traders who have already booked their tables. A supply of leaflets was also left at the Derby show last month. My mother and father have also been displaying leaflets and posters on their stall at various local toy fairs. These have proved useful already, as it jogged the memory of one of the model groups who had yet to get back to me. A quick phone conversation and I have now been able to add another layout and a trade stand to the list. The layout is a Thomas the Tank Engine one which will cost the children 50p for a chance to control the engines. The group have promised to contribute all money raised from this to the school funds. Great news indeed!
    With these additional attractions I have now filled the main hall and reckon the corridor areas have now been filled as well. This means I do need to measure up that classroom to see how much I can fit in there.

    Until next time…..
  11. andyram
    In a recent "Hornby Magazine" interview Simon Kohler came out and said that he believed that much of Hornby's recent supply problems were behind them, and that he hoped all of the items listed in the 2014 catalogue would be released during the forthcoming year. This means that 2014 should see a lot of exciting models appearing in the shops. The long awaited P2 should finally arrive and should be joined by the new GWR "Hall" as well as many new models announced in the new catalogue.
    For me personally the announcement of the K1 was particularly exciting. As my home layout is based loosely on Goathland this will fit perfectly, especially if they produce a model of 62005. The new, affordable, TSO mark 1 coaches will not go amiss either!
     
    This weekend, however, I read some disturbing news in the business section of a tabloid daily newspaper. The brief article claimed that
    "shares in the company had slid on Friday, after it said that problems with a Chinese supplier would lead to a £1 million loss this year".
    Does this represent further problems for the company, or is it a result of the supply problems from last year? The article also claimed that shares had "fallen by 9%, but recovered to finish the day's trading 3% down". It also claimed that it will cost Hornby "£600,000 to pull out of the supply contract."
     
    I wonder if this perceived loss has been caused by the fact Hornby have decided to cut their losses and pull out of the contract with the supplier who has caused the delays. This outlay could contribute to such a loss. If this is the case, hopefully a new supplier will provide a better service and get Hornby back "on track" by meeting their promise of releasing all items during 2014. If this is not the case then we could be facing another frustrating year of delays.
     
    I really hope that Hornby's promise of a better year is true. It certainly needs a good year, and some good publicity. I would hate to see it lose its way. Perhaps another James May's Toy Stories programme featuring another madcap Hornby challenge would not go amiss!!!
  12. andyram

    More Skaleby pictures

    By andyram,

    I was very pleased with how many people read my first blog entry yesterday. A big thanks to those people who commented. For the member who wanted more pics I am happy to oblige.
     
    Yesterday I described how I had started building my layout, based loosely on the preserved station at Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors. One of the first scenic areas I have completed is the embankment which carries the footpath towards the location of Darnholm.
    Here are a couple of pictures of the completed the structure.

    This first picture gives an overview of the embankment, complete with trees and footpath. As you can see, some of the stone scatter material wasn't stuck down well enough onto the footpath and it has started to come off revealing the grey paint underneath (see bottom of the picture). I will have to repair this at a later date.
     

    This second picture gives a low level view of the embankment and footpath taken from the bottom of the enbankment.
     
    More developments
    Being a teacher the progress with Skaleby seems to go in "fits and starts". During term time the workload often prevents me from doing any scenic work, although I do find time to run the occasional train. But during the holidays things seem to move much quicker. The baseboards were only completed back in March. The track layout was experimented with during the Easter period before it was finally pinned down during the June half term. The "Darnholm embankment" was completed during the summer break along with the bases for the station buildings.
    As this week is my half term things are moving forward once again. I have turned my attention to the "Pickering" end of the layout where trains will leave the station under a road over bridge. The bridge has been placed "in-situ" and the embankments for the associated cutting has now been started. As before I built up the area using the polysterene blocks from Skaledale buildings. These were glued down before screwed up newspaper was added on top to create a basic shape ( as seen in this picture).

     
    I once again cut out strips of cardboard and stuck this on top of the newspaper to provide a firm base for the road. The whole structure was then covered with plaster bandage.

     
    I also added a cardboard base to the top of the enbankment for the pub which will stand here and overlook the station. I have placed the pub in the correct position for this shot. The building is the Skaledale "Mason's Arms".

     
    This whole area has now been left to dry. You may notice that on one side of the bridge the embankment has a "recess built in" (where the paintbrush is on an earlier shot!). This will house the signal box and a lamp hut. For those of you who know Goathland station you will realise that this is the wrong side. At the real location a water tower sits here. Sadly, space prevented me from placing the signal box in its true position on the near side of the line. Had I tried to put it there I would have had a very short platform or no goods yard, and both were important to me.
    Also I do not like the ground level signal box at Goathland, nor its associated Hornby model. I have therefore used major artistic license and moved the signal box location, and changed the style of the box too. The box I will use is actually Bachmann's model of Highley signal box from the Severn Valley Railway. Ok, ok I know it is not right for the area, but like I said previously...it is my layout so I will choose what I like! Besides as Skaleby is on a fictional preserved line I could easily invent a story to suggest that the original North Eastern box has been demolished!!! Anyway I like the Bachmann model and had to use it somewhere!

