tgfoy

Many thanks Traingeekboy. Sadly due to ill health not much has happened on the line this year, a couple of opperating sessions were managed for visitors, but took a lot out of me sadly. That said I am recovering now and have managed to get maintaenance for the winter done so hopefully next year will be busy running most weekends once it isn't quite so tiring physically. I also hope that I shall be able to catch up with things on the forum and be a bit more active in the comming months, I have missed it all. Hope Mick and everyone is ok.

From the footage, that chance you took was well worth it. The line is looking very good Mick the over bridge (underpass?) adds a great new dimension to your railway, like the embankments too, the impression of the changing levels of the ground works really well on the videos. Hope you don't mind but I am pinching an idea from your line for the THLR. I have been impresed with the look of the roofing felt you used under the track and I am getting fed up of having to renew the wood preservative every year (and the fiddly track cleaning where careless brush work happens) so plan to use that method in the near future. I had been considering the idea for some time but was worried about the overall look, seeing it's use on your line has done much to set those concerns aside. Great to see your progress and have been interested in the results of you solution to the couplings problem, seems to have worked well. Hornby style couplings have been a problem for years in this regard, Bachmann ones seem much better. All the best Mick. Tom

Although as Mick say's if the weather is good over winter there is no reason not to run all year round the THLR and Asquith Falls Lines have been in Hibernation since the thaw due to water logging in the garden. However all of that has changed and we have had our first running session of 2010. This was a limited one as if we have a long break from running I always make the first session a bit of a test the line affair and log and rectify any faults that have developed. Sure enough some track pins have been replaced as well as some track conectors. Sadly the points that control access to one of the yards seem to have failed electrically so I will lift them and try to fix them or if necessary replace them if I can't. That being said The session was a success over all with what started as light engine movements ending with a rake of coaches being added. A few friends were round so I took the chance to video some of the running (the joy's of having a decent digital camera with a video function on it), as Mick knows the results are now edited into a 3 minute show now up on my website should anyone wish to see it, you would be most welcome. Happy running everyone.

Bit late I know, but at last I am back online proper. For the last couple of weeks I have been using a reserve computer whilst my own had a mother board transplant. Glad to be back. Not much progress has been made on the railways since before christmas due to the weather and the garden being underwater since, it's still very water logged (problem with a heavy clay soil that lies lower than the surroundings by a couple of inches). However the weather did give the opportunity for some picturesque shots of the line.

Thanks Mick, have accepted you as a member, I was keen to get something worth looking at on it as soon as possible, will probably go back later and consider it more. Done a bit on it today between tracking Santa etc. but it's been chaotic here too. I know what you mean about the Hornby range, I have posted an initial overview here and on my site. It is a bit niether nowt nor somat in a way, though I am going to aim to get that coaling tower at least. Sorry to hear the sound A4 is a disappointment, you seemed to be looking forward to it arriving. Probably won't be about much myself for the next 24hrs. Hope you have a good day. Tom

Well the announcement is made and the new range announced. There is some disappointment that desired models are not there but excitement for some of the ones that are. Here is an over view of highlights. Two new sets, the Blue Rapier featuring the new Hitachi train, and the night mail featuring a Jinty as the loco for this repackaged favourite. New Steam Locos: as well as the usual round of renumbering, naming and liverying two "new" Models have been announced, Both LNER designs. The Thompson L1 tank will appear in four liveries. Retooling of the B17 means three guises. There are three collections this year: The Commonwealth Collection features two A4's, "Dominion of Canada" and "Union of South Africa". The Pete Waterman Collection features Black 5 No. 45190 and N15 "Sir Maliagrance. !75 Years of Swindon Works is marked with three specials: Castle class "Great Western", a reliverying of the 101 tank and a Dean Single train pack. Diesel Fans only have a retooling of the Class 31 new this year. That said there is the new train pack which may excite. The class 423 unit is introduced in four car units and two liveries. There are also a number of new liveries on other packs. The Railroad range is bolstered with the re use of old tools to add five loco's to the range, A Patriot, County class, 3F, class 40 and class 33. There is a new Pullman Bar but the biggest news on coaches has to be the new BR liveried Hawkesworth coach ranges in both blood and custard and marroon liveries. Two new wagons this year, the OTA timber wagon and KFA Container wagon. There is of course a 2010 livery wagon too. Scaledale has excited me this year with a Limited edition coaling tower though the new great northern buildings are also interesting. Various new shops also join the range. Scale Autos has a large number of new models including a Burrel road roller a number of scammells, a Green Goddess fire engine as well as some new cars and lorries. All in all not bad considering the economic climate, though I was hoping for the Blue Pullman, as were others. Ah well can't have everything.

