May 2nd 2015 – At the layouts – John Plumpton [photo – Ross Shimmon]
We started with continuing the station platforms, when David G arrived with an almost completed platform canopy. David and Barry discussed the best way to drill square holes in the platform to secure the canopy. Ross arrived with a mock-up of the other platform shelter. More time was spent studying drawings and finding etchings and plastic strips for the main platform building. These have been taken away to be studied by me as well as the rest of the platform surfaces for painting.
Jo and Alan took great interest in what was going on and were soon ballasting, and trimming the stuck on carpet felt. Ross also found time to help with the ballasting. Jo ran his ‘Princess’ (?) loco and as usual Maurice kept the red flag flying with his ‘Flat Iron’ and ‘Johnson 1F’ and the usual mix of red vehicles. David H was quietly swearing behind an upturned baseboard, when he kept finding wires that didn’t go anywhere, but finally at the end of the day came out smiling, with most problems resolved. Roger and Richard with hammers and chisels and saws lifted ballast and track and shortened ‘Cavedale’ to make better access to the test track controllers.
A dozen members; a lot of activity; I think a good day was had by all.
Mid-week session – April 22nd – RM
John’s ex-LSWR O2 put in some miles around the circuit as we got on with jobs. David G’s 3F was on the inner line with a beautiful S&DJR coach and a LSWR road van behind it. Alastair opened up the regulator and sent a Czech mallet loco, with tinplate train, whizzing round. Boxes cleared from the stair head, Roger enlisted Ron’s help to lift track at the end of Cavedale. (Maybe a final incarnation?) I spent time moving trestle supports, then bodged a platform to support Charing station, before polishing tracks. We ventured out for afternoon tea when the sun came out. Gradually, bit by bit in the case of ballast, Edington progresses. The David H and Barry turned their baseboard right-way up, and at the press of a button automated couplings happily responded. Much needs to be tweaked and soldered, but with David G’s stock on the track, it certainly looks a “Railway”.
April 18th 2015 – Layout session – John Plumpton [photo – Ross Shimmon]
John and Ross started by studying plans for the platform waiting room; sorting out the component parts which Ross is taking home and will start by making a mock-up of the building. David H and Barry worked, all afternoon, sorting out the many electric wires for the panels. Ron and Colin busied themselves with carpet felt; Ron thinning it out ready to stick and Colin clearing the excess off the layout. John continued laying the supports for the platforms. Painting the actual platform surface is also well under way.
Ross ran a Terrier around the test tracks before being persuaded to attempt ballasting on Edington. Stuart bought in some of his buildings for Nailbourne and added them to the station. Alistair called in later in the afternoon to be updated him on progress. A good day all round, and we even managed to have our lunch and afternoon tea out in the sunshine.
April 4th – Layout day – RM
It was still chilIy up on the heights, but the kettles were soon keeping a dozen members sustained. I was impressed by how tidy the loft was and what progress had been made on the exhibition layout. A beautifully liveried SE&CR express loco took to the tracks, with a LNER/BR 0-4-4t. A pair of Hudswell Clarks appeared on wagons and light railway stock. Nailbourne and Cavedale continue to be quietly added to. Edington’s “works in progress” included ballasting at one end, platform constructing in the middle and vegetation planting at the other. Sector plates had been sent down to the workshop, while threading and soldering multitudes of wires happened in silence alongside. Nearby, signal posts were burnished and a signal cabin stairway built. John B was greeted by a standing ovation; having navigated himself to us for a first visit – quite an achievement.
March 21st Layout Day – Ross S
Dick laid a temporary length of track and fired up his incredibly good sounding Rio Grande narrow gauge loco. It was cold. I retreated a little early. I had planted the tree and continued laying the ‘grass’ which Ron took on when I left. Earlier I had run the CS Museum’s EHLR Terrier, which David G had painted, with an SR brake van. The latter lost a buffer (I now seem to have trouble with buffers as well as buffer stops!) But Colin S spotted it on the track. Ron ran a lovely ex-GER 4-4-0 with a rake of BR Mk 1s in blood and custard. The loco ran very hesitantly until Ron discovered that it ran better without its tender! The short circuit fixed, it ran nicely. David G. was going great guns on the ballasting, while John P continued building the platforms. Colin S ran his EPB on the main circuit and then took some measurements for the wood yard at Nailbourne. David Ho was sorting out the wiring, calling for assistance to distinguish between the colour coded wires with stripes and those without. (Something to be done with good eyesight and in strong light!) Apart from the cold it was a good, productive session.
March 14th 2015 EK0GG Town Meeting Ross Shimmon
About 20 of us gathered at the Fleur for John Minter’s talk: ‘Folkestone’s Place on the Railway Map’. It was a fascinating, carefully researched and presented session, accompanied by a series of pertinent illustrations. John’s boundary was an eight mile radius around the town. He unravelled the tangled rivalry between the South Eastern Railway which reached the town in 1843 and the London Chatham & Dover which arrived in 1865. Most of us had no idea that Folkestone had so many stations over the years. Naturally the steeply-graded Harbour Branch featured strongly, illustrated by pictures of several R1s blasting up the incline. Other engines mentioned included ‘Bulldogs’ (no, not the GWR ones), Cramptons, the elegant SECR D class, and at the other end of development, Bulleid pacifics and the class 71 electrics. In the era of the Channel Tunnel and budget airlines, John said that “It is hard to comprehend the impact [in 1848] of being able to travel from London to Boulogne and back in a single day, but in the first five months after the line was opened around 20,000 people made the crossing”. During a brief interval for refreshments, Roger reminded us of 0 gauge events in the pipeline. David mentioned that Barn sessions were about to begin and that extra sessions to get Edington Junction ready for exhibition later this year would be announced shortly. Prior to the meeting, about 8 of us took lunch in The Vaults.
March 4th – Layouts – RM
Covers were off, kettles were boiling and vacuuming could be heard as we drove into the paddock; layouts were out of hibernation. While boxes were being sorted below, John P and I supported David 2 above the layout – with a broom – as he fitted a new fluorescent unit. We lunched in the loft, defeated by the cold wind outside. Roger’s blue 47 circled with appropriate stock, while Geoff tried out Terriers and Maurice cleaned track. Edington was surrounded, as usual, with David G showing Ron his approved ballasting method; Jim fitting back-scene boards; Barry and David 2 discussing electrics; John constructing platforms; and David 3, somewhere beneath, testing point motors. It was after our 3 o’clock cuppa, when spray painting along the tracks commenced, that a general exodus began. When the miasma cleared a few of us were left scraping the railheads.
February 14th – AGM and Model Competition – RM
While we awaited the totting-up of the Model Competition votes for the twenty entries, we took the opportunity of identifying ourselves for new members and hearing about everyone’s modelling interests. The higher maths by then complete, results for the “Best in Show” entries. A signal cabin secured John P a certificate. Dick S’s narrow gauge D&RGW caboose won freight stock. Barry’s 31470 took best loco, and David G led the carriage stock with a polished MR milk van. The AGM portion of the meeting recapped on the past year, showed a healthy balance and saw no change in the Committee, who thanked the membership for their active support. (Earlier a dozen members had lunched in The Vaults.) Over on the Display tables was a Rye & Camber train, a selection of carriages, a Terrier, plus the station house and buildings from Edington. Several people came to the aid of John P and Jackie in the kitchen, giving them an opportunity to enjoy the wide range of model entries.
