Friday Update: Twenty-six Seven Twenty-four…
Holidays? What are they? To be fair, I'm not working - but looking after the kids isn't exactly relaxing - but can be rewarding and I've managed to slow down a little and almost feel like I'm recharging a little, a pleasant surprise for someone who is so creatively fuelled by work...
Whilst looking for something else I found this... my first ever North American model, a Bachmann F7/9 that I was bought for my 9th birthday in Vancouver. It was in CN zebra stripes and only has a small pancake motor but I loved it's massive headlight and used to enjoy running it at night on my British layout along with a train of Model Power grain cars! Years later I hand painted it as a VIA example - and even now, this paint job, now twenty five odd years old, stands up quite well. It's nice to have found it, it reminds me of the roots of my interest in Canadian railways.
Earlier this week my son (who is visiting for a bit this summer) and I cleaned and tidied the tramway up with the idea that we could run some trains and it was great fun - the full photo sequence appeared on Tuesday, I think - but here he is waiting for me to move the steam train (which he did get to drive as well later) with the Simplex 40S in the mill siding. The limited nature of the track on the tramway actually makes 'two player' running a great deal of fun. Perhaps, at some point, I'll try and film it!
Wednesday is Pacer day on the Cambrian Railway at Oswestry - and it was a trip down memory lane (to some degree) with a ride on the 144 they have on the railway. Interesting but short run, and a little 'slow' and limited for the full Pacer experience - although we got the wheel squeal on leaving Oswestry and the guard/driver buzzer noise all took me back! This has me wondering where I can go to ride a Pacer on a longer and faster run - perhaps the Keighley and Worth Valley?
You see, for me, preservation shouldn't stand still. Yes, the green DMUs look lovely alongside the steam era stations on the Llangollen Railway but how do we cater for future enthusiasts? Could we build a 'modern' reduced halt perhaps at Bonym with an austere concrete platform with bus shelter and minimum signage - perhaps a 150 Sprinter from Transport for Wales, painted in Provincial 'Sprinter' livery? I suppose a 150/1 in the early pale blue livery might be more appropriate - as those units were used on the Cambrian to Pwllheli and Aberystwyth - whereas the North Wales coast saw more of a mix... anyhow, I am dreaming now - but the idea of 'modern nostalgia' probably needs some consideration - unless our preserved railways are only interesting in preserving the 1950s?
In these moments my own model railways take on a new lease of life and I've been enjoying running Paxton Road and Beaverbrook these past days - as you may have seen on my YouTube channel (see 'On Video' above) I've done a few live stream operating sessions too - which was a pleasant way to spend some time with you all. Beyond the video, Paxton Road is currently in early 1990s mode with a grey 08 replacing the blue one above and memories of reading Rail magazine in my teens.
It has been a chance to continue to enjoy the real railway in the valley (above 3802 at Glyndyfrdwy - bottom, Class 108/127 and 109 at Carrog) as well as travelling a little further afield. Narrow gauge at Apedale (below) and the Cambrian museum at Oswestry (further down). I find my happy place is on two rails and it's always a pleasure to find myself spending time travelling even if just a mile or so...
I've been working on a few new wagons for Beaverbrook in recent months - including this Athearn RTR Winchester and Western cement/sand car - which has been faded and patched for a friend's shortline, the Hockley and Western. I find working on rolling stock one of my favourite past times and it allows me to ring the changes on my own layout - but the experience of weathering this 'yellow' has probably put me off anymore in this colour! It is one of the hardest finished I've literally fought to achieve. Just a waft with some airbrushed road dirt now to finish, but I will say how impressed I have been with the 'RTR' range finish on this model - it really is a lovely detailed model for the price.
This weekend I am heading off to Pembrokeshire for a few days, but will continue to post on the blog. I hope you enjoyed todays rambling - written in grabbed moments in a busy home with the kids off - and that this weekend sees some time for your own hobby. Until next time, more soon...
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Morning James. Your thoughts on modern preservation are really interesting, my parents live at Havenstreet on the Isle of Wight and are active volunteers. The line was extended east to Smallbrook Jnc in the mid 1980's and was a classic NSE basic station with a bright red kiosk on the Island line platform. My Dad's suggestion a few years ago that they preserve the NSE atmosphere was considered out of keeping with the atmosphere of the line, when in reality you could go from pre-grouping at Wooton, classic Southern Railway at Havenstreet and Ashley, finishing up with NSE at Smallbrook Jnc. Needless to say, the railway went with a coat of SR green to fit in. The bright red kiosk has been preserved and sits behind the loco shed at Havenstreet. It's a great railway and worth a visit if you ever go so far south! I used to work on the trackside bramble bashing crew when visiting my parents and spent alot of time trundling up and down in the Wickham trolley, usually in pouring rain. Have a good weekend. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHappy and sad about this Tom. Happy that the bus shelter survives, sad that the narrow minded steamies have meant we can’t, as modern enthusiasts, have our memories and nostalgia reflected in their toy. How do they expect people of my age to get involved without a nod at least to what we remember?
DeleteI can see where you're coming from on 'nostalgia' because for you it's intensely personal and related to what you remember growing up, so you assume that applies to others.
ReplyDeleteBut it isn't the case for me. The trains I was most familiar with as a child and young adult were Hastings DMUs and I would later spend three years on thew daily commute from Tunbridge Wells to Cannon Street on them. But while I'm glad one six-car Hastings DMU is preserved I have little interest in late 60s, 70s, and 80s BR, or in late 60s, 70s, and 80s anything at all because I'm not inclined to want to relive my past.
