Update January 2025

January 2025 

A couple of new (old loco kits) have appeared this month plus an attempted scratch-build going on.

First "Minotaur" seen test running at "Drawley".  This was a part- built second-hand purchase, an Avalon Line ALS-2 running on a Bachmann 6w Plymouth Diesel chassis which runs quite well, so it was retained.  I have some matching coaches for it in the un-built kits box, so I must build a couple of them.

"Kappa". Another part-built purchase was this Black Dog LC02 Orenstein & Koppel running on an N-Drive Productions 4w chassis which also runs well. 

This is a vertical boilered loco based on a De Winton.  It is being built as an entry into our Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers (Norfolk & Suffolk Narrow Gauge Modellers) "2025 Challenge" competition for our show on Saturday 3rd May.  I am working on the rivet detail and couplings at the moment, but it is scratch built from plasticard with odd mouldings from the "bits box".  Underneath is a Kato 11-103, picked because the motor is lower than a "109". 

FOUR_WHEEL COACH No.11

 Four-wheel Coach No.11

Now the tourist season is over, the PHLR maintenance dept. have had a chance to finish coach number 11.  Here it is outside the shed, - a twin to coach number 10.

Here is the pair of them together and ready for service.

A number of new purchases have been made recently, amongst them some Black Dog/Avalon Line wagons, an FK3D print "Druid" Simplex 20/28HP diesel, an FK3D print Steam saddle tank locomotive, another Avalon Steam Tram loco, and a Black Dog Orenstein & Koppel MV2 diesel, so I have plenty to do over the winter.

 

October 2024

A bureau?... and another baseboard.

The household authorities had ordered a tidy -up of the "model railway room" months ago, so I thought I'd better get on with it. "I know", I said, "I want an old fashioned bureau,  I can work on the lift-down flap then store my scruffy tools, turps, rags behind it. All my materials can go in the drawers."  So a few visits to second-hand shops didn't throw up anything, nor did an antique centre, the bureau's in there were far too grand and expensive.  Then I thought, you twit! (being me), I already have one in storage! it is being kept for me after my fathers passing from the family house, a small reproduction one and of a suitable size for the room where I make my models.  

One of the only jobs I would do around the house when I was young (being a spoilt brat) was to polish the bureau, I liked doing that.  So the bureau was collected and brought home.  I repaired the cubby-hole fitment and strengthened one of the legs, polished it up, and filled it with my modelling stuff.

... all sorted and ideal!

New woodwork: Initially, I had ideas to build a new 6ft 6" layout using two boards, but I had to shelve that idea for a while as I simply don't have room to store another large layout.  So this is a small board that I can easily lift and transport, it's 36" x 20".  

  

The rear left-hand corner will contain a passing loop/storage loop.  the siding will run to a head-shunt and a kick-back to a goods shed.  The passenger platform and shelter will be at the front right.  I have a number of ideas for scenic features, some of which might work, some may not!

New Rolling Stock August 2024

 New stock added in July and August 2024:-

In my "wakefield second-hand haul" was this un-made Avalon Line ALR1-9 freelance railbus.  Here it is seen at Pye Rigg Works with painting nearly complete.

4-wheeled diesel "Satyr" is hauling two new resin kit builds from my "wakefield haul", which are Avalon Line AL51 Open passenger coaches. Passengers are by Woodland Scenics. Also in the photo is the railbus, now named "Siren". The van is also an Avalon item, a restored AL46. The open is also a restored vehicle, a Unit Models open wagon on a long chassis, I quite liked it as it was (placed on a wrong 15ft chassis) so I just added buffer beams and couplings and also re-painted it.

2024 New Locos

 2024 new locos.

We had three exhibitions with the PHLR in the first half of 2024, two with Raven Hill and one with Pye Rigg Works, and three exhibitions also with our 009 layout Shortwaite Hill which is still getting nice comments from visitors.  Modelling time has been very intermittent, but three new locos have appeared, Ladon, Kur and Scylla.

Towards the end of 2023 I bought a box of second hand O9 models from a nice chap in Wakefield.  There were many un-made kits by  Avalon Line, Black Dog and Unit models were amongst them. Also some poorly made part built kits, Ladon was was one of them, an Avalon Line ALD1-9.  Like Hyena (see previous post) it was restored as best I could and re-painted.  Resin goes very brittle as it ages, so some bits broke off, other parts I could get apart without too much damage and were re-aligned and glued.  Runs on a Kato 11-103.

Kur is a Hudson Hunslet by Floyd-Kraemer (FK3dprint). Runs on a Kato 11-109.

"Kur" (A huge Sumerian serpent Dragon) and "Ladon"  (Greek mythology: dragon who guards  the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides) posed together at Drawley.

Scylla, a 4-wheeled tram loco by Pankot Models (3D print), with a brake column added in the cab.  Runs on a Kato 11-104.

 

"Scylla" (six-headed sea monster in Greek mythology)

Also in the second hand collection were these two small bow-ended open wagons, Avalon Line AL36 resin kits.  A third has now been added after a Facebook O9 group friend sold me an extra one.

Early in June I was surprisingly asked to exhibit Drawley at an "O" Gauge event at the Mid-Suffolk Railway along with some of the Norfolk & Suffolk NGM Group. I was strangely displaying in a standard gauge closed van near the platform, along with another member of the Group. 

A photo taken with flash with diesels Knucker and Ladon.  It was the first ever exhibition for Drawley.

I am currently working on some part-built goods vehicles from the Wakefield collection plus a Avalon Line railbus from the same source.

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.