Model and Miniature

TRACKWORKER (incorporating the Signal)

MRC eld

from the members of Uck

Articles

and

Features

News,

The journal of Uckeld Model Railway Club. Published on an occasional basis December 2000

December Cover.indd 1 31/12/2008, 04:45 Model and Miniature TrackWorker December 2000 Editor: John Pollington. Email: [email protected]

CONTENTS Next Issue: 2001

CLUB DIARY Deadline for the next issue will be determined by the Meetings and other events: 2 amount of material submitted to the Editor.

Submission of any item which may be of interest EXHIBITION REPORTS to our readers would be welcome, including good quality colour or monochrome photos or diagrams Holland - Rail 2000: 3 for inclusion on the front and rear cover, or to Colchester ‘MM: 3 complement written articles. Club Exhibition 2000 - a review 4 All contributions are gratefully received but PROGRESS REPORT publication cannot be guaranteed and material may Bentley Miniature Railway Progress: 5 have to be edited, split or held over for future issues.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily FEATURE those of the Editor, the Management Council or the Adventures of K.C. the Engineer (2): 6 Board of Directors.

LAYOUT REPORTS Kennet 10 Leysdown 10 Buckham Hill 10 The Test Track 10 “Mini-Bentley” 10

Cover photograph

4-8-4 P36 class loco on tour train in the photo by Andrew Else (see the article inside) CHRISTMAS GREETINGS!

Back Cover The Officers, Directors and Council wish all members the very best for Cristmas and the new year. 0-4-0P/H loco “Rachel” coupling-up to “Fowler” at the Bentley Miniature Riy, prior to a double-headed run. photo by the Editor

Uckfield Model Railway Club Limited is a Company Limited by Guarantee, incorporated on 13 August1999. Registered Company No.3824818. Registered Office: The Courtyard, River Way, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1SL Company Officers and Board of Directors - Year 2000 / 2001 Company Secretary: Company Treasurer: Directors: Derek Williamson David Clifford Barry Miller, Geoff Billington, John Quick, Keith Nock

Management Council

President: Chairman: Secretary: Treasurer: Management Council Members:

Keith Nock John Quick Derek Williamson David Clifford Barry Miller, Alan Morris, Richard Pearson, Peter Southern, Geoff Billington

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December Contents-2.indd 1 01/01/2009, 01:40 December 2000 Model and Miniature TrackWorker Editorial

This is the second issue in the new A4 format. With the time available to me to produce it, plus the amount of contributing articles at their present levels it is likely to be another 12 months to the next one (prove me wrong, please - the more I receive, the shorter the time before the next issue). May I remind you that this is a journal of reviews and report articles on what we have done. The Club Secretary will continue to publish separate short Newsletters giving advance notice of forthcoming events.

CLUB DIARY

CLUB MEETINGS are held in our rented HQ building in Uckfield, every Monday and Thursday evening. Open from 7:30pm. Members also meet at wekends for the maintenance of our miniature railway in the grounds of Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, on Thursday evenings during the summer months and every Sunday outside the operating season. During the operating season, from April to September, members attend to operate the railway on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and Bank Holidays, plus Wednesdays in August.

DECEMBER 2000

19th Christmas Party. Tickets, £1, available from Derek Williamson.

FEBRUARY 2001

9th, 10th & 11th Brighton ModelWorld - Club Portable 71⁄2” gauge passenger track in use again

24th & 25th EM Gauge Layout, “Treyarnon” goes to the Carshalton & Sutton show, Leatherhead.

MARCH

3rd & 4th Sussex Model Rail 2001, at Crawley Leisure Centre. “Treyarnon” chosen to represent the Club 24th & 25th British Railway Modelling Festival, at Alexandra Palace, London - “Leysdown” is going

APRIL

Easter Start of operating season at Bentley Miniature Railway

MAY

Wednesday running days at Bentley Miniature Railway, volunteers please

SEPTEMBER

8th & 9th Bentley Fire Show - Busy days for Miniature Railway. volunteers please contact Geoff.

