If there was ever proof needed that model railways can be very imaginative, this depiction of Middle Earth is definitely it! Hobbiton End is a fantastic narrow gauge branch line built by Simon Addelsee. It is set some 50 years after the Lord of the Rings novels of JRR Tolkien (and subsequent film adaptions), with the premise…
Today we have a short video showing restoration progress of Bulleid Open Third carriage 1456, from images taken over several months up until March 2016, all condensed into a few seconds. This is part of the Heritage Lottery Funded ‘Canadian Pacific’ Project. These shots were taken and edited by Senior Trainee Ali Steele. Please visit http://www.watercressline.co.uk/canpac for more details on the…
This excellent sped-up video was filmed by David Franklin. It condenses into one and a half minutes the busy locomotive yard in Ropley on the morning of the first day of the Autumn Steam Gala 2015. Enjoy! Royalty Free Music: Slow Motion – http://www.Bensound.com
The marvellous models on this page were scratch built, which is an incredible feat. However, most surprising of all was the medium used – cardboard. These are just a small selection of EG Best of Winchester’s collection of hand made cardboard models.
An update on progress of the Heritage Lottery Funded Canadian Pacific Project has been published. Work continues in cleaning the driving wheels (that reveals something of interest), the frame extensions are straightened and the bufferbeam support welding repair is completed. Please click on the following link to read the report in full: http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/blog/entry/wheely-interesting Please help support the Canadian…
The oldest surviving Bulleid Pacific was withdrawn from service on the Watercress Line on the 6th March 2016. No 34007 Wadebridge now requires a full overhaul before she can run again. She will also need her original tender restored, as the tender she uses will be returned to 35005 Canadian Pacific (albeit with a new…
Today is International Womens Day and as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Canadian Pacific Project we have a very special article that looks at some of the earliest women to work on railways. It is fascinating to read the level of inequality in society at the time – women had to masquerade as men and…
Today, 5th March 2016 is the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the legendary Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire is often described as being one of the most famous aircraft types in the world and its elliptical wings are still one of the most instantly recognisable of any aeroplane. The first Spitfire was originally designed by RJ Mitchell…
As part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Canadian Pacific Project, we are researching and exploring the social history of the railway covering a wide range of topics. The following link provides a fascinating insight into the Southern Railway Orphanage at Woking. That’s right, there’s more to railways than trains! http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/blog/entry/the-childrens-orphanage Photographs provided by Roy Smith and the Bishopstoke History Society…
Today Bachmann announced their plans for 2016/17. To coincide with its’ thirtieth anniversary, the main theme of their new range is Network South East (NSE.) The only new tooling for 00 scale follows this theme – a Class 414 (2 HAP) Electric Multiple Unit to fit in with the growing number of EMU’s available. For N gauge…
Loco Yard 