Train Planner

(C) Mark Branson

Back in the day, before working in education, I worked on the railway. I was a train planner for a large freight company, in their bulk freight division. Now, I almost feel like I'm back there, train planning. Except, in fairness, it's not trains I'm planning, it's layouts.

Since Chetwynd Aston bit the dust I've been debating what I want to do and have held off doing any layout building until I decided just what. However, the forum I'm an admin on is running a layout building competition in 2017. Yet, as the brief hasn't been announced (as admin though, I was in on the discussions), I can't really go too far into details.

Suffice to say, I'm beginning to lean towards something along the lines of Juniper Hill (photo above) again. It's a fantastic layout with a genuine sparse-feel to it, detailed yet not over-crowded, and with a really excellent atmosphere to it. The cogs are whirring, that's for sure.

And I need somewhere to run my new Sentinel (and weathered Cory wagon) too...!

December Playlist

Ok, let's start with the confession first. My 'Sunday Playlist' has already changed. I haven't managed to create any since that first one so, with that in mind, I decided that a monthly playlist would be more suitable. So I'm starting over with December.

December being December means that there is most certainly a Christmas feel to this playlist. If Christmas music isn't your thing, I'm sorry, but there is something a little less Christmas-sy included too. This is in the form of Tallis Variations, a wonderful 14 minutes of music from the pen of Philip Sparke. I had the honour to hear Glyn Williams perform Candlelight Carol live at the beginning of December, a stunning piece played beautifully by a maestro of the instrument. Further to that, standard brass band festive fair is included; Jingle Bells (performed by Lions Youth) and Mistletoe and Wine - a piece I remember well from my time playing with Audley - this time performed again by Cory. The playlist (just over half an hour) is finished by the fantastic 'Yule Dance,' a superb combination of  O Little Town of Bethlehem, In Dulcio Jubilo, I Saw Three Ships and Sussex Carol.

Jingle BellsComposer: Traditional, Arranger: Derek Ashmore
Performer: Lions Youth Band
Conductor: Nigel Birch

Tallis Variations
Composer: Philip Sparke
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

Candlelight Carol
Composer: John Rutter, Arranger: David Griffiths
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper
Soloist: Glyn Williams

Mistletoe and Wine
Composer: Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart and Keith Strachan, Arranger: Darrol Barry
Performer: Buy As You View Band
Conductor: Robert Childs

Yule Dance
Composer: Philip Harper
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

Dirty Trucks

Amy's on her work's Christmas do and isn't back until tomorrow, therefore I've got an evening to myself. So, with a beer and a Bond film on the go, I got stuck into a bit of modelling.

Bachmann recently released the quite stunning Cory Brothers 7 plank wagon, weathered and, all in all, looking quite grotty. I was very tempted to buy one, but then decided that, already owning a Hornby version in pristine condition, I should just do a bit of 'proper' modelling and weather that myself.

Having dug the model out I realised I'd forgotten that, on receipt of it, I'd had a little go at weathering it with a bit of dry brushing. It was pretty rubbish so after a quick splash of water I'd rubbed it off and it was back as new.

After that, I lightly scrubbed the surface with a craft knife to distress some of the lettering on the sides. In some cases I totally removed the lettering on planks, with the aim of priming and repainting these to indicate replacement panels.

Then I primed (acrylic) the replacement panels and then dry brushed the chassis of the truck to lose the sheen of the black plastic.

  

After that the next stage was to paint the replacement panels brown. As soon as the paint was applied I dabbed at it with a small cloth to remove the paint, leaving a slightly grainy effect (it looks ok from a distance) on those panels.

The next stage involved dry brushing all over the wagon with the primer. Again, the aim was just to tone down the black plastic effect that the wagon suffered from. On the wagon ends I feel I may have overdone it, so there will be a little reworking of that in the future.

The final job was to dry brush (a technique I love) the wagons with the brown paint again, this time on the underframe and around rivets and metalwork to try to indicate a light rusting effect. This can just about be seen on the pictures but I'll probably add a bit more work to this, potentially using a lighter shade - I have a 'burnt sienna' somewhere that will do the trick I'm sure.

