Cowley 47521

@GONK43 that Mini is a work of art!

Interesting thread @n9, I think I’m going to have to count myself in the ‘lucky’ bracket as Mrs C is also very encouraging about my hobby, she also knows the differences between a 20, 37 and a 50 and is always happy to accompany me on railway trips if I want to visit somewhere. She’s also helped me do various things on my various model railway projects over the years. However I’ve always known not to push it too far and luckily we share lots of other interests too.

We didn’t have kids together but we’ve got six between us and we’ve bought them up together over the last 17 years, in fact we’re in our youngest girls new house right now after helping her and her fiancé move up to Hitchen from Exeter today.

In the last few years my other half has developed an interest in making pottery and we’ve managed to build her a little studio in the garden with a separate kiln down near the house. The studio is right next to my railway shed, so we can potter (pardon the pun) around together doing the things we love and encouraging each other’s creativity without spending all our time at opposite ends of the house. That means we can listen to music or have a podcast on that we can both listen to etc. It’s really rather nice!

One of the first posts in the thread said to praise or encourage your partners hobbies. I think that’s really important. You said “she looked up from her Kindle” but I found myself wondering what she was reading? What’s the synopsis of the novel (if that’s what it is) that she’s lost herself in? Maybe give one of the books she reads a try if it looks like something you might enjoy reading. Only a thought, but it might be a way of connecting?

51 minutes ago, montyburns56 said:

Totally off topic, but definitely an interesting picture....

 

"MV Esso Jersey passes along the Exeter Canal and through the Countess Weir Swing Bridge on the A38, Summer 1963." by Steve Knight

 

 

Really interesting photo. Thanks for posting that.

It’s actually Countess ‘Wear’ by the way. 

3 hours ago, Steadfast said:

Another thread about the doctor here. Suggests the name may originate in him being a wills solicitor, so dealing with death.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/doctor-death.137775/

 

Does anyone know his actual name so I can try to find some of his photos? Only seen him referred to as DH.

 

Going back to the bashers "salute", I always understood it's origins to be the sweeping motion of winding the power handle to fully open. Whether true or not, I have no idea, not my scene and well before my time!

 

Jo

I think it’s probably fine to name him as he’s a fairly well known photographer and his name has appeared in various magazines. It’s David Hunt.

15 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Bishops Lydeard, WSR. 3rd May this year. Is this him?

 

Complete with stepladder, which disappeared shortly afterward, so someone might have had a word.....

 

He's been a familiar sight around the West Country for decades, and was almost a fixture at Exeter St Davids when my railway interest was rekindled in the early 1970s, eerily not looking all that different! He's definitely a few years older than me, so mid-late-70s I'd think.

 

I think the nickname arose from a generally lugubrious facial expression...  

 

TBF, though I've never seen him put himself in danger of anything other than falling off his ladder, and he must have amassed one heck of an archive.

 

John

That’s him indeed. He already looked like he was knocking on a bit in the 1980s and as far as it goes with the nickname he’s been having that shouted at him for probably 40 years (not pleasant really).

I think he must have drunk an elixir of something in the 1970s though. He’s definitely going to outlive us mortals.

5 minutes ago, Markwj said:

Just a thought has anyone ever seen the pictures Dr Death took, were they submitted for publication or sold- were they any good?

Yes and they were pretty decent well composed photos. He had various ones in magazines back in the day and I remember looking at a railway picture postcard in the Red Cow news agents at St David’s one day and noticing that it was one of his.

2 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said:

 

Has anybody actually modelled a 1980's train load of "bashers" with heads out of the window and flailing arms?

This was as far as I got after butchering a Lima mk1. Bill (the well behaved) Basher:

17 minutes ago, 6990WitherslackHall said:

I asked around on Facebook in the various modelling groups I'm in and someone kindly sent me THIS

 

@Cowley 47521 I think this will help you as well

Ah good stuff! Next time I’m at Paul’s I’ll give it a try. 👍

We’ve got three that we use on Moors View from time to time and mine seems to be the only one where the option function works. I’d be interested to know the answer to this too.

2 minutes ago, Iron Horse said:

I saw him at Dawlish earlier this year, same coat, same step ladders, same flat cap and yep..........looked exactly the same as he did in the 80's!

 Ethereal. That would be the word. I’ve seen him out in that coat in 30 degree heat before now. 