21st - 23rd Weald Wood Fair at Bentley - Busiest weekend for the Miniature Railway, volunteers please.

OCTOBER

20th & 21st U.M.R.C. Exhibition 2001, at Uckfield Civic Centre.

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December Contents-2.indd 2-3 01/01/2009, 01:40 Model and Miniature TrackWorker December 2000 Holland – RAIL 2000

After the disappointment of being turned down in 1998, in October this year we eventually went to Den Bosch with ‘Kennet’, our 7mm scale GWR layout. The journey out was uneventful until we landed at Hook The accommodation was a little unusual. We stayed at of Holland. A few miles out and we hit a traffic jam that a sort of holiday village a few miles from the exhibition makes the M25 in the rush hour a pure joy. Colin, driving site and had a 3 bed roomed wooden chalet. Frank’s the van, got lost and that was nothing to do with Frank’s room was ‘en suite’ (how does he manage it?) but it was map reading.! ! ! very comfortable. A couple of members had a whinge because they had bunk beds but surely they wouldn’t It really is an amazing model exhibition. Not only are expect the C.M.E. to suffer such indignity. there trains but also, ‘planes, cars, lorries, boats and ships, army vehicles, cranes and even on the stand The chalet was well fitted out with everything we needed selling ‘Smart’ car models, a full size real car. If you and even had a satellite T.V. with Channel 37. (Use your can model it, it was probably there. Many models were imagination) We had to prepare our own breakfasts but radio controlled and they were actually flying ‘planes in were provided with a “breakfast box”. This contained tea a dedicated hall. Static model ‘planes really had to be and coffee, toast, jam, cake etc and a bottle of red wine. seen to be believed – they were superb. Sad to say, that did not last until the first breakfast.

We didn’t find out the total number of visitors but it was The journey home was slightly different. The ferry was reckoned to be in the order of 35,000 over the 3 days. like a drunken rocking horse and once in England it rained and rained. Almost as much water fell on the van Our evenings were very enjoyable. We commissioned as the ferry had used to float across the North Sea. Keith Harcourt to determine the best restaurants and he did a first class job. We ate (and drank) very well. As But we were home in good time having had a very to drink, on the Saturday evening we were invited to a enjoyable weekend. So much so that ‘Treyarnon’ has Happy Hour. Frank queried why a Happy Hour lasted for been put forward for 2002 but we hear that the chance two hours and was asked why at 28 pence for a beer of acceptance is slim because the halls were almost fully was he watching the clock? booked before we applied. Still, there is always 2004.

Colchester MM

Much has been written by earlier scribes about our visits to Colchester exhibitions and it is difficult to add anything about the show. The Saturday evening was a bit different and this is a report as accurate as the hazy brain can recall. We were taken by ‘bus to the dinner venue and that together a collection of the 12 programmes that John would not have been too bad except we had to wait in had written. These were bound into a Red Book and a torrential downpour. It is not only our home town that after a suitable speech Frank was able to end with “… can get a little wet. By the time the ‘bus arrived, the and it gives me much pleasure to say ‘John Doyland, this water was 3 feet out from the gutter. No problem, even is your life’.” The joke seemed to go down quite well. in his decrepit state, Frank can leap a 3 foot puddle. Pity he didn’t see that there were also a couple of feet over That should have been the end of it but you know us the pavement. Oh how he grumbled because he had his better than that. As it was Frank’s last exhibition as shoes full of water. C.M.E. of ‘Kennet’ he decided that a little end of term drink was in order so took a litre of Scotch with him During dinner, certain gentlemen at our table seemed expecting to take half back home. Can five people drink to forget their married status and did their utmost to a whole litre.? Well our boozy lot can. What happened woo the young nurse who was sharing our table. The on Sunday is only a matter of conjecture and very hazy vegetables included young carrots and said nurse lost memories. one off her fork and it may have fallen into her c******e but offers from certain gentlemen to retrieve it were What we do remember is a very wet ride home, much turned down. the same as the journey from Holland. We must have done something terribly wrong in an earlier life to have After the dinner, there were two presentations to John the Heavens so angry with us. Doyland the Exhibition Manager for the past 12 years. At times, God’s Wonderful Railway can provide Frank (the one with the wet feet) had helped to put wonderful times.

