MISSING YOU ALWAYS DAD - 7th FEB [1934 - 2012] LOVE YOU FOREVER 💔Xxx

Always thinking of you Dad, Happy Birthday, missing you always, you were and always will be my biggest hero and inspiration

    Love and miss you Dad Xx




My wonderful Dad should have been celebrating his 88th birthday today, I miss him so much every day. Our families lives were changed forever in a way I couldn't imagine when you were taken from us, I so wish you were here now to advise me, admonish me, and keep us safe.

I'll never forget what you did for me, Dad you should be happy and so proud knowing that Graham and Susan turned out so well and have each brought up an amazing family, Sue especially as she enjoys her life in Australia with James and Hannah, who herself is now a mum to Addison and has a son on the way too you would have been a wonderful Great Grandad. I still have some regret not having the mental strength to follow their example and to also have made you proud. I will raise a glass to your memory, and have never stopped missing you, loving you and wishing you were here now.  

Also wish I had more pictures of you but what I have I make do with including lovely ones of you and Mum on your wedding day. X 

Love you loads, missing you, though I will always continue to wish you were both here to celebrate your birthday with us all xXx

HILLINGDON RAILWAY MODELLERS OPEN DAYS 2022 - 5th FEBRUARY 2022

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 first open day for 2022 will take place on Saturday 5th February 2022. 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, have a chat with the friendly bunch of members, a nice cuppa and give your models a chance to shine.

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]

SETTLE & CARLISLE PULLMAN - SATURDAY 22nd JANUARY 2022

Departure from;

Eastleigh (pu) - Winchester (pu) - Micheldever (pu) - Basingstoke (pu) - Reading (pu) - Maidenhead (pu) - Slough (pu) - Watford Junction (pu) then fast to the Settle and Carlisle reaching Carlisle around lunchtime.

This specially preserved HST set run by Midland Pullman are pleased to offer this very special New Year rail tour  special circular tour including a journey over the entire majestic route of the famous Settle to Carlisle railway and Cumbrian Fells. The Midland Pullman, was Britain’s first luxury high speed diesel-electric train, running in the early 1960’s between Manchester Central and London St Pancras. Beautifully refurbished carriages hark back to the days when you could truly unwind and enjoy the journey. The comfortable Pullman and first class carriages have leather cushioned seating, generously sized tables, and plenty of room to stretch your legs.

With great limestone peaks and deep valleys, we travel over no fewer than 19 viaducts and through 12 tunnels on this masterpiece of Victorian engineering – including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct Our train heads into the Yorkshire Dales for a spectacular journey over the magnificent high Pennines with the prospect of snow-covered mountains as they glisten in winter sunshine. The sheer scale of the scenery is apparent as we pass such famous landmarks as Batty Moss, Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang Edge, with views of the three peaks towering over the line.

One magnificent sight follows another before we gradually descend into the tranquil Eden Valley to the border city of Carlisle for a lunchtime break of around 2 hours. We return over the west coast route passing Penrith, climbing over Shap summit and through the pretty Lune Gorge affording stunning views of the Cumbrian mountains, thence through historic Lancaster and Preston.

Blue Pullman, A brief history.

In July 1960 the Midland Pullman was relaunched as a luxury all-first-class service using two new Blue Pullman six-car diesel-electric units. The Blue Pullmans were luxury trains used from 1960 to 1973 by British Rail. They were the first Pullman diesel-electric multiple units, incorporating several novel features.

Named after their original Nanking blue livery, the trains were conceived under the 1955 modernisation plan to create luxury diesel express trains aimed at competing with the motor car and the emerging domestic air travel market. Although not entirely successful – they were seen as underpowered, and ultimately not economically viable – they demonstrated the possibility of fixed-formation multiple-unit inter-city train services, that a decade later was developed as the InterCity 125, which resembled them in having an integral power car at each end of the train. The sets were an advanced and luxurious design, befitting a Pullman train, although they did suffer some criticism particularly over a persistent ride quality problem. Over time it became costly to maintain such a small fleet of trains. By 1972, with the development of first-class accommodation in Mark 2 coaching stock, the surcharge for Blue Pullmans seemed uneconomical and unreliable to passengers and BR managers, and in 1973 the trains were withdrawn. Sadly none of the class were preserved.