HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ... OMG I'M FIFTY !! 30th APRIL 1969 - 2019

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
OMG I'm 50 !
Happy birthday to me

Yes, remarkably I've made it to the half century. 

30th April 1969 - 2019

Am having a week off to enjoy this milestone, while a day out to Ascot races is planned I also aim to look at whatever exhibitions or events taking place. Would have been off to the Mid Hants Railway but they currently have a limited service due to improvements around Alton so that will have to be one for later in the year. Going to Ascot Horseracing which has been an annual event for us on my birthday week, joining my older brother and nephews we might even have a few old friends along for the day too. Be nice to find a few winners, and then drinks and a meal in the evening probably back in Twickenham. 

I have been used to planning a nice "present" to myself on my birthday given the lack of anything coming from anyone else. Alas that seems unlikely this time around as things stand, though as long as I find a way to go out to Ascot on Wednesday that will do for me, anything else will be a nice bonus. Have been picking up a few items of N Gauge and OO Gauge yet only have a small test track to run them on. It would be welcome surprise to pick up something either on eBay or maybe at home of the many exhibitions that are on so perhaps I can see what's available and if a good result at Ascot and make that happen. Yes Managed to pick up a "Western" Class in N Gauge and also some OO Track so I can make a test track at home. Not the same as having a proper layout in the garage as I did at Dads but at least these were a bargain so that's cool. Bring on the racing !! 

A trip to Didcot Railway Centre might also be on the list of activities as we head towards another Bank Holiday weekend. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME. GO AND HAVE SOME FUN.😘😘

ROTARY CLUB OF FAREHAM EXHIBITION 2019 (ROTARAIL)

ROTARAIL 2019
Will be held on Saturday 27 April from 10:30 to 17:00.

Fareham College, 
Bishopsfield Road, Fareham, 
Hampshire   PO14 1NH

OPENING TIMES:    10.30am - 5pm
ADMISSION:    Adults £6.00    Children £2.00 

This will be the Seventh Rotarail exhibition held in Fareham College and our aim is to provide some fine layouts in most gauges. Organised by The Rotary Club of Fareham in conjunction with Fareham College. Parking is all on-site and plentiful, everywhere is wheelchair friendly and you can refresh yourself in their superb restaurant. This charity event raised £2,300 for 'Flat Spaces' in 2018 and has raised over £10,500 since it started. For 2019, we will be supporting the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Fareham College (Postcode PO14 1NH) can be found on the A27 (The Avenue) about 1/2 mile west  of Fareham Railway Station at its junction with Bishopfield Road. Entrance for vehicles is in Bishopfield Road and the Sports Hall is at the rear of the site. There is pedestrian access to the Sports Hall from The Avenue as well as through the main gate and walking through the William Price Building. There will be Rotary Club stewards in yellow jackets to guide and help you.

List of Layouts Attending:

Pwllheli (P4) left - Jonathan Buckie 

(South Hants MRC) 
This is a model of Pwllheli which is the northern terminus of the Cambrian coast railway in north west Wales. This model is how the station would have appeared between 2000-2012.

Whitmoor (N) - Astolat MRC.
The layout depicts a fictitious station which serves a small village and industrial park. It is notionally at the limit of commuter services up to the big city and thus has two terminus platforms to serve the local commuter trains and two through platforms for ongoing full-formation trains. It also has a modest goods yard and boasts a large MPD to supply loco changes for through services down to the country. 

Loddon Road (OO) - Loddon Vale MRC.
An OO layout 26′ x 2′, fiddle yard to terminus layout. This layout is based on a small branch line with a connecting mineral line. The track has been hand built and it is the proud boast of this group that there is not a straight bit of track on this layout.

Hilldale (N) John Weller.
A British countryside themed layout in N Gauge.
Danbee (O) Richard Burkert (Southampton MRS) 
A beautiful Great Western Railway branch line layout. 

Stoke by Nayland (P4) David Hawkins (South Hants MRC)
A fictitious layout (left) based on the Great Eastern line between Colchester and Stowmarket in Suffolk. The cross country route towards Sudbury was never as successful as anticipated and lived a quiet existence for 100 years until closure in 1967. It did however prove to be a useful avoiding line, taking pressure of the Colchester to Norwich mainline at busy times.  

Dovington Camp (OO) Clevedon & Portishead (right and below). Dovington Camp was developed during WWII as an Army stores & training depot, with quite an extensive rail network. This has been ‘rationalised’ over time but it still maintains a rail link for the movement of fuel, stores, munitions and, of course, a wide variety of military vehicles.
It retains an old MoD loco, or two, for shunting within the depot. 

Friedrichstrasse (HO) Liphook & District MRC - Debut Show 

Lulworth Castle (OO) Paul Steedman -- Based on an idea that Lord Weld of Lulworth set up a light railway to serve Lulworth Cove and replace the narrow gauge tramways west of Norden, (on the Swanage Branch), and it was absorbed into the Southern at the grouping.  Post WWII Military traffic was mainly restricted to supplies and small armoured vehicles as the new tanks were too big to be carried by train. Closure came with the end of the Swanage Branch.

Newport Road (OO) Liam Rasbid 

Addison Park (3mm) Phillip Hutchings 
The unique character of London Transport proved a fitting challenge for 3mm stalwart Phill Hutchings. Going 3mm is challenging enough, but Phill Hutchings decided to make life even harder for himself – he wanted to capture the intricacies and unique character of London Transport. This is not Phill’s first layout to carry the name ‘Addison Park’. His first was set in the 1930s and featured North London Railway steam services and Southern electrics running into a small terminus. 

A new layout moved the setting into the early 1950s London Transport scene, with the first post-war trains running alongside vintage pre-war stock.

