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.

Thursday 2 July 2020

Small Saddle Tank Loco

I have been looking at the prices of Arnold donor chassis's and consequently I have decided not to motorise the Peco kit of James.
 I have gone ahead with my original idea to make it a static model in the maintenance yard of Hadarford, which was always my intention, when I bought the kit on eBay.
 I have finished building all the metal kit today.


Part of the problem with the original kit was that the foot plate was broken, the whole of the rear section had broken off and a short section under the doorway on one side.

I have however managed to build it with the broken parts.

This is the small section under the doorway rejoined to the main footplate and the broken off rear section.


This is the other side of the loco where the broken off rear section meets the footplate.
A bit of filler and all should be well.


From a distance it isn't so noticeable.



The even better news is that I have managed to negotiate an Arnold chassis for this loco and I am awaiting it in the post. 
This means that there is a good possibility that I may actually get this going as a functional loco.

Keith

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