UK RAILTOUR -- THE QUANTOCK INTRUDER SATURDAY 26th MAY 2018

Our long-awaited tour taking Merchant Navy Pacific 35028 ‘Clan Line’ from London to the West Somerset Railway has now been confirmed and we are anticipating a lot of interest.

Unusually for ‘Clan Line’ departure is from London Paddington with pick-up stops at Slough (for the M25) and at Reading. After a water stop at Theale we head west down the so-called ‘Berks & Hants’ line which should give opportunities for some sustained fast running.

There will be another water stop at Frome before we reach Taunton where our West Somerset Railway crew join for the journey through the Quantock Hills, passing scheduled WSR steam trains along the way. The line is single-track throughout, winding its way through the truly stunning Somerset countryside to the neatly preserved GWR terminus at Minehead, which is directly alongside the promenade, close to all amenities, pubs and shops.

You will have around three hours at leisure in Minehead, which should be pleasant in May before the summer crowds arrive. If you wish you can take additional journeys on the West Somerset Railway using their own scheduled trains, with specially discounted fares on offer (payable on the day).

On the return journey 35028 will be in charge on the West Somerset Railway section of the journey, unusually running tender-first as our giant of steam it is too long for Minehead’s turntable. At Bishops Lydeard the loco will be detached and a Class 67 will be in charge for the journey back to London.

All timings are provisional and intended only as a guide.

Station	Depart	Arrive
London Paddington	08.00	22.20
Slough (for M25)	08.35	21.50
Reading	09.05	21.25

MY 1st N GAUGE MODEL BOUGHT BY MY FATHER -- MINITRIX BRITANNIA

Slightly deviating from my regular blog which would normally focus on Railtours, trips and of course my late Father's O Gauge and OO Gauge modelling, I wanted to write about my earliest experience of N Gauge and a model that I still own and still runs superbly despite being at least 40 years old. I think back and believe I would have been about 7 years old at the time, living in a small flat sharing a bedroom with my older brother. We simply didn't have the room for a layout, up till then had only seen the OO Gauge items that we used over at the BBC Model Railway Club so was completely bowled over when Dad bought home a new model layout and starting building in N Gauge. 

STILL IN IT'S ORIGINAL BOX FROM THE 1970's

Never seen the likes of it till then, so small, so much to fit in a small space, so fragile (yes as a child I would break things, something I still do to this day sadly). So I was immediately hooked on N Gauge models, despite it being way out of my pocket money range I actually acquired a reasonable amount of rolling stock. This was long before eBay and the like, I was picking up stock from toy shops, second hand shops and jumble sales. Britannia remained my fav item, and was generally out of place on the layouts I built in my bedroom and then Garage, although I would of course run what I like but enjoyed creating shunting yards, carriage sidings, and making use of all the space. Oh for a return to those happier days, and I also wish I had taken pictures of it all to capture the moment. 

BRITANNIA HAVING A RUN OUT ON MY SHORT TEST TRACK

Was sad when I had to say goodbye to all that and the entire collection including boards, track and stock was broken up and sold. Fortunately I was able to keep hold of this one for old times sake. 

Have recently begun to acquire some N Gauge stock again and some Kato Track which will do for me. All I want is for a small shunting puzzle layout, with the oval being retained for test running purposes. Will look for some shunters, maybe a DMU or Railcar and see what happens. 

BRAMBLETON MRC - OUTDOOR MODEL RAILWAY OPEN DAY

LOCATION:
Highfield Oval, Ambrose Lane, 
Harpenden, Hertfordshire     AL5 4BX

OPENING TIMES:  2pm-5.30pm
ADMISSION:    Adults £2.50    Concessions £1.50    Children £1.50
Brambleton have one of the largest outdoor model railways in the country. Set in woodland, we have a double track 'O' gauge main line with 9 stations along with an extensive 16mm/SM32 scale garden line. We'll be running an intensive service on the 'O' gauge line with a mixture of modern and steam outline rolling stock. A wide variety of live steam locomotives will be operating on the 16mm/SM32 scale line. 

These open days are a great way of showing off to the public what the club is all about. It provides us with a chance to run the railway as it was originally intended, while providing the public with a chance to see a great variety of rolling stock (O gauge circuit) & live steam narrow gauge (16 mm).