Overall, I'm really very happy with the wagon. Perhaps it is a little too lived in, but I'm applying 'rule 1' of railway modelling. It was a very pleasant way to spend half an hour too.

Next steps: weather the Sentinel and decide on a layout plan to run both the loco and this wagon on!

The case for the defence.

I have no idea how this happened...

That, of course, is a lie. There was a Black Friday sale. I saw it advertised. I clicked to 'have a look.' There it was. Somehow it ended up in my basket and it's now on my modelling desk.Whoops.

Except...

Maybe it's not quite so whoops. It's retailing for around the £53 mark. In this sale I got it for £35. It would have been rude not to. Plus, I'd been eyeing up the Model Rail Sentinel - all £70 of it - so this was half that price and is a stunning little loco that I've wanted since seeing it announced.

Oh, I've also got a layout plan in mind for it to run on.

Am I convincing you yet?

It need's debranding. I've got no plans to make anything M.S.C related, but I like the blue and the yellow lining so I'll keep that but lose the writing. Then I'll added the 'Clara' nameplates I have stored away and give a really filthy weathering job.

Convinced? Yes. Good,

Case closed.

A day out at Ironbridge

Last Saturday Amy and myself went to Ironbridge for a stroll, a look in the Museum on the Quay (we've got the Ironbridge Museum annual pass) and a bit of a mooch around the shops that are there. Earlier this year I bought a fantastic book called 'Shropshire Railways' by Geoff Cryer and in it were a few pictures of the old Ironbridge station. Therefore, I decided that this visit would be the perfect chance to have a peak at the site and we decided that we'd take a walk down the pathway that was the line, back in the day.

What was surely once a station in the most stunning of locations is now a (quite cheap, now you mention it!) car park. The pub in the first picture is called 'The Station' - I bet a lot of late nights went in to naming that one!

If you look closely at the picture above you can see the lines crossing the road. This was a crossing when the station existed and it was a picture from this angle - with the bridge and the toll building in the background - that piqued my interest in looking at what was there now.

As mentioned above, the lines go across the road still, although it's Mazdas, rather than Manors, which cross the rails now.

The path above, once the line, heads off towards the cooling towers now. We set off and walked a pleasant - and leafy - mile or so, before heading back.

Just before we got back to the car park and the former station site we passed under an old rail bridge before emerging into the platform area.

Then it was off to the nearest coffee shop to warm up!

Salute to the Cory

On 20th November 2016 the Cory Band and their Musical Director, Philip Harper, won the final trophy in their quite astonishing 'Grand Slam.'

Up to that point 2016 had seen them win:

• The European Brass Band Championships
• British Open Brass Band Championships and
• The National Brass Band Championship Final

At the Sage, Gateshead, they completed the full house when they won the Brass In Concert Entertainment competition. An astonishing achievement.

With all that in mind, I felt it prudent to post the link to the BBC Listen to the Band radio programme that has their full programme. It's well worth a listen as it's going to be a long time before we see/hear a brass band as good as the 2016 Cory Band.

You can listen to their winning performance 'The Extraordinary Life of Roald Dahl' by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Sunday Playlist 1

In a new feature for my blog I've decided that, when time permits, I'll put together a 'Sunday Playlist' of music I've listened to over the past week. A half hour each-way journey to work, plus other journeys that the working week entails, means I get the chance to listen to plenty.

Here is this weeks, 26 minutes including a nice mix of old and new, with some stunning lyrical playing thrown in before ending with the timeless Resurgam. The best brass band piece out there? Maybe, maybe not, but the perfect piece for a Sunday for sure.

Gallipoli '100' March
Composer: Martin Ellerby
Performer: Black Dyke
Conductor: Nicholas Childs

Barney's Tune
Composer: Elgar Howarth
Performer: Buy As You View Band
Conductor: Robert Childs

Soloist: Andrew Williams (Bass Trombone)

Libertango
Composer: Astor Piazolla, Arranger: Jeremy Sleith
Performer: Fairey Band
Conductor: Mark Peacock

Revered Archie Beaton
Composer: John Mason, Arranger: Frode Ryland
Performer: Fodens Band
Conductor: Michael Fowles
Soloist: Glynn Williams (Euphonium)

Resurgam
Composer: Eric Ball
Performer: Cory Band
Conductor: Philip Harper

A blank canvas. Again...

