BREDGAR AND WORMSHILL MODEL RAILWAY SHOW - SUNDAY 1st AUGUST 2021

Bredgar and Wormshill Model Railway Show
Sunday 1st August 2021

Location: The Warren, Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8AT

Opening Times:  10.30am - 4pm

Admission:  Adults £15.00    Children £7.50  Family £40.00 

Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway's 3rd Model railway show. will be held at the beginning of August in conjunction with their regular operating day. Included in the ticket price are unlimited train rides and access to the whole site. There will also be a miniature ride on railway. [Weather permitting]. A family ticket is available for the day costing £40 for 2 adults up to 3 children. Advance ticket will be available at a reduced price from Invicta Model rail and the Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway.

The B&WLR has regular open days commencing on Easter Sunday each year, thereafter on the first Sunday of the month from May to October. Trains run about every 12 minutes from 11.00 to 16.30.

Exhibition Layout (Scale)

Exe Valley Halt (N)
This is a U-shaped N Gauge layout based around a GWR branch line in Devon, while there is a location called Exe valley am not sure this is aimed at a replica of such a line / station just the inspiration for the type of branch line set in the mid 1940s. Highly detailed layout in such a small scale.

Wrens Wood (009)
St Denis (HO9)
Hoclenbaum (NM)
Staple & Ash (OO)
Bembridge (OO)

Dydley Junction (N)
This N Gauge layout was built as a club layout designed to allow the through running of realistic length trains, a station, goods yard and engine servicing facilities, the ability to justify two railway companies and two trains running at once - all in a space of 4' x 2' 6" courtesy of two PECO live frog double slips! The layout was in fact set near the Welsh border somewhere south west of Birmingham with a single track secondary main line and branch, either of which could belong to the GWR or LMS.

Rye Station (009)
Tramlink (OO)
Tar Works (O)

Cedar Court Wagon Yard (OO)
OO Gauge and approx 8ft in length Cedar Court Wagon Yard is small yard for a repair depot and sidings for stock that require maintenance or repair. Set in a modern day era with some visits from MPVs and OTMs.

Lockdown Sidings (OO)

Blacksheep (ON30)

Scrapworth End (OO)


Nearest Railway Stations:
Hollingbourne [3.27 miles]
Harrietsham [3.52 miles]
Sittingbourne [3.9 miles]
Newington [4.15 miles]

Brief history of the BWLR
This railway is NOT a preserved line. Starting in 1975 it was built from scratch by a group of friends and now blends well into the North Kent Downs. Initially a small industrial diesel locomotive was purchased. This was soon joined by others, but it was not until 1979 that ‘Bronhilde’, our first steam engine arrived. In the meantime sheds had been built, track laid and carriages constructed. As time went on and more locomotives moved to Bredgar, projects became more ambitious. The mainline was re-laid, a proper station built and boogie coaches were designed and constructed. By the late 1980s the railway had grown out of all recognition. A sizable new locomotive and stock shed with a turntable replaced the original structure. Warren Wood station had been completely rebuilt and a new station deep in the woods had been added.

Objectives
The main objective of the railway is the preservation of steam locomotives in a form which enables railway enthusiasts, the general public and children to appreciate how important this type of energy was to industry for over 100 years. For obvious reasons the locomotives cannot be shown undertaking the industrial duties for which they were built but all have been restored to their original specifications and are run as part of small goods or passenger trains. To this end the passenger coaches have a period look and the collection of goods vehicles is varied. Warren Woods Station is situated near the main Hollingbourne to Sittingbourne road, about a mile south of Bredgar village.

HERITAGE RAILWAYS 2021 PART THREE - GREAT LITTLE TRAINS OF WALES

As we continue with the latest lockdown during 2021 having another look ahead to better times when hopefully we can visit some more of our Heritage Railways. In part one we took a look at some of the relatively local GWR based heritage railways and then we moved a little further down the line for part two towards Bristol and the West where there are several lines which have survived into preservation. 

In part three we head over the border into Wales, some of my favourite childhood memories of the many steam trains here and visits with my father. Summer holidays to Llandudno and Aberystwyth were not complete with the obligatory day out on the 'Great little trains of Wales'. I sadly haven't been to visit these for some time, and hopefully will be able to start rectifying that sometime this year.

