MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE SENDING LOVE AND HAPPINESS TO ALL

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas for this year, I hope you enjoying a break from work (spare a thought for those still working as they are doing an awesome job) and get to spend time with friends and family. Also sending out the love to anyone missing this year, think of them, raise a glass too them and "Eat, Drink and be Merry" and then go play trains!!

Missing you so much Dad.

You always fulfilled my wishes, giving me whatever I wanted. Your presence in my life I had taken for granted. After your death my whole world has gone into a frightening void. When I had you, I had it all, now everything is destroyed. This is my repentance, my regret, I know you cannot hear me, but I still want to say, Dad I miss you and I'm sorry ... We had so much still to do together and despite the years that have passed I find it so hard to carry on without your love and influence. 

I always think that this time is a moment for reflection and while I hope it's been wonderful for you it may well be that together we have lost a lot of friends and legends so it's time to remember and never forget. Let us also move forwards to the new year, life is only as good as you make it and you have to let yourself live too, although this is something I don't allow myself and it is now time to do more, stop making excuses and get out there. 

Miss you Dad, miss you Mum xx

Let's remember the wisdom of the late Rik Mayall as we venture towards 2019. 

• All men are equal therefore no one can be your true genuine superior.
• It is YOUR future, It is yours to create, your future is as bright as you make it. 
• Change is a constant of life, So you must never ever lose your wisdom. 
• If you want to live a full and complete human life you have to be Free. Freedom is paramount. 
• And finally ... LOVE IS THE ANSWER.

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS 2018 OPEN DAYS -- SATURDAY 15th DECEMBER

http://www.hillingdonrailwaymodellers.co.uk/

Welcome again, it's time for the final Open Day of this year at Hillingdon Railway Modellers, these regular events are very popular and the next one will be held on Saturday 15th December 2018.

Haven't attended here for a little while so this is a good opportunity to get myself over there and give a few of my Dads O Gauge models a bit of a run out since I've no room for a layout at home and I don't want them to live in boxes forever. I aim to hopefully get there for the afternoon with a few items in my bag to try out and also update a few pictures too. It's always a popular day and doors open to the public at 10:00am. 

Address 

Yiewsley Baptist Church

74 Colham Avenue
West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, don't try and enter the main doors of the church. 

Confirmed Exhibition Bookings for Grindley Brook

Date	Location
12/13 January 2019	Chiltern Model Railway Association (CMRA) Stevenage
12/13 October 2019	Great Electric Train Show

Owing to rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £4 but there will be two extensive O Gauge and OO Gauge Test Tracks available and have recently added a three track N Gauge circuit too (Pic Below) all up and running so if you have anything you wish to see get a good run do please come along.

N GAUGE TEST TRACK 

There are always plenty of refreshments available, Tea, Coffee and cold drinks for the youngster, in addition the freshly made bacon rolls are highly recommended. (just don't scoff them all before I get there!!)

It should be stressed that these ARE NOT exhibitions, so please bring your own locos and rolling stock to run. At busy times we may have to introduce time slots so that everyone can get a chance to operate their stock. Here's a short clip of one of the earlier open days YouTube LINK

Below you can see a busy picture of their 8 road yard in O Gauge it's a very extensive track and will give your models a very good run. A few photo's taken from the previous open days are below, if you read back to some of the earlier postings in this blog I have tried to show the variety of excellent models on show, these guys are truly experts in their craft I only wish I had some of their talents and skills.

People will bring a wide variety of stock to run, nearly all are kit built though and the skills / detail is incredible.

Everyone will get their turn I promise.

I hope that these pictures give a good indication of the size of the O Gauge test track, you can give your models a really good work out here. This formation can also transform into an exhibition layout called Grindley Brook a scenic section replaces the long straight down the back.

This layout was shown at the Warley show at the NEC Birmingham in November 2017 and will have recently been making an appearance at the Wigan Show in October 2018 so well done to all concerned getting this large layout out there to be enjoyed by people far and wide. Will aim to update on that exhibition later in the year. 