    I have placed the Bachmann box in its location for this shot which was taken of a Hornby West Country (Clovelly) whilst on test prior to be placed on EBay. Not sure why I bought this model. I think I had some spare cash and my local model shop was having a sale!
     
    Anyway moving on! With the bridge cuttings drying what is next?? I still have a few half term days left and I am sure there will be a bit of modelling time to be found amongst the decorating of the baby's room! So what are my plans?
    My next projects will be:
    * Permenantly pinning down the track in the fiddle yard.
    * Build a hidden storage siding to expand storage space in the fiddle yard.
    * Paint the cuttings in brown base paint.
    * Begin to add scenery to the rear of the far platform.
     
    Oh and I still need to connect up the track to the main engine shed scene and add scenery around the single road shed too. Watch this space!
  13. andyram

    More ups and downs

    By andyram,

    Well another week and yet more ups and downs. First the good news. The layout forms are starting to come back in greater numbers. At present the confirmed layouts have hit double figures which is pleasing. I know of a couple more that are definitely coming but are yet to confirm their forms and two that are awaiting confirmation from me.
    The progress has seen me come up with a plan for a new feature at the show. Two of our exhibits have confirmed that they will be made available for visitors to use. Therefore I have hit upon a plan of creating an "interactive" room which will be solely made up of layouts that visitors can try. Not sure whether this is a new idea or not, but it will be new for us. It does mean I will need to find one or two more models that can be exhibited in this way. It is possible I will turn to a local model railway group for help in this matter - but if anyone else is willing to exhibit in this way then please get in touch!
    I mentioned in a previous post that a couple of traders had let me down. I think I have got one replacement, but my search for a second has thus far proved unsuccessful. Sadly a further trader has "double booked" themselves and will not be attending. That is another blow so I will have to redouble my efforts to find replacements.
  14. andyram

    Nottingham

    By andyram,

    After a weekend off from show visits I managed to head over to the Nottingham event on Saturday. I really enjoyed this show when I visited for the first time last year and had been looking forward to it all week. (And that had nothing to do with the Rams win over Forest you understand!!)
     
    Perhaps the organisers needed to help fund some new players for the City Ground. I did think that the £8.00 entry fee was quite expensive. I know hiring the hall and bringing in layouts may not be cheap and that the organisers have to cover their costs somehow, but when compared to Stafford which was £7 for three halls and, I reckon, more exhibits it did seem a bit much. The show guide, at £1.50, was also 50p more than the Stafford one! That said, the show was excellent with plenty to see and some fantastic exhibits. I certainly enjoyed it once again and spent a long time there, so maybe I just about got my £8.00's worth.
    There were plenty of excellent layouts to see. The Scottish section was superb. Although not a diesel fan I did enjoy the B.R blue era Bannochbrae which ran with DCC sound locos. The scenics certainly brought back memories of my honeymoon in the Highlands of Scotland. Also reminding me of this particular holiday was the N gauge, Loch Oran which was based on the Crianlarich junction which I had travelled through on the way to Fort William. I also enjoyed the steam era Culreach which I think I have seen in the pages of Hornby Magazine.
     
    One layout which I had seen in the magazine was the GWR branch line terminus layout, Potterbourne. This too was excellent and showed just what operation can be realistically crammed into a small space. It ran very well too - unlike some layouts I saw on the day.
     
    My favourite layout, without doubt, was Stoke Summit. A huge model of the location of Mallard's record breaking run. This seemed to attract a huge crowd all day. It is a massive model, very impressive. I managed to squeeze into the crowd at one end of the scenic section, right by the tunnel mouth. Here I could look along the whole length of the layout to the curve under the bridge at the far end, straining to see if a train was approaching, whilst suddenly seeing another emerge from the tunnel beneath me. Above the tunnel a footpath was modelled about at my eyeline. As I stood there a constant stream of Eastern region locos passed by - A1, A3's and A4's on passenger trains, Austerity 2-8-0's on freights, a V2 on a parcels and a K3 on a shorter passenger train. For just a few minutes reality blurred and I got a sense of what trainspotting was like in those days when steam reigned supreme. As someone who was born in the 1970's this may be as close as I will ever get!!! Congrats to the owners and builders of this model. It truely was the highlight of the show for me.
     
