Model Railway Exhibitions – October 2013

Model Railway Exhibitions

October 2013

• Sat 5th October 2013 – Sun 6th October 2013

• Mickleover Model Railway Group – Model Railway Exhiibition

• Community Centre, Uttoxeter Road, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire DE3 0DA

OPENING TIMES: 10am-5pm BOTH DAYS

ADMISSION: Adults £3.00 Concessions £2.00 Children £2.00 Family £8.00

10+ working Layouts, trade stands, and cafeteria. All layouts belong to the club or club members.

• Sat 12th October 2013 – Sun 13th October 2013

• Haywoods Permanent Way – Model Railway Exhibition 2013

• Memorial Hall, Main Road, Great Haywood, Staffordshire ST18 0SU

OPENING TIMES: SAT 10am – 5pm SUN 10am – 4pm

ADMISSION: Adults £3.00 Concessions £2.50 Children £2.00 Family £8.00

A small friendly show. Prices held from last show. Layouts in a popular range of scales and gauges, AV presentation in adjoining hall, Trade support and Refreshments. Car park at rear of hall.

• Sat 12th October 2013

• West Bromwich Rail Model Club – Annual Club Open Day

• The Old Post Office, Holyhead Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands WS10 7DF

OPENING TIMES: SAT 10.00am – 4.00pm

ADMISSION: Adults £1.00 Concessions £1.00 Children £1.00

This is our ANNUAL CLUB OPEN DAY were the public can see what the club does by showing our club layouts and some members own layouts. Trade support will be on site.

• Sat 12th October 2013 – Sun 13th October 2013

• Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Association – Wirksworth Model Railway Exhibition

• Wirksworth Town Hall, Coldwell Street, Wirksworth, Derbyshire DE4 4EU

OPENING TIMES: SAT 10.00am-5.00pm, SUN 10.00am-4.30pm

ADMISSION: Adults £4.50 Concessions £3.50 Children £3.50 Family £11.00

11th Wirksworth Model Railway Exhibition in 3 venues around Wirksworth: Town Hall, Parish Rooms and Memorial Hall. Free Parking at Wirksworth Station. Specialist Trade Stands, Secondhand Railway Books, DVD’S and Books, Railway Artist, EVRA Stand. Tombola. Refreshments. Ticket holders can get a reduced rate on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway for the day. Sponsored by the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Association, Register charity 1106810.

• Sat 19th October 2013

• Cradley Heath MRC – First Model Railway Exhibition

• Cradley Heath Community Centre, Reddal Hill Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands B64 5jg, Reddal Hill Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands B64 5jg, West Midlands B64 5JG

OPENING TIMES: 10am-5pm

ADMISSION: Adults £4.00 Concessions £3.00 Children £3.00 Family £10.00

Cradley Heath Model Railway Club innaugural exhibition

 

Full disabled access, including car parking. Snacks and drinks available.

• Sat 26th October 2013

• Birmingham Model Railway Club – Exhibition

• Arden Hall, Water Orton RD, Birmingham, West Midlands B36 9PB

OPENING TIMES: 10.30am – 4.00pm

ADMISSION: Adults £3.00 Concessions £2.00 Children £1.50 Family £8.00

Good venue with free parking, full refreshment service, First exhibition at this venue by B Ham Model Club

• Sat 26th October 2013

• Newtown Model Railway Society – Mid Wales Model Railway Show

• The Town Hall, High Street, Welshpool, Powys SY21 7JQ

OPENING TIMES: 10.30am to 4.30pm

ADMISSION: Adults £3.00

The Mid Wales Model Railway Show is held in Welshpool Town Hall. There will be approximately 15 layouts covering the major scales and gauges, as well as modelling demonstrations, second hand sales, modelling and books trade stands. The venue is wheelchair friendly. There is ample parking close by. It is 10 minutes walk from the main line Station, and 10 minutes walk from the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway station at Raven Square. Accompanied children will have FREE admission.

 

 

Across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

Across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct , a set on Flickr.

A cruise along the Llangollen Canal organised in conjunction with Wicksons Travel of Walsall Wood, Staffordshire.  An hour in each direction on board the narrowboat ‘Thomas Telford’ crossing the aqueduct each way.