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December Contents-2.indd 2-3 01/01/2009, 01:40 December 2000 Model and Miniature TrackWorker Club Exhibition 2000

Two days after the great flood, which was broadcast to the world, on Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th October 2000 we held our 16th model railway exhibition at the Uckfield Civic Centre.

THIS WAS OUR LARGEST SHOW YET, WITH MORE HALLS & MORE LAYOUTS

Despite the flooding in the centre of Uckfield, the show was held as planned. The venue was not affected by the flood water. There was a certain amount of misreporting by the media as to the affect on the town as a whole. Although the river Uck broke its banks before 6am on the morning of 12th, the waters had receded by that evening. The majority of the pictures were taken during the early part of the day when the water levels were some 4ft deep in places! Apart from the extensive damage to shops at the bottom of the High Street and a number of houses and industries built in the flood plain the majority of the area returned to normal very quickly. If you could get close enough to Keith Harcourt’s layout, “Kappaboard”, which was located just outside the entry to the main exhibition hall, you Layouts from Birmingham, Enfield, Southampton and would have seen the view below closer to home made it to the show. The members of the trade also braved the roads to attend. It was very successful, with many comments being recieved regarding the high quality of the exhibits, the variety of trade goods on offer and the general friendliness of those taking part.

John Pollington’s layout, “Treyarnon”, was brought out of retirement at a fortnight’s notice to fill in for a drop-out. Here we see John, ably assisted by Andrew Else with some of the onlookers

Leysdown, our Scalefour layout, was also there, making this exhibition the one with the most club-built layouts exhibited at the same show since the 1980’s. Above is what you would have seen as you approached it, and below are a couple of close-ups.

Amongst the specialist Model Raiwlay traders was, of course, our local “Hobby Box”, ably staffed here on the Saturday by Martin Nock and Alan Morris. (Keith Nock was running the shop then).

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December Contents-2.indd 4-5 01/01/2009, 01:40 Model and Miniature TrackWorker December 2000 Progress at Bentley Miniature Railway

Whilst we did not play host to any event such as SEQLEC, 7 1/4 AGM or whatever, the year 2000 saw a lot of activity as usual. Our overall passenger ticket sales were up on previous years (again), and the busy Bank Holiday weekends of Easter, Early & Late May and August, together with the annual Sussex Fire Show and Weald Woodfair proved as popular as ever. We are grateful once again for the support of Malcolm and Christine who came down all the way from Scotland with their locos, and also to our good friends Wilf, Paul and Kevin who came South to run their engines (some even put up with our various on-site accommodation - tents, caravans, hammocks, etc). We ran on a total of 66 operating days.

This winter sees the first phase towards our latest project, an additional carriage shed, get started. The main line from the old single-track level-crossing, on the long 1-in-80 climb towards Horsted yard is being re-aligned and the gradient profile is being changed to suit. Essentially, we need to move the track away from the corner of the site to create enough space for the new building. to do this, the main line is being ‘pulled-in’ by about 3 or 4 feet, and we will be taking this opportunity to remove the existing location of the summit of the climb so that it is not on a curve, and produce a more gentle down-grade from there to the approach to Bentley Central station. Work has already started on the concrete track-edging for the re-alignment, following the transplanting of a line of small trees. The diagram shows what we aim to do.

Other works scheduled for the Winter Sundays are mostly S&T cabling and control systems upgrades, but there are also a number of other mini-projects such as the building of the river-bridge parapet fencing at Ringmer Junction, and the new Station Office ticket-desk to name but two. So far, the small regular crew of 4 or 5 of us have been left to get on with all this work, but we would appreciate it if some of the younger and fitter amongst the membership could also lend a hand or two from time to time. We meet on Sundays at the track site at Bentley from about 10:30am until about 4:30pm (or dusk, whichever is later); coffee and tea are provided all day and there is a microwave oven for heating your lunch if you so wish.

