Temeraire

Hi Andy I think it’s just sitting a bit high and that makes it look too big. I’d drop it down into the bund so that it sits lower. All coming along nicely though.

All will be revealed in due course.

Hi Pete Thanks for the congrats and I hope you and the missus are well. Yes still got a few appearances booked for Tidworth but nothing confirmed beyond the end of this year at the moment. However, there are plans afoot that may drum up some interest hopefully, watch this space!

What have I told you about listening to Mike!?

Hi all Just a quick thank you to the Loddon Vale team for their hospitality, soup and the puddings yesterday! Myself, Mike and Rhys enjoyed ourselves at your 50th exhibition with Tidworth and I hope we didn't disappoint.

Evening all, Well its been two months since my last post here and our appearance at Wimborne. I've not touched the layout in that time with any spare time spent on making small progress in the shed and also on a 'new' mini project. The last couple of weeks has also been a bit busy with family visiting from South Africa and getting married again! Normal service can now be resumed with this weekend's visit to the Loddon Vale Exhibition on Saturday 10.00-16.30 at Swallowfield Parish Hall RG7 1QX. The usual trio of myself, Mike and Rhys in attendance so come and say hello if you are visiting.

Looks good Scott, I’ve got a B/G 3 car 101, a 2 car 108 and 121 in boxes doing nothing atm?

Morning all Another two months passes and small progress has been made whilst juggling exhibitions and other projects but thought it was time to drag the thread back into life. Since the last update the inclines have been completed and track laid on the lower level. 'Tea trolley bridge' has moved on a bit and now has much more support to keep it all square and level and you can see here the lower incline in place. With trolley pulled back you can see the tapered ends of the boards. The first top baseboard has been constructed and positioned to get the levels right for the second incline. All the above were taken on 20th February since then a little more has been done. The trolley now has both inclines in place and everything has been primed to keep the damp out. The next phase is to lay the tracks across the bridge and all the Fiddle Yard, get it all wired up and complete with point motors etc before moving on to the more interesting bits!

Afternoon all Just a quick thank you to Graham and his team for their hospitality this weekend, the Tidworth crew enjoyed themselves down in the bowels of the venue. Thanks to Rhys and Mike for their company for the weekend.

Afternoon all As Paul mentioned above we're out again this weekend in Wimborne for WimRail19 and a return to site of Tidworth's debut exhibition 4 years ago! Come and say hello if you're visiting, as its just the three of us this weekend, so willing helpers can be initiated at any time without warning! Forgot to say we're stand 50 in the Lower Hall.

Evening all Paul asked me to post a pic or two as a reminder that Tidworth is returning to WimRail this year four years after the layout made its debut there in 2015. Just a selection of the traction you may see this weekend.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heljan-00-gauge-Class-26-Loco-Coal-Sector-26004/292948748764?hash=item44351b29dc:g:P1UAAOSwkRdcWaP3:rk:12:pf:0 This one on ebay what you're after, £41 at the moment?

Evening everyone As I said last night the team (including Rylan) spent a very enjoyable weekend at the excellent Stafford show. For a change I actually took some pictures myself. 47142 positions some silver bullets for loading while Clive the 'clayman' looks down. 37092 comes to a stand with a ballast train alongside 33117 and it's 4TC Platform level shot of 33117 One of Clive's pics of 33117 viewed from the clay loader. The 'Dutch' 37 waits for a route after depositing it's train in the sidings while 47142 leaves with the bullets, and 50003 waits time with the next London train in the background. Next 33030 arrives alongside the London train with this week's UKF fertilizer service. Having run around 33030 now backs the UKF pallet wagons, an OBA and OCA containing bagged fertilizer into the siding for unloading. Nearly missed the departure of 37068 'Grainflow' with an MoD train. Next to arrive was 50149 'Defiance' a long way from it's normal operating area, with a china clay service. Quickly followed in by the 'Thumper' service from Portsmouth. View of the thumper from the road bridge after the driver had changed ends ready for the off. There you go a few pictures of the current state of the layout which is now back in the garage until March 16-17th when we are out again at WimRail 2019 in Wimborne. This is a return to Wimborne where the layout made its exhibition debut in 2015 having only just been finished in time, so come and have a look at what's changed in 4 years.

Thanks Andy I think the incident referred to was down to operator error (me) and not putting all the wheels on the track! Thankfully it's rare that trains fall off.

Morning all just a quick thank you to Colin and his team for an enjoyable weekend. Myself, Mike and Rhys had a good time playing trains and I hope we didn’t disappoint and kept things moving and interesting. Layout was back home by 7.45 which wasn’t bad, but took an hour to get the car onto the drive to unload because of the need to clear snow and ice!

Hi all Back home by 7.45pm after a great weekend at a very good Stafford show, although I had to spend time clearing snow and ice from the driveway before I could get the car off the road to unload! A big thank you to all the Stafford show team for thoroughly enjoyable weekend and for the hospitality for myself, Mike and Rhys. I actually took some pictures for a change but will get these added tomorrow hopefully.

Evening all After this weeks outage just a reminder that Tidworth is all set up and ready to go at Stafford. We’re stand 102 in the last hall at right hand end opposite the toilets! Come and say hello.

I hope you and George will come and have a play with Tidworth Andy?

Tidworth was back home by ten to seven, quicker than expected, after a great weekend at the Canterbury show. Thanks to our hosts for the hospitality and to Mike, Graham and Stuart for their company and assistance.

Evening all Just a bump for the topic as a reminder that we're out for the first time of the year this weekend in Canterbury. Come and say hello if you're visiting the show.

Hi Paul Give us a shout if you want a 50 from Tidworth.

Me and the layout will be in Canterbury feel free to join us!.

Evening all I can't believe its been almost six months since my last post here! To be honest the time between July and Christmas flew past with lots of other commitments and overseas trips eating up time as well as exhibitions with Tidworth or Mike's Oak Road. I also lost the mojo for this layout build a bit whilst I worked out the best way to do things. Over the last couple of weeks I've spent a bit of time in the shed and have moved things on. All the FY baseboards have been constructed and erected in position down the right side of the shed. The scenic 'Exford stabling point and mainlines will be about 300mm (upper pencil line on wall is track level) above once all the FY track is laid and wired. A couple of pics of the track layout planning in progress. There will be 14 ten foot loops, 4 up and 4 down with 6 loops in the centre accessible from both directions. Looking back towards the door tonight after the painting had been finished off. First view of the 'trolley' affair that will carry all the tracks across the doorway and be removable obviously. This is the thing giving me the most headaches and hasn't progressed beyond a wooden rectangle on wheels with four uprights yet! The plywood is balanced in the rough positions to try to show where I'm going. The top one falls L-R and the lower one rises L-R, both carrying double track, there will then be another baseboard at the level of the upper baseboards carrying two tracks around to 'Exford Park' station. So there we go, things are moving forward slowly but hopefully more quickly once I start to get track down as the urge to 'test' will take over!

Hi Kevin Merry Christmas to you and the family and see you Friday. Locos look great.

Welcome aboard Captain. Excellent choice of period for the layout if surprising considering your age. If you take a look at my layout threads here you'll see mine are around the same time. I'm currently in the process of building a 'new' Exford Park in a 16 foot x 10 foot shed which I thought was big! I grew up in Basingstoke but spent an awful lot of time sat on the end of platform 5 at Reading in the early 1980s spotting, particularly the Class 50s! Through RMweb over the last 10 years or so I have made lots of very good friends who now help me exhibit Tidworth, if you want to maybe join us when we meet up, I'm sure we can find room for one more. Looking forward to following your build.