Hednesford’s new Bingo Hall

Hednesford’s new Bingo Hall, a set on Flickr.

The redevelopment of Hednesford’s Victoria Street car park, including a new Bingo Hall, a parade of shops and an Aldi supermarket.

254 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces From Chasewater News – Summer 2002 Part 8 – Hot Boxes & Sans Pareil

254 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Summer 2002

 Part 8 –  Hot Boxes & Sans Pareil

Canals – Boating off the Beaten Track – The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal

Canals – Boating off the Beaten Track

The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal

Martine O’Callaghan of Coolcanals tells us why she thinks the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal is a great place to get away from it all:

It’s a canal off the main cruising rings that can be overlooked. Although you have to negotiate the river Severn to reach it, once you’re on the canal, it’s a lazy journey for boaters – no locks after Gloucester, and the swing bridges are manned, giving you more time to take in your surroundings.

We didn’t immediately fall in love with the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal – it strides such a Spartan-straight course, it never treats you to the twists and turns of some other canals. But the dynamics of this canal catch you unawares and now we’re smitten, it’s become a firm favourite.

Built to carry tall ships, when it opened it was the widest, deepest canal in the world. What it lacks in traditional narrow canal charm, it resoundingly makes up for in its unique way. Every way you turn, if you look twice, the water is sending clues about the past. But it’s not only heritage that makes this canal fascinating: the canal is bursting with wildlife and birds making their way to the adjacent Slimbridge Wetland Centre. The River Severn Estuary clings to one side of the canal and changes the view with its tides, and then there’s the ethereal beauty of the Purton Hulks, Frampton’s church overlooking the canal, the start of the Cotswold Canals at Saul, Gloucester’s historic docks and Waterways Museum.

This is an ancient waterscape riddled with English history. The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal was built during troubled times when Horatio Nelson was fighting the Battle of Trafalgar, and Napoleon was losing at Waterloo. When it opened in 1827, it was the world’s broadest, deepest canal, built as a bypass from the treacherous waters of the river Severn as far as Gloucester.

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal near Saul, Gloucestershire

Approaching Sandfield Bridge, looking towards Gloucester. The swing bridge is operated by the bridge keeper whose office is in the canal-side brick building.  The Gloucester and Sharpness Ship Canal was built in order that vessels could bypass a particular hazardous and meandering stretch of the tidal River Severn. The canal was started in 1794, then continued in 1817 following consultation with Thomas Telford. Further delays meant the canal was not fully navigable until 1827.  © Copyright Roger Kidd and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 Since Roman times, Gloucester had been an important port, but seafaring vessels that ventured inland too often met their end with the unpredictable sands and tides of the Severn. With the canal’s help, Gloucester became Britain’s furthest inland port where sea vessels could venture incongruously inland flagging high sails through the rural landscape.

Cargoes from around the globe arrived by sailing ship, barge, narrowboat, tanker and steamship. During the Industrial Revolution, it carried grains imported to feed the hungry towns of the Midlands. And in the 20th century, it carried cocoa beans to Cadbury’s factory at Frampton on Severn where they were made into chocolate crumb and then sent on narrowboats to Bournville. The canal also played an important role in the economy of the Midlands carrying coal from the Forest of Dean.

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal west of Slimbridge

Looking towards Gloucester. This section of canal is about half a mile west of Patch Bridge.   Maximum dimensions for vessels: Length 240 feet, beam 30 feet, draught 10 feet, and headroom 105 feet. On this canal there is a speed limit of 6 mph. The canal is 16½ miles long, with a lock to the River Severn at each end.  © Copyright Roger Kidd and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

 

Miniature Railways – Lappa Valley Steam Railway

Miniature Railways

Lappa Valley Steam Railway

Lappa Valley Steam Railway – Track & Stations

Our steam railway is built to 15 inch gauge (350mm gauge) which is approximately one-quarter of the size of standard gauge railways. This gauge was selected in 1973 by the founder of the railway, Eric Booth, as being the most efficient gauge for a line of our length.

The track runs on a section of the trackbed originally built in 1849 for a minerals railway to serve the mine at East Wheal Rose.

