BASINGSTOKE TO SHREWSBURY -- CRADLE OF A NATION RAILTOUR 29th SEPTEMBER

IRONBRIDGE

This is an ideal late-summer day out, offering you a choice of three top-notch destinations, namely Shrewsbury, the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway or Ironbridge and Blists Hill Museum. If there was ever a tour that could claim to offer something for everyone, surely this is it!  There is a wide range of joining stations too, in Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. The train travels from Basingstoke, Reading and Slough, picking up at Ealing Broadway before skirting London via Acton and Brent. We then make further stops at St Albans (for M25) and Bedford. Our journey is then via the Wigston South Curve, Nuneaton, Water Orton, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton to arrive at Telford Central and finally Shrewsbury. The Sutton Park Line is now closed for engineering work hence this minor change of route.
SHREWSBURY
Is it pronounced ‘Shroozbury’ or ‘Shrowsbury’? It’s not worth worrying about as even people who live here can’t agree. What can’t be disputed is that it’s a really delightful place, famous for its beautiful gardens, its frontage on the meandering River Severn and of course for its connections with its most famous citizen Charles Darwin. There’s a great range of shops and plenty of welcoming bars and cafes, and the river cruise is especially pleasant. The station is not far from the centre, so it really is an ideal place to while away an afternoon. You will have some four and a half hours to explore.

BLISTS HILL MUSEUM
Coaches meet the train at Telford Central. Our first stop is in the village of Ironbridge where you can see and walk across the famous bridge that has come to symbolise the Industrial Revolution and its birthplace. We then rejoin the coaches for a very short journey to Blists Hill Museum, a recreated Victorian town. Here you’ll experience what life was like when Britain ruled the world. Meet some (almost) real Victorians in their authentic shops and cottages, buy curious goods from a bygone era and watch tradespeople in action in their atmospheric workshops and factories. You will have around two hours here before returning to Telford to re-board the train home.

THE WELSHPOOL & LLANFAIR RAILWAY

Our coaches take us over the border to the market town of Welshpool where we find the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway. Opened in 1903 to link the town of to the rural community of Llanfair Caereinion, this narrow gauge steam railway is one of the most engaging of all the narrow gauge lines in Wales.

From the window the observant passenger may spot the occasional heron, woodpecker or buzzard. As the train runs through the Powis Estate, pheasant and deer can be seen and everywhere a wide variety of wild flowers. The line follows a river valley, twists round a mill and runs through the middle of farms. The train takes 45 minutes to cover the 8-mile journey to Llanfair Caereinion – there is certainly no hurry! This was how our great grandparents travelled and it is a real pleasure to be able to enjoy it all today. The far end of the line, Llanfair Caerinion, is a picturesque little station with a cafeteria and shop and you’ll have time to stretch your legs and take photos before the return journey.

TIMINGS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED AS SHOWN BELOW.

Station Depart Arrive
Basingstoke 06.24 22.03
Reading 06.48 21.41 
Slough 07.10 21.18
Ealing Broadway 07.41 20.59
St Albans City       08.31 20.11
Bedford 09.00 19.27

SECOND HAND N GAUGE MODELS #1 -- CLASS 17 (1970's LIMA - REPAIRED)

CLASS 17 LOCO, 40 YEARS OLD STILL RUNNING ON MY KATO TEST TRACK

In my small collection of N Gauge stock I have a few older items from back when I was very young. A few of which needed a little repair and love, thankfully they are back in good running order. All my layouts as a boy were end to end and featured a lot of shunting scenes, warehousing, coal yards and the like. 
Although I sadly sold off a lot of the shunters (08, 09 etc) the few models I kept have started to have a new lease of life, such that I've started to create a new small test track and maybe that will start to grow into a new layout just for the fun. 

CLASS 17 (LIMA)
The British Rail Class 17 (also known as the Clayton Type 1) was a class of 117 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built 1962–1965 by Clayton Equipment Company and their sub-contractor Beyer, Peacock & Co., for British Railways (BR). Following problems with the single-cabbed pilot scheme Type 1 locomotives, the Class 17s were designed with a centre cab and low bonnets to maximise visibility for the driver. The low engine covers required the use of two Paxman 6ZHXL six-cylinder horizontal engines and these gave unreliable performance even after extensive modifications. The class proved to be one of the least successful of the Type 1s. Withdrawals took place from the late 1960s to 1971, some locomotives having a working life of less than five years. Several were sold to industrial users, but only one has been preserved (D8568) which is now (2018) at the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway, Oxfordshire.

This is an OLD Lima model in N Gauge, and yes it still runs well, I also used to have a BR Green one but burnt the motor out which was sad as I can't seem to find a replacement for that now. Am aware that Heljan do a better quality OO version now but as this is about 40 years old I don't think it's fair to compare really since technology has moved on considerably in that time. I really hope to pick up a replacement for the Green BR one I sadly destroyed or a few old MK1 Blue and Grey coaches to go with this I think that might work quite well.

