Garden Rail April 2024

GREEN SHOOTS As I write these words, the sun is shining, and the temperature is mild for the time of year. A chance to think about re-awakening the garden railway. I know many hardy souls run all year round. Snowploughs at the ready, we are all rewarded with photos on social media showing locomotives tackling overscale drifts. It looks great fun. Sadly, the editorial garden line, a pale excuse compared to many featured here, is at the track down, but no ballast stage. Even getting this far took most of last year. It’s certainly not somewhere you can quickly pop a train onto for a quick run. But, hopefully, 2024 will see the track restored to good health and regular trains restarted. I hope so, I keep acquiring rolling stock…

My interest in railway modelling began many years ago when our father brought me and my brother (David) a Tri-ang train set for Christmas, this set us off on a whole new world of adventures. We became avid trainspotters, and modellers, encouraged by our father. Considering he had spent three years as a POW, building the Burma Siam railway for the Japanese, this was quite a surprise. David and I spent the next few years travelling far and wide in the pursuit of steam engines before they were all scrapped. Over the years, I began to look at reigniting my interest in model railways, and with the introduction of Lima O gauge models, I constructed my first outdoor garden railway. This was only partly successful, due to the difficulties of…

My Grandfather had a number of great qualities, many of which I have inherited. Sadly, frugality was not one of them. If I gave you £50 to spend on something garden-railway related, what would it be? A small lineside building or a modest wagon kit maybe? Whilst I will often defend this hobby as not being that expensive compared with other pastimes, I have to admit that a ‘Bullseye’ in East End parlance, does not go far these days. Yet this range from DT Scale Miniatures is truly trouser-money purchases. In fact, under £50 will get you five items from this relatively new company, and I will take a look at them all. Apart from being great value for money, what impressed me about this range is that, rather than…

McEwan Pratt began manufacturing internal combustion locomotives at the beginning of the Twentieth century and was taken over by Baguley Cars in 1912. During the First World War, they produced the 10hp 0-4-0PM, and supplied over 50 of these to the War Department Light Railways, for use on the narrow gauge railway system. In 1919, an order was placed by the Board of Trade for six bigger, more powerful, 20hp locomotives that could be used to haul timber/logs, and it was one of these that found its way to the Narrow Gauge Museum in Tywyn, via the Oakley Slate Quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Another one was reputed to have worked the Kerry Tramway but was eventually scrapped. It is this 20hp model that the late Pete Farley was commissioned to…

The garden railway show season has started and the biggest, the National Garden Railway Show, will take place at the NAEC, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, CV8 2LZ, on Saturday, April 27th. We’re back at the NAEC for the first time in 12 years, which gives us an opportunity to revamp the show. Except for Member-to-Member Sales, which is in the light and airy Foyer, all other attractions are in the one massive hall, so no worrying that you’ll miss something. We have 71 exhibitors from across the garden and narrow-gauge railway spectrum, plus a whopping 17 layouts, big and small, some new to our show, and some old favourites. 16mm scale, G scale, Gauge One and Gauge 3 will all be present, showcasing what can be achieved in these scales. If…

National Garden Railway Show Date: 27 April, 2024 Venue: Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, CV8 2LG Times: 10am to 5pm Web: www.nationalgardenrailwayshow.org.uk Llangollen Garden Railway Show Date: 11 May, 2024 Venue: Llangollen Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, LL20 8SW Times: 10am to 4.30pm Web: www.lgrf.co.uk Garden open day as part of the National Open Garden Scheme Date: 7th July, 2024 Venue: Kings Norton, Birmingham, B30 1SD - follow signage upon arrival. Times: 11am to 5pm The Yorkshire Garden Railway Show on Tour Date: 28 September, 2024 Venue: Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre, Campbell Drive, Barrow Hill, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 2PR Times: 10am to 4:00pm Web: www.yorkshire.16mm.org.uk/Yorkshire16mmShowhomepage.html Exeter Garden Railway Show Date: 26 October, 2024 Venue: The Matford Centre, Matford Park Road, Marsh Barton Ind Estate, Exeter, EX2 8FD Times: 10:30am to 4:30pm Web:…