Tales from The Room of Doom. Dipping a toe in various bucolic backwaters.

[Suddaby]

There is a video currently on FB about the Wisbech and Upwell Railway. I've just tried to post a link, but it doesn't show the video.
If you search as follows on Google, it should come up - Wisbech to Upwell Railway (1961) - The "Grower's Special"
A fascinating insight, professionally filmed by Anglia TV.

Kevin

 

[Flaxfield]

Hi Kevin,

I have watched that before but for the lifeofme, I can't think where. There's a short clip on YouTube and the full length version of questionable quality, without sound, from the Huntley Archive again on You Tube.

It's out there somewhere, apart from Facebook but at the moment, it escapes me.

Rob.

 

[RodneyS]

I put the description of the film supplied by Kevin in Google and it came up with this

Work - East Anglian Film Archive

East Anglian Film Archive

eafa.org.uk

Interesting, especially the length of the trains !
Rodney

 

[Flaxfield]

I put the description of the film supplied by Kevin in Google and it came up with this

Work - East Anglian Film Archive

East Anglian Film Archive

eafa.org.uk

Interesting, especially the length of the trains !
Rodney

Thanks Rodney.

It is indeed very surprising how long certain trains were on the W&U. Quite a contrast to how traffic ended up with often single wagons veing conveyed.

Here however is a lovely image of shunting at Outwell from happier times.
Photographer is B. Hilton/Colour Rail.



This shot provides useful front end detail, in particular the wooden block ( teak or oak ? ) which protected the cow catchers from the coupling.


Rob.

 

[Flaxfield]

Whilst work continues on Ewe, perhaps bizarrely, thoughts have turned to what comes next.

I have long been an admirer of Leysdown, the terminus of The Sheppey Light Railway as modelled in P4, and originally built by Uckfield MRC.

I have also hankered after a pre-grouping layout.

Now, I'm not about to set about building a P4 layout. No. I'll stick to S.S.O.P (Standard Sheep Operating Procedure) and use readily available rtr stock and rtp buildings to hopefully put together something which produces the same basic, open light railway feel.

First steps have already been taken, of which more later on.

However, for now suffice to say it's SE&CR with a basic timeframe of 1919-1923.

Rob.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Interesting choice. My dad was born in Sheernes and grew up around the area visiting Leysdown and Warden Point and do have a pre-war colour slides of my dad, grandmother and grandfather taken at Warden Point.

Only recently I've been downloading loads of photos of Sheppy Light Railway for my dad. When I built the layout for my dad last year, Leysdown trackplan was the station he requested. Although I did have to mirror the trackplan to fit the room. Post #14 in my thread here.

 

[Flaxfield]

Interesting choice. My dad was born in Sheernes and grew up around the area visiting Leysdown and Warden Point and do have a pre-war colour slides of my dad, grandmother and grandfather taken at Warden Point.

Only recently I've been downloading loads of photos of Sheppy Light Railway for my dad. When I built the layout for my dad last year, Leysdown trackplan was the station he requested. Although I did have to mirror the trackplan to fit the room. Post #14 in my thread here.

Top job on the 'rapid build' Southern/Deutsch BLT, Dave.

With minimal facilities, I find Leysdown a very attractive prototype. On paper it could be a quick build but such simplicity almost demands a slow time approach to the build.

I intend to use the 'new' PECO bullhead track and points and will look into having electric points as well as DCC loco control.

Rob.

 

[Flaxfield]

I've also been doing a spot of research on these....

Wind and water | colonelstephenssociety.co.uk

 

[Flaxfield]

Oh, and while we're at it........

I came across this which is now in the calender...

Exhibitors 2022 – WC&P Railway Group

WC&P Railway Group - remembering the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Railway

wcprgroup.org.uk

 

[ullypug]

Oh, and while we're at it........

I came across this which is now in the calender...

