John Brittain and His 32mm Engines...

Hi everyone. As a footnote to the previous post about the Large Scale Model Rail exhibition, I have included this post about my mate John Brittain and his coal-fired locomotives. Now, they aren't full size, they are 32mm gauge (16mm scale) but they really are remarkable. John is a prolific engineer and his engine's are fantastic. He was running on the 32mm gauge 'Indian Hill Railway' layout at LSMR, giving the public a demonstration into coal-fired 16mm. Great stuff. You can see John in action in the video above. This weekend he ran his Darjeeling B Class; a Roundhouse kit with a JB boiler; along with his Darjeeling Garratt; a JB special with a 2.5" gauge 'Tich' Boiler! Thanks folks, good evening...

LEGO Railway at Large Scale Model Rail 2011...

Hello everyone. Well, I am tired to say the least but, hey, what a weekend! Our LEGO Model Railway, which we last exhibited at Warley 2010 in November, was back out again for a new show (for us anyway). The show was the 2011 Large Scale Model Rail exhibition; known as the Midlands Garden Rail Show; held by Meridienne Exhibitions at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, up on the Fosseway near Leamingston Spa. The show took place over 2 days from 10am until 4pm, with at least 10 layouts in attendance. Not bad for a small-ish show (only because I compared it against Warley which always has a minimum of 65 layouts!). We arrived there by 4:45pm on Friday night, and immediately began the attempt at setting up the 9ft x 4ft layout. Progress is always slow when setting up; there are just so many bits! But, as always, packing up is easy! After doing about 2 hours on Friday, we got there at about 8:45am on Saturday morning and finished off the layout just in time for the 10am start. "Phew!". The 9V trains were then ready to roll. The usual suspects in action were the Santa Fe Super Chief and the "Hogwarts Express" loco. Below, the layout gets underway on Saturday morning...
For the LSMR Show we adopted much the same format as for Warley, with buildings including a Fire Station, Police Station, Central Station, Airport, Gantry Crane, Loading Ramp, Engine Shed, 'Hogsmeade' Station and more! There were also many 'odd bits' including the Ferrari Team HGV and the Fire Hovercraft...
The Santa Fe Super Chief gets her double-decker train underway...
A special guest for this show was the appearance of (CMES Member) Emma's LEGO model of the rack-and-pinion locomotive's that climb Mount Snowdon. The blue 0-4-2 was carried on a Flatbed wagon throughout the show. A very nice model, and unique...
Below, see a few clips of my layout in action at the 2011 LSMR show...

Overall, a very good show. Thanks very much to the organisers for a great weekend; we really enjoyed it. Thanks for reading folks. Goodnight...

"Sorry Mum, I Had To..."