A few more pictures from some of the previous Open Days, though they mostly focus on the O Gauge track there are also Test Tracks available for OO and N Gauge too. There are many society members on hand who are both extremely friendly and knowledgeable too so if you have any problems with modelling or questions they will be more than happy to try and help i am sure. 

THE BUSY OO GAUGE TEST TRACK

LONDON UNDERGROUND STOCK MAKE A WELCOME APPEARANCE

N GAUGE TEST TRACK

BRIGHTON BELLE IN "N". SOON TO REAPPEAR ON MAINLINE TOO

HOW TO GET THERE:
If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]

CHRISTMAS RAILTOUR -- THE CHESTER CHUFFER (Steam Hauled)

Saturday 15th December, 2018

A FESTIVE EXCURSION HEADING TO HISTORIC CHESTER WITH AN INTERESTING CIRCULAR ROUTING FOR STEAM HAULAGE.

It is not that often that we have offered a main line steam hauled excursion during the pre-Christmas period but this year we make amends with this seasonal excursion to Chester at a time this famous city is decked out for the festive period. Its historic shopping area will be a haven of colour and lights, complimented by the many wooden chalets around the Town Hall Square and Cathedral offering exclusive gifts and produce.

Our anticipated three hour visit (13:30hrs to 16:30hrs) will be centrepiece to the days itinerary, which starts off diesel hauled from our joining stations through to Bescot Yard in the West Midlands. Here we take on our steam locomotive, which will haul our festively decorated classic carriages north over the Cannock Chase line, then along the fast West Coast main line through Stafford to Crewe before arrival into Chester. The historic City of Chester is more than shops, eateries and festivities. It has an array of other attractions including its cathedral, city walls, historic buildings, Roman amphitheatre, river cruises..... and more.

The return journey differs in that we traverse the old GWR main line up Gresford Bank and via Ruabon and Shrewsbury, before passing over Shifnall Viaduct and heading through Wolverhampton. Our train then threads through the Black Country onto Kidderminster and Worcester.

Steam Locomotive

It was the intention that no. 60163 'Tornado' would feature, but with it not now being available until next year, one of the Crewe based Locomotive Services Limited fleet will be used instead, for which we are most grateful.

Estimated Timings
Joining Stations	Depart	Return
Salisbury	0620	2340
Westbury	0650	2310
Bath Spa	0720	2240
Bristol Parkway	0750	2210
Cam & Dursley	0815	2145
Cheltenham Spa	0835	2125
Worcester Shrub Hill	0900	2035
Kidderminster	0925	2010
Stourbridge Jn	0940	1955

THE MODEL RAILWAY CLUB - Mini Exhibition - Open Day Sunday 2nd December

MRC LONDON - 2mm Finescale Copenhagen Fields

The Model Railway Club
  - Mini Exhibition - Open Day
Sunday 2nd December 2018

ADDRESS:
Keen House, 4 Calshot Street
London, Greater London   N1 9DA

OPENING TIMES:    11am - 4pm
ADMISSION:     Adults £3.00        

The MRC's Mini Exhibition at Keen House near King's Cross features a modern image theme centred around the club's Ingatestone OO layout and our second hand shop and bookstall.  Accompanied children free. Entry for MRC members is free upon presentation of a current membership card. 

Please note - access to most rooms is by stairs. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please contact us in advance. Parking is free on the local side streets, but we are very well positioned for public transport, including a cycle hire station opposite us, minutes from King's Cross and St Pancras stations and many bus routes pass close by.

List of Layouts Attending:
Ingatestone (OO) --This OO Gauge layout measures 20ft x 10ft in its scenic run, and is a representation of the station and countryside around Ingatestone in Essex, on the former Great Eastern main line to Norwich. Ingatestone is on a 25kV, two track mainline, with both commuter traffic and Intercity expresses passing through, as well as many freight operators in action. This is a time of franchisee change, so rolling stock will be in many colours, and the season is autumnal (leaves on the line). Nevertheless, the area has a timeless appeal, with its signal box, level crossing and fine Grade II Listed buildings, Ingatestone station set in a quintessential Essex landscape.