    Although my wallet had been lightened considerably on entrance, I still managed to make some purchases. I am not a diesel fan, but I could not resist a Heljan model of the Railbus. This small model will go into the loco roster for my Skaleby West layout. I also picked up some point motors for this model too and a few trees. Now to get on with the modelling!!! Oh and I need to be nice to the wife...Belper in 2 weeks!!!
  15. andyram

    Nottingham 2013

    By andyram,

    Ok, it was not at Harvey Haddon and the show was spread out over a number of locations. Ok, if you hadn't purchased a show guide you may have struggled to find everything, and ok there may have been parking problems. But Nottingham 2013 was a great show and great credit should go to those who organised the event in a relatively short space of time. It is not their fault the previous venue was unavailable, and it was not their fault that the weather caused some of the parking problems. (I remember a Stafford show where many cars had to be towed off the car park!!).
     
    Some people do not like change, clearly!
     
    Now the reason I am labouring the point is that, on Saturday, I observed a visitor verbally abusing one of the stewards in an aggressive manner about the above issues. It was disgraceful behaviour. If the gentleman in question reads this I hope he is totally ashamed of himself. Ok, he may not have been happy over some elements, and he is entitled to his opinion. But there are ways and means of making your point and that was not the correct way!
     
    This was the first show at the new venue and I am sure it has been a learning curve for the organisers and they will learn the lessons of this for future shows. But they are on the right track. There were plenty of signs and stewards to direct visitors to the different parts of the event. Maybe a free map with your ticket would help - after all the Mansfield show does this! The catering was good, and the entry fee slightly cheaper. And there was a good range of exhibits, well organised and logically grouped together.
    Highlights for me was the gigantic model of Leicester South which depicted the Great Central Railway. The large goods facility, complete with working wagon turntables was superb. Other excellent layouts were Sutton, Thurston, Borchester and Yarborough. All were excellent large layouts.
    I had been looking forward to seeing Gamston Bank. Sadly, like others who have commented, it seemed to be having a few technical problems whilst I was stood there. I did not get to see too much action. The layout was still an impressive model!
     
    The show had a few hidden gems including the Scottish region layout - Dalmally. This B.R blue era model depicted a modified model of a real station on the Glasgow to Oban line. Its track layout taking inspiration from such locations as Killin Junction. I have developed an interest in the Killin branch after reading articles and books on the line to Loch Tay. Seeing this model was very interesting..maybe a model of Killin Junction could be a long term personal project. Now there is a thought!
    Another little gem was the N gauge modern image model of Stoney Lane Depot. Such detail packed into a relatively small space. Superb!
    And what a shock. Here is me - a self confessed steam modeller praising modern image layouts. They must have been that good!!
     
    There is always the odd model built in a strange place. The "Shoerack Shuttle" was located in a room which I almost missed. This was built in an Ikea shoerack and showed what could be done when space is very limited. Another excellent model.
     
    Overall a great show. And a good starting point at this new venue. I believe that the show will be there for another two years at least and I am sure the organisers will learn lessons from it. But was a great show. Well done to all concerned.
  16. andyram

    Nottingham 2016

    By andyram,

    After a couple of false starts I made it to the Nottingham show just before mid-day. This year the event has returned to the Harvey Haddon Sports Centre meaning that the show is back to being all in one room, rather than spread out around many rooms in a school. I had thought that this change would make the show extremely crowded as there was less room for the crowd to be dispersed. Certainly my previous experience of shows at Harvey Haddon have been like this, with large crowds in front of the layouts. However this year's show was nothing like that. The hall seemed very quiet. Whether this was down to the generous walkways between the layouts or a lower attendance is debateable. I do hope that, over the weekend, the organisers attract a decent crowd because the show deserves to succeed. The event had a good mix of layouts that were well grouped together. The pick of these were in the modern image area with the much travelled "Farkham" probably being the stand out model with the way part of the line is glimpsed through the tower blocks placed at the front of the scene. A nice little Del Boy and Rodney cameo scene included too.
    Loughborough Midland, London Road and Towcester were also good examples of 00 gauge diesel era. I liked the lighting on Towcester and the long stretch of raised embankment that ran alongside the fields at one end of the layout. This looked extremely realistic.
    In N gauge "Neely" was another impressive modern image layout with very interesting lighting. I was so glad to see it operating well on my second visit as it was fairly static for the whole of my first visit to the model.
    Static layouts did seem to be a bit of a feature during the early part of my visit. The part built 0 gauge layout "Lancaster Green Ayre" never seemed to have anything running on any of my visits. Perhaps I just appeared at the wrong time. The 00 gauge LMS era layout "Ilkeston" also seemed to be pretty quiet in terms of traffic. They did seem to have some running issues, with only the trams at one end of the layout actually running well. I think I am a jinx on this layout as it often seems to run badly when I am there. I hope that they fixed these problems as it is a very good layout indeed.
    There were plenty of other highlights. The procession of trains on the 0 gauge circular layout "Scout Green" made impressive viewing. The passing A4 on the Pullmans and the crimson Jubilee being the stand out models. As a steam era modeller I found "Coton Sidings" of interest. This has two shunting levels in an urban setting. The Western region was well represented by "Farringdon". This layout represents the changeover period from GWR to BR and makes a good job of placing the railway in the scene.
    I enjoyed seeing the narrow gauge layout, "Low Tor". The appearance of the Bachmann model of "Skarloey" in original form, and another which had been converted to Talyllyn. This is a very nice model, and it was nice to see one for the first time.
     
