Making the way permanent

Finally got the track for the front half of the circuit properly fixed down today. The track is screwed down at 12"- 18" intervals into wooden dowels hammered into holes drilled in the blocks.

Test running with battery electric & live steam locos this afternoon went very well, running seemed more steady, even though the alignment of the blocks could be better! I plan to complete the rest of the line as time allows...

Receieved my joining pack from the 16mm association today; all looks very good! SMT seemes to have improved since I was last a member; both quality & quantity...

Bits & Bobs...

Finally got round to (re)joining the 16mm association this morning - you can now pay the subscription by PayPal :-)

Flew into Southampton airport this week (on a business trip), and had a cracking view of Twyford waterworks, Eastleigh locomotive works & the maintenance depot as we came in to land! Looked as though there was still a steam loco in situ from Eastleigh 100, other than that all I saw was a long line of DRS class 20's...

Guildford MES have an Open Day next Sunday (21st) - may try & get there if family permits... Hoping to get a steam up in tomorrow, and maybe even start fixing down the track!

Summer Colour

Having come back from holiday (and a week of particularly warm weather) it's nice to see the garden has erupted into colour - campanula, poppies & rose blooms everywhere!

Visit to Woody Bay

Well, having found out the Launceston steam railway was closed last week, I was able to make the case for a trip slightly further afield, to the Lynton & Barnstable at Woody Bay.










Sadly their sole steam loco, Axe (a Kerr Stuart from the 1st world war) was out of service due to a failed (actually, just fixed) air brake pump, so we were diesel hauled for the trip up & down the line. Too bad, as with the gradient of the line, I guess the loco would have been working hard with a good steam plume on the way back to Woody Bay... We will have to return to find out!

Nonetheless, a nice afternoon in the sun in a very picturesque location, and everyone on the railway was very friendly & made us feel very welcome. For me it was nice to see prototypes of the stock that is so common on 16mm lines, and take lots of photos!


Also nice to see a 'cabbed' Simplex (I still plan to build & bash an IP kit when funds permit ;-)

Hopefully some video to follow shortly...

Off to the Hidden Valley...

Just back from a fantastic week's holiday in North Devon with the family. When we went this time two years ago we had a lovely afternoon at the Launceston Steam Railway, so we set of for Launceston with much excitement (OK; I was excited...), but was disappointed to find it was closed (having been open the previous week for half-term). Sadly my quarry Hunslet fix had to be postponed... :-(

So as an alternative, we went to the Hidden Valley discovery park, which I had seen covered a while ago in Garden Rail, and is just up the road (well, narrow windy lane actually...).

And a thoroughly nice time we had when we got there. Railway attractions included a beautifully planted G-Scale 'secret' garden railway (reminiscent of Beckonscot but without the model village?!), and a diesel hauled 71/4" railway (also nicely landscaped). Most of the rest of the park is a 'crystal maze' style 'discovery' park with various challenges, but a bit old for our kids!