My railway nostalgia might be linked to the Hastings Miniature Railway when it was all steam-hauled, but it also owes a huge debt to Tom Rolt's 'Railway Adventure' which I read aged twelve, and by extension to the books by JIC Boyd, and others, and the photo albums of narrow-gauge (mainly Welsh slate) and light railway subjects by David & Charles.
In other words, my railway 'nostalgia' draws on every decade from the early 1800s to the 1950s, even if I wasn't born until 1961.
Colin, perhaps though, each of our nostalgia is equal. Why should mine be less valuable than your, than anyone else’s? I know from talking with friends that we all miss the same period, 1980s/90s BR - where are we catered for on preserved railways today? How can preserved railways hope to attract tomorrow’s volunteers if we can’t see our memories in what they offer?
DeleteI love railways from all countries, gauges and continents - but my memory is of this period. Nostalgia for me, is memory. That doesn’t mean I won’t model 1970s Prince Edward Island, but I would expect the Llangollen Railway to cater for that - but BR provincial rail services of my childhood, why not?
Oh, so sorry. I didn't intend implying your nostalgia was 'lesser.' Not at all. I was only comparing different kinds of nostalgia. And yes, I do miss slam door rolling stock, loco hauled trains, and spacious guard's compartments where you could safely leave a bicycle without having to perform gymnastics and slot it vertically into a 'letterbox' barely wider than the handlebars!
DeletePerhaps it relates to my writing fiction but I have always desired something other than the reality around me so my nostalgia might include the exotic and distant in time and space and even the wholly imaginary might-have-beens.
No problem Colin - it's all just a conversation. I like being made to think and reflect, and your comments are always very welcome with that regard.
DeleteI've often wondered about railway preservation and nostalgia, and I think to some degree you're right. Preservation didn't really kick off until steam was being retired, and so I do think that the initial generation of enthusiasts have a nostalgia firmly rooted in the 50s, specifically for, and because, of those locomotives. However slowly, but surely, especially as that generation of preservationists fade away, there has been a takeover by a newer generation who share our nostalgia for the 80s, 90s and more recently. This is also being galvanised by the almost simultaneous expiry of boiler tickets and rocketing costs to re-build steam locos these days (or at least that seems to be what is happening at my local preserved railway). In fact, they recently bought a Pacer because that is something the current batch of enthusiasts are more familiar with, and they can thus ensure the timetable has some reliability. It even resulted in the railway looking at discussions with the local authorities about making a public transport offering using the Pacer. For a while they even had an InterCity 125! Next stop a 90s style reduced halt? Probably not on any of the preserved stations, but if they built a new one...quite possibly? Would certainly get my vote. Now, if only they would get a Gronk and offer driving experiences...I would throw a whole months wages at them for one of those :D
ReplyDeleteRailway Adventure by LTC Root, now there's a good railway book! I've got a copy somewhere... As a footnote to the debate about modern preservation. Bodmin now have a rake of 10 CDA's and an RFD 47. There is a superb photo of them climbing from Bodmin Parkway up to General on the Cornish Railway Society website, modern preservation at it's best! I can even model the train and it forms the kernel of a might have been layout I've got planned for next year (I am finishing my O gauge layout module and Diploma studies first). It's a steep climb out of Bodmin Parkway and the sound of 47306 when she gets going is pure magic, 37142 sounds great too! At one time, 47306 was going to be painted green but fortunately a new (younger) owner bought her and kept her in RFD European livery as befits all the modifications she has (multiple working socket in the headcode boxes and cut away cab skirts for starters). Great debate though James.
ReplyDeleteI should add, that I recognise that sometimes you have to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. I’d be happy to get involved and perhaps even lead such an endeavour here on the railway - but it would seem there is no appetite, perhaps even a negative view of such ideas - as if anything but pure 1950s waters down the experience.
ReplyDeleteThat is fine, I do understand where they come from - but where does that leave us?
Perhaps we need our own branchline!
You raise some intersting ideas James, I work for a a heritage railway deeply rooted in 1950s nostalgia. One of the issues we see is that the fafre paying customers don't seem to mostly like travelling behind a steam locomotive. as a general rule they seem unphased about any specifics. Enthusiasts care for specifics as you mention ut unfortunately they do not provide the bums on seats that keep a heritage railway open by paying the fuel bills, staff wages etc.
ReplyDeleteAs a railway we seriously lack a younger volunteer force vital to keep the heritage scene alive ut with the old guard at the helm especially at board level I don't know how it will be possile to preserve more recent railway history to enthuse a younger generation of volunteer...
It is a discussion that needs to be had though to keep the railways we love alive and prospering.
Thanks for your comment and insight Phil - as I expected (and have heard second hand from a few involved in preserved railways). The interesting thing here in the valley is there was a long held belief that the public wouldn't travel on DMUs but that has been completely blown wide open by passenger numbers since the rebirth of the railway - which perhaps is encouraging in some small way. With 150 Sprinters being advertised for sale overseas it seems sad that whomever owns these haven't looked to donate at least one to a preserved railway? The problem then is they need covered storage, just like the locomotives and stock do - as well as spares and individuals capable of maintaining them! All problems - they can be overcome, I'm sure - but is there enough energy in todays younger volunteers?
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