    There were so many good layouts that I cannot mention them all. I did visit the foreign layout section, but as its not my area of interest it was only a brief visit. There was a good mix of trade with plenty of new and specialist items for sale. I went with a shopping list and, sadly, found nothing from it. I did come away with some items including the new Hornby catalogue which is much smaller, and cheaper, than previous years.
     
    Sadly I did not take my camera as the trip was rather last minute. Just one IPhone shot shown below of the Del Boy and Rodney cameo.
     
    BEST LAYOUT
    1. Farkham - impressive the way the railway picks its way through the scenic section. Great cameos.
    2. Towcester - well lit, nice scenic section capped off with sound fitted locomotives.
    3. Faringdon - had to have a steam era layout in there somewhere!
     
    BEST MODEL
    0 gauge Jubilee on Scout Green.
     

    THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE.
    Bachmann "Talyllyn" and Skarloey on Low Tor (2 of my favourite locos from my childhood....yes I want one!)
    Del and Rodney cameo on "Farkham"
  17. andyram
    I think the title of the blog sums things up at the moment. It does not seem that long ago that I was breaking up for the six week summer holiday and looking forward to a family break on the South coast. Now I am back at work, installed as part of the school's leadership team, and suddenly realising that the fourth Weston on Trent Model Railway show is now only a few weeks away. That is quite a frightening thought! In truth the show has been taking a back seat in my thoughts of late due to some building work taking place at the school. Due to an increase in school numbers the two large junior classrooms have had their sizes reduced so that the middle break out room can be made into a classroom. This has made three equal sized, but smaller, rooms. Whilst this work does not reduce the actual size available for the show, it does mean the footprint changes slightly. Until the building work was completed and the rooms fitted out I could not complete the floor plan to ensure everything fits. This will need to be done in the next couple of weeks.
    At present there are 13 layouts confirmed, with another 6 or 7 still to return their confirmation sheets. We should have a 20 layout show by the time it all comes together. This year one of the rooms will be billed as the "interactive room" and will feature layouts that are available for the general public to try if they wish. I am not sure if there are many other shows that give over a whole room in this way, but hopefully it will prove to be a success.
     
    Talking of the word "success" - I really hope the show proves to be so. The last three events have all been successful and well attended. They have also been a joy to organise. I have benefitted from so much goodwill and help. This has been the case again, with so many RMWeb members bringing their layouts and offering support. I really appreciate this help and support. Unfortunately there have been plenty of "speed bumps" along the way. No less than three traders have pulled out. All have been long serving supporters and their loss has made things difficult. One trader told me a while ago they were cutting down on the number of shows they were attending and ours, as a one day show, was part of the cull. This was disappointing, but understandable. The other two had double booked themselves which is very annoying, but happens I suppose. One of these traders decided to inform me of this decision by sending a message via my parents which offended me a little.
    Thankfully I have managed to replace two of the missing traders and I am close to agreeing a third new trader which will give us a full compliment. I am just waiting for this trader to get back to me. It is a frustrating wait, especially as they promised to contact me over a week ago. I do seem to have spent a while awaiting replies and chasing people up this year. I have also been let down a lot, and I am pretty certain one layout owner is going to pull out due to ill health - we lost another due to illness earlier in the year.
     
    I am sure many exhibition manager has had similar experiences over the years - this is my first experience of such hassles and problems. Hopefully I can bring things together in time. There is still so much to do, and my layout still needs a lot of work. I still need to find another layout, especially if my suspicions about the exhibitor prove to be correct.
     
    More updates soon!
  18. andyram

    One Month down!

    By andyram,

    Another week and another blog entry. It is a month since I started this blog, and at the time I saw it more as an appeal for help than something I would update regularly. Now it seems that I have settled into a habit of updating it each week. I hope that people are finding these thoughts and experiences of a show organising virgin of some interest. Here is the latest!
     
    The show - taking stock!
     