Exhibitors 2022 – WC&P Railway Group

WC&P Railway Group - remembering the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Railway

wcprgroup.org.uk

Last time I checked, there was still space for another layout at the show if you fancy a challenge!
The last show was a really enjoyable one too

 

[Flaxfield]

Last time I checked, there was still space for another layout at the show if you fancy a challenge!
The last show was a really enjoyable one too.

Morning Andrew,

As it happens, I've had a reply from Paul which I've opened this morning. I'm standing by but looks like I am taking a little something along, most likely Ewe. So there might well be a bit of W&U in Portishead.
I'm really looking forward to seeing a couple of layouts, one of which is yours and the other is Leysdown but it's a really good line up in any event. I'll be very pleased if I can be part of it.

Rob.

 

[PMP]

I intend to use the 'new' PECO bullhead track and points and will look into having electric points as well as DCC loco control.

Rob.

They’re well worth the investment, no real difference to using streamline, they look much better too.

I’ve got the slip and long crossing on test at the moment, and they too aren’t giving any issues.

Ref the windmill, I think Scalelink did a similar etched kit structure in the past.

 

[Flaxfield]

Hi Paul.

They really do look the part don't they. I'm looking to go larger than my customary postage stamp size layout with this one.

Longer, finer looking points will hopefully also add to the appearance of space.

With regard to the wind mill, I'm thinking of the Scalelink job. I'm just not too sure of the putting together bit............

Rob.

 

[LarryG]

I’ve got the slip and long crossing on test at the moment, and they too aren’t giving any issues.
View attachment 164913

Do the bullhead slips have to be wired or does the Unifrog mean it can be used "straight from the box"..?

LarryG

 

[Flaxfield]

And so it starts.....

 

[LarryG]

I think you need to let some sheep loose on your SECR Railway. The long grass is familiar enough to those of us who were around in the 1950s ad 60s, but I wonder if it is correct for pre-groping days. If the GWR is anything to go by, then goods yards were positively bald and kept as tidy as any other part of the railway. Just a thought.

 

[PMP]

Do the bullhead slips have to be wired or does the Unifrog mean it can be used "straight from the box"..?

LarryG

Hi Larry,
the unifrog design means they are in effect what we'd consider insulfrog in the earlier ranges. They can be used straight from the package as dead frog points. I've got the crossing and slip on test with the double slip to arrive in the next day or so. So far having run over 70 different (predominantly) RTR types through them I've only experienced a couple of issues which I'm certain are chassis related. They match the size/geometry of the code 100/75 streamline ranges exactly too.
edit:spellin

 

[Flaxfield]

I think you need to let some sheep loose on your SECR Railway. The long grass is familiar enough to those of us who were around in the 1950s ad 60s, but I wonder if it is correct for pre-groping days. If the GWR is anything to go by, then goods yards were positively bald and kept as tidy as any other part of the railway. Just a thought.

Morning Larry,

As it happens, the new locos are posed on Bleat Wharf my 1950s S&DJR goods yard.

I shall be quietly building the SE&CR layout starting in the winter and whilst not as unkempt as the above photo, it will still have a distinct light railway feel to it.

As for "pre-groping days".......................


Rob

 

[LarryG]

Hi Larry,
the unifrog design means they are in effect what we'd consider insulfrog in the earlier ranges. They can be used straight from the package as dead frog points. I've got the crossing and slip on test with the double slip to arrive in the next day or so. So far having run over 70 different (predominantly) RTR types through them I've only experienced a couple of issues which I'm certain are chassis related. They match the size/geometry of the code 100/75 streamline ranges exactly too.
edit:spellin

Thanks you for that. much appreciated. The old Streamline Slips were 24" radius, but the Bullhead slip looks to be of a different geometry with a larger radius, or is it an optical illusion?

 

[PMP]

Thanks you for that. much appreciated. The old Streamline Slips were 24" radius, but the Bullhead slip looks to be of a different geometry with a larger radius, or is it an optical illusion?

They should be the same, not had the opportunity to check yet. The standard points look larger than the streamline too so I suspect it’s an illusion. I’ll check and answer on my thread so as not to clog Rob’s with ephemera