I enjoy modelling.

I really do.

But once again I have a lack of motivation. Or rather, a lack of motivation brought on by a lack of focus of what I want. Do I want a shunting layout? Do I want an SLT (single line terminus)? I get part way through a project and decide that I don't want what I'm making and give up. Chetwynd Aston has gone to that great layout in the sky and once again I'm layout-less. And clueless.

When I was back at my folk's home recently I discovered a Tim Horn scenic board (40 x 25cm) that I'd forgotten I owned. This was snapped up and brought back home with me and is currently sat to my left, with my Sentinel on it. A bit like this...

If only I knew what to put on it. I have an idea regarding a tile factory; Jackfield, near where I now live (and near Ironbridge) has a tile museum and I feel that might be a decent idea. A simple fork layout with tile loading facilities perhaps?

However, an Arriva SLT set in the same area (around Ironbridge) also appeals. Not that I have the 153!

All ideas and thoughts welcome.

In other news, I've finally got around to fitting the plated to my 'de-Wabteced' Sentinel. It's now got the number 1877 (which the cruel close up shows to be wonky... needs re-fettling) and the name 'Alexandra.'

A little loco like that would do just the job for a tile works... wouldn't it?

What's On My iPod 3

For me, one of the beauties of music is that you don't need to play a certain instrument - or even play at all - to appreciate the beauty of it. To that end, I'm no trumpet soloist. But this CD, regardless of what you do or don't play is an absolute must have.

Tine Thing Helseth, the Norwegian trumpet sensation's debut album for EMI, Storyteller, eschews the more traditional concertos and 'show off' pieces focusing on telling stories without words through the medium of her trumpet and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

What do you end up with? A quite stunning CD full of warm, rich, lyrical playing that does exactly what it's titles suggests; tells a story, or rather, stories. For me, the items which see the trumpet take the lead on soaring melodic lines see Tine Thing Helseth at her best. In fact, for me, the first ten seconds - and the soloist's third note - of the CD are worth the price alone. Click play below to have a listen.

Regardless of what you play - trumpet, clarinet, bagpipes, comb and paper - buy this CD. You won't regret it.

A bit of maths for you...

I've been pondering over this maths sum this morning.

Take this...

Add these to it...

And what do you get...?

A tiny servicing (water and coal) point for a small preserved/industrial railway.

Thoughts?

Oh Doctor Beeching!

Doctor Beeching visited Chetwynd Aston yesterday, ripping up the lines. Another railway gone and forgotten.

Back to the drawing board.

Beware of Trains

Beware of trains!

Especially model ones, as deciding what to do with them is bad for your health.

On Friday night I had a running session with my micro layout, in it's current unfinished form. It performed terribly. I used several locos and they all ran poorly. So I cleaned the track and tried again, several times. It ran no better.

I left it and tried again on Saturday and once again it performed poorly. After this I had a good look around and came to the conclusion that my track laying was not good enough. So I've decided to stop work on it for now and practise on some dioramas to improve some of my skills.

I've got a static grass puffer bottle that I want to get better results from as well so thought that a tiny diorama - and tiny is the word - is a perfect way of doing this.

So I'm planning something just 6x4 inches. It'll act as a good photo board for any stock I model (particularly as I have found a lot of enjoyment from making kits over the past year) and will also enable me to have something to look at to inspire me. Plus, as I'm planning a wedding it will be cheap and will help me practise scratch building.

So, although it's sad to see the end of Chetwynd in it's current guise, I still feel full of modelling mojo and am looking ahead with gusto!

Whats on my iPod 2?

It's been a while since I've blogged about music and what I'm listening to. Last time, I was listening to the fabulous YBS Band under the baton of David King. Fast forward to October and I'm still listening to a band directed by David King, just this time it's the world famous Brighouse & Rastrick Band and their 2014 'in concert' CD, titled Vita Destructa.