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December Contents-2.indd 4-5 01/01/2009, 01:40 December 2000 Model and Miniature TrackWorker

The Adventures of K.C. the Engineer ...... (cont’d from Nov.1999 issue)

Ukraine part 2

Prikliochenie roman sochineniya K.C. mashinistii - chasti dva.

I thot I wood prakteece mi eneleesh. - Allo it is Kyril Clavootich, K.C. the ingineer, from Kiev. Privetstvie, Welcome.

Generally the Soviet railways ran very large numbers of The MPS committee was also, for very many years, European length freight trains. There was therefore no against the use of carrying axles. Therefore upwards need for the development of massive steam of 8,000 class O and 13,000 class E were built. The of American proportions. Double heading was accepted O class were built from 1890 to 1914 and the E class practice. from 1912 to 1957 when the last one was delivered from . In the period from 1948 to 1955 trials were underway with two mallet locomotives but it is not known why these The MPS committee selected a design of were not chosen for mass production. A 2-10-2 type the 2-8-0, the Shch class, by 1911 some 1900 of this LV class was, however, chosen and some 522 examples essentially poor design had been built. During WW1 were built until steam production abruptly ceased in some 880 locomotives of the 2-10-0 type were bought 1957. from the USA, 200 remaining unshipped in the USA when the Revolution caused the order to be canceled. As late as January 1992 it is recorded that 5904 steam These were the first large non Russian designs received locomotives were in MPS stock. About 675 were in use and were given the class Ye designation. each day shunting, piloting, on heating duties or loaned to depots or industry for use as stationary boilers. The During WW2 a further 2051 similar locomotives were large number of non active engines are explained by the delivered from USA as class YeA or YeaM. Interestingly existence of a number of attended strategic reserves. throughout their working lives these locos did not These contain engines in a preserved state and which venture far from the lines of . They were could be steamed (generally) with 7 days notice. The seldom seen west of the Urals. After the war and the reserve contains equipment for preserving the locos political boundary changes that occurred the Soviets such as wax and grease sprays, air brake testing plant also acquired thousands of “Trophy” or class T etc. When the engine is needed the reserve staff would locomotives of many different types. Most numerous was fit the rods and motion that had been stored hanging the Kreigslok, class TE, (T for Trophy and E for the most flat under the tender, degrease the preservation fluids similar power output Soviet loco, the class E). After the from the engine, add coal and water and then light up! war production of the Russian E class was continued Some reserves allegedly keep engines on 24hr notice, in countries such as Poland and . these were the ones on the Polish border which had a Soviet designers had by the start of WW2 produced their stock of European standard gauge Kreigsloks. It is now own design of 2-10-0 the class SO. This design was quite clear that the maintenance of these reserves is based on the E class, but gave a lighter axle load. In no longer considered economical and mass cutting up all some 4,400 of this class were built for the MPS with of the engines was occurring during my 1997/98 visit. If others built for industry. you want the works plate they’ll cut it off for you!

From the earliest days the Tsarist MPS held tight control over the development of design. There was an active policy of forcing individual railways, especially the state controlled ones, to purchase not always satisfactory and sometimes expensive home built engines. Imports were allowed but they were discouraged and the Russians always thought they could make better locomotives cheaper than those imported. Sometimes they were right, mostly they were wrong during the early development of the Russian railway system. One private railway, the Vladikavkaz, in the Caucasus, was essentially instrumental in the development of the two standard Russian freight SO 17 class 2-10-0 on run-past near Pratigorsk classes, the O or Osnovoi (Ordinary) class 0-8-0 and the photo by Andrew Else E class 0-10-0.

