From when my Parents gave me my first train set for a Christmas present as a child, I have had an interest in model railways. I originally started in "OO" gauge, but have also built in "N" and "O" gauge. The last layout I built was my exhibition layout "Holmehurst" which was in "O" gauge, and I exhibited it around the country. Photos of it can be seen by following this link.

I inherited some "OO9" rolling stock from my late father, including a loco I built from a white metal kit for him, and ever since living on our working narrowboat Hadar I have been thinking about building a "OO9" layout.

For those who do not know, "OO9" is "OO" scale, which is 4mm to 1ft, but the track and rolling stock are narrow gauge, equivalent to 2ft gauge in real life. Modelling-wise this means that I can used standard "OO" scale buildings, people, scenery etc. of which there is a far greater range of ready built items and kits to choose from, but it has the advantage that the reduced size of the track and rolling stock means that curves can be tighter than for standard gauge, without losing a realistic look within a restricted layout size.

I had thought about building a layout in our garden alongside our mooring at the Saltisford Canal Centre, but after much thought decided that this would not be practical. However I built a small layout (now dismantled) which sat on the shelf above the display cabinet, in our saloon, which houses my "O" gauge rolling stock. Having finished it, my wife Jo suggested that when we stop selling coal I could build a layout in the hold. As we stopped selling coal at the end of 2016.

I have now built the layout. This is now a full record of the building of this layout and any new additions along the way.

Please feel free to leave comments, I am always interested in suggestions or questions.

Saturday, 7 January 2017

Mains Supply now in the Hold.

Busy morning this morning, wiring in the new mains socket in the hold with the assistance of Jo.

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This is a first small, but vital set forward to the building of Hadarford. I can now work in the hold with power tools, use a fan heater, etc.. Mind you the hardest part of the job, connecting the other end of the cable to the rear of an existing socket in the saloon, went very easily considering.

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I wanted to connect to the rear of the existing socket in the saloon as seen in the photo above. On the left of the photo can be seen the trunking carrying the cable from cupboard against the bulkhead to the display cabinet. The problem I was faced with was getting the cable through the hole at the end of the display cabinet to the rear of the socket back box. From previous investigations, for what ever reason, I could not get the back box to come out from the display cabinet. I left this task to the very last, not sure why, probably because I was hoping to come up with a better solution in the meantime. Having drilled all the necessary holes, fitted the piece of trunking and threaded the cable through from the new socket to the display cabinet, I had to bite the bullet. I disconnected the shoreline and turned the Invertor off, then I removed the double socket and punched out the knockout piece at the rear of the back box, with the intention of pushing the cable through the hole in the end of the display cabinet and hoping and praying I could grab hold of it with a pair of pliers. Amazing, it actually worked. The end of the cable actually popped itself at the hole in the back box, it couldn’t have been simpler. All connected at both ends, and the mains supply restored, and Jo had a quick whizz around with the vacuum, job done!

Keith.

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