Down on Beaverbrook: Nineties…

I’ve not visited Beaverbrook for a few week. Perhaps longer. Over that time Chris has been sharing his progress on a latest project in N scale and he has recently set out his desire for a GE bias to the roster…

Amidst day dreams of having HMLX units represented in both HO (here) and N (there) it led to me digging out my larger GE motive power too - the U18B, one of the earlier creations in Beaverbrook’s history and the birth of the TerraTransport proto-freelance faux history. She sounds great and the idea of a nineties operating session came to me during work one day.

Beaverbrook itself is pretty timeless - any period in the past 30-40 years could be represented by swapping road vehicles… as such just changing the stock transforms our experience. 

Operating the layout once more, filming and sharing it with you too, reminded me of my deep affection for this place. Perhaps too a chance to understand a little more of my love affair with model railways themselves. Capturing myself on video enjoying the sight and sounds of the U18B as if I were trackside… in those moments yes I’m controlling, directing the play - but only to allow me to enjoy the spectacle. The experience in that moment more important than the wider challenge of switching required. 

I’m lucky to have a number of operational layouts in different scales and of different prototypes. Something to cater for most moods… and too, places to visit yes, but also a variety of different stages so there is always a project I can move to the bench should the need arise. Small layouts allow me to entertain this, certainly if they were all the size of Beaverbrook we’d have some obstacles! So too, a sales pitch for the HiFi micro perhaps? 

I hope you enjoy the video - as well as my commentary. Until next time, more soon…

Support my work

I love writing and creating material for the blog. If you enjoy what you read and engage with I would be appreciative of any donation, large or small, to help me keep it advert and restriction free. Alternatively, feel free to buy me a coffee.