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December Contents-2.indd 6-7 01/01/2009, 01:40 Model and Miniature TrackWorker December 2000

The basic limiting factor on Russian or Soviet locomotive the TE3. These were mainline freight diesels of two design was the vast mileage of relatively light track coupled units each. They had conventional imposing an axle load restriction of less than 17 tonnes. and electric transmissions. The TE3 was the Soviet A programme of main line upgrading allowed heavier equivalent of the General Motors F series, some 6,800 axle loads and for these lines 3,200 class FD 2-10-2 double unit locomotives being built by Lugansk, Kharkov were built with 20 tonne axle loads. These were an and Kolomna works. Some of these engines, built from extremely successful design and allowed increases in 1953 until 1973 are still in use today. train weights and speeds. Development of the Class L, a 2-10-0 occurred after the war with about 5,000 built. The LV class the last Soviet built freight 2-10-2 also forms the basis of the Chinese QJ class. Many FD class were sold and regauged for use on the European standard gauge lines in China.

For passenger work only three basic locomotive types have been produced since the Class S 2-6-2 was developed by Sormovo works in 1910. About 3,780 of all the various sub types of the class S being built. The next passenger type were the 650 IS class 2-8-4, a passenger version of the FD noted above. This was to be used on the recently improved main lines for express passenger work. The last passenger type was 2 TE3 diesel starts at Pyatki. Expolsion causes meriment amongst the famous P36, of which 251 examples had been built the crew! by 1957. (see front cover - Ed.) photo by Andrew Else

Within this vast array of seeming standardness there Seventy Alco of class DA were imported in were of course many individual sub classes resulting 1944 and from these the basis of most large Soviet from improvements, design changes, rebuilding, etc. designed switchers, classes TEM1, TEM2 and TEM3 There was also the class AA; the largest Beyer Garrett was derived. These classes were built for the MPS ever built; numerous Fairlie types and an assortment and industry. The other main line class is of tank engines, narrow gauge and industrial classes. the ChME3, of which some 7,424 had been imported Some interesting prototypes of the steam/diesel system from CKD in the by 1992. It is now known as “Teploparavoz” were made and trailed. believed that deliveries have ceased. You can often see early locos numberted in the low hundreds beside ones Usually Russian or Soviet steam locomotive classes numbered 7XXX and at the same depot! Since 1973 are named after the designer (Shch - Shchukin); political production has concentrated on the 2TE10 and 2TE116 figures (FD - Felix Dzerzhinski; IS - Iosif Stalin; SO - families, all of which have been produced in very large Sergei Ordzhonokidze); the works where they were built numbers. Both classes are a two unit locomotive and are (S - Sormovo; L - Lugansk) or the country of origin (YeA only used singly on very light workings. Other production - America). Of course when Stalin fell from grace so did of the class M62 and 2M62, even reaching 3M62 his locomotives, becoming class FDp (FD passenger), a triple unit loco, occurred for a while, these being although as FD was head of the secret police I’m not exported to many communist countries. sure this was any better! Higher line speed passenger diesels are in the TEP As for diesels, the Soviets can take some pride series, class TEP60, 70 or 80, which are generally single in the fact that during the 1920’s, after 10 years units with 100mph capability. TE is an abbreviation development engineers such as Lomonosov and Gakkel for “Teplovoz” the Russian word used for a diesel had produced experimental diesel locos with electrical locomotive, the word diesel generally being reserved for transmissions. By 1924 Lomonosov had completed his a dmu or “diesel poezd” or diesel train. The first digit in YuE-001, the world’s first operationally successful diesel the class name indicates the number of units making up locomotive built for main line use. This potential lead was the engine, this can be as high as 3 or even 4, giving lost and in 1937 no more orders for diesels were placed rise to the 4TE10s class used on the BAM in Siberia. by MPS. In 1931 the entire diesel allocation including These are known as “Auroras,” after the famous naval works buildings, etc. were transferred to the Ashkabad cruiser, the distinctive winterisation of the exhaust stacks Railway in central Asia where water shortages were looking like the four funnels on the boat. endemic. The Railway was therefore “dieselised”. This valiant effort was not a success and policy switched Most Soviet diesels use vertically opposed piston prime to use of condensing steam locomotives in these arid movers developed from Fairbanks Morse submarine areas, generally class SOK. After the war successful engines. This makes for quite distinctive sounding stack designs were produced, notably the TE2, followed by talk.

