Saturday, 27 May 2017

RAILEX 2017 -- STOKE MANDEVILLE STADIUM 27-28 MAY



Risborough and District Model Railway Club
  - Railex 2017 Model Railway Exhibition

Sat 27th May 2017 - Sun 28th May 2017

ADDRESS:
Stoke Mandeville Stadium, 
Stadium Approach, Aylesbury, 
Buckinghamshire HP21 9PP

OPENING TIMES:
   SAT -- 10:30 - 17:30  
     SUN -- 10:00 - 17:00

ADMISSION:  
Adults £9.00    Children £5.00  
Family £20.00

RAILEX is a model railway exhibition that brings together the very best layouts and traders in one huge hall at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The emphasis is on quality and Railex has some very large layouts that are not normally seen at other shows. A free vintage bus will run from Aylesbury railway station carpark to RAILEX and return up to every half hour Saturday and every hour on Sunday. Up to two children can be admitted free with each paying adult on Sunday only.

Gordon & Maggie Gravett’s Pempoul will be making its last appearance before being retired from the exhibition circuit, while Martin Stringer’s Tollesbury Quay will be making a very rare exhibition appearance. Giles Favell will debut at Railex his new layout Denton Brook, add to this the other layouts and it looks like another top quality show.
    Layouts Confirmed to date (February 2017)

    7mm Scale

  • Denton Brook, O & 0-14 Gauge, Exhibited by Giles Favell, Denton Brook is the result of an industrial whimsy. A very minor cable manufacturer, in the early 60s, supplied by rail for the most part – this layout represents one small corner of the factory.
  • Harlyn Pier, O Gauge, Exhibited by Peter Beckley, The layout depicts the terminus of an imaginary (ex LSWR) branch line on the north coast of Cornwall not far from Padstow in the BR period circa 1960.
  • Pavilion End, O Gauge, Exhibited by David Hagger, Pavilion End is set in an industrial area, probably South Wales or it could be the West Midlands. The GWR and LNWR were competing for traffic and had met in an end on junction somewhere further along the line.
  • Penfold Priory, O Gauge, Exhibited by Bridgend Model Railway Group, The era is circa 1930/40 in GWR days with LMS having running rights. The trains enter the scene through the overbridge, with the loco shed facilities on the left. Passing the signal cabin and coal yard, coming into the busy terminus.
  • Tollesbury Quay, O Gauge, Exhibited by Martin Stringer, The Kelvedon and Tollesbury was a real branch line, though I moved the terminus to the busy little “hard” at the head of Woodrolfe Creek, the period modelled is the first few years of nationalisation.


    1:50 Scale
  • Pempoul, 18.2mm Gauge, Exhibited by Gordon & Maggie Gravett, The metre gauge Reseau BrĂ©ton system once served much of inland Brittany connecting rural villages and towns to SNCF main lines, this fictitious scene depicts a small section of the railway in the last years of its life along with a taste of the area through which it ran.


    1/4inch Scale
  • Boot, 3/4inch Gauge, Exhibited by Peter Kazer, Boot was the upper terminus for the 3' gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (known as Owd Ratty) and here it served the Nab Gill mine as well as the village of Boot.


    1/64inch Scale
  • Tresparrett Wharf, 22.45mm Gauge, Exhibited by Maurice Hopper, Set in an autumnal scene, this model depicts a siding in the style of the wharfs' found on the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway in North Cornwall on an LSWR branch line around 1890.
  • Trowland, 22.45mm Gauge, Exhibited by Trevor Nunn, Trowland is set somewhere on the North Norfolk coast, close to the salt marshes and the sea. The Eastern & Midland Railway became part of the Midland & Great Northern Railway in 1893, and we see it, as it might have been, a year or so later.



    4mm Scale
  • Devil's Bridge, 009 Gauge, Exhibited by Eddie & Rachael Field, The Vale of Rheidol is a 1' 11½" Narrow Gauge line, which runs from Aberystwyth to Devils Bridge, Our model of Devil's Bridge is set in the late 1920s.
  • Horfield 1955-1961, 00 Gauge, Exhibited by Horfield Group (Bournemouth), A section of the Great Western four track main line existing Bristol North, set in the time period of 1955-1961, where a large variety of motive power and rolling stock can be seen.
  • Kirkmellington, EM Gauge, Graham & Tony Bucknell, Represents a small colliery in the NCB East Ayr area of Scotland. It is assumed to be on a small single track branch line off the main G&SWR main line from Carlisle to Kilmarnock that winds its way up into the Ayrshire hills near Patna and Dalmellington from the east.
  • Leeman Road (York) 1964, P4 Gauge, Exhibited by John Shaw, Part of the old steam depot at York as it was between the years 1962-1966: the steam engines were in decline and the depot’s sidings were filling up with new English Electric (class 40) diesels.
  • Sidmouth, P4 Gauge, Exhibited by Richard Harper, The model seen here represents Sidmouth as it was around summer 1959 or 1960. Viewed from the front of the layout, the line disappearing to the right would continue on to Tipton St John’s, Ottery St Mary and finally Sidmouth Junction.
  • Westcliff, EM Gauge, Exhibited by Richard Butler, Westcliff is a ‘might have been’ whose location is based on the Dorset seaside town of West Bay, Bridport’s harbour, as it might have evolved by the 1920s.