And to youand yours Mick, you have inspired me and I will certainly be keeping you (and everyone) up to date with progress. I have given myself an early christmas present and probably more work to do. This site has inspired me to create one of my own, it even has forums. though it is a work in progress I have completed the home page, set up some forums, added some pictures and a number of links (including to your site Mick). all done between this post and my last. Hope you have a look and perhaps join the forum everyone, I will be adding more to it (including some pictures not included on here), as time allows over the next few days and weeks, inbetween checking the Norad tracks Santa website with the kids during the next 30 odd hours. Thank you Mick for keeping my enthusiasm up and letting me join in here. Catch you soon. Tom and family. Edited because I forgot to add link to my new website. (what a dozy Beggar I am) Doh! http://thlrandasfrgardenrailways.webs.com/

Hi Mick Yes it was produced by Dapol though it was originally a Mainline model apparently, but it is the very same and reintroduced by Hornby and it does have the permanently coupled Tender still. I know what you mean about it all seeming very diferent at this time of year, like it is sleeping awaiting the trains again. What kind of Conifers are they? there are ways of encouraging some species to thicken up but at the loss of some hieght potential. Even the dread Lleylandii, with as much bad press as it gets, can be controled into a reasonable plant and not allowed to be the thug it's reputation suggests. I have tried to avoid some of the speculation so far but will be again disappointed if the Blue Pullman is not redone this year. As you say it has been requested by many for a number of years now, and Hornby have the tools by all accounts so it should theoretically be relatively cheap to produce it again. Perhaps they are going to make new, more detailed tools and release it another year, though that is idle speculation on my part. Certainly if Bachman decided to do a new one it would be a superb model with a good strong motor. The extensoin that I hope to build this year will see the line go round the shed to complete a double track continuous loop with two yards in the shed itself for trains to be arranged ready for service. Currently there is a Yard on just one side with room for eleven trains, though this will be rearranged to increase capacity. This will mean that we will be able to operate the line as a continuous loop or an end to end line with two operators. The Yards will enable us to shunt frieght trains if desired. Access to the yards will be via a single line from the two main lines over a simple crossover. Isolators will act as automatic stopping points if the points are set against them. Simple but effective. Just in time for Christmas we come to the child friendly part of the collection. Having three children (now teenagers) we did get some loco's they would enjoy as youngsters, we have also been known to run preposterous trains for thier enjoyment on our old garden line and on this one. A nieghbour runs a daycare nursey and one of the Kids favourite trips in the summer is to see that bald mans trains over the road, the children are already asking if they can come next year and if Thomas and Toby are enjoying the snow. It's great when they come, they are so enthusiastic about it. The Thomas and friends are all Hornby, I have seen the Bachman ones but I prefer the look of the origonal illustrations which I think Hornby captured whilst Bachman seem to have gone for the look of the TV characters in prference. Having said that Hornby did go a bit mad with three of the locos, producing them well out of scale, not that it bothers the kids. Thomas

Hi Mick, checking Ramsays both bachman's retooled version and Hornby's were released in 2008 although Bachman had produced the old Mainline version for some years (thats the version I have). The Standard 4 in green is of course the NYMR's 80135, in it's as preserved livery of "not quite brunswick green but quite close to it" as I heard one driver describe it. It's always a balancing act where to spend the available cash, tempting as the loco's are there are other things to get as you say. I am in a similar boat as you are, the extension will need track etc or there is no point me building it, I have a box full in stock but will probably need more, then there is a new yard in the shed to build. So this year adittions to the collection may be few and far between. Still it will be fun seeing what is added to the ranges this year. Onto locos of other companies and liveries in the photo's this time. Hornby 2P in S&DJR livery

