Our world in miniature, hobbies

A panoramic view of our railway.

I've moved in here. No forwarding address. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

The name on this wagon rings a bell!

Hi all, There is much yatter in the media regards the difficulties in the model railway trade, which like most retail businesses is going through hard times. The year that I got married, 1968, it was virtually defunct then. Trains are still running here in Hall Brooks.

Just watched "Little Trains & Big Names" on more 4 Pete Waterman showing Jools Hollands layout.

All is at peace.

Good evening ladies. Women in the model railway hobby - with Dawn Quest Ladies Only, viewing.

Hello, Our Fairburn tank loco coasting through Bramble Lane. It joined our fleet on the 1st April. I wonder why it arrived then!?!

Nice cameo My Mum would imitate a steam train by pumping her fists in a circular motion as pistons "chuff, chuff, chuff, wooo woooo!" I'd tell her off because her fists were in sync. She'd wink and say "don't be silly, if they were out of sync the train would waddle".

Isn't this fun! Actually, synchronizing arm movements is far more difficult. Most (not all), steam locos had their cranks set at, using a clock face analogy. If one side is at 9, the opposite is at 12. What was avoided with a two cylinder loco, was top dead centering on both sides simultaneously.

A bit of sunshine changes everything. I had a very enjoyable session playing trains last evening. Yes, I was chugging & chuffing something silly. Rumbling too when the diesels rolled by. Almost in pretence that Pam was there, along with my best ever model railway friend, Mick, who more than ten years ago was taken by cancer. I do have background sounds to help with the atmosphere, but most is inside my little mind. We do use air fresheners too. You will be pleased.

Hello, It's a no school or werk day hopefully for most of us. Pensioner I might be, but like so many on our forum who have commitments to family & so on, we don't just drop off the flat earth at pension age. I was worn out after yesterdays activity, not just my chapel either. Model railways I don't think can be classified as pocket money toys. Toys they are, but the only pocket money aspect is buying basic card. Anything else including glues is quite expensive. On our railway, I try to run trains in a prototypical fashion. Odd things, I hold back on until I see a prototypical example. Otherwise I have visitors saying "You can't have one of them there". I saw this picture on F/B recently. It's the array & position of signals on the station platforms. So now I have a bracket signal, halfway along the bay platform, that permits a train to move onto the through line. A DMU is disappearing in the distance on its way to Netherfield, So, now a shunting loco, having taken wagons off a recently arrived goods train in Hounds Hill yard, can legitimately shunt them access the main line & on into Five Field goods yard. Sometimes, ground signals can be used, but I wanted a mainline signal, because we sometimes have a DMU at the B end of platform 1, which continues it's journey by joining the mainline. We've got it all here, Hey

Philip, as my father in law would have said "That's champion". My husband did have a 'train set' and had a beautiful electric engine - The Dutchess of Argyle. Alas it was passed on to another member of the family before we came to Australia. I am sure they would have enjoyed seeing yours as we all do on the forum.

Hello, No amount of artificial lighting can make up for natural sunlight. One of the reasons that I do my colouring in natural daylight. Hope you like this picture with the setting sun streaming through the model room west window.

Oh Wow, I bet I know who has sent that down through the window for you.