Archive

Narrow Gauge Model Railway Exhibition: Sat. June 3rd 2023

We held our first annual exhibition since the Covid epidemic on June 3rd. There were sixteen layouts including our “Challenge” layout entries, three Society stands and Great Eastern Models from Norwich providing trade support. We thank everybody involved, including very importantly Zane, Carol, Sarah, Ann, Pauline and Pat for providing refreshments and cakes. And a special thank you to Richard for all his hard work organising the show.

Here are some photos of the exhibits:-

The Ruston 10RB loading skips at the gravel pit on “Fen End Pit” – 16mm.

Old Simplex locomotives at the shed on “Fen End Pit” – 16mm.

Displayed in remembrance of James Corsi who built the layout, Barry Weston runs typical continental stock on “Ruritania Eisenbahn” – O-16.5 scale.

The right hand end of “Ruritania Eisenbahn”. It was built from an easy “starter set”, plus additions.

Dave Carson’s Edwardian 009 layout “New Walmington Pier”, full of detail.

Winter near the front line in the Great War is Baldwin 778 on “Plugstreet” in 009, by Laurence Hendry. Photo is tinted.

“Plugstreet” is a casualty clearing station where wounded soldiers are treated before being transported to hospitals. Photo is tinted.

The wonderful scene at “Much Meddling” (009) by Chris O’Donoghue.

The “Much Meddling & Farr Dyke Railway” is inspired by the work of Rowland Emett. All the stock is scratch built. Resemblance may be seen to the “House in the Clouds” in Thorpeness which inspired the tower.

009 loco “Alde” is seen down by the filter beds on Chris Seago’s “Reeds Beck Waterworks”.

“Reeds Beck Waterworks” is a Victorian waterworks displaying the well-maintained grounds and buildings which municipalities had great pride in.

Graham & Caroline Watling displayed their O9 layout “Raven Hill”. Here “Hydra” is arriving with a short passenger train.

A goods train is seen in the loop at “Raven Hill” station.

A Manning Wardle loco un-couples on the “North Level Railway” (O-16.5) exhibited by Alan Church.

The goods shed sidings including a transporter wagon. “North Level Railway” – O-16.5.

Ian has included a mixture of scales, and used left over parts along with characters from fairy tales etc.

“Challenge” Layouts.

This years Challenge was to build an operational narrow gauge micro layout with a minimum scenic area of four square feet (576 sq. ins.). Fiddle yards could be added to aid operation as required. We thank all those who entered and put much effort to producing some uniquely interesting models.

The winner of this years Trophy was “Lysander Farm” in 009, by Ray Trudgett.

“Lysander Farm”: This railway transports hops, arable and dairy products on the Kent/East Sussex border. Restored stock provides passenger trains for visitors at weekends.

Ray receiving the Trophy from Helen Arnold of Great Eastern Models.

“Southgate Sidings” – O-16.5, by Geoff Brace. The sidings serve a small industrial estate built after the great war.

“Southgate Sidings”. Wagons are dropped off and picked up from various points on the sidings.

“Noels Work” – 1:16. A shunting puzzle built by Bill Knight.

The layout is built in Bills typical scratch-built style, much of it from cardboard and strips of wood, and superbly weathered.

“Pointless Shunting” – 009 by David Churchyard. A very different freelance shunting puzzle layout.

“Pointless Shunting”: The layout uses two turntables instead of pointwork to position wagons. Most items are 3D printed at home.

“The Martlesham Malteser Mine” – SM32, Alan Fuller. Equal 2nd in the vote came this secret honeycomb mine layout at Martlesham. Balls of honeycomb are loaded on to barges under cover of darkness and towed out to sea to waiting coasters.

“The Martlesham Malteser Mine”. The battery loco enters the mine for another load of honeycomb balls.

“Wainford Sidings” – SM32, Malcolm Cudmore: Great atmosphere portrayed in the Waveney Valley – a short spur near an aggregates quarry.

“Wainford Sidings”: Malcolm has used his artistic background to create a lovely scene.

“Loose Ends” – 009 by Jim Bamber. Also equal second in the Challenge, Jim created this fictional village scene.

“Loose Ends”: The railway runs through the village of houses, shops and mill. There are many small details.

Support:

Alan Butcher and Andrew Barnes from the Bure Valley Railway.
Popular 15″ gauge line running from Aylsham to Hoveton/Wroxham.

Mike Kendall and James Hewett from the Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
Dedicated to promoting and restoring the narrow gauge railway from the Halesworth end.

“Running Day” at the Middy: Sunday 25th July 2021

Our Group were invited back to the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway to display layouts at their steam open day. The weather was good despite a bad forecast, and we were pleased to see so many friends and enthusiastic visitors. Here are some photos: Click on image to enlarge

Baldwin’s at “Llanfair Jamieinion” (009) by Graham & Jamie Doe.

Bill Knight’s 1:16 scratch built shunting puzzle “Little Ease” and display of materials in construction.