Hi everyone. After a long day exhibiting at the Large Scale Model Rail Exhibition (see next post!), I made a rash decision. The show ended at 4pm and I was back home by 4:45pm so, after thinking about certain GWR engines running at Shack...I jumped back in the car and headed straight over there! (That was going to cause arguments later on; Sorry Mum!). Arriving at Shack at 5:30pm, I quickly headed up to the station, camera in hand, where I found GWR 2-6-2T No5542. The other Western was down the line and 42' was being kept in steam to perform a 'shunt release' operation on her return. (The other Western is still too big for Shack's Platform 2, a fact to be rectified within the next 3 weeks). Anyway, back to me. I headed up into the Loco Works next where I found Peckett "Sir Gomer". She's very close now, perhaps 97%, with only an Ashpan and Chimney needed. All boiler fittings are on now, even the Gauge Glasses, and the loco is pretty much 'piped up'. Great stuff! Keeping "Sir Gomer" company was a certain smiley-faced intruder...a poor old Jinty painted in the hideous Blue of T-T-T-E. Mind you, this is a beautiful example; its from Llangollen, a railway that knows how to look after a loco. "Thomas" is gracing Shackerstone, with his friends, on the first 2 weekends in April! Click HERE for more details. Maybe we'll see you there?! After a look at the 3F and little "Gomer", I headed back outside to await the return of our new baby. And just then, with a loud whistle, she arrived...Isn't she beautiful?! The South Devon's 2-8-0 38xx No3803 is with us for at least a year and, what a pleasure. Passenger numbers this weekend have been amazing, thanks to these two Western ladies. After taking the above shot, I ran down Platform 1 to get a proper look. What a machine. I love it. 42' then performed the 'shunt release', dragging the stock onto the Main before propelling it back down into Platform 2 for stabling. 42' was then uncoupled and chugged back over the cross-over towards the Shed...3803 was sparkling. What a loco. I was invited onto the footplate and enjoyed a short yet fun ride up into the loco works (a new experience?; yeah whatever!). A really lovely engine and I can't wait to have a go on her in a few weeks time. Beautiful Western engineering, and hugely powerful at '8F' qualification! Mind you, 42' is just as good and it has been a pleasure to see the pair running together. For enthusiast information, 42' is with us until mid-April time and 1306 "Mayflower" should be back by Easter. Look out for more steam events at Shackerstone in the future! Thanks for reading folks. Now I've satisfied my urge to see the 38xx asap, I'm going home! Evening all, I have to drive a certain Saxo back home again...

Moving The Tracks...

Hi all. A very warm, pleasant day today at Shackerstone. I arrived early at 6am to help with the cleaning. 5542 was again on service. Loco dispatched at 10:30am, the first train was out at 11:15am; with me on board. The run was lovely, with the loco crewed by Drivers M.Fairfield and E.Jones as well as Trainee D.Hone. The main job today was to 'slew' the track at Shenton. This was to allow the 38xx (which arrives in 3 days!!) ample space to run round her trains. (Otherwise, her cylinders would catch...I love GWR!). Anyway, 5542 was soon run round at Shenton and was off again, back up the bank towards Shack. With the clear weather, her voice could be heard on the wind as she disspeared off through Three Bridges towards Market Bosworth. What a lovely day. Throughout the day, whilst 5542 worked her 5 turns, our crack-team worked at Shenton. Within 3 hours we had finished, track slewed and ready for the 38'! "Woo woo!". We then caught the 2nd-last train back to Shack, with 42'. With a few small jobs to do in the shed first, I eventually left Shack at 6pm. Thanks everyone for reading...a jolly nice spring day!...

Steam Trains Return to Shackerstone...

Hi everyone. Today was the first steam day of the 2011 season and therefore the Small Prairie No5542 was in steam to haul the four sheduled services to Shenton and back. I arrived at Shackerstone at 8:30am and discovered the Great Western engine still in the shed. The loco was just about to move out; drain cocks open; into the morning light. Then, with a quick whistle and a large hiss of steam, the engine moved outside. I then clambered up on top and cleaned the safety valve bonnet and the two Western whistles. Meanwhile, the loco was warming up nicely and by 10am she was already off shed. This gave plenty of time to Steam Heat the 4-coach train ready for passengers to board for the first run at 11:15am. Below, steaming away nicely, 5542 gets the first public steam train of 2011 underway, under the control of Driver Adrian Aylward, Fireman Bruce Murray and Trainee Fireman Dan Hone...

5542 chugs away nicely up the gradient towards the Signalbox as Bruce looks out from the cab...

Back in the Mess Room, "BC" Owner Mic had arrived with one of "Sir Gomer"s freshly painted nameplates. These plates were purchased by the railway a few years back and have been waiting in the wings as it were, for the Peckett's return to action. Compared to the old aluminium plates, these really are something; they're massive!...

Today, whilst 5542 operated the four services, we were still busy in the shed. The main job was more shunting with the Class 02 Diesel "Diane". One of the box van wagons, which contains a few spare parts, had been suffering terrible weather damage. Therefore, we had to get it inside the shed. But first, the Peckett, the B1 tender and "BC" all had to come outside. Therefore, we fired up the 02 and, once air was made, off we went. Before long, we had "Sir Gomer" outside. Still without a chimney, she looks a bit odd but, nevertheless, she is getting there, very quickly!...

