Welcome to the GVR

By Jove I think I've got it, after weeks and weeks of trying. Posting pictures that is!!!!
Keep fingers crossed and type very cautiously.I hope I have at last cracked it with the help of my wife and my daughter's
partner by doing something with a link or something. I hope it does not break the rules.


This canal scene is modelled on part of the former Grand Union Canal of lock No 8 at Long Buckby, Northamptonshire ,where I lived for 14 years. Actually the railway (WCML) was 1/4 mile to the north- east( modellers licence). I have recently added the figures.
I posted this picture and the next because someone wished to see train sets being built "warts and all"



This is an overview of Greenslade Station, nestled beneath the imposing Min Tor.
Also "warts and all", this shows a hole in the scenery where I had to burrow to retrieve a derailed train from the tunnel. I have recently built the station buidings based on Toton (Southern Railway) but is a mirror image . Some platform furniture has been added but more to come . Old Chinese proverb --- HO people sitting on OO seats never have feet on the ground!! All of the other buidings were scratch built from cardboard and are over 30 years old including a period on an exhibition layout surviving the ravages of rising damp, extremes in temperature, and humidity, and paper munching crickets. The village of Greenslade is on the branch line from Eccles Junction and is itself a junction and can be operated completely independantly from the main trainset



I have included this because I have recently added the hand rails on the bridge .Always looking out for a suitable item ( this usually means the cheapest) - I used hand rails from the Hornby turntable , still available as spares .Also because there have been a number of postings about Military Railways and war time trains I have posed an LMS Duck 8 at the head of a train carrying Tanks etc . I remember such trains during the latter stages of WW2 but of course they would have carried all similar vehicles , -mine has no two the same. This train will need a lot of mods to get it to run as the wellwagons are Tri-ang and will need better scale wheels and a lot of attention to the bogies- that is why it is "posed" . The bridge , also scratch built from card, is built across the River Goon.



There were some postings recently on other hobbies or interests relating to railways and this another one of mine. During the 1970's I made a few pencil drawings such as this, and of American and Canadian streamlined locos. Steamlined engines being favourites of mine.
I should add that GVR stands for the Goon Valley Railway, completely fictitious of course, all geographical sites etc taking names from characters in that crazy 1950s 60s Goon Show. This enables me to model any part of Britain as I wish to see it, and I dont have to pop over from New Zealand every time I need to measure a building, etc.!!!!!. I prefer limestone crags because I find them easiest to model. I also model all periods and all regions but preferring the LMS before 1947. Even British Railways , (but I have no blue diesels), Standard steam and green diesels are well catered for.
If I can really learn how this computer thing works maybe I 'll be able to post some more stories of my trainset.

Cheers Tony Overton

I shall have one more attempt to get my pictures to work !!!!
Firstly I appologise to Expat and to any one else who couldnot see them. It must have been due to me leaving something out or making a mistake or ???//

There are some postings re motorising Airfix kits on going at the moment and also a mention of the Kitmaster Stirling 8 ft Single. I also have an unbuilt kit of this and for years have pondered on ways of making it go!
Then recently I saw Bachmann's Emily in their Thomas range and thought I must see what I can make of that.
When she arrived I was dissapointed not only because she was not a beautiful replica of a beautiful loco( in fact she was quite ugly). On checking out her vital statistics I found that there was hardly any measurement which agreed with the drawing I had. She was just too gross. Even her driving wheels scale up to 9 feet diameter.
Oddly Bachmann have motorised not only her driver but through a very complicated gear train have powered the second axle of her leading bogie . I counted 12 gears that I could see and then there is the mechanism that makes her eyes rove from side to side. This now makes her a 2-2-2-2 instead of a 4-2-2.
Here she is moving eyes and all.



I also had a built up Kitmaster and by placing them together it was obvious that a scale model could not be made from Emily .But by thinning here and shortening there a reasonably well proportioned model could be made .I discarded the tender top which looked rediculously top heavy, lowered the front footplate, and made a new cab.These are shown below - the alterations were made from white plasticard. I also had to make a new smokebox door ( from a button ,hand rail knob and two bits of wire for the dart , wire for the hingepost and two strips of postcard for the hinges)



So here is my Stirling Single not one for the purists but one which sits well on my train set . I still need to finish painting it , apply transfers and lining and replace the handrail.



