An interesting journey: Blaenau Ffestiniog-Bala, 1959

Trawling the worldwide web regarding Trawsfynydd and the Branch to Bala, has revealed some interesting snippets of information. One of which is this below found at http://www.penmorfa.com/Conwy/nine.htm Written by an Eddie Bellass, regarding a rather interesting journey from Blaenau to Bala, in September 1959. My 7 months pregnant wife and I were waiting to catch the…

Project Planning

Building a new model railway is a process which can be approached in different ways. For many it can be quite an organic process that begins with receiving a train set as a prezzie and evolves to end with a layout of considerable quality.  However, for those of you who like me are juggling multiple…

The Lynton and Barnstaple Spell

Being a fan of the old Southern Railway, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway has always been a line that has caught my attention in books and in the media.  The Southern Railway’s history is largely a progressive one – a tale of early electrification and suburbanisation.  The thought of this company owning and running a…

Stogumber

Whilst traveling with my wife and friends on our way for a couple of nights in north Devon last weekend, we had a brief (35 minutes to be exact) moment to stop en-route at the delightfully quaint station at Stogumber on the West Somerset Railway.  The line was in the midst of it’s Autumn steam…

West Somerset Autumn Steam Gala

Good evening, The West Somerset Railway marked the 50th anniversary of the closure of Taunton’s steam locomotive shed during its Autumn Steam Gala this weekend. A line-up of ‘guest’ engines has been hired for the event, including the Manor Class 7820 Dinmore Manor. Some of the WSR-based ‘residents’ will also assume the identities of long-vanished…

Review: Bachmann 25th Anniversary Set

Originally posted on Calling All Stations:
Next up for review, something a little special: The Bachmann 25th Anniversary set (25-2014). No bonus points for deciphering that complicated product code! I’m always a little behind the times with purchases, usually buying locos that have been out a while. This set however was released just a few months…