2023 stuff.

 2023 stuff.....

Well, 2023 was a busy year for exhibitions...for us, anyway.  Our layouts were shown 14 times - 8 with "Raven Hill", 3 with "Pye Rigg Works", and 3 with our 009 layout "Shortwaite Hill".  I am surprised that, although quite a lot of stock was built up to December 2022, only six models were built this year, 3 locos, a 4-wheel coach, a tank wagon and a large van.

New layout ideas keep buzzing around in my mind, but if any were actually built there would be no room to store them.

And just recently, after four years, my first 7mm scale diorama, built in a drawer, was actually named. "Drawley", a pun on "drawer" and "Lee" (the chaps name who gave it to me).

Photos from our travels:-

Dereham

Royston

+

Norwich

Ely

Beccles (our Groups exhibition).

Bressingham

Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Brockford Stn., Wetheringsett. 

(Part of our Groups display)

Great Eastern Models, Norwich.

Stalham.

Sudbury.

Barsham, at Groups "Open House/Running Day"

Models:-

"Kelpie", a Minimum Gauge Models brass kit.

"Hyena" and "Ladon"  Avalon Line kits.

"Hyena", and coach No. 10 from Minicraft 1872 Vulcan kit.

Tank wagon, by Unit Models. 
 

A station name for the drawer module at last.

"Hyena", "Ladon" and Coach No. 10

 

After seeing an advert in "Railway Modeller" for a collection of (mostly un-made, resin) O9 kits plus some scenic items, I bought them and made a trip "up North" to collect them. There were about 32 wagons, a couple of coach bodies and few loco's.  Two Avalon Line freelance diesel kits (ALD1-9 and ALD2-9) were part-made, so I set about repairing and restoring them.  These are no longer made, so I was pleased to have them.  Some of the parts were not fixed correctly, but it was quite tricky cutting some parts off them as they were old, and glued with super glue.  The locos became "Hyena" and "Ladon".  

"Ladon" (no nameplates yet) and "Hyena".

Also, above, coach No.10 has been built (seen finished in the first photo) it's a four-wheeler, using coach parts from the Minicraft 1872 Vulcan kit.

I had been looking for some lattice post signals suitable for O9 and found "noble_designs" on Ebay printing and selling some good 4mm examples.  So I asked if they could be printed approx. 36% larger to bring them up to 12ft high and I bought 8 of them.  Above is a photo of one plonked temporarily on Pye Rigg Works.

"Kelpie"

Over the last couple of months I have built a new loco named "Kelpie".  It's a brass kit which I soldered together, the first time I have tried this.  It's not my best build, nor the paint job, but it's still holding together so some of the soldered joints must have worked!

A photo taken on "Raven Hill" about to cross the bridge.

"Kelpie" is a Minimum Gauge Models (MO012) "Toby" Style Tram Locomotive kit.

Here, most of the body shell has been made.

Seen on "Raven Hill" approaching the level crossing.

And again on "Raven Hill" outside the engine shed.

"Kelpie" was tested at the Broadland Model Railway club exhibition in Stalham on 27/08/2023.

Exhibitions July 2023

 Exhibitions July 2023

Not a lot of modelling getting done at the moment, but during July we did two exhibitions, one at the Bressingham Narrow Gauge show (09.07.2023) and the next at the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Brockford Station (23.07.2023), which was  first public display for "Pye Rigg Works".

Here are some photos:-

The saddle-tank "Drake" never ran very well for some reason.  So, the Kato 103 chassis was stripped-down for a full service.  I found a piece of foam scenic material wrapped round one of the axle gear cogs.  Once removed, it was re-assembled and given a thorough testing at Bressingham.

"Drake" again passing the engine shed with the four-wheelers.

"Hydra" appearing from the rock cutting with bogie coaches.

"Knucker" seen near the bridge on a goods working.

"Wyvern" in service at the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway passing over the bridge at "Pye Rigg".

 

"Orthus" seen leaving the front siding with a rubble and rubbish train.