I hope these pictures show up and I hope you like my version of a not too common model.
regards Tony

Hi ,
Here is another attempt to post some pictures of the Goon Valley Railway.( This time I have used Photobucket)

I think I have said before that the intentions behind my trainset is to recreate memories of my " mis-spent" youth when I wasted a lot of time beside rail tracks and on stations or bunking around loco sheds in the late 1940s early 50s. I run trains every day so I think I have achieved this, even though the trainset is still a long way off finishing.There are many nostalgic scenes still to be re-run however. My memory was jogged this month by the excellent article in Model rail on milk tanker trains. We enjoyed train-spotting trips to the Midland main line at Kettering whenever pocket money allowed and we were told by the local lads that a milk train passing late in the afternoon was often hauled by a Patriot loco. At that time there were just two of the class shedded on the Midland and I had not seen either of them , so it was worth waiting for the milk train even though we could have missed the last bus home. Each time we waited it never turned out to be the eagerly sought after Patriot- but we caught a Crab instead. ( And we always caught the the bus!)

Here a Bachmann Crab hauls such a train having just left the Bluebottle tunnel



This is the engine we would have got excited over as Hornby Patriot crosses the River Goon on the girder bridge.


We would have been disappointed however as this not one of the Midland ' Pates'
This model has been fitted with a better chimney.( Alan Gibson)



I was interested in the news that Bachmann are to produce the Peppercorn A2. This always happens when I either make my own or modify one .
Here is my effort using Trix and Hornby parts ( Trix loco body on a Britannia chassis, slightly modified, and Hornby A3 tender drive ) LNER 525 in apple green with post war plain block gold lettering with no shading.
Loco exiting Bluebottle tunnel.



Also same modifications as before:-
60533 Happy Knight slows at Ellington before crossing the viaduct on the upper main line, with a 7 coach train of Airfix ex LMS coaches in British Railways Carmine and cream



Hope you like my pictures ( courtesy of my Wife) :

( sorry had to post twice. Lost the pictures in the first post
regards Tony

Hi .
Here we are on the Goon Valley Railway.
This is High Street ,in the village of Bluebottle. Built on a base board over the main line in a corner of the trainset it effectively hides the sharpest curve on the bottom main line , even so the radius is about 36 inches. The brown panel at the front is detatchable allowing access to the tracks in the tunnel. All the buildings are scratch built from cardboard. Some are over 20 years old. I have recently added a few more trees made from various materials , twigs, grape stems, Etc. with proprietary scatter /clumping materials from various manufacturers, ( Woodland Scenics Etc.)



Another view of Bluebottle
The name is not really queer , this is Goonshire after all.
Near to my Northampton home is a hamlet ( grown a lot since I left, no doubt) called Nobottle, You would have passed it before realizing it ,were it not for the bluebells in Spring . So - Nobottle - Bluebottle- what the heck. It must be authentic as the village is "twinned" with Bottedebleu in France (where the clochettes grow!!)
It still needs populating and a few more trees planted against the backdrop



A part of the Grand Union Canal just above lock no. 8 at Long Buckby Wharf . The white house is a representation of where I lived until I was 14 . Unfortunately the railway was not that close- about 400 yards away to the north but I could still cop numbers on clean engines from my bedroom window.



Cheers Tony( C.M.E. Goon Valley Railway)

Since I last wrote about the village of Bluebottle, ( where the bluebells grow) I have realised that the theme of the The Goon Valley Railway has its limitations, in as much as names relating to shops etc.
Having enjoyed the Auckland stage production of 'Allo Allo' recently, it seemed a possiblity to include some characters from that show. Especially as the village has been been twined with 'Bottedebleu' (where the clochettes grow).
So we have the original Antique shop, now being re-titled as 'The Van Klomp's' Studio and Gallery' (see picture).
Since I last wrote about the village of Blubottle - (where the bluebells grow), various trees have been added to the backdrop and some effort to populate the village has been made.
As here we see the Francophile villagers awaiting the grand opening of the gallery. All of them, hoping to be admitted to see the reputed Portrait of the Fallen Madonna, - (with the big boobies) by Van Klomp.
Now this may be a little difficult, because the portrait would need a lot of restoring after spending a many months concealed in a Knokwurst sausage, and after that some time under Edith's jumper.