LACEY DALE N GAUGE LAYOUT

Lacey Dale (N Gauge ABOVE) -- This is The Model Railway Club's new N gauge layout, inspired by the viaduct and surroundings of Monsal Dale in the Peak District of Derbyshire with the Midland main line to Manchester. The period depicted is from mid 1950s to mid 1960s. Although this part of the railway was double track, to provide greater interest we have added long lie by sidings on both 'up' and 'down' lines, as provided a few miles away at Darley Dale. These enable faster trains to overtake the slower freights, and sometimes, local passenger trains.
Also ;
Oldshaw (EM) 
Minories (EM) 
Barber's Bridge Stabling Point (EM)

Nearest Railway Stations:
King's Cross Thameslink [0.16 miles] 
King's Cross [0.28 miles] 
St Pancras (London) [0.4 miles] 
Euston (London) [0.77 miles]

MAP to 4 Calshot Street, N1 9DA

NEW FOREST MODEL RAILWAY SOCIETY -- OPEN DAY SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER

ADDRESS:
Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, 
Brockenhurst, Hampshire     SO42 7RY

OPENING TIMES:      

SUNDAY 10.00am - 4.30pm

ADMISSION:  
Adults £3.50      Children £2.50      Family £10.00  

Just in case you are not going to the Warley Show then this is the annual Open Day for the New Forest MRS when we have the opportunity to show club and club member's layouts. We also hope to have up to six visiting layouts. Why not come along and see the layouts and have a chat with the layout operators, our club members and the Traders. You will be most welcomed.

List of Layouts Attending :
There will be eight club layouts on display. Some are new and on their first exhibition outing. Others you may have seen before but have been worked on during the past year to improve running and have scenery added.

MOSSBANK YARD

The OO layouts will be:

• Knightwood Junction
• Mossbank Yard [Above]
• Helstowe
• Keyhaven and
• Rocklington
• +1 more to be advised

N gauge will be represented by Brockhampton and there will be a new 6' long 009 layout too.

Visiting layouts will include;

Hampton South O Gauge [Above]
Thomas And Friends - Fareham OO 
Blackgang OO 
Better Than It Was 
 - An O Gauge demonstration layout
Cobham OO 
 - from the South Western Model Railway Club. 
Dave King Layout OO

List of Traders Attending :
Railwayania 
B H Enterprises 
Railroom Electronics 
Ron Lines 
Weston Models 
John Henderson 
David Smith Books 
Jeff Wilson 
Wheels of Southsea 
Wessex Wagons

Nearest Railway Stations :
Brockenhurst [0.17 miles] 
Sway [2.56 miles] 
Lymington Town [4.12 miles] 
Beaulieu Road [4.21 miles] 

MAP:

LONDON TO CARDIFF CHRISTMAS MARKET - THURSDAY 22 NOVEMBER

THE CATHEDRALS EXPRESS

Thursday 22 November 2018
LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 no 60009 Union of South Africa

LONDON TO CARDIFF CHRISTMAS MARKET

The Cardiff Christmas Market will return to the pedestrian streets of Cardiff City Centre in St John Street, Working Street, Hills Street, Trinity Street and the Hayes in 2018 with an exciting and eclectic mix of both new and returning exhibitors their original, hand made products the essence of what makes this market so different and special.

Visit Cardiff Castle with its Roman walls, Norman keep and stunning medieval halls. Cardiff's city centre provides an vibrant mix of old and new, with beautiful Llandaff Cathedral and the lovely National History Museum alongside the harbour. You can also take in the beauty of Bute Park, Cardiff Castle and many other sights all just a stroll away from the market

LOCOMOTIVE

Originally numbered 4488, 60009 Union of South Africa was built for the LNER in 1937.

