Happy New Year!

 All best wishes for a Happy New Year- lets hope things ease and non-believers see sense. I understand that Australia are considering charging all non vaccinated if they need hospital treatment- you can always trust our Colonial cousins to say it as it is- and that is a damn good idea. Sorry the politically correct mob here are too frightened to adopt a perfectly reasonable policy.

Buffer stops for Watershoot Bay.

I was considering the products of Lanarkshire models but their website couldn't be accessed for what I wanted so I thought I would try PECO'S latest offering.

This is a much more detailed product but not as robust as their Streamline code 100 version.

However, it does glue together - I used MEK. It does fit code 75 track but fitting has to be taken with care. That said, once fitted it is a fine model and a couple will grace Watershoot Bay.

 

New Isle of Wight layout has new boards and- A Name!

After the Crimbo festivities the postperson bought a bumper delivery of ill gotten gains.

Firstly the name for the layout can be revealed-Watershoot Bay. Sankey Scenics have created the signs and I am extremely pleased except I ordered the wrong name-doh! However, I have now ordered the correct sign.

 https://www.sankeyscenics.co.uk/

It is envisaged that a branch from the lina adjacent to Whitwell ran through Niton to the newly formed tourist area.

The boards, 2x 3ft6inches and a 2ft 6inch fiddle yard have been sourced and the track has been transferred. The point motors and wiring still to do but it is starting to look like a model railway- and it has it's first booking-Thanks Dave!

 

I was dreaming of a Wight Christmas!

And I wasn't disappointed!

If you have been paying attention, you will have noticed my intention to build an Isle of Wight themed 00 gauge layout.

A couple of books plus  a map or two have been used as research. From the Ordnance Survey map 180 of 1945 a location has been chosen, but more of that anon!

 

 I was very fortunate that Secret Santa (with a few nudges) delivered a fascinating book and the Hornby Isle of Wight loco Number 14-Bembridge.

This has moved the project forward by some measure and, as a result, nameboards have been ordered from Sankey Scenics and, once received, all will be revealed.

So, the wider baseboards will be retrieved from storage and the track swapped over.

 

Happy Christmas!

Christmas eve situation!

Shanklin and Chale Railway

An Act for incorporating the Shanklin and Chale Railway

A.D.

1885.

Company and for other purposes. [14th August 1885.]

W

HEREAS the construction of the railway in the Isle of Wight

by this Act authorised would be of public and local

advantage:

And whereas the several persons herein-after named with others

are willing at their own expense to carry the undertaking into

execution on being incorporated into a Company for the purpose:

And whereas it is expedient that the Company so to be incor-

porated (herein-after referred to as " the Company") and any

company or persons for the time being working or using the

railway of the Company be empowered to enter into agreements

with respect to the use of such parts of the railway of the Isle of

Wight Railway Company as lie between the intended junction of

the railway by this Act authorised and the station of the Isle of

Wight Railway at Shanklin together with that station :

And whereas it is expedient that the Company and the other

companies herein-after in that behalf mentioned be empowered to

enter into and carry into effect working and other agreements as

herein-after provided:

And whereas plans and sections showing the line and levels of

the railway authorised by this Act and books of reference to the

plans containing the names of the owners and lessees or reputed

owners and lessees and of the occupiers of the lands required or

which may be taken for the purposes or under the powers of this

Act were duly deposited with the clerk of the peace for the county

of Southampton and with the parish clerks of Newchurch Godshill

and Chale in the Isle of Wight and are herein-after respectively

referred to as the deposited plans sections and books of reference:

And whereas the purposes of this Act cannot be effected without

the authority of Parliament:

May it therefore please Your Majesty that it may be enacted and

be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty

Of course this plan never materialised but as I have a modellers licence it cannot be disregarded as i am hoping to build a model of this once proposed line. The name is as yet undecided but, rely on me that this will come to fruition!  It may well be that Her Majesty Queen Victoria would have been minded to explore the extent of her beloved island!

 

Buildings for 00 gauge Isle of Wight layout.

Rather than purchase a load more buildings for the IOW layout, I have decided to use what I already have which will produce a mix and match selection of buildings.

There doesn't appear to be a main theme of IOW railway buildings. Most seem to be overly grand affairs which caused the demise of several companies and an investment which couldn't be recouped.

So- first up is a LCut medium signal box which, for the time being, has been  primed in white which will make painting the windows easier.

 The PECO wooden station building will be the station facilities, although there may be a cast iron Gents if I can find a prototype.

Purely a Wills Goods Shed which may or may not be added as there seems to be a pourocity of goods Sheds on the Island- we shall see!

