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The Great Wakering Flackwell Heath & Whitefield Railway


Trevor
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aussietmrail said:

Roy what is the Blue Mountains like humidity wise stinging up here, layout is at a stand still, I hope to be getting some help soon , make the bloke do most of the heavy work, will see what the afternoon is like .

Hi Tony in the summer humidity is only a problem if we get several days of rain followed by days of sunshine and then it's only sticky for a day or two until the ground dries out. Usually the cars air conditioner in the summer has a few drips from the drain pipe but when it's humid it looks like the car has a radiator leak as water flows freely from the drain pipe.

The first photo Trevor of the LNER Garratt on the viaduct shows how far the railway has progressed from the Garden Expert DVD as the perimeter line was laid but there was just a hole where the viaduct and harbour are now.

The second photo of the Bullied pacific and mogul reminds me of the viaduct over the harbour at Illfracombe. You could have the Bullied on a one coach train as I read that so many Bullied's were built that they had to find work for them and one coach trains in the west country was one way.

Did you have a hip replacement as well as your wife? If so I gather all must be well. By the way is Shrugborough Hall near to High Wycombe. I only asked because of the "4969" in the email address.

Cheers to you both, Roy.

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Hi Roy, yeah it is the same here in summer, hate it after a storm gets pretty humid and sticky, heavy here this morning warm day coming up, some of South East QLD copped a storm yesterday we just got the edge of it.

How was your winter did you get any snow dusting in the Blue Mountains, we di in Warwick didn't last long , I have never seen now, hope to one day.

See you are planning a new railway adventure waiting on the ok for a shed from your council.

I would love some sort of water scene, once the layout is up and running planning a beach scene with a small town harbour and complete with working light house, will be where the spiral is working on a curved viaduct at the lowest point of the spiral.

Tony from down under.

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News Flash

This summer in front of a group OO society members the Rapido APT smashed all speed records. The train lapped the 2.8 scale mile Great Wakering, Flackwell Heath & Whitefield garden railway for 31/2 hours without derailment at speeds of between 165 and 175 MPH. Covering an actual 8.5 miles and in scale travelled beyond Aberdeen from Kings Cross A short video is on You Tube at

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aussietmrail said:

Hi Roy,How was your winter did you get any snow dusting in the Blue Mountains, we di in Warwick didn't last long , I have never seen now, hope to one day.

See you are planning a new railway adventure waiting on the ok for a shed from your council.

If snow falls here Tony it only blankets the upper mountains and within 24hrs it's all gone. We do get sleet but not actual snow. The police here always close the roads if there's a snowfall despite many cars being all wheel drive. People just belt along as if it's a fine sunny day.

When are you going to commence the steel works Trevor or has that been moved to somewhere in Asia. The HO scale people are cheaper to employ there.

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Roy wrote

If snow falls here Tony it only blankets the upper mountains and within 24hrs it's all gone. We do get sleet but not actual snow. The police here always close the roads if there's a snowfall despite many cars being all wheel drive. People just belt along as if it's a fine sunny day.

We have being lucky up here may of had one morning with a slight Jack Frost visiting us that when it was zero, this morning is cold 4 degrees to a very nice day like yesterday was, I could of gotten away with wearing shorts to the train club, was hot should of turned on a couple of air-cons in the club room.

Will make the most of the nice weather before summer hits us in December, could be a long summer since we have had a mild winter.

Looking forward to you start work on you loco work shop shed Trev.

Tony from down under

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Trevor said:

News Flash

This summer in front of a group OO society members the Rapido APT smashed all speed records. The train lapped the 2.8 scale mile Great Wakering, Flackwell Heath & Whitefield garden railway for 31/2 hours without derailment at speeds of between 165 and 175 MPH. Covering an actual 8.5 miles and in scale travelled beyond Aberdeen from Kings Cross A short video is on You Tube at

That sounds like a challenge. I shall have to get mine going and see what I can do.

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Modellers

At last an update from the GWFH&W garden railway. The work on the last main component the engine is about to start with the hope it will be finished for May 2017. The station at Flackwell has been finished and as it partly under cover I have experimented with some woodland scenic products as part of the landscaping we will see what happens. If you wish to see a train cam journey from the completed Flackwell Heath station to Gt Wakering Harbour this journey is one of the items on this years Hornby DVD given away free with the January 2017 issue. I have attached 3 pixs showing the station and 2 of my loco portraits these form part of my loco record sheets which log maintenance, speed at different voltages and maximum load for the line all to insure perfect reliable running. I will be again on 2017 having open days ( I am afraid subject to weather) any one wishing to be added to a list for inviting, being at short notice, please contact me.

Trevor Jones

Flackwell Heath Stn.jpg

Weathered K3.jpg

GER S8 B12 stands in Flackwell Stn.jpg

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HI trev I like your curved quad track station be an awesome site indeed I had that on my last module layout , start off on one platform and finish on another.

Sadly I will have to wait a few months before we get the January Hornby mag so far being, will ask the news agent to hold it when it comes in.

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

Trevor said:

... If you wish to see a train cam journey from the completed Flackwell Heath station to Gt Wakering Harbour this journey is one of the items on this years Hornby DVD given away free with the January 2017 issue.....