45th REDDITCH MODEL RAILWAY CLUB EXHIBITION 2018 15-16 SEPTEMBER

45th REDDITCH MODEL RAILWAY CLUB EXHIBITION

Saturday 15th September - Sunday 16th September

LOCATION:
Trinity High School, Grove Street, 
Redditch, Worcestershire   B98 8HB

OPENING TIMES:
SAT 10am - 5pm     SUN 10am - 4.30pm

ADMISSION:
Adults £5.50   Concessions £5.00  
Children £2.00   Family £14.00

The 45th Redditch Model Railway Exhibition held in September will provide a variety of quality layouts in the popular scales plus trade support. Venue is on access one of the town centre ring road and is 15 minute drive from either junction 2 or 3 of the M42. It's within a 10-15 minute walk of the railway station with direct links to/from Birmingham New Street - every 20 minutes on Saturday and every 30 on Sunday (journey time around 35-40 minutes)

The following layouts are confirmed;

BRYNLLWYD -- 7mm Welsh Narrow Gauge (above and left).



BUCKSHEE -- 4mm Scottish Highlands.
CHARLTON THE STRAND -- 4mm Western Region.
EU (le Treport) DEPOT -- 7mm French loco depot.
FARMERS DROVE -- 2mm Modern Image.

HOUNSLOW SIDINGS -- (Above and Right) 4mm BR Southern railway. Hounslow is located on the Twickenham and Brentford loop service from Waterloo, and has Barracks at Hounslow Heath this is a local station to me and I believe the station was used as a military vehicle loading station during WW2.

MORFA MAWR -- 4mm Welsh line circa 1970s (left). The layout is situated in West Wales on the coast of Cardigan Bay, based on a small country station, about 6 miles to the north of Aberaeron along the Cambrian Railway line from Aberystwyth to Newquay. Layout consists of a single platform station with runaround, there are sidings for local goods and a small coal yard. 

OAKENSHAW -- 4mm West Yorkshire mill town.
SMALLWOOD -- 4mm Modern Image.
STUDLEY AND ASTWOOD BANK -- 4mm Midland Railway.
SU AND ST PAUL -- HO Scale American Modern Image.

TRINITY DOCK STREET BRIDGE -- 4mm Dock Yard (above) Trinity Dock Street Bridge is a fictitious location based on Railway Street in Hull, where the road and railway crossed the channel between Humber and railway docks in the ‘Old Town Docks’ in the city.
TUNNEL CUTTING -- 7mm layout.

Nearest Railway Stations :
Redditch [0.45 miles]
Alvechurch [2.95 miles]
Barnt Green [4.34 miles]
Wood End [4.44 miles]

MAP

THE WESSEX WANDERER TOUR -- SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER

Saturday 8th September, 2018

FROM THE MIDLANDS AND SEVERNSIDE SOUTH TO THE JURASSIC COAST FOR AN AFTERNOON BREAK. OUT ONE WAY AND BACK ANOTHER, HAULED BY BRITISH BUILT LOCOS.

This coming weekend there is an opportunity to enjoy a rather unique day’s rail-cruise, offering a large circular itinerary, passing through many of England’s historical counties en-route to the destination of Weymouth, set on its own bay along Dorset’s Jurassic coastline.

The outward journey is via Bristol, Bath, Westbury, Castle Cary, Chetnole and Dorchester before arrival into Weymouth at around 13:30. There then follows a break of several hours to enjoy the invigorating sea air and attractions before the estimated departure time of 15:45.

Weymouth’s popular sandy beach is backed by Georgian houses, behind which sits the commercial area and railway station. With level walking for easy exploration one side of the town is bordered by the River Wey, with many boats tied up in its sheltered waters. Attractions include The Revolving Viewing Tower, Victorian Nothe Fort and a Sealife Park, plus a good range of eateries and watering holes.

Initially climbing the long Bincombe Bank away from the coast our special train is routed by way of Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton, Reading and Oxford before taking the Cotswold Line via Moreton-in-Marsh to arrive back into Worcester to complete the days circular routing. 

CLASS 50's lined up at Severn Valley Railway

Motive power for this rail cruise, from and back to Worcester, will be a pair of popular class 50 diesel locomotives, courtesy of the Class 50 Alliance, and normally based on the Severn Valley Railway. A GBRf class 66 locomotive will feature north of Worcester.

Estimated Timings
Joining Stations	Depart	Return
East Midlands Parkway	0530	2300
Loughborough	0540	2250
Leicester	0600	2230
Nuneaton	0630	2200
Birmingham New St.	0700	2130
Stourbridge Jn	0725	2100
Kidderminster	0735	2050
Worcester Shrub Hill	0825	2000
Cheltenham Spa	0850	2100 ^
Bristol Parkway	0930	2145 ^

^ Return by road coach from Worcester Shrub Hill.