    After my intial appeal for layouts a month ago I was overwhelmed with the response and offers of help I received. Understandably things have slowed up at the moment.
    At present there are 5 layout owners booked and confirmed, bringing 7 layouts between them. Three of these layouts have been allocated space in the school hall. The other 4 are still planned for other rooms. A 6th owner has confirmed their attendance. All I need to do is decide which of his two show layouts I want. They differ quite a lot in size, so I have decided to wait and see what else I may get before I confirm arrangements with him.
    A colleague, who visits our school once a week, is a member of the Belper model railway group. He has promised to bring his layout, although this is still to be finished, and I am continuing with my own construction project (see below). So technically I can probably say that I have 10 layouts of different sizes and gauges attending the show.
    This week I have also confirmed the booking of two trade stands. This gives me three traders definitely attending so far. There are still some tables still to be sold though.
     
    So what next?
     
    Well I am still waiting on a few replies....
    - One preservation society was approached at a recent exhibition and expressed an interest in the event. Despite taking my details I am yet to hear from them.
    - A model railway group expressed an interest at the same show. This would involve them bringing a layout and having a trade stand. They also took my details but no reply yet.
    - One local railway based charity have promised to take a stand, the arrangements need to be confirmed.
    - I am awaiting confirmation from 3 layout owners.
     
    No panic yet though, the date is still a long way away and people are probably so busy with all the shows that are happening locally at the moment. Mind you, any further RMWebbers who could help with layouts would be welcome.
     
    The school is keen to have some kind of tombola or raffle. My wife has kindly offered her services and is going to contact companies for donations of prizes. I hope that she has more luck than me after I drew a blank from both Hornby and Bachmann. Both stating that they only supported charities local to them. At least they replied I suppose.
     
    The show layout
     
    The baseboards for Skaleby West returned from the workshops (aka my dad's garage) at the weekend. They are now fitted with the under frame supports and back and side boards. The model is now starting to resemble the skeleton of a show layout. I have loosely laid out the track onto the cork track bed to give an impression of how the final model will look. The first shot gives a general view of the whole baseboard.

     
    Whilst the second is a close up of the small goods yard area.

     
    At first I was a bit worried that the tunnel holes were not big enough, but a quick test with a Hornby coach has cleared up this concern.
     
    The next jobs will be to paint the backboards. They currently sport a rough layer of undercoat and will be covered with a grey / blue colour to resemble the sky. This paint was used on the bedroom walls and gives a decent backdrop to my permenant Skaleby model (see other blog).
    The other job will be to lay the track and fit the point motors. Now that will be a challenge!
  19. andyram

    One week on - the future!

    By andyram,

    Back in February I started this blog entitled “What have I let myself in for?” With the Weston show now over I have had a chance to reflect on that, and also to look to the future!
     
    The layout - Skaleby West
    I had always wanted to build an exhibition layout, and organising the Weston show gave me the excuse and motivation to get on and do it. I thoroughly enjoyed the nine month build, and have learnt many new skills during the period including hand ballasting, using static grass and even a poor first attempt at scratch building.
     
    The layout returned home from the show unscathed and has found itself back in its original home on top of the rabbit hutch in the spare bedroom. Under the bright lights in this room I have to reflect that it looks ok. True enough it is not the world’s best layout and there are many faults – the goods shed for instance and the gap in the scenery at the front of the board by the tunnel. Despite these faults I am still quite proud of it. So what now?
     
    Skaleby West was always built primarily for the Weston show. That is what kept me motivated throughout the build. Now the show is over that motivation has gone, for now at least. In its present location I can’t even run it and so it may have to be mothballed and stored away in the loft for a while.
    I do want to finish the model. The points still need wiring, the goods shed will need replacing again, there is more detail I would like to add and I have considered adding a second scenic board. For transportation I have also thought about some sort of protective “box” which would cover the front and top of the model.
    I suppose any such work would probably be done with an exhibition appearance in mind. In theory the layout is available for show visits (with wife’s permission of course!) At the end of the Weston 2012 show there were no more in the diary………..
     
    The show – Weston-on-Trent
    Without doubt the show was a success. We raised plenty of money and I have received so many kind emails and messages of congratulations for the show. I thank everyone for their feedback, including the constructive criticism we received. All feedback is useful. It was nice to pass on the kind comments about the catering to the rest of the staff who did such a great job. I know they appreciated it. Many said that they don’t receive such kind comments from people who visit our other fundraisers which are more aimed at the school community. Many praised the politeness and friendliness of our visitors.
     
    The money raised, along with the kind responses we received, pretty much made the decision for us. There WILL be a Weston-on-Trent 2013 show. I can now reveal that the date has been set for Saturday 16th November 2013. Therefore I am issuing an appeal for layouts again. I know some people from this year’s show may return with other layouts so I am a little way down the line already – but I will need more.
     
    So as my blog title said back in February. “What have I let myself in for?” Maybe now I should rename it “Here we go again!”
     
    Here’s to next year. And in the meantime here are some additional shots I have taken of Skaleby West during a free hour today.