Yes I saw that, they are brilliant pieces. I am looking forward to the 04 too, mind Bachman recent releases have all been good. I havn't had chance to see the G2 yet but have heard good things about it. I did wonder if this coming year might be the year of simple reliveries, save money with the economic climate. Hopefully there will be more than that though, including some upgrades hopefully. Still we have much to look forward to from Bachman, just from what we know already and the Hornby range a few day's from being announced therre is much to be optomistic about, at least I think so, though of course there is always the one snag, will the purse strings stretch far enough. Sounds like you have quite a collection awaiting chips, they would look great running round your line. I posted quite a few pictures earlier but heres the BR standards in my collection. The Britania class has already been posted. Bachman standard 4

Hi Mick, I don't think I did, My Cheshire was part of the 1980's release the year hornby did four 4-4-0's with built in smoke generators, though I did get the black B12/3 in that year. The B17 ic Norwich City, the only one I could find at the time and the B1 was from Sheffield. That's intersting news on the Blue Pullmans, I know there are lots of people on the Hornby forum who for a few years have been asking for the Blue Pullman, I wonder. I haven't heard anything definate but there does seem to be an expectation this year. Love the new video by the way, I remember seeing Hornby's version of that loco in it's royal train set in the 80's. Bachmans looks good to say the least. Part 3 of the LNER outline collection now, I know there was a group shot of the Pacifics in a previous post but here they are individually, though I start with something diferent. Bachman K3

Hi mick, yes there are some old famiiar loco's in the collection, I can understand you waiting for new chassis to be made for them, I think the time is coming when DCC will be the standard method of control rather than DC though. I notice that the Model railway edition of James May's Toy Stories is scheduled for 7pm christmas day bbc2. At least one programme worth watching over christmas that isn't a repeat. Part 2 of my LNER outline collection below. Replica B1

Yes the price of new loco's is getting high, especially if the loco disappoints once you have it. The T9 promised to be a fine loco but you are not the only person I know who is disapointed with it Mick. I was looking through my Ramsays again, and have noticed that since the 1970's Hornby always seem to be playing catch up. Mainline and Airfix models were more detailed, Hornby tried to catch up for example. It's the same now, I have found Bachmans Locos to have better motors and traction, consistantly, they are overall better models because of it. Appearance of both ranges is about the same now so it's reliability that matters and Hornby's motors let them down in my opinion. I still look forward to seeing what they plan to release each year, this is a plus point for Hornby they mostly do deliver what they say they will in that year, Bachman can be a bit hit and miss, although this usually means Bachman deliver a better all round model. At least thats my take on it. I hope Hornby can catch up soon. Ok we are onto LNER (east coast) steam, probably do this in two parts, I am a bit biased to this company personally. Again any I have already put individual pictures up of I shan't repeat. Not really LNER but this Hornby 0f was repainted in this livery and I couldn't resist it at under £5, not a bad runner either. Unofficially named.

Hi Tom, thought you would like the site, glad you joined. Hopefully starting work on the extension in the new year, weather permitting. Mick: I know what you mean, my own wish list this year has hardly been touched yet here we are with announcements for next year coming. I to am looking forward to seeing Bachmans A2 and hopefully will get the 04. For me I love to try and get loco's in pre BR livery where appropriate. I was hoping to get ome of the twelve wheelers too and the pullman observation coach. I think you are right, we have never had so much choice that I can remember either. I think Hornby have the right idea using older tools for the more basic Railroad models to encourage beginners though. Prices on some things make me think more than twice (city of truro being a good example of that). It's going to be interesting to see if the recession has caused Hornby to hold back on brand new loco's and reintroduce models from the past that the already have tools for (might mean a rerelease of the Blue Pullman) to save money. Anyway time for the photo's, agin company themed though if I have already posted a picture I won't add it again. so heres the rest of my LMS collection. Hornby Black 5

Yes it was quite a severe rainfall, the garden took day's to drain afterwards. I know what you mean about other forums not really having anything much about 00 garden railways, it's one of the reasons I joined here. Hopefully more people will discover it and join. I have posted links elsewhere, where I think people wil be interested and shown some people the site so hopefully they will join. I to would be interested to see others garden lines here, it would be fantastic to see what others are doing and learn from them. The people I know with garden lines have larger scale ones, it is only on here (and you tube) I have seen other 00 ones in this area or elswhere. I did wonder if ours was the only one round here really, glad it isn't. Anyway here are some more pic's of our collection. Our GWR steam loco's this time. Hornby no 101 tank (we actually have three of these as a result of buying some small collections).