Our world in miniature, hobbies

Hi all, I have very happy memories of the Sibree Hall too, for many reasons. School half term is here this coming week & my granddaughter Kirsty loves art. She has made a start by adding garden & street furniture to Longford Park terraces in Hall Brooks. Hope you like. The trees will be given a major makeover this coming week, by her.

Hi Trees in progress. A busy time refreshing trees needs a busy time "Playing Trains". I cannot find any record of an "unrebuilt West Country" loco ever coming to our area here in Coventry. A rebuilt "Battle of Britain" class arrived in Coventry on a football special in the early nineteen sixties, but that is all that I can remember.

Lovely Philip, great to see Hall Brooks moving with the times and the trees maturing with it. You wouldn't have a vet somewhere there in the village would you?

It would be nice wouldn't it Dreamtime if we could just jump into that village and have a walk about then sit and watch the trains go by. It's lovely Philip perhaps you should design the rest of our town.

Hi Morgana & Dreamtime Please be very careful about what you wish to happen as you will see from Mayjan & Tricia, who made a similar comment a while ago. They are now both waiting on the platform so as to travel to B'ham. Thank you very much for your lovely comments. So, please be warned!

Hi Philip, love the War Memorial and the poppies. Tricia

I love the rusty rails, that's so typical of the period.

Philip, I have to ask, does anyone own a TV in Hall-Brooks? Now there's a thought for thee!!!! How on earth can I watch Downton?

Hi again & thank you all, Part of this winter's modelling program is, as well as re-sprucing the scenery, to also to complete the ballasting, so that the round-headed keeper screws can be removed. Once the track is in its permanent "micro" position, we can then add the point & signal wires. I say wires, but some will be controlled with fishing line with return springs. H & X television aerials are also a requirement so that you can watch "What's my Line" & "Gardening Club". It is Pam who as at the memorial, Tricia. Actually, we still have not fully decided the final position of the square, so until we do we cannot set the trees permanently. Pam mentioned to me that there are no house "for sale signs" either.

Behind the platform that Mayjan & Tricia are standing on is the "Boulevard". Quite a posh street. There are several professions working from there.

If it's Momus Boulevard, then it's a Tanning Parlour and a Reptile Shop

Hi Midland Red, This pic is a few years old, before we widened the viaduct to accommodate double track. It shows our Boulevard when first constructed. The idea for the sandstone face came from visiting Bewdley station. What you see there is the top of the "through fiddle yard". Separate sections can be easily removed when needed for access.

Hi all My thoughts are still drawn to the "Coventry pubs (inc. Pumps pulled for the last time)" thread. With that in mind I might consider another public house on our railway. We have one called the Swan. Here is a pic recorded several years ago. It is a town centre pub. The view is looking at the rear of the pub. When I was planning the Longford Park extension, I totally failed to make sufficient space allowance for the curtains, seen hanging in this next pic. I had intended another row of terraced houses at the back there, but I would not have space for the gardens. We have street houses elsewhere without gardens on our railway, but to do that here would spoil the open space effect which is what I hope for here in Longford. A half relief pub might be ok though. Will give this more thought. In the mean time, this pic shows Kirsty's trees now properly planted & giving us an avenue.

This pic of Longford Park Avenue was recorded as the last rays of this afternoon's daylight were fading. I set the camera to "aperture priority", the shutter was open for nearly half a minute, but has given an evening shadow look to the picture. We might just have enough space at the back of the monument square to put a pub.

The 'Lord Philips Arms' comes to mind.