Professor King rarely follows the traditional concert pattern when it comes to programming; march, overture, solo etc. He works his own order out and to me this makes for a far more interesting listening experience. The CD opens with the ten minute Latin fantasy 'El Carmino Real' which is full of the fire you'd expect of a latin number but for me it is the second track, 'In Love For Me' which is the highlight of the CD. It is beautifully treated, both by band and MD who draw all the emotion out of the music. 

All the soloists are on excellent form - I particularly enjoyed Ryan Watkins' performance of 'Radio City' - and the rest of the programme is performed with aplomb and a slight swagger. The final track, Vita Destructa, is a real tour de force by 17 year old Todd Smith. His handling of the hymn 'Abide With Me' is interwoven maturely with other melodic ideas to bring the CD to a thrilling close.

What else can I say but what an excellent CD this is.

What's In A Name?

Names are important. We all have one. We all have an identity that begins with our name. We give our pet names. We give our cars names (mine is Clara... my car is Tardis blue). Some people name their golf clubs, their cricket bats. In fact, you name it, people name it.

So why is it so hard to come up with one?

Chetwynd Aston is, the more I hear it, not resonating with me. It's too, what's the word, clunky. It ties down the layout to a location. I'm not sure I want that. There is a trend developing in the model railway world to not use 'locations' as names; 'Terminus, All Change!' and 'The Sidings' being two examples. Do I want to go down that route? Do I use a location name, but make one up. Possibly, but I always feel that my 'names' sound exactly like what they are... made up.

I'll have a think about it I think.

Incidentally, speaking of names, the Wabtec shunter has lost it's identity ahead of receiving some new plates. It's going to be called 'Alexandra' courtesy of the good people at Narrow Planet. I've posed the loco on the layout (currently 'un-named' of course!) which has recently seen the track and ballast get a good weathering. It's amazing how that starts to pull things together. The fencing is posed and, again, starts to pull things together. In fact, I'm pretty pleased with how things look.

Now, about that name...

Chetwynd Aston MkII

I mentioned in my last post that Chetwynd Aston was now Chetwynd Aston MkII. I hadn't liked the cluttered feel to the yard so took one Y point out and just had two sidings. I have also ripped the scenery up too and now - having added ballast - I have the following:

I'm far happier with it. Although operation is a little more limited, I'm happy with what I've got. I've decided to properly plan the layout too, so I got the paper and pencil out and sketched away. 

The idea is that - as in MkI - I'll block the entrance to the fiddle yard by a building, although rather than a pub I'm looking at an old cottage. I want a small barrow crossing on the front siding, allowing access to the small yard office in the middle. I also want another small hut at the back of the layout too. Add in some fencing and greenery and there you go.

Finally I've done some weathering on the grey 16t mineral wagon. I love doing things like this that add a bit of individual character to a model. In this case, the 'CAFC' graffiti that has been drawn into the gunk (bottom left) is the little touch I love the most!

Bits and Bobs...

It's been over a week since my last blog and things have been a bit hectic. So, now I have five minutes I thought I'd put together a 'multi-post' featuring several things I've mentioned in previous blogs.

Football Manager
Since I've been back at work FM has taken a back seat... thankfully! After guiding Telford to the brink of promotion I was offered the Sheffield Wednesday job and helped them stave off relegation. Having signed Ben Garratt from the Alex to fill their void in nets and Nick Powell to provide ammunition to Fernando Forestieri I started the season quite well. However, their chairman's itchy trigger finger meant that after a few defeats I got the sack. After this I decided to head back down to the lower leagues and applied for - and got - the Worcester City job. I only played one game with them before the summer holidays ended and haven't been on it again since. Ah well...

Crewe Alexandra
I blogged about Crewe's impressive start but mentioned that I thought that I had probably jinxed it by talking about it. Since then they've won both games and sit third in the league! Nose-bleed territory!

Derbyshire County Cricket Club
At Derbyshire, things haven't gone so well. They've won something, however it's the wooden spoon. A few of the better players have signed up to new contracts, a few promising youngsters have done so too and, just today, the club announced that Gary Wilson has joined them from Surrey - something of a coup. Yes, he's a keeper/batsman and Harvey Hosein - a cricketer I rate extremely highly - is the same, but surely the thinking is that Wilson can play as a batter when Harvey has the gloves and - if and when - the youngster needs a break, Wilson can don the gauntlets. A good signing and hopefully a good winter of recruitment.