Please note that the site itself is reached by an unpaved path, which can be muddy during wet conditions, but as it's been lovely and sunny the past week we think this should be fine. The nearest railway stations is Harpenden approx a mile away. There will be refreshments available and free parking. 

MAP

RICKINGHALL MODEL RAILWAY SHOW (Diss & District MRS)

Diss and District Model Railway Society
  - Rickinghall Model Railway Show
Saturday 5th May 2018

ADDRESS:
Rickinghall Village Hall,
Hinderclay Road, Rickinghall
Diss, Norfolk     IP22 1HD

OPENING TIMES:  10am - 4pm

ADMISSION:    Adults £5.00     Children £1.00 

This years 2018 Show will feature seventeen layouts from modellers all over East Anglia, including three on their very first public outings, with a large marquee attached to the Hall ensuring plenty of space for both people & exhibits. As well as quality layouts for enthusiasts, there are other attractions to make their Show an enjoyable one for all the family. The show is easy to get to, with easy, free ample on-site parking, and offer lots to see and do both on site and in the immediate area.

Rickinghall Village Hall, just off the A143 between Bury St Edmunds & Diss, is a particularly good venue for this Model Railway Show, which is run jointly by Diss & District Model Railway Society and the Village Hall itself. Rickinghall is an attractive and historic village with good facilities, and the venue itself offers ample free parking on site, good disabled access, all-day refreshments, and a proper children's playground outside. Model traction engine trailer rides are also offered. As well as a quality Show for enthusiasts, we offer a good day out for all the family, in a good and interesting location.


List of Layouts Attending :
Oakley Green  -- 00 4mm Scale DCC

Extensive BR freight and traction servicing depot, Oakley Green is an oil storage depot, the layout also includes a diesel locomotive servicing area and refuelling point, plus a small parcels loading area in the vicinity to add extra interest and shunting possibilities. The scene is based in the mid 1970’s and located in the rural home counties to the west of London. The oil depot comprise of six large storage tanks, with piping on gantry work connecting to the rail tanker loading areas and fed underground for the road loading complex. The facility modelled is also complete with a plant room and general service areas..

Gneiss Cider -- Gn15
Eccentric and delightful fun exhibit from its creator's fertile imagination.

Ramsey, 4mm Scale
Accurate depiction of Ramsey in Huntingdonshire before the Beeching Act.

Charleston, N Scale
Colourful and busy continuous run layout.

Jusabit MPD, 7mm Scale DCC
All the activity of a steam locomotive depot, in the late British Rail era of steam, complete with sound and a wide array of 0 Gauge engines.





Markton, N Scale
First exhibition outing for this layout and St Mark's MRC

Cromer High, 4mm Scale
The unveiling of this tour de force 32' long depiction of Cromer High Station before closure in 1953.

Broadfield TMD, 00 Scale
This depot displays current diesel traction in urban environs.

Merlins Lane, 0 Gauge DCC
Blue diesel with sound; very atmospheric.

Ashfield Green, OO9 4mm Narrow Gauge
Imaginative micro layout with lots of operating interest.

Fen Lane, 00 DCC
Typical Fenland Light Railway, Adjoining Navigable Waterway

Horndale, 00
Continuous run highly detailed layout Horndale is a circular layout, with a canal overlooking the hamlet of Horndale, which has a small country station, from which passengers travel to the nearby market town and mainline station.
The layout measures approximately 4ft. X 4ft.

Brize End, Z Gauge
Fascinating tiny layout, in what is known as this 'watchmakers scale'. Keep a look out for the bears!

Trenance Quay, N Gauge
Built as a small space exercise this "table top" layout demonstrates how much detail and character can be obtained in a limited space with N gauge. The model owes more than a little to Cornwall in its concept.  The layout can run continuously with rolling stock in a variety of steam and diesel. 

The layout measures only 5 feet by 2½ feet. Look out for the Cornish Flag!

Hawkins Tower, OO9 4mm Narrow Gauge
Highly Detailed Table-Top Layout With All the Twists & Turns of Models in This Scale

Alsop En Le Dale, N 2mm Scale
A first outing for this accurate depiction of a station on the long closed Buxton to Ashbourne line, set in the 1950's.


HOW TO GET THERE:
Nearest Railway Stations :
  Diss [6.15 miles]
  Elmswell [7.56 miles]
  Harling Road [8.8 miles]
  Thurston [9.71 miles]

MAP: