Our world in miniature, hobbies

As always Philip we can see by the work you have shown that you love your hobby and it is now no ordinary train layout, it is a delight to see and watch its progress. Thank you for showing us the latest pictures.

Hi all I needed to empty our attic in readyness for new insulation being fitted a few weeks ago. We are now very snug, but whilst up there, I found my original map/diagram for HallBrooks. I had hung it on my office wall for a while, so that the idea could mature on me, before I started work on the project after my retirement. I hope that you can see the context of where HallBrooks fits in to the railways around Coventry.

Morning Philip, Don't forget to put the Christmas tree up in our railway station soon.

Hi all, I have spent this week preparing the framework in order to receive the retaining arches. The arches themselves are just polystyrene which makes them very vulnerable to damage, so I have encased the polystyrene, inside a balsa lattice work, the bit which has taken most of my time. I hope that you like the effect of the arches. The yard buildings are also in place, I have added pics of those into my gallery. The railway is now at the limits of the room space, but I have an idea which I hope that you like. The only part of the whole railway that cannot easily be removed is the actual track bed. Everything else, either lifts out or slides along. All of the building which you can see in my picture gallery are all on their own bases, as are the roads & even the tree & grass pieces. We have a redundant table which currently fits under the railway. (It is on wheels). I am thinking of using it to stand a scenery only section on, which can be pushed up to, say, the edge of the canal where we can have a pub, a play area & maybe a duck pond. In fact anything. Then, when we need the space, it can be moved & stored under the existing railway. I can hear Norman Clegg (Last of the summer wine), saying, how it will help to pass the dark winter evenings. What a pip!.

In a word 'Brill' Philip, passed full inspection and roaring to go. You really do an excellent job, the arches look so real from where I am sitting. Love the idea of a pub, play area and duck pond, looking forward to that. You have excelled yourself again.

Hi Dreamtime, Hi all The thing that I would like to include in the portable scenery, is a river. The river is such a feature of the real Longford Park, that not to include a river on our model misses the point. I will spend a few dry periods walking in the park to see what I can come up with. At least the portable scenery will be lower than what is already there, which is a step in the right direction for the river on the model flowing into the room. (Not literally, I hope). Update, 26thNov. I enjoyed good company last evening when a friend who had seen pics of our railway on our site here, called round. A retired railwayman too. A good shunt in the goods yard was really enjoyed. I enjoy it when I can chat with people who know there stuff & I am able to bounce ideas off. Also, learning bits that only a working railwayman would know, like where I need to site a shunt frame or small signal box to control the exit from Longford Park. I do appreciate the comments that I receive from the membership too, in exactly the same way. As well as having my hair cut, I have just returned from the real Longford Park from where I am trying to digest the feature of the river, which today is very very high. I am playing for a funeral later, so I am restricted as to how far I can go today. I so miss my model railway friend Mick, who died from cancer earlier this year. Whenever I had an idea, he loved coming out with me & then with his skill as a commercial illustrator, he would draw it out into my location, which then gave me a blue print to work from. ps. In reply to Catshed, we have a Stanier 8f, Super D 7f, Austerity 7f, a couple of WR Granges & four halls, which currently look after our principle freight trains. In reserve we have a MR crab, a couple of black fives, WR moguls as well as four Std class 4s. We have any number of 0-6-0s from all regions as well as a huge assortment of tank locos. We might treat ourselves to a SR Wrainright 0-6-0 in the new year which will compliment the two unrebuilt west county pacifics. The two west country's are our only 4-6-2s. How I justify west country locos coming up from Oxford & Banbury on a regular service to our HallBrooks is anyones guess . I just so liked them.

Love your new ideas in the pipeline Philip. You will have plenty to keep you and your son busy in 2013.

Hi all With Longford Park now handling general merchandise, Bramble Grove can now cope much better with perishable loads. In this pic, empty fruit vans are being shunted first to the steam clean siding & then to the despatch siding, for their return to Evesham. In real life, fruit vans never lasted long as the timber rotted from both the fruit & the constant steam cleaning. ps. In the distance, on the new extended platforms at Bishops Heath, I am sure that is Mayjan waiting for her train. I would love to electrify by third rail, just that commuter route to B'ham, as though it was Surbiton. A two sub unit waiting there is shouting out to me, but that would really make HallBrooks completely fiction to Coventry, even in my mind. West Country locos & green coaching stock goes over the limit now. At present, DMUs look after the passengers on that route. In the new year I hope to carry on with my idea for Longford Park scenery section, but in the meantime I have signals which I started work on four months ago which need a lot of work doing.

Ah yes Philip, you spotted me in my summery yellow dress. Just waiting for Tricia, she had popped into the Ladies Waiting Room. What a lovely day for a train ride,couldn't wait to get home and take off my stilletoes though !

Hi Mayjan Thank you so much. I won't give too much away, but the present terminus of the old bus route 16 & the line going through Bedworth makes that an ideal rendezvous point, but we have to fast back & fast forward in time as only Dr. Who can do. I will carry on dreaming though.

Tricia went to school on the 16 bus (hint, hint).

Hi Dutchman As a youngster, I was always very shy of females, for whatever reason. The small number of young ladies that I did come to know well, I now realise how lovely that they were & still are. I am sure that it was the art skill of a young lady in her teens that kicked my railway modelling off. Hope you ok.

Yes thanks Philip I was thinking you could make Tricia a passenger on your No16 bus?

It's a privilege and honour to be part of Hall-Brooks.

Hi Dutchman, Hi all There is only one answer to this. Only the best will do for our forum ladies, so the parlour cars have been cleaned & prepared with full silver service. I am sure that there will be room for our gentlemen members too. Each coach was designed to accommodate thirty people in supreme comfort at the time. I was once treated to dinner inside of a Western region twelve wheeler dining car, travelling in the Cornishman in 1958/9 time. It was celebrating the centenary of the completion of the Royal Albert bridge The next pic, now deleted, as it is two hundred miles from Coventry & is only for info. What is even more of an acheivement is that the centre pillar goes down a further ninety feet, through the mud of the Tamar. A Bell construction house was needed for its construction. Just a thought; One day, when the sun is shining and the thermometer is reading +20c, I would like to make it my task to picture some of our local railway civil engineering works & maybe even a shared ramble & record on here. We don't need to travel two hundred miles to visit fabulous bits of engineering. The viaducts at Hampton & Wolston, even the Spon End viaduct and loads more. Just a thought!