Vintage Thursday

 Time for another trip down the track that heads to what was before.  Inspiration comes in many forms,  sometimes it's visiting a layout,  sometimes seeing a model in person,  sometimes vintage film of your favorite prototype, or a favorite photograph.  This week's vintage Thursday is a few photographs,  from a generic book titled "Model And Miniature Railways" by Patrick Whitehouse and John Adams.  A very large format book I've looked through hundreds of times from childhood to today,  some 25+ odd years.  The series of photographs below is one reason I've always had an interest in Victorian Steam Railways,  and a desire to build a model of them in some small way.

(Two others being Thomas The Tank Engine , and Ivo Peter's superb colour films).  

 The Layout is Dean Bridge,  and was built by Anthony Murray.  You don't see many model railways depicting the earlier periods of pre-grouping much these days.  Fantastic,  and the colour Photographs taken by B. Monaghan really brings it to life.  Enjoy !   (Oh,  and of course,  it's O gauge :)

 (Click On Photo for Full Size)

Windrush Junction Signal Box

 With the days getting shorter and the weather getting colder,  I've been finding more time to relax at my workbench with a nice cup of tea,  and a fun project. 

 This one was very enjoyable,  the signal box located at Windrush Junction.   The kit was made by Lcut ,  the second model I've built from them. (Kit # B70-07L Medium Signal Box Left Stairs).  Made in Great Britain.  Price was £17.99,  which I find to be very good value for money.   The kit went together like the engine shed,  very easy and everything fit well.  I did add a Skytrex interior kit.  In O scale,  the interiors of buildings are very visible,  especially ones with large windows,  so it's a must.   While adding the interior,  I made the decision to add interior LED lighting too,  as I thought it would show up well, factoring in where the signal box would be placed on the layout.  I don't plan on operating my railway too much in the dark,  but it will be nice to switch the interior lights on once and awhile in dim room lighting,  adding a bit of atmosphere to the scene.  Fun to photograph.

 The other modification made from the kit was changing the position of the stairs.  It was going to eat up too much space by having the stairs go straight.  So I added a few pieces and now have them coming down the side of the building,  more pleasing to my eye too.   

Overall I'm very happy how this particular scene is developing.  I try to picture the entire layout as a series of specific scenes all linked together to paint a portrait of a small railway in 1920s Somerset.

Next up is more track ballasting,  and more scenic projects.  Never a dull moment on the BBR !

 (Click on photos for full size)

Happy Birthday Col. Stephens

  Happy 150th Birthday to Colonel Holman Fred Stephens. (31 October 1868) For those who do not know the life of Col. Stephens (SHAME ON YOU !),  here is a brief summary from Wikipedia .   There is also a society dedicated to the Colonel,  check it out.

 My fictional O scale model railway is of course inspired by the many light railways that the Colonel either built,  or saved from total abandonment, and operated on a shoe string budget to keep them going.  For more info on his railways and some great photographs,  I highly recommend the book "The Colonel Stephens' Railways - View From The Past"  by John Scott Morgan.  

A brief note about the figure in the photos.  It's a really nice casting from Andrew Stadden,  very nicely detailed and fun to paint.  It's my first attempt at painting a proper 7mm figure.  They have other famous railway personalities too.

 For his Birthday,  the Colonel decided to inspect his latest project,  the construction of the Boxer Bay Railway.  So far so good, he's contented with the progress.  

May his life story continue to inspire many model railways into the future !

 Here he is inspecting the loco shed at Windrush Junction.  (click on photos to enlarge)

Road + Signal Box

It's been a busy October leaving little time for the railway,  however I try to work on it every day, even if it's as little as 10 minutes.  You'd be surprised how much one can accomplish in a week of just 10 minute mini work sessions.    

I've been working on another scene that I hope will be a nice vantage point.   An unpaved gravel road crossing and, directly across the signal box for Windrush Junction.  It's one of those nice inexpensive laser cut kits from Lcut,  which I find to be very good value for money.   Photo below shows progress so far.   Track ballasting is also progressing foot by foot,  very therapeutic and calming after a tough day :)    Cheers

Coaling Stage

  It has been a long time since my last update.  Summer time just isn't conducive to working on the model railway,  at least for me.  I generally use Summer to take a bit of a break from the layout,  go outside,  enjoy the warm weather etc...  but Fall is now here,  and I've been re-energized to get back to the railway !

  Progress on the BBR has not been completely idle though,   as I've developed the scene around the loco shed at Windrush Junction,  scratchbuilding this coaling stage and doing a bit of the scenery around it.  Most enjoyable to build using wood.  I didn't follow any particular plans,  just used a few photos from a couple Railway Bylines magazines for ideas.   It seems to suit the location well.   

 The observant will note the tunnel in the background,  which is also being engineered at the moment,  will cover that in another post.   A new video is also being prepared.    Who's excited for the forthcoming Minerva Manning Wardle loco :)

Vintage Thursday

  Time for another view from the past.  This time from June 1960's Model Railway News.  The following photos show the work of Mr W.S. Norris,  the very well known finescale O scale modeller.  His railway featured some of the finest scale track and locos seen in O back in the day.  His railway never fails to inspire me to get to work, and to improve my skills.