St. Simon

Hi, I doubt we'll have it by christmas, currently they only have 2 of the 4 cars as pre-production shots that are unpainted. But still, you never know! Simon

"Go and get the tea bags, i'm just filling up the kettle!" Simon

Hi Mark, Looks very good so far, it'll look fantastic when it's finished! Keep up the good work! Simon

Hi, Having layed down the base of the concrete hard standing on the Extension of Hythe last weekend, I have been working on it since! I have been using Andy Y's method for inset track used on his Keyhaven Layout, it's a very good method and works well. I have made one slight alteration, in his Method, Andy uses 'Fabfoam' for in between the rails, but I have used lengths of self-adhesive Floormaster Solid Wood Underlay which is avaible in very large rolls from B&Q, I found it after it was being used as a subsitute for cork tiles on my Clubs new Test Track. It stands only fractionally proud of the code 100 track I was using, but it does not foul the underside of my lowest piece of stock, but it is soft enough that if it does, it shouldn't do any damage. It is also easy to paint and looks like concrete at the end! I've spent the day today filling the gap between the cork and the track with filler to complete the hard standing, then finally painting it, it currently looks like this: The plain cork I have only just stuck down because the shape was hard to cut, so I left it! The hole in the hard standing is for the fueling point which will be glued in soon. You can see down the bottom I have also ballasted around the track using Gaugemaster N gauge granite ballast Comments Welcome! Simon

Hi, Judging from the pictures on Hattons they certainly look very very good! Simon

Hi, Been a while since I updated this, so here we go! First off all the points are now working and all the microswitchs are attached, everything is wired into chocolate boxes, but it's not all connected together, this'll be done when the board is put up next to the platform board. Next up is that I have started work on the concrete hard standing around the track work, I've been using Andy Y's method for inset trackwork and so far it's working I'll put some photos up when there's more progress Simon

Hi Guys, It has taken me 18 months, but the Southeast Steam Railway has now been finished. I was working hard from 08:00 to 16:00 on Sunday to finish the bridge, the final major piece in finishing, there is the odd thing to do like install lights in buildings, but 99% of it is done. These photos show the finished product: Overall view of Bigporth: Close up of Station Building: Goods Yard: Close up of the Grounded Coach: Carriage & Wagon Restoration Centre: Engine Shed: The First Train ran at about 10:00 on Monday with main running starting aroun 13:00 when a friend came over for a visit! The Layout ran almost faultlessly all day and the stock performed too! Here's a few pictures from the day: The SESR's Class 108 in Network Southeast and 2-BIL in Southern Olive livery stand waiting for their duties to begin: The Line's 4-CEP EMU stands in Platform 1 at Bigporth waiting to stretch it's legs to Great Kingshill Class 24 No. D5030 backs into Platform 2 with a rake of Southern Coaches ready for one of the first services of the day to Hythe: Having run to Hythe and back, Rebuilt Battle of Britain 4-6-2 No. 34062 '17 Squadron' spins it's wheels as it gets to grips with a heavy 7 coach train to Great Kingshill: LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 No. 6133 'The Green Howards' passes LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 4468 'Mallard', as it runs in to Bigporth from Hythe. LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 4468 'Mallard' waits in Platform 2 with the Hythe Belle Pullman Train to Hythe Ex-LMS 'Jinty' 0-6-0T No. 47354 simmers under the road bridge waiting for it's next duties shunting wagons around the Goods Yard Rebuilt Battle of Britain 4-6-2 No. 34062 '17 Squadron' has just arrived from Great Kingshill and waits to be replace by a Class 24 Ex-LMS Fairburn Tank 2-6-4T No. 42096 runs in from Great Kingshill Newly Restored L&Y compound 0-8-0 and LMS 'Super D' 0-8-0 No. 9122 prepare to haul a demonstration Goods up the Line No. 34062 '17 Squadron' and T9 4-4-0 No. 30285 stand in the Engine Shed at Bigporth having completed their duties Here's a couple I tried at night with a different setting on the camera, I used the 4-CEP:

Hi Stuart, Very nice, got lots of atmosphere and I really like the scrap pile, really well done! Keep up the good work Simon

