Melangoose

Hi Jeremy Fantastic selection of photo's, have fond memories of the Cornish Mainline in the late 1980's. Regards Nigel

Hi Ian You seem to be proceeding at Warp speed (I think I would still be at the "Pencil and Paper stage"). The layout is looking very nice, do like the track plan. Think I will have to put DCC sound in my 33/1, so can bring it with the 4TC for a play in the summer months. Regards Nigel

Hi Scott The Works is looking good, love the DRS Class 37. Nigel

Hi Had a great weekend with "The Hampshire Hog" at the Nottingham Exhibition. Fantastic selection of D&E layouts Briefly stopped at Tamworth and saw this beast Farkham Hall (next to our layout) Meadow Lane TMD Streatham Mainline Deepcar Aberbeeg Dubmill Sidings Airesby Colliery, my favourite and the other side of the layout Plus life on Melangoose Wessex Trains Class 150 arrives as 37521 English China Clay awaits departure 37674 St Blaise Church shunting a cargowaggon Melangoose Mill Blue Circle Depot Class 150 about to depart for Par and a Class 153 arrives on an ECS a brand new Freightliner 66 on a trip working from Moorswater US manufactured traction take over Class 153 for Par Hope you enjoyed the selection of pictures, lighting was not brilliant. But Nottingham is a top exhibition if you like your D&E traction. Regards Nigel

Looking Good, very neat woodwork.

Hi Scott, Loving the feel of Campbell Road, lots of potential and if you loose your mojo again, just take a drive to Eastleigh to get back in the mood (there's always something new to see as you pass the entrance). Regards Nigel

Hi Folks Getting Melangoose ready for a trip to the Nottingham / East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition this coming weekend. Any Rmweb members attending please come and say hello. a Wessex Trains Class 150 awaits the road for a return trip to Par, 66166 has just return from the maintenance depot at Leaford where some electrical rewiring has just taken place (thanks to the Hampshire Hog). The loco is a renumbered first generation Bachmann EWS Class 66 (ex 66135), I have 2 of these and they both failed during the Southampton Exhibition, the removal of the capacitors has made a huge difference no more jerky starts. Due to the Seawall collapse at Dawlish, the JIA Bulk Clay wagons are unable to return back to Cornwall. There is currently 21 in a siding at Exeter Yard Regards Nigel

Like the New Layout Name (very Wiltshire/Hampshire sounding) and good choice of Location, lots of potential traffic flows. Very much look forward to seeing the layout develop. Was speaking to the Hampshire Hog last night about the Changing Trains DVD (Vol3 Basingstoke to Ilfracombe), on the DVD there is a shot of an NSE Class 50 with x5 NSE mk2, this could have been a Tidworth to Salisbury service. Should we be looking out for you to get some more NSE mk2 TSO to go through Exford works? I bet NetworkRail wish the Andover to Romsey line was still open, especially after that Freightliner train catching fire last night and blocking the line Between Salisbury and Romsey. Nigel

Hi Guys Thanks for the Great Comments. Forgot on my previous post to include the pics of 08954. Picture taken from the hidden siding looking under the bridge to the clay works. Regards Nigel

Hi Guys Couple of pics of loco arrivals at Melangoose, with the arrival of the Class 150 in Wessex Trains livery we have moved the timescale to 2000 - 2003 47843 Vulcan ex Virgin livery but now a Freightliner loco. By 2003 Cement traffic was handled by Freightliner (Heavyhaul) Fact - On Wednesday the 12th November 2003 47843 hauled the Cement train to Moorswater (Fiction - it then carried out a trip working to Melangoose). 66546, in 2003 would have been a few months old, hence not much in the way of weathering. 60017 Shrotton Works Centenary Just to show you that just as we have some new traction that we are not forgetting about the staple diet 37708 on an Engineers train Nigel

Hi The paint used was P262 Northern Spirit Purple for the body and a mix of P262 and white for the lilac doors. I Did try the craft transfer paper as I know various modellers have used this method in the past. Unfortunately I didn't get on to well with it (maybe because the transfer had to cover the full height of the body - found they would start to stretch and when you had cut the transfer to go around the windows and then found out it was a good fit on one window but not the other - No Good). The Matt Vinyl (they are very thin) was recommended by David Lund (bmthtrains) he had done various liveries this way on his Ring Road layout. The Vinyl has been varnished with 2 coats, the only concern is will this last the sands of time. Hope this helps, good luck if you decide to have a go (it took me 6 months on and off, but I am well made up with the result) Nigel

Hi Guys Thanks for all your comments. Re WT 150, resprayed with Pheonix Paints and homemade vinyls (done on a PC) from pictures borrowed from Martyn Read. Mick - would be great to see you at Notty in March. Ian - see you on Saturday for a chat and catch up. Regards Nigel

Hi Guys Its been 6 months since my last post, I have made some changes to the layout and we have some new arrivals. It is 6 days until the Southampton Ex at Barton Peveril college so here is a brief update. New longer Sector Plate - 3 Track sector plate replaces the old single track. This will increase the amount of trains on the layout and ease the problem of turning trains (use to have to take either the loco off and place at the other end or with the wagons. New Lighting Tower from Express Models (Quality) I do like a challenge and making my model of 150265 in Wessex Trains livery has tested my patience and ability to the peak. Must say a big Thank You to Martyn Read and David Lund, without their help this would not have been possible. I am well pleased with this model I must stress that the livery is not 100% accurate but my take on it. I will try to take some more pictures next weekend with the new locos that are now on the roster. Regards Nigel