Thank you Brian and Dave for your kind remarks. Were it not for you and a couple of others I would get no feedback at all . Not that I'm looking for praise but it is nice to know whether I'm doing it right or not, I even wouldn't mind criticism from the purists, rather than silence . Friends who see my trainset are not modelers, but say nice things so it is good to receive comments from some fellow nutters.
Now to carry on some more stories from the village of Bluebottle ( where the blue bells grow):-
The busy- bodies have been gosiping about the strange antics of the Boy Scouts not knowing that they are all going for their Ornothological badge ( Bird watching ) and the scouts have heard of a family of Parus caeruleus caeruleus ( if not sure Google it! )down the track over the tunnel.
In the first three pictures the local bobbies have just turned up to keep an eye on them, while the last two scouts hurry to see what the others have found . Perhaps a blackbirds nest or even the Captn's parrot !!!!







No such luck -just that family of Parus caeruleus caeruleus.


Cheers for now .
Tony CME Goon Valley Railway

It has always been my philosophy that hobbies should be enjoyed. If that means a bit of frivolity all well and good.
The seriouness should be left to the professionals.

Years ago, when involved in an exhibition layout, I built a tin shed with a toilet and a little man sitting on it.
It was positioned on the layout so that it could only be seen from one spot in the 35 foot viewing area. The operators were often asked where the dunny was sighted. Obviously word had got around and everyone wanted to see it and when pointed in the right direction showed delight in the humour of the diorama.

Having been tied up recently constructing the three platform buildings of Eccles Junction Station, including about 50 meters of roofing slates,(more of this in a later posting) I was looking for some light relief from this tedious task.
So having re-read John's post I thought it would be good fun to re-create what he had said - "next thing we will have an outhouse with an open door and someone sitting on it"

Well here it is.
Fred Phlange doing his 'door sitting' as has been his favourite pastime for some time.
He first experienced this when he came out to New Zealand to visit his sister, who had emmigrated in the 1950's.
'Door sitting' ( or door squatting - as it is commonly referred to), was a regular pastime among the rural community of South Canterbury.
He now envisages a national championship, and is endeavouring to organise this within the next year or so.



He is a close up of Fred sitting on the door.



John also said -' maybe some of Busch's XXXX models for an indoor scene"

It is shearing time in Bluebottle - (where the blue bells grow) - the itinerant shearers from New Zealand and Australia
are not much keen on indoor scenes and when asked if they were interested in Busch XXXX they replied, in no uncertain terms that the only 4 X's they were interested in were CASTLEMAINES XXXX, although the New Zealanders did state a preference for Speights - but. - - (incidentally the Kiwis are the ones in the black vests).
It is obvious they have been well lubricated this summers evening, judging by the empty cans, and lo! and behold they seem to have been able to get a special delivery of more booze from Castlemaines.



Here is a close up, and as we close this episode of The Goon Valley Railway Journals we leave 'Blue' - (he's the one with the red hair), toasting his giant piece of damper in the dying embers of their barbecue.

There have been some postings about tunnels this month so I hope no-one will mind if I show some of the tunnels on my trainset of the Goon Valley Railway. All except one have been scratch built. This is the method I prefer as it is rare to find a kit or ready made item to fit your requirements exactly, and nothing beats the feeling of satisfaction on making it yourself.
There was some concern about the width of one of the kits . I suppose it is better to have a large bore than a much too narrow one as the driver of LMS Garrett quickly found out when he tried to enter Greenslade tunnel recently
This is a straight forward cardboard construction with Metcalfe embosed stone buiding card overlay.



The second picture shows just how narrow this is but in fact will accomodate the usual branch line traffic without problems . The other two track tunnel beyond the bridge is also cardboard with embosed stone overlay of unkown make but I think it is for O gauge.



Pic 3 shows the other end of Greenslade station . This tunnel mouth is a plastic kit (Wills or Ratio?) most of which was not used. The chalk cliffs are cast using alluminium kichen foil , crumpled , opened out ,filled with a rather runny plaster of Paris, and literally slopped onto the base ( expanded polystyrene).



Pic 4 is a very simple one on the Grand Union Canal . Same cardboard construction covered with brick paper by Prototype Models. This tunnel burrows under Ellington loco shed -still to be built.



Pic 5 is on the lower main line and this takes the double track beneath Min Tor. A similar one but single track takes the freight only line under Min Tor to the Ellington yard and shed and is just visible above the second Gresley coach.



