dreghornpug

Sadly I cannot take part in round one CBC 2019. But I had plans as shown in the photo for an obliviously very busy rural station yet under Beeching's axe. Maybe round two.

Great theme and I will give it a go. Has a description of about 200 words to be included ?

Congratulations to the winner - well deserved as were those Highly Commended. Congratulations to all the entrants but I did wonder why some of the earlier efforts were not in the final. The whole event has been an inspiration a challenge and I look forward to the next challenge.

A new challenge(s) is a great idea. I enjoyed CBC because it caused me do things I had just been thinking about for years. Peterborough is a long way from Carlisle so I will not be able to come. But is it possible to have the same invitation for Model Rail Scotland in Glasgow in February? Regarding size, A4 would provide an alternative challenge and perhaps there could be a different size for each competition even down to A5 ! Also, increasing the word count up to 300 words would help the stories. How many quarterly themes will be announced in January? Bryce dreghornpug

Thanks for your kind remarks. Yes it will be painted and at at least one person included.

Having just seen Phil Parker's "Dockside" in the August BRM I have attached progress photos of my similar diorama. I started several weeks ago but due to a holiday and the great weather no progress has been made recently. I hope to have it ready for the final entries. The more colourful boats are not true scale models but I believe they add some colour and interest to the scene. I have not yet decided whether or not to include them.

Hi I agree ! Great pictures of your diorama. I may try an A4 sometime. Cheers

Looking good. I like to see the progress photos. Will try to do that with my next effort. Could the train be caught in a snow drift as in Murder on the Orient Express ? dreghornpug

Hi Helmut, It was Mark Twain who said, “... don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story. “ I expected someone to comment on the size of coal. I sincerely appreciate your comments but perhaps Kenneth’s ways were not as sophisticated as the procedures you outline. I am reminded of the case that went to the High Court in London when a farmer sued a stable for the supply of a bad load of manure. On top of the load, the manure looked fresh and steaming, but underneath it was stale and cold. I have heard the coal yard dispute has been settled. Kenneth confessed that some coal had passed out during a break down and they failed to let their customers know. Jock soon discovered better-graded coal underneath the big lumps. Mr Jones accepted the lumps at a 75% discount and Jock got a bonus. Cheers

Coal is part of my family experience. The “Fulton” coal wagon bears my family name but I have no connection with the business. I got the wagon from Robbie Burns of Abergaveny long before Oxford Rail used the same livery. From Robbie’s PO wagons, I noted he had the Kenneth and Sons coal wagon, which I had to have for the following reasons. You may note that they were based in Dreghorn, the one near Kilmarnock, in the Montgomery coalfield. My grandpa Fulton worked as a miner with them all his life. He, his wife, and five sons – including one who had polio - lived in a company owned two-roomed flat in property known as Kenneth’s Buildings in Dreghorn. When on holiday in the 1940/50’s my brother, sister, and I would wait for the pug – a 0-4-0T probably a Barclay from nearby Kilmarnock - to sound, its whistle as it approached the level crossing . We would then run about 150 yards along the main road, jump on the crossing gates to watch the rake of coal wagons pulled by the pug go down to the main line. This was the Busby Branch and ran between Kilmarnock and Irvine. Sometimes we were on site watching the loading and shunting and we often followed the pug “doon the line” and have skinny dip in Annick Water. The Shewalton Colliery was about half a mile south across the river Irvine. Coal was carried in skips to the Dreghorn site pulled by wire rope along a tramway, which included a wooden trestle style bridge over the river. This always reminded me of bridges seen in the Tom Mix and Roy Rogers films. My pals and I would hitch a ride on a skip. I think I was Tom Mix! On the same site in Dreghorn, there were Kenneth’s brickworks. We wandered in and out of the brickworks where heavy machinery and dust was evident. There was a bing – a heap of coal waste – about 100 ft high, which we would race up and collapse at the top to see the view across Ayrshire including Ailsa Craig of curling stone fame and the Isle of Arran. This was not done very often. We were often chased but never caught. If there had been Health and Safety at that time, holidays would not have been as much fun. You now know why my pseudonym is dreghornpug. My second entry is a busy coal yard These are the basic elements. I decided sheep and coal did not mix and a stone wall replaced a brick wall. The different coloured barrels are for different oils. There is a dispute in the coal yard. The coal is too large for domestic use. Mr Jones the coal merchant is blaming Fulton the agent who in turn is blaming Kenneth the supplier who grudgingly accepts it should have passed through a crusher or gone for marine use. Meanwhile, Charlie Jones is on top of the wagon breaking the large lumps because there is a great demand for coal. Jock Jones is using the land rover to move empty barrels–and collect a bag of coal – for the collection of waste oil from factories and workshops by his Brother Willie’s tanker. Mr Jones moved to Scotland from South Wales to marry Maggie about thirty years ago. Fair play, haven’t they done well! Dai Williams the deliveryman with the red lorry also came from South Wales looking for Maggie but that’s’ another story! .

Thanks Jerry and to your wife also. My brother raced pigeons so I had a good advice when building the loft. My next effort will be a bit more adventurous.

THIS MY THIRD ATTEMPT TO POST MY EFFORT. I BELIEVE IT IS COMPLETE THIS TIME, IT HAS BEEN A STEEP AND BUMPY LEARNING CURVE. HOW TO I DELETE PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS? The baseboard held our golden wedding cake a few years ago. Picture 1 shows the basic elements I considered first. The scratch built pigeon loft is from my large layout and the locomotive is a Caledonian Railways Class 439 0-4-4T built from a DJH kit over 30 years ago and yet to be finished after an accident. The signal is an old Hornby one. Having looked at some of the contributions so far on the web site, I thought my effort was too traditional so should I bother! Why not, if it is classy and traditional it could be a winner. So here goes with part 1. The height relationship between the loft and the engine did not look right so the track was raised on two layers of ⅛ in cork. The baseboard was covered with 3mm single wall (corrugated) cardboard, which allowed holes to be formed to fix the fence posts with glue. Picture 2 is the next stage showing the pigeon fancier’s former British Rail Land Rover ( he also has a Land Rover pick-up) and bicycle, but with nothing on the track. I tried an old Hornby 0-6-0T Picture3, an old Hornby 08 diesel Picture 4 and the CR 0-4-4T Picture 5, but they each seemed to dominate the scene. I considered the loft was the preferred feature of the scene so something that blended in better was needed so I tried the break van and coal wagon Picture 6, but that was not right. The break van on its own- Picture 7 - looks promising especially when the flashing tail lamp is fixed. My wife prefers this option – be careful what you think!! More ground cover and hedges are required and I am not sure about the signal and I think I will have a closer look at the CR 0-4-4T or a bolster wagon plus vintage car. Comments welcome. #