    What might have been!
    The milk taken stands by the goods shed. I dropped this wagon whilst packing stock prior to the Weston show and broke the coupling.

    Two shots of Jubilee class 45659 "Drake" as it exits the tunnel into Skaleby West.

    Standard 3 tank 82020 pauses at the platform.

    82020 shunts the goods yard.
  20. andyram
    It has been quite a few months since I posted anything on my Skaleby blog. With my attention firmly focused on the organising of the school's model railway show, and on the building of my show layout "Skaleby West", the larger layout has had to take a back seat modelling wise. There has been no progress on the scenics whatsoever, and even the tidying up of the board has not happened. That does not mean that the layout has been ignored however.
     
    Sharing the spare room with the pet house rabbit may have its problems. The national network may have leaves on the line, the wrong kind of snow and even recently a guard taking a statutory break but these pale into insignificance next to Skaleby's challenge of rabbit fur. The little feller's white hairs get everywhere! Much of my time is spent "defurring" the layout and the locos which run on it.
    But it is not all bad. The need to give the rabbit his daily exercise does give me an excuse to play trains. And so whilst the scenic work has taken a back seat I have enjoyed a daily bout of playing trains and Skaleby has seen a regular service.
    As Skaleby is essentially modelled as a preserved line, passenger trains are very much in the majority. Up until recently these have been operated using a pair of midland surburban coaches. Now these trains operated using an ex GWR autocoach as this prevents the need to run the loco round the train, important time saving when I am combining my railway operating with rabbit watching and paper work. A three coach B.R Eastern region set of Mark 1's is also used and often visits during busier days hauled by a larger loco from my collection.
    At present the operation of the line is shared by a fleet of three locomotives. These are:
     
    Hornby Railroad SDJR "Jinty" 3F number 24

     
    This is the workhorse of the fleet. It was bought for Skaleby's previous incarnation at our old house when the line was plagued by "cat attack" as our pet cat delighted on jumping onto the layout. It is robust and easy to maintain. Despite some problems in February it still gives good service on the two coach surburban set and is seen here on shed at Skaleby.
     
     
    Bachmann B.R Standard class 3 number 82020

     
    My favourite loco of the current fleet. It also runs with the two coach surburban set. It is seen here on shed outside Skaleby goods shed. This is being used to temporarily house locos whilst the main shed ares is under construction. Locos are moved out when freight trains run. In this picture you can see the rabbit hair problem!
     
    Bacmann B.R Ivatt tank number 41324

     
    This loco is currently in service on the autocoach trains. It runs well although sometimes doesn't like travelling forwards over the point work. Care is needed when driving it. It is seen here in the goods yard at Skaleby.
     
     
    Up until recently a fourth loco was part of the fleet.
     
    Hornby B.R "Terrier" number 32636

     
    This loco was also used on the autocoach trains and has been in regular service over the last three weeks. It is seen here with the autocoach in a photograph which is being used on the publicity material for my school's model railway show.
    The loco has just been taken out of service for "defluffing!!!".
  21. andyram
    Due to a heavy work load since February, progress on Skaleby West has rather resembled that of a steam age freight train – slow, plodding progress interrupted by lots of signal checked periods of inactivity. As I left school on the Friday evening at the start of the Easter break I felt like I was receiving clear signals onto the fast line. This was the chance to speed up progress during the two weeks away from work.

    Things started very well too. During the first week the layout was moved from its home in the small, spare bedroom and taken outdoors to have the backboard painted. A coat of grey / blue matt emulsion left over from a previous decorating job gave a reasonable impression of a clear sky. Not that the Easter skies in Derby looked like that very often. Before the paint was dry I was swiftly moving the layout back inside as the latest wave of dark, black clouds rolled in. I only just got the layout back under cover before the latest April shower was deposited on us.

    When my very understanding wife arrived home that evening, she only raised a slight eyebrow at the sight of Skaleby West, residing on a pair of kitchen stools across the front of the French doors in our lounge. And she has not raised the slightest complaint that the layout has remained there for the subsequent three weeks! During this time I did undertake some test running. A Bachmann “Jinty†was used to shunt a small collection of wagons. I was pleased to see that everything ran smoothly, with none of the stalling issues of the previous test sessions.

    The poor Easter weather meant that it was another week before I found a dry window to take the layout back outside again. This time, with the help of my father, we drilled the holes for, and fitted, the four Hornby point motors to the underside of the board. I had chosen to use the under-board motors with the extended arm attached. Unfortunately these seem to give me a lot of trouble. It took a lot of “playing around†before the motors were aligned correctly, and even then the arm seemed rather fragile and kept “popping out†of the joining piece. I have super-glued all and hope that this solves the problem. Three of the four motors have now been treated in such a way, with arms also cut down to size and track pinned down. The points change fully when the motor is operated by hand, so fingers crossed it will work just as well when they are wired to the power switches. I just have one more point motor to sort out and the final pieces of track to pin down before I can move onto the ballasting of the track.