We have one mile of track running through the Lappa Valley between our stations at Benny Halt and East Wheal Rose. Car parking and our ticket office can be found at Benny Halt while the rest of our activities are located at East Wheal Rose at the end of your journey by steam train. We run regular scheduled services in season and some special events. Click here for our timetable.

Lappa Valley Steam Railway – Rolling Stock

We have ten 15 inch gauge carriages which were built for us in ‘toast-rack’ style by Jays Gates of St Newlyn East (now Mid-Cornwall Metal Fabrications of Newquay). Over the years we have made alterations to the carriages to suit different weather conditions – some are more open than others for sunny days and one, the ‘First Class’ coach, has been panelled in wood with upholstered seats – if available, you may travel in it at no extra cost!

 Lappa Valley Steam Railway – Locomotives

Zebedee – 15 inch gauge railway

0-6-4 Pannier tank locomotive, coal fired. Designed by David Curwen, built 1974 by Severn Lamb of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Muffin – 15 inch gauge railway

0-6-0 Tender locomotive, coal fired. Designed by David Curwen, built 1967 by Berwyn Engineering of Chippenham.

Eric – 10¼ inch gauge railway

0-6-0 diesel hydraulic Perkins 22 bhp. Designed and built by Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye.

APT – 7¼ inch gauge railway

4w + 4w, petrol, single cylinder 8 hp. Built by Mardyke Miniature Railways of Rainham.

http://www.lappavalley.co.uk/

 History

 Minerals Railway – Lappa Valley

The Lappa Valley Railway runs on one of the oldest railway track beds in Cornwall. In 1843 J. T. Treffry, a pioneer of Cornish railways, suggested building a tramway between Par and the growing port of Newquay, with a branch to East Wheal Rose mine which was then entering its most prosperous period.

It took Treffry six years to overcome local opposition to his scheme and modifications to the route were needed. The tramway was eventually built from Newquay to St. Dennis, with a branch to East Wheal Rose. The first cargo of ore from East Wheal Rose, weighing thirty tons, was carried in horse-drawn tubs to Newquay harbour on 26th February 1849.

In 1874, following an Act of Parliament, Treffry’s network of tramways, including the East Wheal Rose branch, was taken over by the Cornwall Minerals Railway and horses were replaced by steam locomotives.

253 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces From Chasewater News Summer 2002 – Part 7 – Loco Shed

253 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News

Summer 2002 – Part 7 – Loco Shed

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era 1912 – Fowler 4-4-0 – Midland Railway

Steam Locomotives of a More Leisurely Era

1912 – Fowler 4-4-0

Midland Railway

No. 554 in 1926

The pre-grouping members of this class were nominally rebuilds of much earlier Johnson engines, but here they are treated as a new class originating in 1912.

The first of the original Johnson engines to be taken in hand for this complete modernisation was the old’1667’ class, a series of ten 7’ 0” engines built in 1885, numbered 1667-1676, which became Nos. 483-93 under the 1907 renumbering scheme.  No. 483 was the first to be treated, and not only were the others of this batch, but also the whole of the series numbered between 483 and 562, completed by 1914, as well as many of the earlier engines in addition.

Conversion of these proceeded until 1922, after which no more were done, and those still remaining in the second ‘intermediate’ rebuilt stage were gradually taken out of service.  All of the new ‘483’ class, 157 engines in all, numbered between 332 and 562, together with five others taken over from the Somerset and Dorset in 1930 as Nos. 322-6 (the original Johnson engines bearing those numbers having by that time been scrapped), came into BR stock in 1948.  They nominally had 40000 added to their numbers, but withdrawal commenced in 1948 and in a few cases the new numbers were never carried.  Toward the end of 1959 some thirty of these engines were still in traffic.

After the 1923 amalgamation the class was adopted with slight modifications – the principal of which was a reduction in the diameter of the driving wheels from 7’ 0” to 6’ 9” – as a standard design, and a further 135 engines were built for the LMSR, together with three others for the Somerset and Dorset, between 1928 and 1932.

The LMS engines were 563-632 and 636-700, whilst the S&DJR engines, at first 44-6 in their own system, became 633-5 on their absorption in 1930.  Nos. 591 and 639 had very short lives, as they were involved in a collision in 1934, and were so badly damaged that they were scrapped.  The remainder all became BR 40563-40700 and withdrawal did not commence on any considerable scale until 1959.  Many of these LMS-built engines were put to work on the Glasgow and South Western section in Scotland where they replaced the various G&SWR 4-4-0s which did not long survive the grouping.