Hi, Beening someone who has an exhibition layout based on a preserved railway, this topic has been quite an interesting read and it's nice to hear some peoples thoughts on the subject and I fully understand every ones points of view. One of the biggest points raised is that preserved railways aren't 'real railways', but I believe they are, like 'real' railways, preserved railways have to come up with there own working practices, produce their own timetables, maintain infurstructure stock and locos, finance themselves and market themselves, these are all things that the 'real' railway had to do back in steam days and still has to do today. So personally I think we should stop think about them as imitations, but railway companies. This is true, but there are ways of getting around this, make up a preserved line, this allows you to use locos you like, how many tracks you like etc. I understand where your coming from, ok, it is true that I do use off the shelf RTR that I don't weather (but that is because I'm not confindent with weathering a £70 + engine), but with my 'fictional preserved line', I don't shove an old engine on to any old stock, I try to match stock with locos (e.g, a T9 on Bullied Coaches or an V1 on Gresley coahes) and I try to operate both my preserved layouts with as much realism as I can (signals in right place etc). The example you have given there is a bit like my Exhibtion Layout Hythe Parkway, but I use a modern image terminus in which the preserved railway runs services from a station up the line (Bigporth) and runs into the terminus (unfortunatly the length of my platform has made the trains short) and then go off to be serviced in the Heritage railways shed, which is completely seperate from the main network. Layouts like the one your describing, aren't train sets though, I imagine a train set as being thomas the tank engine running around a circle on the carpet in the living room, but if a fictious preserved railway is classed as a trainset, then so be it, but it's my trainset and thats how I like it. Now, back to the sbuject of why are they so unpopular. Well I don't think they are, on here, I've seen Serveral preserved layouts (my own Hythe and Southeast Steam Railway, Matt Wickes superb Bluebell Model Railway, Dan Hulls brillant Wenchford, Preservation Modellers Stepney Down and 34008padstows Hogsmead Steam Railway). From Experience they are popular at Exhibitions, at all the exhibitions I have been to with Hythe Parkway, I have had times when there where 2 or 3 deep looking at the layout, but I always had people looking as well as people coming back at looking again! One thing that surprised both my dad and myself was how many children came up to the layout and asked to see things run and beening entertained. Surely that's what an Layout is all about, entertainment? Entertainment for both viewer and owner, and that's what my preserved railway brings, so I don't care weather it's a trainset or 'not real' because it gives entertainment for me and anyone who sees it an exhibition. Simon

Hi, I'll be going along with Muz to Reading, so you can come and say hello (or shout insults) to me as well! Good to get behind Fisherton again! Simon

Hi Jon, Thank you very much, nice to here some feedback on the article! Simon

Hi, Not much of a entry I'm afraid As some of you may know Hythe Parkway is currently featured in the current issue (September 2010) of Railway Modeller. [plug mode on] It now on sale [plug mode off] (In my best monty python voice) Now for something completely different!: We have made 3 out of the 4 points to work, this is using a manual system instead of point motors. This works by a dowel going from the point and the baseboard edge with a knob on the end with a wire going through the dowel and protruding through the point. It works rather like the wire in tube system. It took over a week of experiment to get the right combination of size and strengh of wire to make it work. Eventually we found a suitable wire in Glasshouse repair springs. The forth point is difficult to do because it is at angle to the edge of the board instead of parrallel to edge. Next job to do is wire it up! Comments welcome Simon

Hi Matt, That 9F looks seriously good! Makes me want to get a Black one as well as my Evening Star, but I can't afford it! Keep up the good work! Simon

Hi, One taken on a recent trip to the Severn Valley Railway: Simon

Hi Matt, Yes I am, I'm on Holiday this week, but I'll be doing abit more on it then you and Dan can come over! (but I will be concentrating more on Hythe!) Simon

Hi, Now that I have finished School for the summer Holidays (yay!) I can now focus my attention on the SESR and the new extension for Hythe. One of the big jobs that stood between me and finishing the SESR was ballasting down the middle of the track. With only a few days between end of term and going on holiday to Wales for a week, I decided to complete that big job. By yesterday morning I had finished ballasting the main running lines! I was never happy with the grass I had laid between the tracks between the station and engine shed, so i decided to lay ballast over the top of the grass, and now it looks like this: I think it looks better now and I am much happier about it. I think I will put a lamp hut or something at the end of the platform to make it look less bare. In other newsI finished detailing the Carriage & Wagon Restoration centre and it is now in position on the layout (albeit not stuck down): The Colours maybe familiar to those that were following my Work Experience blog (they are same as Chilterns Depot at Aylesbury). They building is stuck down because I haven't got the maintainence platform stuck down, which I can't do until I have got some of the Bachmann Lifting jacks. Now all I have to do is get some lights fitted to the station building (i'm detailing it at the moment) and waiting room, then get a lamp hut and coach body to put in area between the C&WRC and the carriage sidings as well as ballasting the goods yard. Comments Welcome! Simon