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December Contents-2.indd 6-7 01/01/2009, 01:40 December 2000 Model and Miniature TrackWorker

With two different electrification systems, 3,000 volt DC Development of new classes has now begun, mainly and 25,000 volt AC there are numerous types of electric in . It’s not clear whether Ukraine will develop locomotives in use. Various lines in the Caucasus were designs, but they do posses two of the bigger ex electrified in the 1920’s. These used imported locos from Soviet locomotive factories for building diesels, Kharkov General Electric of class S10. The American design and Lugansk (now Voroshilovgrad). Even at the low influence on DC lines continued until AC took over as traffic levels being experienced new economical power is the standard system in the 1950’s. Imported locos from required. For all its uniformity and huge class numbers Alsthom (class F) and (the class ChS the overall locomotive scene is surprisingly varied. As family) were used to assist Soviet development of the at 1991 the official stock list showed over 120 different heavy industry. classes of multiple unit and locomotives. Surprisingly very few dual voltage locomotives have been produced, the 80 class VL82 being , at present, Yes, you’ve guessed it, the VL stands for Vladimir Lenin! the only examples. It is quite acceptable to have a loco change when the OHLE changes. These changes often coincide with railway boundaries anyway. At one time there were nine locomotive changes at OHLE boundaries on the Trans Siberian between and the end of the wires at Chita!

As you might have guessed Soviet electric loco types come in vast numbers. On the DC lines the first Russian series built twin section loco (class VL8) still survives in large numbers, of the 1,723 built by 1967 no less than 1,558 were still in stock in 1991. A more modern freight class are the 1,822 VL10 class Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo twin units. Passenger work on DC lines is in the hands of Skoda Single unit from 2TE10Y diesel on tour train at Zhmerinka on the ChS2. This typical European design is so small that it Kiev-Odessa main line has platforms on the roof below the pantograph to photo by Andrew Else allow the pan to reach the wires!

Under AC wires class VL60, is a single unit passenger In the a simple signaling code was loco of which some 1,800 examples have been built. developed. It is thought that less than 11,000 km of line The twin unit class VL80 with 4,800 built is the remains using semaphore signals. When they are seen main freight power encountered. The VL80 is series they are of German pattern. Most lines are equipped built and is manufactured at Novocherkask in Russia. with colour light signaling. The principle of the signaling New examples were seen in Ukraine in 1994. Some system is generally to indicate to the driver the diverging passenger trains are handled by class ChS4 dating from routes ahead when negotiating complex track layouts. 1966. The family growing to about 750 examples, all The usual aspects of green, amber and red when purchased from Skoda. Other Skoda products designed used singly provide indications as would be expected in for passenger use include ChS7 twin units and some England. At a diverging route, say into a passing loop, locomotives that are so slab sided they look as big as a driver will be shown a single flashing yellow, followed a small house! by a double amber aspect just before the diverge. If a second diverge is intended the top amber aspect of the double just passed will also flash. Where train speeds exceed 100kph (very rare in reality) additional aspects are used, usually in the form of an illuminated horizontal green bar on the post and flashing green aspects. One of the chief advantages of this system is that it generally dispenses with route knowledge. Any driver needs only the train schedule and to compare the speed the schedule dictates for plain line sections with the mileposts clearly visible every 100m along both sides of the line. UZ still appears to use the old Soviet MPS signaling rule book and a page is reproduced as one of the illustrations with this part.