And very enjoyable it was too Trevor. Found myself skipping through most of the indoor based layouts but had to go back and ride the Great Wakering once more. I still don't know how you manage to keep such an extensive layout running or keep up with all the necessary maintenance. It's a proper railway journey in miniature through some wonderful scenery and with a delightful soundtrack. Totally inspirational.

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HI all I am jealous in my newsagents they are only have November on the shelf, bloody two to three months behind that is the same with the US mags too, I get my Model Railroader digital copy always a month ahead.

Going to my train club tomorrow will see if they have the January copy.

We finely got a cool change from that two weeks of very not weather, Sunday I be making the most of it finishing off the last front module, have two to level and cut the legs, that is the heaviest, work out the way rest be easy now pics to follow Sunday night on my page.

Has any snow being falling in the UK

Tony from down under keeping on moving ahead

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  • 6 months later...

Hello Trevor

I am new to this site, and I have only joined to contact you regarding an excellent video that I saw on You Tube re Great Wakering  garden railway.

I am a total novice, so forgive my ignorance.  But I live local to Great Wakering (in Southend) and run a popular facebook group for around the area.  Having noticed the excellent Garden Railway you have , I and a few others would love to view this, and wonder whether you have an Open Day or at least a day where a group can visit.  We would be quite happy to pay or donate which ever you choose.

I did notice on some of the comments that one layout is in High Wycombe? and I hope I havent read this completely wrong.  So my other question would be do you live and is your garden layout in Great Wakering, as this is the way it reads to me.    I would appreciate any replies to help me with this.  Thank you in advance.  Ros Harman

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For anyone attempting to contact Trevor, I have recently been informed of his change of email address. His account has now been updated so if you have yet to receive a reply to any messages, please try emailing him again. Trevor has also been unable to access the site but hopefully the updated details will cure that problem too.

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On 07/07/2017 at 13:30, admin said:

For anyone attempting to contact Trevor, I have recently been informed of his change of email address. His account has now been updated so if you have yet to receive a reply to any messages, please try emailing him again. Trevor has also been unable to access the site but hopefully the updated details will cure that problem too.

Hi,  I am trying to contact Trevor, but I do not have his email address.  Is it possible to furnish me with this or if someone else could answer my question as to whether this railway is in the Village of Great Wakering Essex>  As if it is I know of a number of local people that would like to view...   Thank you.

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Hi Andrew

You are welcome to visit if you will contact me on my email I can discuss possible dates all subject to weather. I try to block off in advance 3 consecrative days, day 1 is cleaning and fettling then 2 days of operation. I at last have finished the engine shed which is situated at a lower level next to Flackwell Heath station and accessed by the curved viaduct over the harbour as soon as I have finished the landscaping pixs will be posted. The main job for next April will be to replace 2 points and a diamond at the entrance to Great Wakering. Currently one point is held together with araldite and the diamond is nearly 30 years old and the plastic guard rails are beginning to dis intricate. I corrected one piece of track last week where it had been damaged I think with someone dropping a garden spade on it, and certain stock derailed. Managed to dig out the ballast and with 3 hands straightened the dip on a yard of track laid in 1981. Now to re-ballast not PVA but SBR (Waterproof PVA with Muscles). Went to Poland a couple of weeks ago to travel on and photograph the last steam computer trains in the world. Thought  you might all like this pix a good weathering reference, the boiler is green!

 

 

Trevor

Pt47-65 departs Blotnica on the 0628 from Wolsztyn.jpg

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Thank you all.   as I said I am a novice and was confused why the title of Great Wakering, and assumed the layout was in Great Wakering.   Thank you for your help.  What a shame it is not nearer for us to visit.     Ros.

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  • 8 months later...

Hi

The final projects on the garden railway have all been moving along in the last 6 months, I have been aiming at a grand opening of the finished projects this summer. The final bridge, which has been a piece of wood since 2005, is almost finished it is a Faller kit of the Bietschtal Viaduct in Switzerland. The concrete track base when constructed in 2005 had been constructed with a gap of 43 1/4 ins ready for this bridge and the kit had been in the loft until January of this year when work started on it of course it had to have re-enforcement built in to it for outside use and for lifting in and out. The full story will appear in Hornby Magazine in due course, most months I have layouts which I have photographed for them in and articles on technical subjects on a regular basis. The engine shed area had the track laid last summer and is now being landscaped and ballasted and last Autumn I completed a street of houses against the outside wall of the Railway shed. Our Garden is now in the Yellow Book The Garden Visitors Handbook 2018 Opening beautiful gardens for charity (National Open Garden Scheme) and open by appointment, the running of the railway depends on the weather. Look in the book for details we are listed under Bucks No 49.

Engine Shed P1100033A.jpg

The Last Bridge P1100034A .jpg

USA tank in front of part of the street.jpg

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Hi

I thought I ought to clarify the name of my layout, It's called the Great Wakering. Flackwell Heath and Whitefield Railway because Whitefield Lancashire was where I was born and lived until I was five we then moved to London Balham but this was not incorporated into the layouts name as it seemed not to fit in. Great Wakering was where my garns parents and eventually my parents lived and where I spent all my school holidays and Flackwell Heath is where we live now. These places are the names of the stations on my layout. I hope that information is helfull

 

Trevor

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