The back of the Peckett, showing the need for new windows and a good clean up! (oh, and a draw-hook!)...

Later on, with the shed shunted, work began with "Sir Gomer" and the clearing out of the Box Van. It was full of water; what a mess! By 4pm, the Prairie had done her four turns and was ready to come back in the shed. She will be running again next Sunday (13th) and of course during our Gala Weekend on March 19th/20th, when she will steam alongside 38xx 2-8-0 No3803, also from the SDR. What a Western line-up! I will back at Shack again next Sunday before our appearance with the LEGO Railway at the 2011 Large Scale Model Rail show in Leamington the following weekend. Thank you for reading folks. Goodnight...

5542 Steams Up Shackerstone...

Hey everyone. Today I was at Shackerstone by 8am as I knew that No5542, the GWR Small Prairie, would be being prepared. This engine, visiting from the SDR, is owned by a group of shareholders. These guys are a very nice, friendly bunch and hardly ever get a chance to drive/fire their engine. Therefore, this weekend, the Prairie was in steam to give the shareholders their chance. The loco did many trips, with a 4-coach train, to Shenton and back over the freshly re-cut section of track. I must admit, it was very nice to see little Prairie in action again; a real branchline feel. During the day, in the shed, we worked on the new Ashpan for the Peckett "Sir Gomer" which is now fast approaching steaming. 5542 performed faultlessly all day and will be performing the first public steam services of the new 2011 season next Sunday; March 6th. Diesel trains will also run on Saturday 5th March. During the afternoon, there was also a 'Footplate Experience' course participant; another successful weekend for the railway overall. Evening all...

Tank' God For That!...

Hey all. Grave apologies for the lateness of these upcoming posts; this appearing on 12/3/11. My phone, which held all of the pics from these upcoming posts, has failed and is away on repair for a few weeks. Therefore, for fear of not posting anything at all I've given up waiting, and decided to try my best and just use what I can. Today, I was at Shackerstone helping on the P-Way. The upcoming arrival of the GWR 38xx 2-8-0 from the South Devon means that the track at Shack and Shenton needs moving away from the platforms, only slightly of course! Therefore, today, the P-Way gang had two tasks to carry out; A) Mend the track at Shenton Distant, B) Dig out the track at Shenton Station for movement. I was taking part in task B, along with fellow CMES member Eddie Jones. The work has tiring yet satisfying with most of it getting done before we left. Up on the track, the progress was also very good. The railway is trying to get the track ready for next weekend when the Small Prairie (5542) will be out and about for her owners to drive/fire. Public services resume on March 5th for the new season. After taking part in the P-Way operations, I left Shenton and drove through the Fen Lanes to Shackerstone. After parking, I popped down to the shed to discover "Sir Gomer" with her tank back on!! "Yes"!! This is indeed great news and great progress, now we have more than a good chance of having her ready for the April Thomas event...maybe she'll look like the above image too, except with new nameplates!! Thanks all. Good Evening...

Tribute to Gerald Boden

It is with overwhelming sadness that I write to inform you that Gerald Boden, owner of LNER B1 "Mayflower" and Class 40 'Atlantic Conveyer', passed away this morning. Gerald was a very active member of the railway preservation scene and looked after his locomotive collection with honour and care that was second to none. He was also a kind and generous personality and I am sure that he will be missed by all who knew him. My thoughts are with his family at this sad time. Rest in Peace Gerald, we won't forget you...

Up, Up & Away...

