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Andrew

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Everything posted by Andrew

  1. Out of Gauge I had a good time last Saturday at the annual Winchester 0 Gauge American and Continental exhibition which as usual had some excellent layouts including coarse scale tinplate:
  2. Julian gives me a pre-footplate briefing:
  3. Anniversary Things have been quiet on the Dorking Garden Railway recently,as other activities have kept me busy - and this week I put my foot through the rotting decking which highlights the urgency of getting the garden remodelling project to contract tender stage. Meanwhile my birthday (also the anniversary of the opening of the DGR) came along and we celebrated in style on the Bluebell Railway by hiring the GNR Directors' Saloon for the day and inviting along family and friends to share the three return trips from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead. This was an excellent day out: the railway had three engines in steam and was excellent as ever, the directors' saloon was very comfortable, and the Bluebell cold buffet catering was of an extremely high standard. To cap it all, my friend Julian kindly negotiated a footplate ride for me on the final round trip, which was a great end to the celebrations (especially as my last footplate trip on a passenger train was a Black 5 out of Manchester Victoria in 1968). Peter, who lives in New York but would have loved to have joined us that day, managed to capture a video from the East Grinstead webcam of me on the footplate of 80151. All in all, definitely a day to remember.
  4. That looks great so far, and the plants make a fine backdrop. All the best as you press ahead! I'm wondering how far you've planned what the layout will be like, or whether you're just playing it by ear to see how it all goes.
  5. Congratulations Mick, to you and your lady wife. I hope you'll have many years of happiness ahead of you. Very best wishes to you both.
  6. The hospitable owner calls this a garden railway... which yesterday's visit suggests is technically correct, it being next to his house. Very kind of him to let visitors have the run of the place for the day!
  7. Meanwhile, over on the big railway... Services after yesterday are being restricted because of fire risk
  8. London Transport steam The DGR is rather suffering from rot in the decking which operators have to stand on, such that SWMBO has forbidden visitors until restoration work is implemented. Separately some track maintenance is needed, so the following photos are just posed and sadly don't show a real operating session. In the late 1960s and early 1970s after the end of BR steam, it was still possible to see steam workings in the London area as LT Pannier tanks used to work spoil trains out along the Metropolitan Line to Croxley Tip near Watford. Robert and I sometimes used to go and see them, so with my new Oxford 'Pilchard' wagons and his Bachmann L97 we decided to do a re-enactment of those scenes from long ago. Here is the morning's Down working, heading out into rural Hertfordshire... Then at Croxley there's a bit of shunting to get things the right way round... Before setting off back Up the line with the empties for Neasden:
  9. Running a modular railway A great day today helping to operate the UK FREMO group's German outline railway, with full timetable running (to a speeded-up clock). This weekend's layout had been assembled in a school hall and drivers had to drop off and collect wagons and run a train to schedule. All very enjoyable. Many thanks to the group for generously inviting us along to help run their trains!
  10. Meanwhile, out on the big railway There are still blood & custard coaches...
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