“Staines Barn” by Richard Doe (009) a micro layout receiving it’s first public showing. Based on a unique sugar beet line in Norfolk.

Barry Weston was running the late James Corsi’s O-16.5 scale “Ruritania Eisenbahn” layout.

Another layout having it’s first public display was “Raven Hill” (O9) by Graham & Caroline Watling, inspired by the North York Moors.

“New Walmington Pier” (009) by Dave Carson.

Malcolm Cudmore was displaying his 16mm remote control Simplex and also painting figures as a demonstration.

Jim Bamber was displaying his 009 layout “Hubbards Halt”, here are two of his loco’s, a vertical boiler tram loco and coach and a Beyer-Garratt scratch build.

6th Open Day & Exhibition, Beccles, 7th March 2020.

Our 6^th public exhibition was held in Beccles on March 7^th. We hosted 13 layouts ranging in scales from 4mm to 16mm, 6 sales and society stands and a painting demonstration. With 315 visitors, it was quite a busy day. We also held our annual challenge where seven “Fruit Box Dioramas” were built by members of the Group, which this year by its very nature totalled hundreds of hours of work. Bill Knight won the trophy this year for his superb 1:24 scale “Narrow Gauge Graveyard”.
Of course we must thank Myra Davies for her demonstration of painting and weathering 7mm scale accessories and figures, the Southwold Railway Trust, Bure Valley railway, Halesworth to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway, Helens Sales, Great Eastern Models, and the 009 Society Sales for their trade and society support. Thanks also again to members of Great Yarmouth Brass Band who supplied delicious home-made cakes and refreshments.
Photos by G. Watling unless marked.
(Click on images to enlarge)

**Southwold** – 00n3 (4mm scale 12mm gauge). Stewart Green’s excellent Post World War 1 model of Southwold Station. Famous for it’s “Cleminson” 6-wheeled chassis and it’s quirky nature the model features all the flavour of the station area and the approach from the cutting.

**Oh Guano** – 0-16.5 (7mm scale). A Queensland, Australia set model of a facility to process bat droppings (Guano) built by Noel Davies. It is mainly used for fertiliser and also supplied to gunpowder manufacturers.

***Orne*** – 009 (4mm scale, 9mm gauge). Chris Ford displayed his Mid-Sussex scene of a railway that has just managed to survive the war. It was built on a redundant baseboard.

***Llanfair Jamieinion*** – 009 (4mm scale, 9mm gauge). Built for his son Jamie to operate, Graham Doe has constructed a layout with a continuous run, the tack plan being inspired by the W&LLR western terminus. A small fiddle yard has now been added for more operational variety.

***Ashurst Brickworks*** – 009 (4mm scale, 9mm gauge). A fictitious layout by Peter Rednall based alongside a narrow estuary on the Sussex coast where good brick-making clays have been found. Now based in the 1950’s, a passenger service continues to run.

Character of the day “Maisie”, and (right) Myra Davies Painting Demonstration detailing 7mm scale figures and accessories.

**Mirkwood** – 009 (4mm scale, 9mm gauge). A lovely model of a small Welsh slate quarry and nearby village by Tony Clarke.

Challenge Trophy presentation.
Photo. R. Doe

***Shortwaite Hill –*** 009 4mm scale, 9mm gauge. Graham & Caroline Watling’s fictitious, North Yorkshire inspired layout. Features a lower and upper station, scratch built buildings and hill scenery.

***Old Chapel Yard –*** 009 4mm scale, 9mm gauge. A repair and maintenance yard set on the edge of a rural town by Jim Bamber. Jim is still adding stock and details on the layout.

Since our Group formed in March 2014, some layouts are no longer with our group members or are out of circulation. Here is a selection of Galleries illustrating past projects:

(Click On Images to enlarge)

Thurtey

A Motorail diesel waits with the guards van on the centre pier.

A train is ready to depart from the passenger pier while the Motorail waits in the siding.
The stone pier with barge.

Railbus at the passenger terminus.
Minitrains Bohler with Barclay modifications at the water tower.
Modified Bachmann Ruston on the turning triangle.
Early photo of the layout.
Looking towards the ferry dock.
An N2sf diesel waiting with empty wagons.

“Thurtey” was originally built in 2005 as a special layout to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Wessex Narrow Gauge Modellers and is quite a unique layout. The track plan is shaped to proclaim the numerals “3” and “0” with the number “3” forming the scenic section of three jetties and a turning triangle, and the “0” as the fiddle yard area. It is 30″ square and designed to be running in 30 seconds of placing it in position. Using second hand items the cost was £30, and there were 30 figures and animals. It was obtained about 2017 and Richard has refreshed much of the scenery, and modified it slightly, making it an operable layout again. Inspired by King Harry Ferry in Cornwall the layout has passengers and vehicles waiting for the ferry to arrive from the other side of the estuary while dredging debris is taken from the estuary bed and loaded into wagons.