Pic 6 shows the other end of this tunnel but has twin mouths .The sets of points will eventually take the lines into
the terminus station at Secombe.



pic 7. shows two similarly built tunnels the upper one with the tracks going nowhere will oneday hopefully carry the reversing loop from the lower mainline to the upper mainline.Both made of cardboard with cardboard overlays in relief all covered with Superquick grey slates paper No. 5. Here the bores had to be made through a concrete wall requiring the services of a contractor using concrete cutting equipment. The bores themselves use large diameter plastic drain pipes and these can be seen just below where the track ends



Pic 8 shows the other end of this tunnel. It shows that the two sets of lines have reached the same level via inclines.
Built in the Art Deco style they are cardboard again with the stone work scribed with a blunt knife. I am loathed to dirty these but I suppose I will have to one day. The tunnels bore through Lion Hill, hence two lions guarding the entrances. I wanted crouching lions but these were all I could find ,both were fluorescent and the unpainted one reminds me every time I switch off the lights that I still have a lot of work to do in that area



Pic 9 This has appeared in my postings before - Cardboard covered with Metcalfe embosed stone papers . The other end is not shown but is similar. this tunnel takes the double mainline under the village of Bluebottle ( where the bluebells grow)



A further two tunnel mouths still have to be built taking the upper mainlines under the house !

Regards, Tony CME Goon Valley Railway

Thanks Peter and Kimbo for your kind remarks.
Yes although my trainset is a long way off completion I can run both sets of lower main line tracks and both the upper level main lines and can run four trains at the same time. The branch line and the freight only line which are operated separately from the main lines are workable but need the fulltime attention of a second operator. All good fun and I get to enjoy it every day. My main enjoyment is performance of the locomotives and I have strict limits to which locomotives must comply before they are accepted into the rosters. I find careful running-in and sensible maintenance very important in this regard. For example passenger locos must be able to haul 7-8 coach trains up hill and down at realistic speeds with hands- off the controls, averaging about 1min and 15 to- 45 seconds to complete a circuit .Freight trains and expresses on the upper lines take longer ,up to 3 mins for some freight trains (22 wagons). This is very important when running 4 trains at the same time. I expect and usually get this performance from all engines, new or old( and I own some very old ones!!).Of course the building, development and detailing continue at a slow but steady pace.

Hi Britho and Brian . Dover eh , must be the white cliffs!!
If Britho would like some Southern scenes, these are specially for him. With the M7 entering Greenslade station with a train for Eccles ,you might see the improvements I've recently made . The second platform building/waiting-room is quite imaginary but usefully has entrances from both sides , there are also mock windows in the end gables matching the main building.There are some more passengers , more platform furniture, and more advertising, Still it requires more dirtying/weathering, although I have given the footbridge a coat of matt concrete grey, and also the lineside shed.
Re. the narrow tunnel. There would be some narrow ones on the Hastings Line wouldn't there.?



Malachite Mogul No 1854 arrives with a very short pick-up goods. I dont think this group of cottages and the shop have featured in these musings before.



My wife and I celebrate our English origins by flying the Flag of St. George on a few days during the year, EG the Queens Birthday, Commonwealth Day, any day when England win at cricket ,rugger, or soccer,( not very often),15th Sept. 21st Oct . 25th Oct. I must admit that being Saturday ( and not having to go to work !!!!) we slept-in this morning and then completely forgot , but I see that our fellow Patriots in the village of Greenslade have arisen early and have done the right thing on this auspicious day



Have a happy day ,
Tony C.M.E. Goon Valley Railway.

Hi , I must apologise to anyone looking in to this thread over the last week and seeing no pictures.
This was because we inadvertantly removed the pictures from my Photobucket site, and did not notice that that also took them off here.!!!
Anyway they are all back again now and I hope you enjoy them.
Tony .

Well, here they are again. Rodney and Charles, the good citizens of Greenslade. They are once again being true patriots and flying the flag again, in recognition of the wonderful effort of the young English racing driver, Lewis Hamilton.
Very well done.



Regards Tony CME Goon Valley Railway

QUOTE (BRITHO @ 3 Nov 2008, 17:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Lewis who?

Regards

Hi BRITHO , I mean the other Lewis. Not Morse's off-sider;
This one is younger, good looking, and has a better tan.

Regards Tony