Silver Sidelines

For years my wife has been pointing out that my layout lacks people. Enter my son-in-law Martin. He likes his technology and he has invested in a 3D printer. After making some War Game figures for his son he would turn his attention to some little figures for the railway. Not only did he print the figures but he also painted them – that is skilful. Some of Martin’s 3D Printed and Painted Figures  Problem is that printer files for suitable little people are in short supply, or are expensive. Given that finishing and painting the newly printed figures also takes a lot of time and patience I would instead explore the range of readily available finished little people. Suitable UK figures are available from Bachmann, Hornby and Modelu. Bachmann USA, Preiser and NOCH also market figures but these are generally to HO scale which at 3.5mm to the foot is rather small for OO gauge at 4mm to the foot. For layout use where the viewing distances are greater I chose some ready painted li...

Recapping from my last Post, some fifteen years ago when the layout was conceived there was a Mainline Terminus and a high level Branch Terminus, both constructed up against the plasterboard enclosure housing the Aga flue.  It was not long before the Mainline Terminus was converted to a through station with the running lines skirting the outside of the plasterboard enclosure.  This provided for a dumbbell shaped layout with reversing loops and storage sidings at both ends.  Most importantly it allowed continuous running.  I do like to watch trains running.  How could the single track branch line be made into a continuous run?   Life moves on, the Aga is now electric and the flu no longer carries hot gases.  I mused about a tunnel through the plaster board enclosure with a new connection back down to the through station (the Mainline Terminus that was).   The Plaster Board Box   The catalyst for this work was the appearance of some off cuts of...

The past couple of years have seen a number of exciting modifications to the railway that have so far passed unrecorded.    I was first alerted to the misuse of the initials GWR by George Behrend (Ref 1)1 in his 1966 book G one W ith R egret.  In his recollections of the G reat W estern R ailway he extols the virtues of G od’s W onderful R ailway and notes that opponents of GW methods would dismiss the company as the G reat W ay R ound.  (Something about Brunel’s original route to Bath and Bristol via Didcot and Swindon not being convenient for reaching Plymouth or Penzance.)   In the 1950s the Reverend Awdry’s railway books were almost compulsory reading for children, well probably just boys.  However there was another model railway cleric, the Scottish Presbyterian Minister the Reverend Edward Beal (Ref 2).  He wrote and published a series of modelling guides later to be bound as a compendium and published as ‘West Midland, a Railway in Miniature / ...

The summer weather has disappeared so an incentive to spend time on railway matters. This Post was initiated by the purchase of a Dapol Fruit D van.  One of Mr Dapol’s Fruit D vans   Over the last twelve months I have been imagining a Welsh themed layout. What better for inspiration but to follow Katerfelto’s pictures on Flickr https://flic.kr/ps/SokUv .  I was fascinated by one particular picture which featured an ex GWR Fruit D in the process of being shunted between passenger trains. Machynlleth by Katerfelto  https://flic.kr/p/2oAZyMc   Apparently a major source of the old GWR's parcels traffic was market garden produce. Small growers would take their fresh produce and load it into a van at the local station. The vans would then be moved speedily to market at the larger towns and cities. To cater for the fresh produce the GWR provided vans with additional ventilation slats in their sides to allow cool air to circulate. The vans could be attached to pas...