Our world in miniature, hobbies

Loved it Philip,great to be part of your village. I agree with Dreamtime,the music was brill and so appropriate.

Hi all Courtaulds built a chimney, it wasn't built for smoke, It took the stink from Foleshill & dropped it over Stoke. I bought this truck thirty years ago & have just decided to give it an airing in Hall Brooks. I just hope that it is not being used to dump waste in Longford.

There were a few limited edition private owner wagons with the names of Coventry collieries on them, don't know if you managed to grab any Philip?

Hi Dutchman I have some very heavily weathered private owner coal wagons, but a pristine truck from Arley colliery.

It all look s great Philip especially love your Arley one , brings back memories where I spent a lot of my couting days and when I was married as family live there.

Hi & thank you Morgana In our fiction story of Hall Brooks, the shed master orders best quality coal from Arley, which is used as priming coal only. This is used for starting the fires in firebox after the loco has been serviced cold. In the picture loaded here, the Arley coal truck is hiding behind the van to the left of the shed. In front of the shed is the bunker, which is full of best quality priming coal.

Now if I ever need good quality coal I ll know where to go when I lived in Lowe Road Keresley , I could of done with some then, but obtained mine through Brian Oddy on Halford Lane who use to deliver my dog food too local coal merchant, lovely man. Love your steam engine brill

Hi all PLAYING TRAINS Pam & I enjoyed company on Friday evening. As you would expect, a short time was spent in the railway room where we watched a couple of trains travel through Hall Brooks & that was about it. Being a shunting, end to end system, there is no continuous running, often more typical of model railways. The Longford goods train which had arrived in Hounds Hill on Friday evening, needed shunting into Longford wharf, which I completed on Saturday evening. I have just enjoyed another hour this evening, marshalling the down Longford to Banbury goods into the despatch siding at Hounds Hill in readiness for the next session whenever that will be. The operation of our railway, resembles a game of postal chess, where we are always waiting for the next move. That is why our railway is not much of a spectacle for a casual observer. That is in contrast to some of my You-tube friends railways where, several trains are in motion at any one time My Friend Dave's Model who lives in Yorkshire. That is the nice thing about this hobby, where we are able to tailor make it for our own enjoyment. ps Meeting Dave, then brought me in to contact with his friends, so we have a You-Tube club almost, where we share ideas & review products & so on. If you enjoy Dave's railway, you will see who his friends are who have commented on his latest post & you may enjoy watching their models too.

Thank you for sharing Philip - like the old cars like you fit all to era of your projects. I noticed the Palethorpes sign too, that used to be a butchers in Jubilee Crescent years ago. He does have a lot more space than you, I was trying to figure where in Yorkshire he has based his lines on, the one with the row of houses looked similar to Leeds Road where my daughter use to live, but I can't recall a railway opposite that row of houses.

Hi all The main-frame construction of Hall Brooks is now complete, but the community area still needs a lot of work. We have three pubs at present, but a very serious omission for which I am truly guilty, is that we do not have a fish & chippy. This small pub cannot compete with either the Swann or the Wheat-sheaf, so planning applications have been submitted to convert the Masons Arms into the fish & chippy. Ideally situated, close to the Swann, which should generate good trade.

Your layout must be great,I had a thomas the tank engine layout when my lads were young,took it to a few places.Scout hut on Parkville highway in the 90's organised by my late friend Garath Lancaster

Nice to know it will be converted Philip and not be demolished.

I trust the new chippy will have a coal-fired range and fry in traditional beef dripping.

Great work you have done there Philip looks great, mine will be a mini fish & Chips please

Fish chips and mushy peas please Philip. Don't scrimp on the salt and vinegar.