MR engines – Driving wheels – 7’ 0”,  Cylinders – 20½”x 26”,  Pressure – 160 lb.,  Tractive effort – 17585 lb.,  Weight – 53 tons 7 cwt, MR classification – 2,  LMS & BR classification – 2P

LMS engines – Driving wheels – 6’ 9”,  Cylinders – 19”x 26”,  Pressure – 180 lb.,  Tractive effort – 17730 lb.,  Weight – 54 tons 1 cwt, MR classification – N/A,  LMS & BR classification – 2P

‘Little Friends’ learn and play at the Museum of Cannock Chase.

 The Little Friends Group is the latest exciting innovation at the Museum of Cannock Chase, aimed at giving the very young a gentle introduction to the fascinating world of history.

 Each Friday parents and their pre-schoolers are invited to take part in a host of themed activities, crafts and play in the venue which tells the story of the district.

Museum Services Manager Lee Bellingham commented ‘Museums can seem like quite stuffy and daunting places to young children so we wanted to use it as a venue to help the children realise that they are actually interesting and fun places to be.  We have a ‘Friend of the Museum’ group so we thought that ‘Little Friends; would be the ideal name for the playgroup.  We want young children to become future friends by introducing them to everything the Museum has to offer from an early age’.

On offer during the sessions is storytelling, music, crafts, water, sand and sorting play plus a quiet area and baby area.

Situated on the site of the former Valley Colliery, the Museum is the gateway to the stunning scenery of the Hednesford Hills Nature Reserve.  All the activities are led by an experienced Museum Educator and everyone is invited.

The sessions run from 10.00am until 11.30am each Friday and cost just £2.00 per session.  There’s no need to book in advance – you just need to turn up and be ready for fun!

The Museum of Cannock Chase is situated on Valley Road, Hednesford.  For more information you can call the Museum on 01543 877666.

 The Little Friends Group is the latest exciting innovation at the Museum of Cannock Chase, aimed at giving the very young a gentle introduction to the fascinating world of history.

Each Friday parents and their pre-schoolers are invited to take part in a host of themed activities, crafts and play in the venue which tells the story of the district.

Museum Services Manager Lee Bellingham commented ‘Museums can seem like quite stuffy and daunting places to young children so we wanted to use it as a venue to help the children realise that they are actually interesting and fun places to be.  We have a ‘Friend of the Museum’ group so we thought that ‘Little Friends; would be the ideal name for the playgroup.  We want young children to become future friends by introducing them to everything the Museum has to offer from an early age’.

On offer during the sessions is storytelling, music, crafts, water, sand and sorting play plus a quiet area and baby area.

Situated on the site of the former Valley Colliery, the Museum is the gateway to the stunning scenery of the Hednesford Hills Nature Reserve.  All the activities are led by an experienced Museum Educator and everyone is invited.

The sessions run from 10.00am until 11.30am each Friday and cost just £2.00 per session.  There’s no need to book in advance – you just need to turn up and be ready for fun!

The Museum of Cannock Chase is situated on Valley Road, Hednesford.  For more information you can call the Museum on 01543 877666.

Some Foreign Lines – The Pride of Africa

 Some Foreign Lines

The Pride of Africa

The Pride of Africa is a luxury train which is run by Rovos Rail. It is billed as the “World’s Most Luxurious Train”.  It travels through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania.

Rovos Rail was established in 1989.

Life on Board

General make-up of the train Locomotive, generator car, staff car, guest sleepers, a non-smoking lounge car (26 guests), two non-smoking 42-seat dining cars (if required, plenty of space for the maximum of 72 guests carried), kitchen car, guest sleepers, smoking lounge and Observation Car (32 guests) at the tail.

Cuisine Meals are served in one sitting only in the charming Victorian atmosphere of the dining cars and are complemented by a selection of fine South African wines. An enthusiastic team of chefs is responsible for overseeing the very important task of ensuring guests’ every need is catered for. There’s an accent on fresh local ingredients and traditional dishes such as game are a specialty. Breakfast is between 07h00 and 10h00, lunch at 13h00, tea at 16h30 and a formal dinner at 19h30. A gong heralds lunch and dinner.