Chetwynd Aston
I'm now on 'Mk II.' I wasn't happy with the cluttered feel to the first version so have ripped up a siding and some of the scenery. We'll see how things progress on this one as and when.

Four quick updates. One blog post. I'm happy with that!

Up the Alex!

It's been a while since I blogged about the Alex. Added to that the busy nature of my summer holiday and the new school term (and job) means I've not spoken about the start of the season. So let's put that right.

Last season, obviously, was a total bust. 24th out of 24. Knocked out of the cup by a non-league team. A pitiful amount of points and a protest against the manager. Not one to look back fondly on.

However there were some signs, even in that car-crash of a season, that indicated there was hope for this year. The loan signing of Ryan Lowe saw the Alex have their best run of form all season, so when he signed permanently in the summer, hopes were raised. Zoumana Bakayogo was, when he regained match fitness, an impressive addition to the left back spot. His contract renewal in the summer was also looked upon as something of a coup. The club held on to highly-rated goalkeeper, Ben Garratt before manager Steve Davis pulled off a couple of great deals. Chris Dagnall, lower-league goal-getter-extraordinaire, signed on a free for two years. He was soon joined by young Chelsea winger, Alex Kiwomya, who made such an impression in his first month he scored 3 goals (one of which was nominated for goal of the month) and was nominated for Player of the Month too.

All of this has added up to make the fans, many of whom feared the club dropping straight through, amend their initial expectations. An away win on the first day of the season (which hadn't been achieved since 1994!) was followed by another away win against Sheffield United. Two draws against Hartlepool (a six-goal thriller, decent for a team that scored as little as Crewe last year) and Portsmouth followed before taking Blackburn to extra time. A late winner in the home win against Doncaster was the icing on the cake. Things look promising. 9 points on the board - which didn't happen until late November last year - and a goal threat that hasn't been seen at Gresty Road for a few years means that. hopefully, Crewe can have a good season, far better than what all fans expected.

Of course, they play Exeter tomorrow and after all that I've written... I've probably put the kiss of death on them!

She Said Yes!

Chetwynd Aston: Micro Layout

Today saw quite a bit of progress on my new micro-layout, Chetwynd Aston. Having previously come up with the track plan and back story, I took advantage of it being the last day of my summer holidays and set to it.

The main focus of today was landscaping. On the far side I built it up using off cuts of foam board cut to shape, whilst on the near side I used papier mache (the Hattons catalogue comes in handy again!). It's a messy business but was more suitable for the viewing side due to what was required. I then cut a channel under the Moody Mallard - which now has it's roof finished! - for the wiring. The wiring is attached to the track and is nice and simple, just one feed. Even better was the fact that, when tested, it worked!

I then treated myself to a little 'play' session of photography. I can't actually run the full layout yet as I am missing a Y point, which I will pick up tomorrow. However, I placed a few bits and pieces - including a suspicious character, his pretty assistant and an odd blue box - to get a feel for how things might look.

You might notice that both photos include a Sentinel shunter. This arrived this morning and I wasted no time getting it on the layout. I've had emails saying my other 3 wagons are out for delivery too, so soon I'll have all stock too.

It's been an enjoyable day!

Last Orders Please...!

Today I started work on a pub for my new micro-shunting layout, Chetwynd Aston. Using some spare mount board and a Scalescenes 'Stucco' download I shut myself away in the office and got on with making a tiny watering hole named 'The Moody Mallard.' Here's a little step-by-step guide as to the process so far...

1) Cut the bases for the sides out of the mount board. I made a chimney breast out of foam core as this gave me the required thickness for that part of the building.

2) Cover the sides with the Scalescenes stucco sheet, leaving it to dry whilst weighted down. Once dry trim to fit, leaving enough overhang to wrap the paper around the sides and around door and window frames.

3) Glue the sides together, using corner triangles to make the edges meet. Whilst this was drying I made the pub sign and glued it on. 

4) I made the window frames from sticky label, cutting it out before fixing it to see through packaging and sticking to the inside of the shell.

