July 18th – Saturday session – RM – photos by Ross S & RM
Even with the summer’s twice a weekly meetings there were ten of us. The sun was shining and the bees, by the door, buzzing for maximum honey production. Up in the loft a Standard tank and SR G6 were on the circuits. A Terrier ran with a short goods before a weighty pair of bogie bolsters were coupled in. Crimson lake coaches appeared behind a Flat Iron and an Austin 7 took a longish freight. We dined outside and were forced to eat the chocolate biscuits as they were melting. We moved the Edington fiddle yards and upending baseboards for access to electrical connections, both awkward tasks. One end of the workbench produced signalling, the other end fencing. Ballast and puddles were added to another baseboard. Nailbourne’s foot and road bridges were worked on. After a companionable day we braced ourselves to negotiate Operation Stack and its backlogs of traffic.
July 8th – Construction Wednesday – RM
Track on both fiddle yards, an electrical problem sorted and ballast staying where it was put, made for impressive advances over the last fortnight. We all helped, during the afternoon, when Edington’s boards needed positioning, before considering facia construction and colours. Across the way on Cavedale, Roger carefully regionalised the station buildings with a fine paint brush. Colin, meanwhile, was adding track and scenics to Nailbourne. Out on the circuits a BR/SECR E1 and an early BR diesel shared freight turns. A Class 47’s train of bogie flats left tiny bolts at inaccessible places around the tracks. Over tea the eight of us wondered how best to avoid “Operation Stack” on our ways home. We left, abandoning David Hopkins to concentrate on checking circuit diagrams.
June 20th – At the layouts – RM
Roger greeted me waving a personalised mug which was emblazoned with his name and our EK0GG logo. He, Barry and David G were working on the marriage of fiddle yard with base boards, having just staggered up the stairs with the yard. They had a SDJR tank engine and a SECR R1 running in the background. Later a cut down version of the R1, such as was used on the line to Whitstable, took to the circuit. Geoff brought up Weymouth Harbour pannier tank, while Barry gave a “Nelson” chassis its first run. The end sky board was being fitted when Ross arrived with a Heljan railbus, which ran beautifully (A minimal train for Edington?). Talk was of wire fence positioning when John B arrived, just before I had to depart. Outside, Alastair was having a wonderful time with a mini-digger as he and his son laid bricks for the new garden wall.
2015 June 6th – Saturday meeting – Rob M
Troublesome point motors, with ballast and chair bolts upsetting some of them, occupied a lot of the time on Edington. Ron did a little scenic work and John P managed to paint platforms. In the workshop Jim was titivating sector plates; adding side barriers for the stock and fitting electrical sockets into the frame. With summer having started, we dined in the garden; birds of prey high above. Alastair’s granddaughter heard the trains running and asked if she could come up as, “Usually, nothing is going when I call”. (She thinks the tunnel mirror is clever.) John B had a train reminiscent of the Hemyock branch circling, while he helped locate a short on the Midland train that Maurice was running.
2015 June 3rd – Construction session – Ross S
The gaffer had persuaded Ron to green more of the landscape at Edington. When I arrived I was directed to do similar. A mixture consisting mainly of ‘pre-1928 GWR green’ was prepared, but deemed to be too dark, despite quantities of white. However that will be remedied by the next coat(s), plus the expected layer of static grass. Meanwhile, Jim was beavering away downstairs on the fiddle yard bases. David Ho continued with the wiring spaghetti and testing the point motors. Ross’s Hudswell Clarke saddle tank circled around with a short goods train. The loco was borrowed to do a little testing on Edington. Paul continued to work on the beautiful signals, but broke off to help David G to manhandle one of the (heavy) fiddleyards down the stairs for Jim to work on. Alastair breezed to check on progress.
May 20th 2015 – Construction session – Ross S
Members who weren’t at the barn on Wednesday, may need to re-orient themselves at their next visit. Edington Junction was lifted up one section at a time, reversed, and moved down the room a little to make room for one of the fiddle yards to be put in place. It’s surprising how different the layout now looks. Meanwhile, Roger worked on the ‘corrugated iron’ roof of the distinctive goods shed, John P continued laying the platform, while David G and Ross spent therapeutic time on the grass and shrubs and ballasting. Jim could be heard downstairs fettling the fiddle yard sector plates (I think), Paul was soldering and sawing as he made great progress on the impressive signals. David Ho and Barry constituted the wiring gang. Any spotters present would have copped no less than two SDJR saddle tanks, double heading a short train of four wheelers from the DG workshops and an Ixion Fowler 0-4-0 with a Dapol SR pillbox brake van, the latter being used later to work out capacities in the embryonic fiddle yard.
May 16th 2015 – Saturday Meeting – RM
Summer must “be a coming in” as we were able to dine outside; Alastair joining us for a good chat at tea, where the great debate on paintwork applied to obscure ironwork continued. David G had opened up and put the kettles on before preparing for the construction tasks. Maurice soon had trains on the circuit, including a “Flatiron”. Roger brought Edington’s goods shed for a trial fitting; shaping its roof with our roll-bars. Paul positioned the bracketed signal posts, then did some fettling. Ross, who was ballasting, had brought the carcase of the platform shelter. Copious amounts of glue were spread by John B, as he and David G “greened” the scenery. David H discovered a soft patch of floor where the electricians had been working, so there is now a piece of board placed there for us to stumble over. I joined him in the workshop to finish off the sector plates, ready for adding the tracks. Upstairs we could hear John’s saddle tank with its little freight train. It had been another day of steady progress.
May 6th 2015 – Wednesday session – RM
The star of today’s running was undoubtedly Alan’s GWR Knight of the Garter heading six gleaming chocolate and cream coaches around the circuit. David G put his S&DJR 0-4-4t on the rake for a spirited run, before Alan, who was test running a King, added a B-set to the consist. Meanwhile, John and Ross added ballast and vegetation to Edington, where John had positioned the station master’s house across the track from David G’s painted platform canopy. Barry and David battled with pesky point motors. Cavedale is now shortened, giving easier access to the main circuits controllers. Roger and Alan fitted two points with push rod controls, ready for ballasting. The cold wind was still battering the trees when we left.