Vale of Rheidol Railway
https://www.rheidolrailway.co.uk/

Former Great Western Railway line and run under British Railways from 1948 until privatisation in 1989, it's now a heritage line owned as a charitable trust with the original GWR loco's restored to their Green and Gold livery. The 11.75 mile journey takes approximately one hour in each direction. Listen to the sound of a powerful narrow-gauge steam locomotive working to climb up 700ft (200m) from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge

The Vale of Rheidol Railway re-creates the Edwardian spirit of adventure. Since opening in 1902, millions have enjoyed the scenic trip through the ancient woodlands to Devil’s Bridge, home of the famous waterfalls, nestled in the magnificent Cambrian Mountains. The railway is charming, a masterpiece of engineering opened to carry lead ore, timber and passenger traffic. The narrow-track gauge allows the railway to follow the contours of the terrain with many sharp curves and steep gradients. Trains normally wait for one hour at Devil's Bridge station before returning to Aberystwyth. You can also alight at one of the recently restored intermediate stations and explore the many walks the valley has to offer. The vintage steam engines and carriages were built for the line by the Great Western Railway in the 1920s / 30s, now restored, they are still operating on the trains today.

Talyllyn Railway
2021 Celebrating their 70th Anniversary.
https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/

Enjoy the stunning scenery of Southern Snowdonia, stepping back in time to enjoy the 14.5-mile round trip, which has been running along the same route since 1865 it's also the world's first preserved steam railway and would be looking to celebrate their 70th Anniversary in 2021. 

In 1951 the railway was taken over by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, the first such in the world, and it is the volunteer members of the Society together with a small dedicated full-time workforce who run the Railway today. 

Two original Victorian steam locomotives and four passenger coaches are still in regular use, together with others which have been built or acquired over the years. The original Victorian train which opened the line runs on selected Thursdays, and this trip includes a personal tour guide. The stations are at Tywyn Wharf (connecting to the Cambrian Coast Line), Pendre, Rhydyronen, Brynglas, Dolgoch Falls, Abergynolwyn and Nant Gwernol.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Bid: Llechi Cymru Welsh Slate

The Talyllyn Railway, Bryneglwys quarry and Abergynolwyn village are an important part of this bid which has been through a lengthy submission process and is the UKs preferred application in 2019, the decision should be known sometime in 2021 from UNESCO. Good luck / Pob lwc. 

Ffestinogg Railway
https://www.festrail.co.uk/about/

The Ffestiniog Railway (above) is the oldest independent railway company in the World today, built to serve the slate industry of Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1832, now with the rebuilding of the pre-war Welsh Highland Railway complete, and a new £1.25 million two-platform layout at Harbour Station at Porthmadog (complete with a substantial semaphore signalling installation), it is now possible to connect with Caernarfon-bound trains and experience 40 unbroken miles of spectacular narrow-gauge steam. While the railway has a huge history with regards to the modern tourist railway we have now we have to bring us up to the 1990s, when the FR became involved with the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) again with a plan to start at Caernarfon, rebuilding back to Porthmadog and connecting with the Ffestiniog to create a 40 mile railway – a new “Great Railway Journey”. Following the closure of the Beyer-Peacock works, the FR saved the pioneer Garratt locomotive ‘K1’, which had spent its early life in Tasmania. The locomotive became an exhibit at the National Railway Museum after plans to convert it to fit the FR loading gauge were dropped, so as not to affect the heritage outline of this historically important locomotive.

In 2003 the line was reopened as far as Rhyd Ddu and tracklaying was completed through to Porthmadog in early 2008, with the volunteer track gangs building a new railway the same length as the Ffestiniog in just three years. During the space of just one week, the tracklayers built a mile of railway! Public services started to Beddgelert, then Hafod y Llyn in 2009 and Pont Croesor in 2010. The final link to the FR opened in April 2011, finally enabling through services to operate between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon. This is a MUST visit for me when it's possible to holiday again as it would required a week away to fully explore this location and the Snowdon mountains too.

Bala Lake Railway
https://bala-lake-railway.co.uk/

The Bala Lake Railway is a 4½-mile narrow gauge railway, established over 40 years ago on a former Great Western Railway track bed. The visitors are almost all entirely tourists and it is one of the thirteen narrow gauge railways of Wales. Deep in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park from its start point at Llanuwchllyn, the line runs parallel to Bala Lake and descends to almost lake level offering the visitor spectacular views of the lake itself and the lush surrounding pasture and woodlands that leads the eye to the stunning vista of mountains Arenig Fawr, Aran Benllyn and Aran Fawddwy. Picnic sites at Llangower provide the perfect spot for a break in the journey on a summer's day for a picnic on the foreshore.

The line currently terminates at Pen y Bont, a remote terminus some 1,200m from the town itself. With limited parking, a poor visible profile and no amenities, passengers rarely venture into Bala Town and visitors to Bala Town are largely unaware of the railway's existence. 

The Red Dragon Project, under the auspices of the Bala Lake Railway Trust, has been established to build a £3.5 million extension into the town of Bala and fulfil the potential of one of Wales' most scenically beautiful railways.

6th NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK NARROW GAUGE EXHIBITION - 7th MARCH 2020

Saturday 7th March 2020

LOCATION:
Blyburgate Hall (Former St John Hall), 
Blyburgate, Beccles, Suffolk  NR34 9TF

OPENING TIMES:    Saturday  10.00am - 4.00pm
ADMISSION:    Adults £3.00      Family £6.00  

This will be the groups 6th open day/exhibition with a selection of narrow gauge layouts. There will be guest layouts as well as some of the groups own member's layouts. The OO9 Society sales stand will be present again. Refreshments will also be available. Please note that there is only disabled parking at the hall, please use the car park along road next to 'Roys'. We are using four rooms, sadly for this venue we're afraid that the smaller two rooms are not wheelchair accessible as they are up a short flight of stairs. The venue is about a ten minute walk from Beccles Railway station.

List of Layouts Attending:
Southwold - Oon3
(pictured above and right)  A superbly detailed depiction of the terminus of the Southwold Railway. 
[Layout by Stuart Green].
Oh Guano - O.16.5
Orne - OO9
Llanfair Jamieinion - OO9
Ashurst Brickworks - OO9 (pictured below). 

Ashurst is an imaginary village nestled alongside a narrow estuary on the Sussex coast. The availability of good quality brick making clay in the local area stimulated the building of a narrow gauge light railway to transport the handmade bricks to the awaiting coastal ships. Shortly after its opening, the railway management decided to open the line to passengers to serve nearby isolated communities. Time has moved on and we now view the railway as it is in the 1950's. Trains continue to run in their time honoured way, but for how much longer before it succumbs to the lorry and a possible future in preservation?
4000 Yards Area 5 - Sm32
Vale of Maentwrog by Paul Bason, Echoes of the Ffestiniog Railway in 4mm/ft scale 9mm gauge (00-9)
The Brickworks - O.14
Mirkwood - OO9
Shortwaite Hill - OO9
Fishie Fishie - Sm32

Caroline Concrete Works O-16.5 - (Above) A new venture, after their previous work on Ben Moor Foot Peat works so another industrial 7 mm narrow gauge based on a concrete works. Standard gauge siding for deliveries and transporting products out. Narrow gauge within the works for moving materials and finished products within the works.

Nearest Railway Stations:
Beccles [0.19 miles] 
Brampton (Suffolk) [4.28 miles] 
Somerleyton [5.25 miles] 
Haddiscoe [5.59 miles] 

MAP: [Blyburgate Hall, post code - NR34 9TF]

BRESSINGHAM STEAM MUSEUM - Model Railway Show, Sunday 1st September 2019

Bressingham Steam Museum - Model Railway Show
Sunday 1st September 2019

LOCATION:
Bressingham Steam Museum, 
Low Road, Bressingham, Diss, Norfolk IP22 2AA

OPENING TIMES:  10:30 - 17:00
ADMISSION:  Adults £6.50    Concessions £6.50    Children £5.59 
(* Admission is for the Model Railway Show, additional fees might be required for the train rides within the Museum itself)

Details for Bressinghams 2019 Model Railway Show:
The annual Model Railway Show at Bressingham Steam Museum. Showcasing model railways of various scales from clubs, societies and individuals from the East Anglia Region. Show has good trade support. £6.50 entry fee includes access to the museum and gardens (Railway and Gallopers rides are an extra cost). A great day out at a fantastic price on the last day of the school holidays. The museum will be in Full Steam. Standard Gauge railway in operation too!

Confirmed Layouts:
War and Peace Rolvenden:

(left) "OO" 4mm/foot scale 16.5mm gauge (Chelmsford & District MRC layout).
This layout is a faithful representation of the Rolvenden 840ft. station yard on the Kent and East Sussex Railway, as it was in the 1940s, covering both wartime and peacetime rail traffic.The buildings with the exception of the oast house are scratch-built using photographs and plans from various reference books. The cottage is a replica of Colonel Stephen's Staff Cottage which was at Rolvenden and has been renovated and now at Northiam Station.
North Level Railway: 16.5mm narrow gauge. The North Level Railway is a fictitious narrow gauge railway located in the “North Level” of “The Fens” set in the 1930 era and built to a scale of 7mm to the foot running on O/16.5 track. All locomotives and rolling stock are built from kits or “kit bashed” (modified) on 4mm (OO) chassis. 
Marks Hall Shed:  OO Gauge.

Winkles Yard: OO Gauge. (Above) Goods Yard (shunting yard) Layout based in 1974-78 (BR) an exercise in background perspective and weathering.

Botterill Street: O Gauge. (right) Botterill Street Yard depicts a small urban yard area, which can be operated as either a wagon repair facility or a locomotive stabling point. The layout is normally operated with stock typical of the Eastern Region circa 1958-1962.
Copsey: OO gauge (32A Model railway club) A very modern station layout – using mainly DMU’s 2000-2005 also shows that you can run plenty of different options in a relatively small operating space.

Cromer High: OO gauge (32A Model railway club). This is the clubs exhibition layout having been completely dismantled, and work is well in hand on a major re-vamp & expansion to include the former goods yard and Cromer Junction. Goods Yard situated one side, Engine shed and turntable the other side of the station. 
Broadfield TMD: OO Gauge.
Lowbech: OO Gauge
1950s Maldon Market Hill: "EM" 18.2mm gauge (Member of Chelmsford & District MRC). Due to the prosperity after rationing was eased during the mid-1950's Market Hill station has been rebuilt with a new trackplan that has allowed longer trains and more trains to make use of the station and is now known as Market Hill, Maldon. The pilot loco now has its own siding and does not have to stay in the open air when its not working as it can shelter under the 'rebuilt' over-bridge. The original has been exhibited in its current form since 1998 (1996 not complete) and the new version has been exhibited since June 2016

Branksdowne Junction:
British N scale layout, depicting a fictitious location in North West England in the Modern Era. It is the point at which two separate tunnel bores under the rolling Pennines come together. (Right) View of the Station and yard before the wires went in. This junction is now fully wired with EZ Line centenary.
Blackwells Brewery Co: EM gauge (Mid Essex Model Railway Club).
East Sternham: OO Gauge (The 31A (Cambridge) Model Railway Club). A terminus station on a branch line from the Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich main line in East Anglia set in the modern image era.

Hadderton: N Gauge (Felixstowe N Gauge Club). (above) The layout is a fictitious location on the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway, depicted circa 1960. The station is typical of those on the line, with GWR style buildings, two perfectly straight platforms and two through tracks. The station includes a bay platform for a branch line. There is also a small goods yard, a brewery and a sewage works. Locomotives and rolling stock from the former LNER, GWR and LMS can be seen together with items of BR origin.
Felixstowe Group N Gauge modular layout.

Nearest Railway Stations:
Diss [2.92 miles]
Harling Road [7.86 miles]
Eccles Road [7.89 miles]
Attleborough [9.11 miles]

MAP

5th NORFOLK and SUFFOLK NARROW GAUGE EXHIBITION - 2nd MARCH 2019

Saturday 2nd March 2019

LOCATION:
Blyburgate Hall (Former St John Hall), 
Blyburgate, Beccles, Suffolk  NR34 9TF

OPENING TIMES:    Saturday  10.00am - 4.00pm
ADMISSION:    Adults £3.00      Family £6.00  

This will be the groups 5th open day/exhibition with a selection of narrow gauge layouts. There will be guest layouts as well as some of the groups own member's layouts. The OO9 Society sales stand will be present again. Refreshments will be available. Please note that there is only disabled parking at the hall, please use the car park along road next to 'Roys'. We are using four rooms, I'm afraid the smaller two are not wheelchair accessible

COLEFORD 009 SHUNTING LAYOUT

List of Layouts Attending:
Coleford - OO9 [Above] a narrow gauge shunting layout, is based on a real railway in the Forest of Dean, with history having been warped a little to suit a “narrow” (gauge) mind.
Woolthorpe Light Railway - OO9 
Chwarel Tegid - OO9 
Nibley Knoll - OO9 
Bottle Kiln Lane - OO9 - [Left]. 
A layout based on a fictitious location somewhere in England, by John Thorne
Set in the 1930s this small narrow gauge line runs through the English countryside and serves a small canal and pottery. The pottery is based on the buildings of the Coalport factory in Ironbridge. The layout is of no particular prototype but provides the opportunity to showcase a wide variety of 2ft gauge narrow gauge stock.

Grange West Tramway [Right] - O.16.5 by John Dean.
A middle England tramway station (GWR) in 7mm/ft scale 16.5mm gauge (0-16.5) and this layout featured in the June 2018 edition of the Railway Modeller appears to be a regular on the exhibition circuit. 

Llanfair Jamieinion - OO9
Little Ease - 1.16
Ruritania Eisenbahn - O.16.5
Wendsleydale - O.16.5 

Thurtey - OO9 [Below] -- A dock side narrow gauge layout, appears to be in the shape of the number 30 hence the name, but still nice little run around and plenty of different looking stock on show. 

Nearest Railway Stations:
Beccles [0.19 miles] 
Brampton (Suffolk) [4.28 miles] 
Somerleyton [5.25 miles] 
Haddiscoe [5.59 miles] 

MAP: [Blyburgate Hall, post code - NR34 9TF]