    In the meantime the layout has made an unexpected first public appearance. As mentioned in previous blog entries, I am constructing Skaleby West for display at the model railway show which I am organising at my school on November 10th. This event is part of the school’s fifth birthday year of fundraising. The weekend just passed has seen the official fifth birthday date and was celebrated with a Saturday open day. This featured various stalls and displays including, at the headteacher’s request, Skaleby West. The layout acted as publicity for the event complete with posters and leaflets.
    With no scenery, no fiddle yard and hand operated points things were very much “work in progressâ€. But it seemed to be well received and provoked some interest in the event. Once again the layout ran smoothly with no stalling issues. The Jinty once again deployed on shunting a few wagons and provided my first experience of operating the layout from the rear! Just a shame a left the uncoupling hook at home! But at least the event proved I could fit it in the car!

    The show itself has seen very little progress since my last entry. But that may have been down to some signal problems, namely a phone line fault that led to a fortnight without the internet. A visit to the Belper show did allow me to confirm the possible attendance of someone to provide some scenic demonstrations. A recent toy fair visit has also seen another trade stand booking. I have produced some posters and leaflets which were displayed at the school event, but these will need to be altered for the wider public as I need to add directions to the school. That will probably be my next job.

    Until next time…..
  22. andyram

    Progress continues!

    By andyram,

    Another month down and I am pleased to report more progress with the Weston on Trent 2014 show. Following the announcement in the last entry of two new exhibitors for this year's event, I can confirm that further layouts have now been booked. Ken Jones is one exhibitor who has agreed to return for a third year with more of his micro layouts whilst another third time returnee, Malcolm Hughes, has agreed to bring some more of his heritage collection. For this year it looks likely that he will provide a display of Lone Star models. John Bottomley who attended the 2013 show with his 00 gauge layout, Torridge, has agreed to return with his N gauge model this year. That already makes a total of 6 or 7 layouts. Last year I reached 20 and hope to do so once again. There are a couple of other returnees I need to confirm soon which will hopefully take the layout total into double figures.
     
    Recently I have joined the Mickleover Model Railway group. Apart from some very enjoyable evenings it has also opened up some other possible new exhibitors. Hopefully these can be sorted soon. One established member has already expressed an interest in attending for the first time. A good start then, but I still need more exhibtors. If any other RMWeb member is interested please send me a message.
     
    It now looks certain that we have sold all of our trade stands already. Only one of last year's traders is still to confirm their availability and I am confident that they will be joining us. If not we do have two other traders waiting in the wings to step in. It is a nice position to be in!
     
    The first set of leaflets were distributed around the recent Burton swapmeet and some were left at the Stafford show so the publicity has already begun. Hopefully this will help to bring in another good crowd. At this point it is worth stating that admission fees will be the same as last year.
     
    As for
     
    The layout
    Our house move has still not happened as my solicitors have decided the end of January was a good time to go AWOL. As a result we are still packing up our current house with no date set for the move into my late Grandad's bungalow. Skaleby West remains stored in the spare room and no work has been done yet. The planned scenic extension is currently on hold as another project has emerged. I have been involved with the planning of the "Beyond the Train Set" project for the September RMWeb Live event. This could mean that I will be involved with the construction of the group's Ffarquhar layout as well as planning some of the other displays. I have also volunteered to build the "shunting puzzle" layout for the display. At one point my spare Skaleby West board looked like it may be used for this, now it looks like a seperate board is to be constructed for me so the board can be reallocated to Skaleby West. Whether I will find time to develop it is another matter. It may be that, for 2014, Skaleby West's space in the show will be taken by the "Beyond the train set" display. Time will tell.
     
    Until next time....
  23. andyram
    I always said it would happen! Half term holiday over, back to work, and the progress on Skaleby has slowed to an almost standstill. There has simply been too much paperwork to catch up during the evenings and with the birth of our first child also immenent, my weekends have been taken up with decorating!
     
    I have, at least, managed to sneak out to the occasional model railway show. I visited the recent Burton Rail Fayre which took place at Burton Albion Fc's "Pirelli Stadium". Quite a nice morning out, even if the room was a little cramped. I did manage to purchase a couple of items for the layout. Firstly I acquired a set of Noch tunnel portals. One of these has been placed in-situ to represent the entrance to the fiddle yard. This will allow me to build up the scenic area around this location. I have plans for a second cottage which will be located above the "hidden siding". Before I consider purchasing the cottage however, I need to check that it will fit! Therefore, building up this area is one of the next items on the jobs to do list.

    The location of the tunnel opening can be seen in this picture.
     