30 minutes ago, VIA185 said:

The flailing arms and Nazi salutes etc was during the 80s/90s when I was working for Railway World etc. We took the decision to avoid publishing pictures of them whenever possible but sometimes they succeeded in their aim of ruining every picture. Eventually, of course, it led to barred windows and to today's situation where standing by an open droplight to enjoy the sound is either prevented or frowned upon. As so often in life, the stupid minority ruin things for everyone. (CJL)

The earliest photos of bashers that I’ve ever been able to find doing it are of class 40 fans in the early 1980s. Was that where it started?

Incidently, there seems to be a lot of fairly young people doing it at diesel galas behind locos doing 25mph these days, which is also quite strange behaviour.

I haven’t seen DH around for about 12 months or so now. Hope he’s doing okay as he must be knocking on a bit by now.

Mind you, thinking about it. He doesn’t seem to look any different to how he looked in the 1980s, including the iconic beige overcoat and flat cap (no matter what the weather), so there’s no guarantee that he won’t outlive all of us and may even survive the fiery implosion of the universe, even if his stepladder melts (he’d probably be in position to get a good photo too).

55 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

Well it is a tractor...

Nice. 👍

9 hours ago, The Pilotman said:

In my quest to justify a ScotRail livery coach on a WR 1980s layout I did a fair bit of research and found several different coaches had made it to the south west. This is likely the coach you refer to (photo on Flickr by Martyn Hilbert)

 

This may be it again but with ScotRail branding this time (photo on Flickr by Stephen Dance)

 

Here’s a first class coach (David Rostance on Flickr)

 

 

And an older Mk2… (Gray Callaway on Flickr)

 

 

And a BG here: http://www.hondawanderer.com/50019_Croome_1985.htm

So that’s at least 4 different vehicles. 

 

Well that’s fascinating and I’ve very much enjoyed being corrected Pilotman. That was very much my era of bashing down here and I wonder if I saw any of those at the time and just assumed it was the same one?

Excellent stuff. 👍

22 hours ago, The Pilotman said:

Plenty of shots on Flickr of ScotRail Mk2s in cross country trains in the West Country and south coast. They definitely reached Paignton, Penzance and Poole. I’ve not seen photographic evidence of one at Brighton or Dover though. 

It’s generally the same coach - 5813 painted in unbranded Scotrail livery by mistake at (I think) Craigentinny in the 1980s. Like you say, it appeared all over the cross country network back then, although I don’t recall seeing a photo of it coupled next to a loco before.

It features in these sorts of threads quite frequently. I think the last time was a few weeks ago, that time it was photographed behind a Network Southeast liveried class 50 leaving Newton Abbot!

It’s looking brilliant Duncan. It’s making me want to do a mini layout myself actually. 
 

Nick

On 23/06/2024 at 14:11, AY Mod said:

 

This irrelevant reply on Facebook from Cannadine Boxill-Harris is surely deserving of a prize - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/nakJAwqU64SUmjbf/ 😁

That made my eyes itch. 

21 hours ago, Stuart A said:

That Scotrail aircon Mk2 is a long way from home!

If it’s the one I’m thinking of (and I suspect it probably is), that coach just ended up in the Intercity pool and was often seen all over the place on cross country workings. I don’t think it was branded with Scotrail lettering though. It might have been numbered 5813 possibly?

3 hours ago, Gilbert said:

My photos from today...cracking day out... very well organised and some interesting locos. Click on the photo for my album..

Chris H

Wasn’t able to make it this year unfortunately, but I really enjoyed looking through your photos so thanks for posting the link. 👍

3 hours ago, chriscleveland said:

 

Thank you really appreciate the kind words. The trees have really refreshed the scene to go with the refreshed hill banks I did a while ago now onto the next project. plenty still to do before it will go quiet for a bit. 

 

I never thought it would be as well received as it has been or even thought it would ever be published. Just hoping it helps to get some more shows in the diary again soon with only rail ex in Taunton confirmed So far.
 

I really wanted to make Ropley stand out from other layouts and really wanted to capture what preservation really looks like. I also wanted to model something I’ve not seen done before and recreate fond memories I have of the line at a younger age. 

