Small layouts in small spaces

[alastairq]

Gosh, Tim. Your research has compelled me to search out Fremington camp, in north Devon!
Back in the mid 1970's, I underwent my ''basic' training as a member of the Territorial Army, at Fremington. It was a battalion move for the 2 week 'summer' camp..[2nd Battn, Yorkshire Volunteers, POW Regt.].....involving a serious number of vehicle convoys down what was initially the M5...What would now be, classic vehicle runs!! [Also including the M1, etc] The variation in speedo accuracies resulting in convoys racing each other.....It's a long way down, from Hull!

 

[NHY 581]

Marshalling a convoy, especially a large one, can be likened to herding cats......I know this.

Rob

 

[alastairq]

My 'platoon' [2 platoon] consisted of a goodly number of working bus drivers.....We had Land Rovers with trailers..[half a dozen of us, one bus driver per vehicle]...Other convoys consisted of 3 tonners [mostly Bedford TKs] a lot of Bedford MLs, etc...an armoured convoy of Saracens.....The whole battalion, including cooks...! Our platoon had been tasked, as I recall, to get there 'first' to open up...We had to be there at least 2 hours before everybody else turned up. Not easy when we had the furthest to travel [from Bridlington]...
Being bus drivers, most of us 'knew' the roads of north Devon anyway.....[Yet none of us were in the RTC]....We managed to get there half a day before anybody else turned up...[Never leave the map reading to the officers]...Luckily we found the camp warden.....
All very much a cluster####

I acquired 'best recruit'....
I cheated, as I had, not long beforehand, half completed the RM Commando course.....Not really being a 'forces' person, I bailed halfway through, or thereabouts. Went back to bus driving!

Half a dozen local bus drivers conned into joining the local Terriers...largely so they could use us on the darts & doms teams...The Drill hall had a bar, which had a 'late licence'....useful as the bus depot was only just down the road, and the last shifts finished around midnight...Popping in for a swift 'alf before heading home was a regular event.

Today's recruitment policies are vastly different.....

 

[Tim Hale]

There are a couple of reasons why the oil depot hasn't departed, I merely want to help take it to one last exhibition. For the next few days or until satisfied, the little details will be either stuck down or 'plugged' into the layout. Then an empty lightweight 'backscene box' that is the essential requirement to be taken seriously needs to be made and slid over the module so that some nice images can captured for posterity.

​

Only, then can I stop and take a final rest.

Btw, the research is merely plausible fiction, all created using actual places and archive images, a bit of fun.

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

Hi,

Putting a few of the details together because the two fire points have arrived, they are 1:160 3D coal staithes, perfect for the task. Unfortunately, despite searching, no images are available but the ones at VL bomb dump were painted military white…..draw your own conclusion

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As already mentioned, the contents of the ‘bins’ were CO2 fire extinguishers, sacks of Speedi-Dri (proprietary absorbant)

Because, the fuel was aviation and POOL spirit, most small spillages evaporated around the discharges points. Later fuel storage facilities were for diesel and AVTUR only as the MoD switched to a common transport fuel, aviation spirit was realtively rare, only required for the DH Beaver.

 

[Tim Hale]

A rather elderly Bachmann wagon, it will be sympatheticaly upgraded but it is still very much a product of the '80s but at the time of purchase, the livery of Motor Spirit was enough.



A Heljan B class is bought and paid for at KMRC, this will complete the five wagons needed for shunting the Inglenook.

Tim