5) test fit on the layout. The Moody Mallard is designed to act as a 'view-block' so that the viewer can not see that the line has no buffer stops yet does not go anywhere. The test fit seems to show this works. At this point I made a small 'lean to' entrance. 

6) I tackled the roof next. Using a Chris Nevard idea I made loads and loads of 5mm squares by chopping up some junk mail (in this case, a Hattons catalogue appropriately enough!). Then gluing the roof base I, one by one, placed the tiles using the point of a craft knife to pick up and position. Twenty minutes saw me do the lean-to before I'd had enough for one day! I left it to dry before painting the tiles with grey acrylic primer. I'll do further colour work with various washes and darker shades.

That's where I'm up to right now. There is still lots to do including printing an interior to give some detail to the inside. However, I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

Hopefully when it's finished you'll be able to almost smell the tankard of 'Fursty Ferret' that the octogenarian sat at the corner of the bar is supping...

Back on Track!

Aside from hammering Football Manager recently, I've also kept the modelling mojo going with a kit build, modifying a couple of Hornby 'Caledonian Pugs' and planning my new layout.

Firstly, a recent post said I'd taken inspiration from a trip to the Telford Steam Railway. Well, with that in mind I set about recreating their shop, which is located in an old 'van' wagon. I purchased a Dapol 'meat van' kit and set about building it. Once I'd got to that stage I focused on the interior. Using scaled down pictures off the net (a bookshelf, display case and some Hornby train set boxes) I made a representation of the shop interior.

Although you can barely see it with the roof on, I know it's all in there and that's the main thing. It's not finished yet though; the doors need filling smooth and a sign whilst I also need to weather the thing.

Some of you may recall the loco I repainted and called 'Amy.' Well, I've never been that happy with the either the colour or the standard of paint job I gave it. So I sanded it down and repainted it blue. Whilst doing so, I found the other Caley 'Pug' and decided I'd make a small fleet. The result can be seen below. The other loco is yet to be named and numbered, I'm heading towards 'Sophie' and '10' at the moment.

I've ordered a new loco too. Nothing too flash though as it is Hornby's rather inaccurate RailRoad range Bagnall Shunter. I'm not too fussed about it's inaccuracies though, but for £18 figured I could repaint it (and name it 'Alexandra' with the number 1877 courtesy of Narrow Planet) to make a rather fabulous private industrial diesel shunter. In my mind I have visions of it shuffling in with a couple of battered mineral wagons on my new layout... which is still very much in the planning stages - although the two locos above are posed on it's early stages!

Who'd be a Football Manager?

Back in February Amy, my other half, bought me Football Manager 2016 as part of my birthday present. She knew that 'back in the day' I'd been a bit of a FM 'junkie,' guiding my beloved Crewe Alexandra to the promised land of... the Conference or, in the case of one noteworthy save, guiding Sunderland (no idea why I picked them?) to Premier League glory with a team packed full of Senegalese talent!

The last version of the game I really got into was FM 2012. Since I played that I'd only 'toyed' with other updates before giving up with FM 2014. For the spare time I had it was too in-depth. I bought an X-Box One and focused more on FIFA. Until I opened FM 2016, a purchase I think Amy will soon regret...!

Having installed it I must confess I had a quick go with the Alex (always my team of choice) before thinking it was, like 2014, too complicated. Two days ago I decided to give it another go and discovered the 'Touch' version. Streamlined and quick. Just what I need. So I decided to start a new game with AFC Telford United - my new local team - and have absolutely fallen in love with it. There can't be many people in the world who hang on every touch of the ball Ryan Rowe makes, will Lucas Dawson to boss the midfield or gasp in awe as James 'Monty' Montgomery flings himself to his right to make a wonder save, but I'm one of them.

I'll try and post the odd update on here as and when possible, or rather when there is something to post about such as promotion out of the Vanarama Conference North!

Best go, need to iron out the details on trialist Greig Stewart's contract...

#Menorca2016

Last Wednesday Amy and myself returned from a week in beautiful Menorca. We had gone to the island for the first time in 2014 and were eager to return so booked the same resort and hotel... even ending up in the room next door to the one we had last time. I won't say too much, instead I'll rely on the pictures below to show what it was like.