Also from the Wills stable is the water tower which has been mounted on a brick base.

Lastly- for today -is a Skytrex Southern Railway water crane. I actually like the simplicity of this design and, yes, there was a few on the island- sounding a bit like Alcatraz now!

00 Gauge vans for Isle of Wight layout.

 The first couple of ex-Hull and Barnsley vans have been delivered.

Eventually there will be three- 9ft chassis have been ordered from Dapol which coincidentally fits these vans exactly. Bit expensive but saves a lot of modification.

Outside framing has been created by adding microstrip. Looks acceptable to me!

Next some transfers from Modelmaster and Old Time Workshop.

Just need the Loads and Tares added , then a waft of matt varnish to seal it all and hopefully cover a few blemishes.

Isle of Wight Southern Terrier.

 

The Isle of Wight project has aquired it's second loco- Number 10 Cowes.

This is the third loco for use on the layout which is, as yet, unnamed.

The plates have been supplied by Narrow Planet together with Fishbourne which will be the next conversion.

The track has been laid but I feel that it is too cramped so will be transferred to a pair of boards giving a 7ft scenic section together with a 2ft 6inch sector plate fiddle yard.

For once I have actually found a projected line which I will detail in future posts.

I have also found a couple of inexpensive Tri-ang Hornby ex Hull and Barnsley vans- the two of three- which have had outside framing added and painted Southern Railway freight stock brown. Transfers have been sourced from Modelmaster and Old Time Workshop.

Both are excellent but I wish OTW would print on a darker background as it is extremely difficult to identify individual items.

00 Adams 02 0-4-4T returned to mainland pull-push condition.

 I bought this 02 from a friend. He had converted it to an Isle of Wight version without the modified bunker.

Wanting a mainland pull-push version meant a repaint which was covered in a previous post.

The different tanks were eventually found and replaced in the models original position. 

So now I have a loco to go with the BR (Southern) auto coaches.

00 gauge Bachmann Midland Brake Van rebranded.

In the ongoing quest to gather a selection of stock for an Isle of Wight layout information regarding the aquisition of a couple of brake vans from the Midland Railway emerged.

There is a similarity between those wagons that Bachmann produce. However, for the purists this probably wouldn't be acceptable as it is overlong by some margin. Being me though I have chosen to turn a blind eye to this fact and, after all, it is my railway!

The factory branding was removed and SR substituted together with new numbers.

Once the decals had been applied a quick waft of Matt varnish secured them in place.

Added to the rake of coal wagons I think they look  the part .

Brake standards still need to be fitted on the verandahs once I can source them together with a guard.

 

Hornby 4 wheel coach re-branded as Southern Railway

Recently I visited the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and was very impressed with their restoration of an Oldbury coach.

There is a booklet which details the restoration for a television competition. Fascinating read and so an idea started to emerge.

Having already amassed a couple of sets of Hornby 4 and 6 wheel coaches- the 6 wheel ones having the centre wheels removed- I thought a varnished set would suit my embryo IOW layout.

So, finding an inexpensive GNR example at Model Railways Direct a brake 3rd was ordered. When received I felt that I couldn't reproduce the teak effect so out came the T-Cut and the GNR branding and emblems were removed.

Numerals, Pressfix, were affixed over the removed emblems and Southern Railway inserted into the top panels.

Looking at photos of ex-LBSCR 4 wheel stock there is a strong similarity, the only exception being the lack of panelleing on the end duckets.

 

00 Gauge GWR 4575 class 2-6-2Tank.

 This is actually the first Bachmann 4575 class Prairie tank I have owned.

5531 was ,in BR days, shedded at Plymouth Laira/Launceston- thats as far back as my locoshed books go!

After a quick service, the loco runs faultlessly.

After removing the body a crew has been fitted together with a lamp indicating a goods duty.

The roster for St Mewan is now complete- GWR wise anyway!

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway Trust wagons in 0 and 00 Gauge.

 There has been a couple of new wagons from the S&DJR Trust.

Both limited editions , the 0 Gauge example is limited to 32 pieces only. Produced by Dapol on their 5 plank 9ft wheelbase chassis, the lettering has been crisply reproduced.

The 00 version comes with a dummy brick load and is limited to 118 pieces.

Exmoor Coast and Friends Mini Exhibition 30th October 2021.

A few pictures of the layouts attending the Exmoor Coast and Friends Mini Exhibition held on the 30th October.

Reports indicate that attendance was extremely encouraging with the hall being busy but not thronged during the day.

I must compliment the catering Ladies- excellent food and drink especially the homemade cakes.