    3mm Scale
  • Heybridge Wharf, 14.2mm Gauge, Exhibited by Mike Corp, Heybridge Wharf is purely fictitious and is situated somewhere in Suffolk at one of the last inland wharfs still operating. The railway was built under the Light Railways act as the Hey Light Railway to connect the town of Heybridge to the Great Eastern Main Line via Heybridge Wharf.


    2mm Scale
  • Fence Houses, 9.42mm Gauge, Exhibited by Bob Jones & The Fence Houses Team, Our chosen period is British Rail 1952 - 1962, using steam and diesel locomotives. Many mainline workings operated through Fence Houses, due to engineering works and diversions taking place on the 'new' main line.
  • Hallam Town, 9.42mm Gauge, Exhibited by Alan Whitehouse, A little terminus set in South Yorkshire in the 1970s blue period that gives a real the whole thing an 'Eastern Region' feel.
  • William Smith's Wharf, 9.42mm Gauge, Jerry Clifford, The ‘Wharf’ is the latest, and smallest, addition to the series of layouts based on the fictitious North Somerset Light Railway (NSLR) as it might have looked in the 1920s.

Friday, 19 May 2017

BACHMANN HO SCALE MODEL - GANDY DANCER

A short write up on one of my smallest, but millimetre for millimetre probably the most fun model I still have. Known as a Gandy Dancer, it's a pair of workmen on a pump trolley. Unusual as you won't see these on the network now but back in the day would have been the permanent way gang main means of getting up and down some branch lines to check track, or clear fallen trees and so forth. 

This model is produced by Bachmann and I believe its still popular in HO scale. 

We had a few of these for some reason and they appeared on several of the model layouts that we had including the BBC Railway Club.



I have taken it to recent open days at the Hillingdon Railway Modellers where it's motored around the OO Gauge test tracks there for a while though if you run it at speed it will begin to overheat so best to take it nice and slowly. Also you need to be careful that people don't think the track is free as it's often anonymous while it's crawling around the outer track there only to find another loco running up behind it.



Saturday, 13 May 2017

THE FAWLEY FORESTER [HASTINGS DIESELS LIMITED]









The 7 mile Fawley branch line, also known as the Waterside line had a passenger service for about forty years until the service was withdrawn on 14 February 1966 and now, with the exception of the occasional enthusiasts' railtour, the line serves the freight needs of Marchwood Military Port, having also served the same function for Fawley Refinery until 2016.

In the final few years of passenger operation the service was provided by Hampshire DEMU's so it's very fitting that this railtour is run by the Hastings Diesel company and aims to promote the possible reopening of the line to passengers. 
An earlier DEMU Railtour at Fawley in the 1970s

This special outing has been chartered by the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership to run three shuttle-trips between Southampton Central and Fawley, on the old Waterside Line through Marchwood and Hythe. Its passenger service was withdrawn in 1966, and freight trains ceased serving Fawley oil refnery in 2016. 


Rather than send the train empty to Basingstoke to begin the charter, we made it an outing in its own right. Our train will run via the L&SWR Main Line to Southampton Central, then make its frst of three shuttle trips to Fawley, calling at Totton in both directions. After returning to Southampton it will then make two further shuttle trips to Fawley. The train’s third and final departure from Fawley will be the start of its journey back to Hastings.


As always, our train has a well-stocked buffet car selling hot & cold food and drink throughout the day at reasonable prices.




Saturday, 6 May 2017

SOUTH DOWNS GROUP 7mm NARROW GAUGE EXHIBITION MAY 2017











Sat 6th May 2017

Felpham Community College, Felpham Way, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO22 8EL



OPENING TIMES:  10am - 4:30pm
ADMISSION:  Adults £5.00  Concessions £4.50
  
SWING has now reached its ninth year and continues to grow returning to the same venue as last year for a bigger and better exhibition. The aim is simply to showcase some of the best layouts inspired by industrial, narrow gauge or light/tram prototypes on the circuit steam era to modern practice. 

You can be assured of a warm welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Come & join us - we can promise an interesting and inspiring visit. "Kids go free" with fee paying adult. Discount for 7mm NGA, Gauge O Guild & OO9 members. 

This event will once again support the work of the Canine Partners charity. https://caninepartners.org.uk/

List of Layouts Attending :
Benter Railway - OO9 
Buccerbury Town - OO9 
Coleford - OO9 
Cotehele Quay - O16.5 


Cracklington Quay - O16.5
(left). 






Fursdade - OO9 

Fulton Terminal - HO STD 
Graig Wen - O STD 
Minions World - Gn15 
Port Wynnstay 
ST Mary's - O16.5 
ST Reetham - 1/35th 
Slindon Vale Light Rly - O16.5 



Trenance Downs OO Gauge
China Clay action near Trethowal (St Austell)
Trenance Downs - OO Std (Right) 
A layout in OO gauge that gives a flavour of branch line activity in the 1980's rail freight era


Yellow Ridge Mine - 1/35th 
Zevendaal - HO STD


List of Demonstrations :
Roy Hickman - Scenic Demo 
Solent models - Demo 
Michael Tucker - Model Buildings

List of Other Displays :
Lyton & Barnstaple Trust 
Amberley Working Museum & Heritage Centre 
Live Steam Ride on Railway

Map of location below, approx 1 mile from Bognor Regis Station. 
(Southern Rail Services from London / Brighton)