Hi all. Well, what a hard day indeed, yet very interesting, eye-opening and worthwhile. Today began at 7:30am as I left home in the Saxo in search of the beautiful LNER B1 No1306 "Mayflower". This loco; based at Shackerstone for the last four years or so; has been at a railway works in Birmingham for a few weeks, undergoing a heavy bottom-end overhaul. (No address' or names to protect the loco and owner). This overhaul was to include tyre-turning, axlebox work, ashpan repairs, rod maintainence and a few minor jobs on the side. Whilst 1306 was at Shack, I have spent many days on her footplate. Therefore, I was today invited to lend a hand in the engine's overhaul. I felt that I owed at least one day to the engine; afterall, I have had some fantastic experiences on her footplate. At just gone 8am, I arrived in Birmingham and discovered the location of the B1. There she was, rods removed yet paintwork shining; ever the impressive!

Today was hard work, but we did many things. The day started with sawing some packing; quite alot of packing in fact! The main plan for the day was to lift the engine off her wheels. Therefore, we had to move the massive jacks around, using a forklift and some rather impressive Gantry Cranes. With the jacks in position, we then had to add packing so that the beams would be able to take the weight evenly. At the front end however, there was a problem. The magnet for the old mainline equipment was preventing the jack-beam from getting low enough for packing to be put in. The Gantry crane? No problem! With a 30-ton capacity crane you can pretty much do anything! Connected to the frame lifters, the crane easily lifted the B1 a few inches into the air. Packing in, we dropped her back down. It was then time to get underneath...

If you look at the image above you can see the gaps between the wheels, with limited clearance. We all had to clamber between the wheels to access the springs inside. Lucky the brake rigging had been removed! The spring nuts, pins and underkeep's had to be removed, as well as the springs themselves. This was a very strenuous job, carried out in the confined space between the axles. I must admit, I was very tired when I got home; very tired! The work was very heavy; so is the characteristic of big engines! Below, the right leading wheel stands clear of rods...

I left the B1 at around 5:30pm ready for the short run back down the M6 to home. When I left, the last two springs were just about to come off. Sure enough, I was later sent an image of the B1 with no wheels and also lacking a bogie! Well done to all involved and I wish my friends at 1306 all the luck with the rest of the overhaul. Thanks for reading folks. Goodnight...

A Good Old Shuntin'...

Hi all. Today was just another simple Sunday at Shackerstone, in the loco works. Arriving at around 10am, I was first into the loco shed. After feeding the shed cat and changing into my overalls, I took a quick look around. After an hour or two, we had a full shed crew and the main job today was to shunt the loco's around. Over Christmas, due to the use of 1306 and 5786, "Sir Gomer"; still under overhaul; has been at the back of the shed with "Blue Circle". Unfortunately, that end of the shed is rather dark, cold and is a long way from the stores and facilities. Therefore, the plan was to get "Sir Gomer" over the pit and put 5542 and the tender of 1306 behind in the 'storage area'. Now, this sounds simple to read BUT, due to both "Sir Gomer" and 1306's tender not having a rear draw-hook, the shunt was made very awkward. Therefore, it took us about 2 hours, using BR Class 02 diesel "Diane". First out were 5542 and the tender of 1306, which were put on the main line. Secondly, "Sir Gomer" was brought out into the chilly daylight before being shoved onto the outside pit road...

Next, 5542 and 1306's tender were put back inside. We then had to run back out and fetch "Sir Gomer" and get her in. Then, we had to return to the North End to collect a wagon full of sleepers and bring that back to the shed before uncoupling "Diane" and taking her inside. What alot of effort for such a simple job! Whilst they were outside, I managed to catch a few phone-pics of 5542 and "Sir G" together; the size difference is huge. Even 5542, which is a humble tank engine, towers above the Peckett! But, allas, she is a main liner whereas the Peckett is an industrial. Below, "Sir G"s lack of a tank and a chimney cannot be more graphically shown!...

After the shunt, we all set about continuing the building of the Ash Dump. This project is coming along quite nicely now and will keep the ash tidy and clear of the rails. Another simple day with a finish at 5pm. Thank you for reading folks. Good Evening...