Wickhambreux Road (OO9) David Marshall (Salisbury & S Wilts RS) 

Shillingsford (OO) Ron Randall 

Milford on Sea (OO) Mark Clayson 
Steam outline branch line layout based on Southern Region practice in the 50s (left). It's good to have a New Forest area layout that depicts a local railway, even if it is imaginary. It is true that Milford on Sea has never had a Station, but there were schemes put forward in the late 19th and early 20th century to link Milford with the LSWR main line.

Hillbrow (OO9) Steve Fackrell 
Abbeyfield (N) Howard Staniforth 
Kydmore Light Railway (OO9) David Mitchell 
Fordingham (3mm) Hugh Martin - Debut Show 

Ryedown Lane (OO9) Patrick Collins (above and below) 
A small layout depicting part of a rural narrow gauge light railway in the 1930s. Inspiration comes from the narrow gauge and light railways associated with Lieutenant Colonel Holman F. Stephens. The combination of 4mm scale and 9mm gauge track to represent railways of around 2ft gauge is known as 009.

Fawcett Street (OO) Steve Rogers (Southwark & District MRC) 
San Maria Gandia (HO) Ian Milroy & Robin Marie 
Frogpool (O) Andover MRS 

In addition the Hampshire Area Group of the 16mm Society will have a large (40ft x 12ft) layout running steam and battery powered locos on 32mm / 45mm track in the main College Mall.

Nearest Railway Stations:
Fareham [0.3 miles] 
Portchester [3.22 miles] 
Swanwick [3.39 miles] 
Botley [5.12 miles] 

MAP:

DIDCOT RAILWAY CENTRE EASTER WEEKEND 19th - 22nd APRIL

DIDCOT RAILWAY CENTRE EASTER WEEKEND
Lady of Legend, King Edward II & the Steam Railmotor
 - In Steam Together - Easter April 19th-22nd

Your first opportunity to see three of steam's 'impossible projects'  in action together.

Saint Class No. 2999 'Lady of Legend'
The Great Western Railway 'Saint' class locomotives, introduced by G J Churchward in 1902, represented one of the most important steps forward in railway traction of the 20th century. The class incorporated many revolutionary advances in design and the 'Saints' are now acknowledged to have had a profound influence on almost every aspect of subsequent steam locomotive development.

Unfortunately no example was saved for preservation, the final engine, No. 2920 Saint David, being withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1953, ending a distinguished half century of work by the class.

Since 2004 the Great Western Society has been working to re-create an example of this iconic class using the opportunities provided by GWR standardisation and 'Hall' class 4-6-0 No. 4942 Maindy Hall purchased from Barry Scrapyard by the GWS in 1974 with the specific intention of using it as the basis for a new 'Saint'. All being well 'The Saint' will return to steam sometime this year.

King Class No. 6023 'King Edward II'

King George V at Swindon

The King class was the final and most powerful development of the GWR’s 4 cylinder designs.
Apart from the first of the Class, 6000 King George V, now on static display at STEAM (Swindon, left), the rest of the class were quickly scrapped with the exception of Nos. 6023 & 6024 which, having been used as dead weights for a bridge test, ended up at Woodham's scrap yard in Barry. 6024 was saved for preservation in 1973 for eventual return to steam in 1989.

Meanwhile 6023, (above) which had suffered a shunting accident, leading to the rear driving wheel set being sliced through with a cutter's torch, was left in the open to rot at Barry for nearly 20 years. The marine air slowly ate through the boiler cladding and much of the steel plating and the locomotive was raided for parts - many taken for use on other locomotives.

The King finally left Barry in 1984 and, following purchase by the GWS, was returned to steam in 2011.

Steam Railmotor No. 93

The Great Western Railway built a fleet of 99 steam-powered rail-motors, between 1904 and 1908. These were gradually withdrawn between 1914 and 1935, with many of the earlier withdrawals being converted into auto-trailers for push-pull working with suitably fitted locomotives. Our own No.93, built in 1908, was converted into an auto-trailer in 1935. The auto-trailer itself was condemned in 1956, but the vehicle was not scrapped but converted into a 'Work Study Coach' ending up in use as an office in Birmingham. When British Railways disposed of the vehicle, it was acquired by the Great Western Society and brought to Didcot Railway Centre in 1970, becoming the sole example of the Great Western Railway's original fleet to enter preservation.

After a great deal of research a replacement power bogie was designed and built, and the coach body completely overhauled, with the Steam Railmotor returning to traffic in 2011.

Steam Rail-Motor No 93 plus Trailer Coach No 92 at Didcot Railway Centre

These are Steam Days, so you will be able to view our collections of locomotives, coaches, wagons and buildings as described in the Centre Guide and in our Guidebook (available for purchase from our shop or at the entrance) and enjoy the various facilities and exhibits.

Discover Brunel's Broad Gauge and the 1930s Engine Shed (right). Visit the GWT Museum and our restoration workshops. Watch the modern passenger and freight trains from our Picnic Area. You can walk around the only surviving steam age loco depot in its original condition, and get up close to our large collection of locomotives which are so much more impressive when seen from ground level. Why not explore the rest of the centre including the Archie Trail, the Science Learning & Railways interactive exhibition and visit our shop and refreshment room?

In addition, you will be able to ride in coaches from the 1930s behind some of our Great Western steam locomotives, or in our Steam Railmotor or Diesel Railcar. We have two running lines, 'The Main Line' and 'The Branch Line' with trains normally running on either or both of them. You may ride as many times as you like as there is no extra charge. There are frequent journeys on our running lines so you will have plenty of opportunity to take photos from vantage points alongside the tracks as well as ride on the trains.