Dress For days on the train dress is smart casual. Evening attire is more formal – for the gentlemen a jacket and tie is a minimum requirement while for ladies we suggest cocktail/evening dresses or suits. Please include warm clothing for cold mornings and evenings.

Mobile Devices and Internet In maintaining the spirit of travel of a bygone era, there are no radios or television sets on board. The use of mobile phones, laptops and essentially anything that has the ability to disturb other passengers is confined to the privacy of your suites only.

Smoking is only allowed in the privacy of your suite and in the Club Lounge.

The Observation Cars were originally A-28 dining cars built to drawings by Mr W Day. Permission was granted by SAR to run Rovos Rail’s observation cars at the back of the trains, enabling the enlargement of the windows and the construction of unique open-air balconies. Coaches 225 NILE, 226 MODDER and 220 KEI entered service between 1935 and 1938 and stayed with SAR until 1983 when they were sold to Mr S Krok of Johannesburg. They were transported to the Jewish Guild Sports Club grounds in Morningside, Sandton, to become the nucleus of a novel restaurant. Rovos Rail purchased them in 1988 and restored them to service as observation cars. During 2010, a 1960 third-class sleeper 6320 was rebuilt as an observation car and has proved a great success. The ride is also a little better than its counterparts as the bogies are the more modern, commonwealth type.

Dining Cars

The Classic and Edwardian trains travel with beautiful pre-1940 dining cars. Two A-22 twin diners, characterised by their carved roof-supporting pillars and arches, derived their twin designation from running with a dedicated kitchen car. Coach 195 SHANGANI was found in a scrap yard in 1986; her severely dilapidated condition required 18 months of painstaking restoration. Tragically this coach was destroyed in a fire one dismal night in 2008. Coach 197 LETABA was acquired in 1987; she became the third dining car restored to service. Coach 205 UMHLALI was purchased in Johannesburg and was fully restored by 2006. In 1936, SAR introduced the A-28/A-29 series of dining cars. This was a big step forward as they had fly-up, fixed seats, large picture windows with ventilators above and no pillars, giving clean modern lines to the interior and exterior. The first batch of four entered traffic in 1936 and Rovos has two in the fleet. Coach 232 UMVOTI was bought by Rovos in 1998. Kitchen car AA-34 286 was sold to Rovos in 1985. Her dining car 231 ZAMBEZI was extracted with difficulty from a shopping centre and returned to service in 2000. During restoration, the ceiling of the coach was improved with extensive use of wooden trimmings while button-leather seats added opulence. It was fitting that they were reunited several years later. In 2010, dining cars 6447 and 5274 were added to the consist. The first was built from a second-class sleeper, while 5274 was rusted through and a third-class sleeper conversion fondly referred to by the staff as the ‘Rust Bucket’.

Lounge Cars

Expansion plans in 1995 saw the Classic trains move from 42 to 72 guests, making a second lounge car a necessity. Coaches 3215, 8337 and 3293 were originally modern steel-sided sleeper cars. They were stripped and refurbished to create comfortable non-smoking lounge cars, which are placed in the middle of the trains usually ahead of the dining cars. Deep sofas and wingback chairs make for an extremely comfortable car in which guests nodding off for an afternoon snooze are a common sight. The lounge cars are used as lecture rooms on the annual Dar es Salaam journeys and also house a small, discreet gift shop. As with all the service cars the lounges are air-conditioned, yet the windows can be opened allowing in the sights, sounds and scents of Africa. There are few, if any, luxury trains anywhere in the world with this special feature, which has proved of particular benefit when a train has been chartered for a Steam Safari – steam enthusiasts like to enjoy the full majesty of a working locomotive and windows that open are top priority. This feature, coupled with luxury and service as well as a selection of Rovos Rail steam locomotives, makes this a truly unique opportunity to sample long-distance travel behind steam traction.

Club Cars

The Club Car area was created by demolishing the end suite in a deluxe carriage. This was done specifically to host the smokers on the train in a public area and also as an overflow facility adjoining the Observation Car. With a glass passage wall, guests can comfortably watch the scenery on both sides of the train.

Victoria Falls

http://www.rovos.com