A very important development in train control methods VL80t 2386 pulls in to Rudnitsa with empty grain hoppers from the Russian Federation, on the Kiev-Odessa main line was achieved in the 1950’s with the general adoption Photo by Andrew Else on main trunk lines of a competent continuous cab signaling system fully capable of providing the driver

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December Contents-2.indd 8-9 01/01/2009, 01:40 Model and Miniature TrackWorker December 2000

In the course of my travels around this country I have been impressed with the standard of operating seen. The huge number of speed restrictions is maddening, but drivers are scrupulous in their observation. The restrictions often go on for miles. After two hours at 15 or 20 kph in the cab of an M62 diesel with no heating and a raging blizzard outside you wonder why you left the bar car! All the drivers and second men I have ridden with have been amusing (often hilarious) characters. They are especially impressed when you ask to ride with them on modern traction sections of the tour.

Now that you’ve got a flavour of the railways I’ll tell you something in Part 3 about the services run and my experiences whilst train watching in Ukraine.

Spasibo Bolshoi (big thank you) to the pedaktor (editor) for continuing to print this trepatsya (rubbish). I’ll see you again in chast tri (part three). Apologies to any one who has any knowledge of the Russian lingo!

As usual a joke to end with.

“Knock knock”

“Who’s there?”

“Cagey”

“Cagey who?”

“Cagybee”

“Uh Oh!!!!!!!!”

with a permanent indication of the signal just passed. “Comrade Clavootich we do not think you should have The indicators are fitted to all locomotives, including mentioned the class AA to your Western friends! You steam. Also standard is a train to shore radio must come with us” transmission system allowing drivers to reach control centers or each other. This radio is in constant use Okali Dokali folks. K.C. the Engineer signing off for the updating control on progress and dispensing information moment. I’ll write again when I can with an account of about speed restrictions ahead. my journey to and from Siberia!!

2 M62Y diesels on freight train at Gitomer Em and Er 0-10-0s at Elizabetaka during a break to clean fires photo by Andrew Else photo by Andrew Else

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December Contents-2.indd 8-9 01/01/2009, 01:40 December 2000 Model and Miniature TrackWorker

LAYOUT PROGRESS KENNET

After many years on the club exhibition circuit, this layout is approaching retirement. It has travelled extensively in the UK, and this year survived a voyage across the North Sea to the Netherlands, returning safely (with the operators). A question mark hangs over its future - some want it stored, some want it available for more exhibition visits, a few would like to see it either sold or scrapped, and one or two express the view that parts of it should form the basis of another new 7mm-scale layout.

Frank Willams, after steering first the construction, then the exhibiting of this layout, has “retired” as CME and handed the regulator to Keith Harcourt. Keith has a few ideas, so watch this space!

LEYSDOWN

A few trackwork renewals have taken place recently, just prior to its appearance at the Scaleforum and Uckfield shows, to overcome the persistent problems with derailments on a set of turnouts. More locos and rolling stock are beginning to appear from Martin and Adrian, which should add variety to the operating sequences.

BUCKHAM HILL

Slow, but steady progress continues, with the trackwork largely finished and the rolling Sussex countryside completed. The tunnel mouth and cutting are still the subject of detailed works (and possibly revisions), whilst the electrical wiring and controls are speeding ahead under the direction of Keith Nock and assistance of Alan Morris. It is planned that Buckham Hill will make its debut at our Club Exhibition next October.

THE TEST TRACK (AKA THE POLO MINT)

Since the last issue of the TrackWorker, this layout has been built - designed as a test track for many different gauges. A concentric series of circular tracks in “N”, “TT”, “00”, “EM” and “P4” , it is now in regular use by members on club nights either trying out their latest purchases or ‘running-in’ their construction projects.

The design of the baseboards is such that the plain circular formation can, if needed, be divided to allow one or more straight-sections of layout to be added in future, using the 90-180-degree curved sections to turn an end-to-end layout into a round-and-around one.

MINI-BENTLEY

Another quick project, conceived, designed and built within a month, this is a model of a model - a representation of our Bentley Miniature Railway, using 00-9 track and HO-E stock. Derek masterminded its construction and it made its first appearance in public at the Millenium Uckfield Festival event in August. Since then it has been used as an attraction at the ‘real BMR’ and more recently our Club Exhibition in October.

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December Contents-2.indd 10-11 01/01/2009, 01:40 December Cover.indd 2 31/12/2008, 04:45