Hi Re Exhibitions, Melangoose will be at Southampton MRS show at Eastleigh, which is at the end of next January and is having a Cornwall China Clay feature (x2 other layouts). And the "Goose" will be "spreading it's wings" by attending the Nottingham show next March. I am limiting appearances to twice a year (to fit in with work and family life). Currently the fiddle yard sector plate is in the workshop for modification work, which hopefully would mean better and more frequent operation when at shows. This was a minor problem experienced at the Wimborne Exhibition in April with fellow operator "Hampshire Hog". Nigel

Hi Re using Class 47 & 67 on Melangoose (Circa 2000). The Class 67 with a PCV is a bit if a non starter I am sorry to say, the piviating sector plate siding is only 42 inches long (Loco + 2.5 coaches or Loco and 5 CDA's or 3 Silver Bullets). The Res 47 on occasional use on clay traffic is good idea (we will have to see what Mr Bachmanns Res 47/7 is like). Nigel

Hi Guys Thanks for the nice comments re the late 1980's look. The wagon behind Ramilies is a YCA "Halibut" Departmental bogie wagon. Nigel

Hi Re your comments about my Class 50 Defiance, have just taken some pics of the layout with late 1980's stock 50149 Defiance shunts CDA's Class 108 37671 Tre Pol and Pen runs around its train 50149 Defiance 50019 Ramilies with PW train Ramilies shunts its wagons 37674 with new Silver Bullets Defiance and Ramilies depart for fuel and servicing at St Blazey Please not this is just a nostalga trip, as I have no plans to change the exsisting Cira 2000 stock. Nigel

Hi Re sound, do have sound in the following locos:- 37521 English China Clay (EWS livery) 37674 St Blaise Church (Transrail livery) 66166 (EWS livery) class 153 (Devon and Cornwall Great Scenic Railways livery) class 150 (Reginal Railways livery) and recent addition 66022 (which will have nameplates removed and some light weathering) Would also like to add sound to 37670 St Blazey (EWS livery) Recently found a picture of 09008 at Blackpool sidings in a book, so my model of 09008 will have to be transfered from my other layout "Russell Bridge" 09008 Also very interested about Bachmann producing a model of 47745 in Res livery. (RES 47's were often borrowed between duties by St Blazey when short of Class 37's, especially the loco diagramed to work the Penzance TPO which spent about 12 hours before being required again (enough time to do a couple of Trips to Melangoose and back!!). Regards Nigel

Hi Folks The Wimborne show went very well, the DCC sound does add a little extra to the layout. A couple of pics taken during operating 37521 "English China Clay" runs around its train of bulk hoppers in the station 37674 "St Blaise Church" is about to depart with x3 bulk hoppers 37521 "English China Clay" shunts in the ECC Depot Hope you like the pics, very much enjoyed exhibiting the layout (must do it again sometime) Nigel

Hi As the layout is dissmantled (for the Wimborne Exhibition), have taken the chance to take a few behind the scenes pictures, to explain how the layout operates and explain the absance of a track plan. looking down view traverser traverser (close up) view from the traverser (left track goes to the China Clay Depot and the centre and right track go to the hidden sidings under the ECC buildings) hidden sidings Class 66 and cement PCA's Hope this make things a little clearer. If anyone is at Wimborne at the weekend, come and say hello. Nigel

Hi The track is SMP, which is very good. It has the finescale look but is okay to run standard out of the the box 00 stock. Nigel

Hi Thanks for the warm welcome Re a track plan, have never made a track plan as this is quite a small layout with only 3 points, x1 in the China Clay Facility and x2 at the end of the platform road which form the run-round for freight. The other part of the run-round is fed by the traverser which feeds the track into the China Clay, platform track, run-round loop, Cement Depot and 3 hidden sidings to the rear of the layout (x2 hidden sidings are within the China Clay buildings). 66166 on Cargowaggons 37670 on PCA's The landlord of "The Engine" loves to Surf in his spare time Class 150 arrives from Par Cement Lorry 37670 shunts 37674 ready to depart 37411

Hi, Thought you might like to see some pictures of the Cornish Branchline Layout that lives in my garage. The layout is called Melangoose and is on the end of a branchline that joins the Cornish mainline at Par. The timeframe is circa 2000 when EWS Class 66's were begining to take over from the Class 37's. Passenger services are operated by Wessex Trains and Class 150 and 153's can be seen on the sparce services that terminate at Melangoose. Class 153 arrives from Par Melangoose 37670 St Blazey with Dirty Bullets 37674 runs around at the headshunt Class 08 shunts at ECC works Cement Depot Transit passes The Engine Pub 66211 arrives from St Blazey The layout was originally built by a chap called Dave Smart, with the intention that you could run anything from Steam to current day (the infrastructure on Cornish Branchlines has not changed for many decades, only now are changes starting to happen). When I purchased it 5 years ago I have added some modern day signage (to set the period) and made a few changes and also to the way the layout is operated, but all the structual modelling is Dave's fine work. The scenic section is 5ft 2in with a sector plate that is just over 3ft. I do the occassional exhibition, and I say occasional the last being in 2010. But the layout will be going to the Wimborne Model railway Exhibition on the 6 & 7 of April.