"Wyvern" again, passing the works.

New Plan

 A New Plan

Just one picture to post:-

...... it's a plan for a new O9 scale layout being developed.  A sort of smaller Raven Hill.  Currently it measures 6ft 6" x 1ft 8" - on two 3ft 3" boards.  Track wise, it is planned to feature a reversing loop (using a split board technique), and a continuous run when needed.

At first much of the project depends on the village buildings which will be on the right-hand board.  I have to find the right way (for me) of making them, with the right building textures/stonework/roof tiles etc.

More thinking to do.

Display at NSNGM Group Exhibition. 3rd June

Raven Hill was exhibition on 3rd June at the Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers Exhibition inBeccles.

Here are a few photos from the day:

9 layouts were displayed, plus another seven "Challenge" layouts.  To compete for the challenge trophy a narrow gauge layout had to be built in 4 square feet (576 sq. inches) , fiddle yards could be added to facilitate operation.  We had exhibits in 16mm, O-16.5, 009, O9, 1:16, and 5.5mm scale.

"Noel's Work" (Challenge layout), 1:16 scratch built garden nursery yard.

"Wainford Sidings" (Challenge layout), SM32 rural quarry siding.

"Plugstreet", 009 WW1 casualty clearing station.

"Lysander Farm" (Challenge layout), 009.  Winner of this years Challenge.

"Much Meddling", 009.  Emett inspired, colourful layout.

"Reeds Beck Waterworks", 009, a Victorian waterworks.

"Fen End Pit" - 16mm, sand and gravel pit with working dragline.

"North Level Railway", O-16.5.  Fenland station with  fruit & veg distribution depot.

Inspiration from Bressingham

 Inspiration from Bressingham

For me, the best place for narrow gauge inspiration around here (Norfolk) is Bressingham Steam Museum.  I've been visiting there since the late 1960's with mum, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and an aunt and uncle, then later of course exhibiting our layouts there.

It has been a while since I had proper rides on the narrow gauge lines there for a day out, so we visited the Steam Gala Weekend at the end of April this year.  Weather-wise, it was the perfect day.

The way the narrow gauge pleasure lines are constructed, weaving their way through fen, marsh, woods and old nurseries provides a lot of inspiration for modelling.  And on a day such as a gala event it is interesting to see how locomotives are swapped over, to give a good variety of trains.

Star of the show for me was the Avonside loco of 1933 "Marchlyn".

Bressingham loco "Bevan" of 2010 at the arrivals platform, and "Marchlyn".  Locos were swapped around all day on the Fen Railway.

Recent 0-4-0 VB build and Bressingham resident "Fernilee".

"Fernilee" heading out on the 2ft gauge Fen Railway.

Another visitor to the gala was recent (2005) 0-4-0 Quarry Hunslet type build "Jack Lane", hauling four slate wagons.  The famous Gallopers ride is in the background.

Bressingham resident Quarry Hunslet "Gwynedd" proceeding cautiously and leaving the main display and museum complex on the 2ft Fen Railway. 

2-6-2 Exmoor built loco "St. Christopher" of 2001, resident on the 15" gauge Waveney Valley Railway.

The train and main platform for passenger boarding and unloading on the Waveney Valley Line.

Superbly-built 1937 Waggon-Fabrik coaches were delivered to Bressingham in 1972 with the Krupps Pacifics.

At Ling Farm Halt on the Waveney Valley Railway will be found this amazingly well-constructed footbridge across a drainage dyke.

 Still on display in the museum building is one of the Krupps Pacifics "Rosenkavalier".

It's sister loco "Mannertreu" is being completely overhauled, and displayed in the engine shed.

On the 10.25" Garden Railway "Alan Bloom" a 1995 Hunslet type loco built at Bressingham.

Riding the Garden Railway.

Along with visiting locomotives there were many visiting traction engines, road rollers and showman's engines on display along with miniature types.

At the end of the day "Marchlyn" and "Gwynedd" are seen outside the running shed.