It was named after the then newly-formed Union of South Africa, although it had previously been allocated the name "Osprey" on 17 April 1937, when it came out of the paint shop on 29 June. "Osprey" name plates were fitted to the locomotive during the 1980s and early 1990s due to the politics of the time. Its name has since reverted to Union of South Africa. The works number of Union of South Africa was 1853; the plaques are located in the cab itself and not on the exterior cab sides as is the usual practice.

[This trip will be diesel hauled between Newport and Cardiff on the outward journey.]

Train should depart London Paddington approx 09.22 and arrive in Cardiff 13:58. 

The return from Cardiff leaves around 16:40 and gets back into the capital 21:38. 

Should allow for onward connections back home, there are additional stops on route at Reading, Slough and Swindon. 

HAMPTON COURT MODEL RAILWAY SOCIETY -- TOLWORTH SHOW 10th-11th NOVEMBER

LOCATION:
Tolworth Recreation Centre, 
Fullers Way North, Tolworth, Surrey KT6 7LQ

OPENING TIMES:  
SATURDAY 10am to 5.30pm
SUNDAY 10am to 5pm

ADMISSION:
Adults £7.00      Children £3.00      Family £15.00  

Welcome to the Hampton Court Model Railway Society's 28th model railway show, 'Tolworth Showtrain 2018', covers three halls of the Tolworth Recreation Centre and features 25 working layouts covering both a variety of scales, time-periods and locations, with superb modelling and entertaining operation, including one where children can drive the trains, along with comprehensive Trade support, including several new this year. There are also demonstrators who will give hands on tuition in modelling skills.

This is your opportunity to try your hand at something new, age will be no barrier to this, and you will probably have something to take away.  The show takes place on the centenary of the Armistice which ended the Great War and in recognition of this, a special feature this year is two layouts portraying the part played by railways on the Western Front during the conflict. The show's aim to provide entertainment for everyone, not just the dedicated enthusiast. 

On SUNDAY one Child will be admitted FREE with every paying Adult. There is a free Bus link from Surbiton station which is served by South Western Railway services. The timetable will be available on the website in early October. Several TfL bus services stop within 10 minutes walk of the show. The show is fully accessible with everything being at ground level.

List of Layouts Attending :
[Layout - Scale - Location] 

Bottle Kiln Lane UK Narrow Gauge Layout

Bottle Kiln Lane - 4mm - UK Narrow Gauge (Above)
The End of the Line - 7mm - Industrial 
Friday Bridge - 4mm - Wisbeach & Upwell 
Roundtrees Sidings - 4mm - Tyne & Wear Metro 
Mannin Middle - 4mm - Iom 
Thorney Milk - 7mm - GWR 
Normandy Junction - 7mm - BR [Below]

NORMANDY JUNCTION 7MM 

Foston Mills - 7mm - NER 
The Trench - 4mm - Western Front 
Trenches - 4mm - Western Front 
Canada Street - 4mm - BR 
St. Merryn - 4mm - BR SR 
Burshaw North Western - 2mm - BR LMR 
Mers-Les-Bains - 1/32 - French NG 
Diano Marina - 3.5mm - Italian 
Theobald's Yard - 7mm - British Industrial 
Newhurst - 7mm - SR 
Westcliff - 4mm - GWR 
Pwllheli - 4mm - Atw 
Lower Exbury - 4mm - BR SR 
Yewston Road - 4mm - BR LMR 
Edwards Junction and Thomas End - 4mm - Sodor 
Kirkmellington - 4mm - BR SCR (Below)
St. Mary's - 7mm - W & L GWR

Kirkmellington EM Industrial Railway

Nearest Railway Stations :
Chessington North   [0.71 miles] 
Tolworth   [0.77 miles] 
Chessington South   [1.29 miles] 
Surbiton   [1.32 miles] 
NB -- All are on South Western Railway from Waterloo
Be cautioned that there is a planned rail strike by RMT on Saturday and services will be severely reduced.

MAP