 

I also didn’t want it to be an excuse to run what I like using preservation as my modellers licence to have different types of traction running side by side. It actually annoys me having to leave some traction as clean as I do as everything is modelled from photos in the time frame many weekend photographing and filming the site and so much I would do differently next time like the whole platforms not being on a slight curve but we live and learn.

 

The locos have actually been the bigger challenge to building some parts of the layout. Talking of which here’s my next project off to the workshops to match what it actually looks like with ladders over the cylinders to the water tanks and an extended coal bunker which angles over back buffers and up to give it a bigger coal holding capacity. 
 

 

 

That USA tank looks brilliant, but again the scene with 76017 just captures the era perfectly. It was always my favourite loco on the line and I had a very memorable footplate ride on it sometime around 1992/93. I remember seeing a photo of it where it had been involved in a derailment in BR days somewhere in Hampshire (possibly near Winchester?) and when it was first restored from Barry condition at Ropley I believe the frames were still found to be slightly out of true.

It’s very difficult capturing the atmosphere of a preserved railway properly. It really isn’t a case of using it as an excuse to use things straight out of the box. Even preserved stuff has subtle weathering in certain areas and little details that need adding (as you’ve showed above).

The Taunton show is great by the way. I’ll definitely come along and say hello if we’re free that weekend.

I feel your pain with the tree making. They’ve definitely made a difference to how it looks though Chris.

 I don’t often buy magazines these days but I saw that your layout was in RM and that clinched it for me. An excellent and well written article I must say and the photos are a good selection of what (in my humble opinion) makes your layout the best representation of a preserved railway out there. I know I’m a bit biased because of my connection with the line, but some of those scenes are so well observed.

That shot from the bridge looking towards Medstead with the two James’s and 27007 quietly rotting away is a wonderful thing! Great work sir.

2 hours ago, Flying Pig said:

 

I was once part of a very rapidly aborted scheme to build a layout in a cellar that had a floor with a profile like the Alps. That wasn't the reason we gave up, though: several sessions of scrubbing the walls that just generated more and more brick dust suggested it wasn't an ideal location for a layout.

Oh that doesn’t sound too good. 😄

In other news, I’m currently building a new cabin for Mrs C to move her pottery shenanigans into, thus releasing the 14 foot by 6 foot shed (that she’s currently using) for my future railway projects. The ideas so far being:

1) A section of the Waterloo - Exeter route in N gauge set in the 1980s, possibly featuring a disused Seaton Junction type arrangement. I’ve got most of the stock for this and a lot of ideas in my head.

2) An 0 gauge Scottish West Highland style garden layout with a terminus also in the shed (on a higher level than the N gauge) in conjunction with my friend Paul (who owns Moors View). We’ve already acquired our first loco and a couple of wagons for this project:

There’s a fairly substantial amount of groundwork’s that need doing first, but the plans are starting to come together bit

by bit and we’ve got a decent area of garden to work with, along with the use of a digger. 😉

On 26/04/2024 at 08:38, Flying Pig said:

The 'For Sale' video popped up on my Youtube feed this morning for some reason. I hadn't been paying attention to this thread and it's always a bit of an 'oh no' moment when a layout you like is put up for sale.  Glad to hear it had a good outcome.

Thanks for that. 👍

Yes it’s now set up in its new home. I must say that it’s quite a stressful experience moving a layout that was never really designed to be moved. However it did actually go very smoothly all things considered and once we’d got everything levelled* and all the wiring connected the only thing that wouldn’t play was one of the station lamps on Eggesford.

*The room at my house that the railway was in had quite a slope to the floor being an old house and all that. So when we set it up in their industrial unit I couldn’t work out why despite taking that into account and getting the whole thing level one of the wheels was off the ground. Turns out that their flop had even more of a slope than mine did!

5 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

"Loughborough Midland crane working on new connection to Brush works when Class 60s were being built June 89" by David Ford

 

 

That’s a real old meets (not so) new photo there. Excellent. 👍

Well we have achieved a sale (for an undisclosed amount that hopefully we’re all happy with) to a group from Okehampton called the Exeter Junction model railway club:

Exeter junction model railway club
07703 310436

A couple of the guys came out last week and are really looking forward to taking it on. I’m obviously really pleased as they’re local to me and they’re planning on taking it out on the circuit at some point which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve. It also means that I can still see it now and again hopefully so it’s all worked out really well.

 I made a little video earlier explaining things: