HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS OPEN DAYS 2021 - 11th DECEMBER 2021

Welcome back, time for another Open Day run by the Hillingdon Railway Modellers. A regular feature that's returned to our calendar and are sure as they return will once again prove to be extremely popular. The final one for 2021 (only the second one to be fair) will take place on Saturday 11th December 2021. It might be cold now but you will be certain to receive a warm welcome, plenty of expertise on hand too, and run some trains if you wish. I certainly hope to get there and do just that.

Expect these to continue through 2022 as well and naturally everything is dependant on any changes to government rules and guidance, but we keep our fingers crossed. 

While I have not been able to attend here for a little while 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, it's been a long time and I look forward to getting along and having a little run with a few of my old items they could sure do with a decent run as I haven't a huge amount of space available at home.

Address: 

Yiewsley Baptist Church, 74 Colham Avenue

West Drayton  UB7 8HF

* Please note that the entrance is at the side of the church down a path and the doors at the end should be open, please do not try and enter the main doors of the church itself. 

                       

Due to the rental costs of the hall there is a cover charge of £5 for these Open Days, 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 

OO Gauge Test Track pictured left, has five available loups to test your models with. DC and DCC accommodated, I believed that the club members have been working on their own layout too, so whatever your theme, they should be able to accommodate you, and rule one always applies, run what you want, modern image, steam, continental, I've even seen some London Underground run there in the past.

HOW TO GET THERE:

If you are Travelling by Car

Check here for Parking Options.

Nearest Railway Stations :

West Drayton [0.34 miles]

SOUTHEND TO OXFORD CHRISTMAS MARKET - THURSDAY 9th DECEMBER 2021

SOUTHEND TO OXFORD CHRISTMAS MARKET
Thursday 9th December 2021

SOUTHEND EAST - UPMINSTER - OXFORD

The City of Dreaming Spires is a must-see destination with its world-famous universities and museums. Add to this the beautiful River Thames winding through the city and lovely parks & gardens and the main problem will be deciding how to spend your time. Add to that a Steam hauled special service and what a lovely way to cross the South of England from Essex to Oxfordshire. 

The service should depart from Southend East at 9:05, additional stop at Upminster at 9:40 then due to arrive into Oxford around 14:20. 

The trip is steam hauled by Black Five locomotive 44871 (pictured left) which should prove to be a rare sight on the opening leg of the journey from Southend and Upminster.

OXFORD CHRISTMAS MARKET

We will be travelling to Oxford on the first day of the Christmas Market. Held in the heart of the city on beautiful and historic Broad Street, the market will feature many local artists, designer-makers and selected guests. With the sound of choirs singing Christmas carols, market traders offering unusual and handmade gifts, colourful decorations brightening wooden stalls and the aroma of mulled wine and cinnamon drifting in the air - a visit to the Oxford Christmas Market is a truly magical Christmas experience.

CAROL SERVICE
We are pleased to say that we are also organising a Carol Service in one of the oldest churches in Oxford, located in the city centre, around the corner from the Christmas Market.

LMS 'Black Five' LOCOMOTIVE
Black Fives were known as 'do-anything and go-anywhere' locomotives. The London Midland and Scottish Railway Stanier Class 5 4-6-0, commonly known as the Black Five, is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives. Several members of the class survived to the last day of steam on British Railways in 1968, and eighteen are preserved, with several examples still working on the mainline railway.

The first Class 5 locomotive was built for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1934 to the design of Sir William Stanier. The new locomotives when built left the railway works in the standard mixed traffic black livery which soon earned them the nickname "Black Fives" for which they are still affectionately referred to today. The locomotives were capable of handling both express passenger and freight trains and were spread far and wide across the UK railway system. By the time the last Black Five was built in 1951, the class numbered 842 locomotives; one of the most numerous classes of British steam locomotives ever built.

MELTON MOWBRAY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FAYRE - SUNDAY 5th DECEMBER 2021

Melton Mowbray Victorian Christmas Fayre

Sunday 5th December 2021

Vintage Trains returns to Melton Mowbray for the annual Victorian Christmas Fayre, a slice of Dickensian Britain with Victorian stalls, street urchins, Santa’s Grotto, street theatre, brass bands and much more – in fact something for everyone. Passengers will have approximately five hours to explore the town before we return to Tyseley.

This tour boards at Tyseley, Coleshill Parkway and Nuneaton on its way to Melton Mowbray. Two steam locomotives will be used here with 7029 Clun Castle (page top) and 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe (pictured below) booked to provide the motive power.

In another Vintage Train’s tradition, while passengers visit the Melton Mowbray Victorian Christmas Fayre, others can take the lunchtime journey out to Corby and back which takes us twice across the famous Harringworth Viaduct with its spectacular views across the valley. Also known as the Welland Viaduct as it crosses the river of the same name, this is the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in the UK. 30 million bricks were used in its construction, the now Grade II listed structure opening in 1878. At its peak, 3500 people and 1200 horses were working on the site.

Clun Castle - 7029

The locomotive which started it all. Clun Castle is a relative newcomer having been built in 1950 by British Railways to the famous Great Western Railway Castle class design. She was modified towards the end of her career and fitted with a four row superheater and double chimney, enabling her to compete with new diesels being introduced on fast trains. And compete she did, taking the record for the shortest timed point to point journey from Plymouth to Bristol in 1964 from the previous record holder, City of Truro. This epic run by the last of her class in every day service ensured 7029’s preservation and she came to Tyseley to begin a distinguished second career in preservation. She powered the last express steam train on the GWR’s northern route to Birkenhead, the last steam train out of both Birmingham Snow Hill and Moor Street stations, so making a trilogy of lasts as she was also the last steam locomotive to run out of Paddington, hauling the last steam train on the Western Region. Not content with that, 7029 hauled the first ‘Return to Steam’ celebration run ending the infamous BR steam ban and was the first steam locomotive to return to Cornwall, a highlight of the 150th anniversary of the GWR. In 1988 she was driven part way to Tyseley by HRH The Prince of Wales in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the London & Birmingham Railway.

Earl of Mount Edgcumbe - 5043

The second member of the Castle class on the roster built in 1936 and so an authentic GWR locomotive, named after one of the Directors of the GWR. She was also fitted with the same modifications as 7029 and ran some of the Western Region’s top expresses including The Bristolian, being shedded at London’s Old Oak Common depot. When withdrawn, she was consigned to Barry scrapyard but found too good to destroy. Tyseley Locomotive Works rebuilt 5043 to exacting standards and she has run far and wide for Vintage Trains, including unfamiliar territory such as Stirling and Edinburgh in Scotland. 5043 has recorded some remarkable performances in preservation, including several non-stop runs, recreating The Bristolian, The Cheltenham Spa Express and The Inter City.  More recently, she ran on the Plymouth to Bristol route and shaved a few minutes off 7029’s own record. So now we have two record breakers in the collection. Returns to action in the second half of 2021 after a 10 year boiler overhaul.