    The second purchase from Burton was a little bit of a disaster! I purchased a Bachmann model of Ivatt class 4 number 43160. Unfortunately my memory seems to be fading. I have this model already. Doh!!!! I have tested the engine on the layout (see picture below) and have placed it on EBay! Perhaps I should keep a record of my collection! You live and learn I suppose.

     
    And so the progress has come to a standstill. I have managed to run some trains though. The trusty Railroad SDJR "Jinty" has operated each day with a couple of surburban coaches. I have usually managed to sneak in to run the train out to the fiddle yard before I leave for work, and return it in the evening. It may be simple, but it keeps me happy!
  24. andyram

    Progress in to the buffers!

    By andyram,

    As the final weeks of the summer holiday slipped by I was able to make further progress on the garden railway project. The flower bed, which I dug out before the last entry, was covered in the frost proof sheeting before a good layer of decorative stone was added. I then edged the front with some cheap (£1 shop!!!), but decent looking white plastic picket fencing. All looked very nice and I was ready to head out, purchase the set and get the track temporarily placed down. I also had a helpful message from another member of this site passing on the details of the owner of a local garden railway who was willing to offer advice. Thanks Don!
     
    Sadly it all hit the buffers at that point!
     
    My wife and I had been casting an envious eye over the new housing development on the edge of our estate. Last week we made the mistake of attending the show home opening. That was it! We are now in the process of selling up ready to move. As a result "Project 3G" is on hold. However it will be revived at some point should we complete the move and I have the planning permission from my beloved for that. So this is not the end of the project, just a siesta. Perhaps it can be viewed as a few steps back in order to make more forward!
     
    The move will also mean my home layout, Skaleby, will also have to be taken out. However its planned new home will potentially provide more running space so there is a positive there too. Meanwhile I hope to continue with the Skaleby West extension and I will update that blog in the near future.
  25. andyram

    Ruddington 2013

    By andyram,

    A free Saturday gave me the chance to visit the Ruddington show today. This show, like the Midland Rail-ex at Butterley, spreads its exhibits around several buildings on the Nottingham Heritage Centre site. The main exhibition takes place inside the loco shed, with the layouts and traders tucked inbetween the various items of rolling stock. Space is certainly limited. Inside the shed there were 4 traders and 7 layouts. The best of these was the 0 gauge "Camden" shed model which I saw at the Derby show earlier in the year. This is a superb model and displays a large collection of wonderfully detailed Midland Region stock. I wish I had space for an 0 gauge model, especially the "Duchess" class models seen below on the turntable.


    Even larger than this was the G scale display which featured a variety of American stock, complete with sound and smoke! This layout also featured a Isle of Man loco and a Bachmann "Thomas". Perhaps, considering my daughter's interest in the little blue engine, I could get away with purchasing one as an excuse for a garden railway!
    A large American modular layout dominated the middle of the shed. Impressive in size, but not my interest, so I skipped past this one. Near to this was a young lad with a display of Lego trains - good to see younger children involved in exhibiting.
    A tram layout depicted a film studios, complete with a model of a Lancaster Bomber. My mother would have appreciated this, she has a real interest in WW2 aircraft and the Lanc in particular.


     
    Other layouts in the main shed were the N gauge models "Derwent Valley" and "Sumwhere Valley" both featured a constant stream of passing trains.
     
    Beyond the main shed the other areas were rather difficult to find. There was little signage and the "show guide" (printed A4 sheets) didn't provide a map. The visitors centre is very small, but featured one well stocked trade stand and two further layouts. It was good to catch up with Malcolm Hughes again as he displayed his collection of clockwork Hornby. Next to him was the modern image "Meadow Lane TMD" which is another impressive small space layout.
    The final building was at the far end of the site near to the station for the impressive miniture railways. The building contained one demonstration and two layouts from the Gresley and Wychnor group. I do enjoy watching the excellent "Glen Roy" and the operators are always friendly.
     
    That is 11 layouts in total - slightly less than the 12 advertised visitors. The site does have four layouts of its own which are present all year round. The 0 gauge Millhouse Lane is superbly detailed, but is outshone for me by the large 00 gauge model which depicts Ruddington Station in the latter days of steam. These are well worth seeing.
     
    In all the show was enjoyable, although I will suggest that better signage would improve things ensuring visitors do not miss anything. Perhaps the show could also expand into one of the other sheds - the road transport building for instance as this would allow a better range of layouts to be included. The only 00 gauge steam era layout was "Ruddington"
     
    The highlight for me was the use of steam on the line to Loughborough Junction. This was the first time I had seen steam used on such services during a model railway weekend. I had never previously travelled the full length of the line so this made my visit worthwhile too. I would also recommend the bottled Good Owld 63 ale which was on sale in the buffet carriage.

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