Hi, Can't believe that is has been 3 months since I updated this blog! To be honest, nothing has happened to Hythe or the extension, work will be done over the summer holidays! In other good news, Hythe Parkway is to be published in the September Issue of Railway Modeller, see here: http://www.pecopublications.co.uk/Railway-Modeller-September-2010.html Comments Welcome Simon

Hi, Looks good so far, it looks like a 4-VEP to me! The Bogies look really detailed! Simon

Hi Dave, It's looking brillant so far and it's a good representation of the Modern Railway I'm just amazed at how fast you work! Simon

Hi, Blimey, it has been along time since I updated this blog, because of Work Experience and preparing for my exams. Unfortunatly there isn't much to report! Over the past couple of days, to relax me before my spanish exam on Wednesday, I have been detailing the inside of the Carriage & Wagon restoration centre, this being one of the major jobs. So far I have installed lights in the building. One of the big jobs was to install a platform down the middle of shed for body repairs. I had thought about getting a kit, but I haven't been able to purchase one, so I turned to Scratch building one out of scraps of plastic and wire. I spent most of the morning soldering the brass wire together, but just got it out of the paintshop and here it is: I think it came out pretty well, it only has one side because the line that the Gresley is standing on will be where the Bachmann Lifting jacks will go when they Arrive! Comments Welcome! Simon

Hi, I've only just realised this, but I remember your layout being at my club having it's backscene painted by Ron North! Simon

Hi Matt, Glad you got the Radial back and running! Can't wait to see it running! Simon

Hi, Well, we have come to my Day 9 entry, my final day at my Work Experience: Today (Friday), was my last day of my placement with Chiltern Railways at Aylesbury Depot. I was working Upstairs on the North Driving Car of Class 165 No. 165010 and the South Driving Car of Class 165 No. 165027. We started off working on A & D doors of the North Driving of 010. Our first job was clean off the old grease from the rubber seal between the doors and then reapplyling new grease. This was followed by a brief testing of the doors. The next job was to isolate the doors and check the bars that the doors slide on. To Isolate the doors a Square-ended 'T Key' is inserted into a slot above the doors and turned through 45 degrees to cut air going to the doors. To check the slide bars, a shaped piece of metal is slide along the bar inbetween the bar and some rollers. If it stops at a grove cut into the metal, then the bar is fine. Luckly for us everything was fine, so we could move onto our next task. Our next job was to check the air flow to the doors, this was done by attaching a pressure sensors and opening & closing the doors. Once this was done, we moved on to testing the doors to see whether they would open and close if there was an obstruction in the way. This was tested by myself standing holding out a metal stick with 2 sections, a thick one and a thin one, between the doors. I started by testing with the thick section first. When the door tries to close on this section, it should stop and reopen a bit before closing again. Once this was done, I tested with the thinner section, when the door tries to close on this section, it should close fully, which it did. The next task was to test the doors to see whether they would open with weight on them. This was done by putting a suction pad on outside of the door and a suction pad to the bodyside. attached to these was a weight on a piece of rope. The doors should close with these on, which they did. A final test was made to ensure that the 'Door out of order' light works. This was tested by turning the door isolate through 90 degrees, this locks the doors and displays a 'Door out of use' message next to the door. After a spot of lunch, we moved on to test the TPWS and AWS on the South Driving Car of 165027. We then went onto test all 4 doors of the South Driving Car and all 4 doors of the North Driving Car. I then had to go and finish of some paperwork about my placement. I would like to thank all the Apprentices and Fitters at Alyesbury Depot for such a great time and being so friendly to me! I would like also to thank Chiltern Railways let me come and experience the railway in a new light Not once was I asked to go to stores for a 'long weight' (work out the pun!) or a 'bucket of steam'! Simon