N^fir^ Menu Christmas Even/me NO. 55 WINTER 1990/91 The Model Engineer's Supplier. A. J. Reeves & Co. (B'ham) Ltd., Holly Lane, Marston Green, Birmingham B37 7AW, England. Tel: 021-779 6831/2/3 22nd Edition Illustrated Catalogue price £2 post free UK. Overseas post extra. A Publication of the 1\ Gauge Society —~t From the Editor's desk EDITOR: I think a good many of you have taken the 'Safety' factor Dr. MA. Taylor, very seriously, and this can be no bad thing. 112 Sutton Park Road. Kidderminster. I am certain that a goodly number of you enjoyed the recent Worcs. DY11 6JG. Society A.G.M., at Arthur Bailey's superb lakeland (Kidderminster 0562 69342) Barrowfold and Millerbeck Railway, during the last week­ SUFI-EDITOR; end of September 1990, albeit in typical damp conditions. PRODUCTION I am equally certain that those of you who could not be R. Green, there, did in fact miss a real 'Northern Treat' 60 Western Road, Gloucester GL1 5AX The Society owes Arthur Bailey, and his small but dedicated team, a great big thank-you for the tremendous effort and organisation that ensured our annual event to be such a ADVERTISING SPACE IS success. Thank-you also, Eric Doyle, whose expertise and AVAILABLE IN THE NEWS liaison with Arthur was also in evidence. Future A.G.M.s Supply camera ready copy, do however present your committee with formidable typesetting chargeable. requirements, if not anxieties, since expectations increase with a flourishing society that happily still reports increase per issue in membership. Quarter Page: £15.00 Half Page: £25.00 It will soon be Christmas again, and the New Year 1991. The Full Page: £37.50 good wishes of your committee go out to all our members all Inside covers: £10.00 over the world. surcharge. Merry Christmas to you all Mike Taylor. Press Date for the Spring, 1991 'News'will be Jan. 9th, 1991. FRONT COVER: J. Foster driving his magnificent The Editor was pleased to receive the following Hunslet 'Valiant' at the recent A.G.M. in the Lake District. The P.A.&W. Scoop, Vol. 5, No. 1, July 1990. REAR COVER: The Stockholes Farm Min. Rly. Newsletter, No. 4. Full-size of 7V2in gauge? These The Call Boy, Golden Gate Live Steamers Inc., for petrol-hydraulic F7s remind us July and August, 1990. of Summer. Don Phillips, Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.A. The Birmingham Soc. of M.E.s Ltd., Newsletters, July and September, 1990. The East Herts Min. Rly. Soc. Ltd., Newsletters, June and September, 1990. L'escarbille, No. 39, just received. Many thanks to all concerned. n THE 7'/4in. GAUGE SOCIETY Anyone wishing to join the Society, apply to the Secretary. Annual Subscriptions due in February each year are £10. New U.K. members, as above plus initial registration fee of £1.00. Payments can most conveniently be made by Bankers Standing Order. Overseas Subscriptions £10 remitted in Sterling please. Executive for 1991 President: Dr. Brian Rogers. Worcester (0905) 52397 Chairman: Eric Doyle, "Newfield", Grange Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lanes. BL7 9AU. (0204) 51899 Secretary: Bonnie Whisstock, 149 Surbiton Hill Park, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8EJ. 081-390 1747 Treasurer: Leo Whisstock, 149 Surbiton Hill Park, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8EJ. 081-390 1747 Editor 7V4in Gauge News: Dr. Mike Taylor, 112 Sutton Park Road, Kidderminster, Worcs. DY11 6JG. (0562) 69342. If no reply try (0481) 823116 Sub Editor/Production: R. Green, 60 Weston Road, Gloucester, GL1 5AX Trade Liaison Officer: D. Witheridge, Blue Riband House, Parkland Estate, North Road, Hemsby, Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk. NR29 4HA. (0493) 730445. Insurance Secretary: Malcolm B. Beevers, 64 Bullar Road, Bitterne, Southampton, Hants. S02 4GS. (0703) 334044. Committee Member: D. Burwell, 'Merlin', 4 Leighs Close, High Heath, Pelsall, Walsall, WS4 1BY. (0922) 693252. Committee Member: John Goulden, 55 Victoria Road, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 5BE. (0928) 574396. PLEASE. ! When submitting matter to be considered for publication, be sure that it is typed on A4 sheets, widely line spaced. This mades life a little easier for your Editor, Production Officer and Typesetter! Non Members reading this NEWS — bear in mind that the 7V«" G Society is more than just this publication! Only memhers get thespecial News ofSociety Events and Trade information as this is issued separately to the NEWS, Events are published in the News AI TEH they have taken place. So join up and gel the lull benefits! 2 STEAM UP FOR CHRISTMAS Eighty years ago Rodney Weaver, Simon Townsend It is a fine December afternoon in 1910 as our time machine touches down in Grove Road, Totley, on the southern outskirts of Sheffield. We are outside Brook House and through the gate we see that a little way past the house the drive appears to be blocked by a low, sloping bridge. This turns out to be removable and connects an elevated 7V4in gauge track in the workshop to our left with the end of a siding on the opposite side of the drive. Standing on the siding just beyond the bridge is a brand new Bassett-Lowke Precursor coupled to a low bogie passenger car, and here we meet our host Guy Mitchell. We're about to sample his recently-completed 7V4in railway, the first truly scenic line to follow Henry Greenly's recommended standards for the gauge. As we make ourselves comfortable, Mitchell points out a loading gauge further down the siding. "Make sure it doesn't touch you", he warns, "because if it does you're too big to go through the tunnel!" - and we're off. Almost at once we begin to gather speed as the line dips downwards and we see that another line has appeared alongside us in the cutting. A gradient post tells us this line is going down at 1 in 77, so we must be on something like 1 in 60 - and we're on a curve that's not much more than 40ft radius with quite a lot of superelevation. Signals appear ahead, showing clear for the right-hand line; we click through a set of sprung points onto the main line, then see a very sharp curve branch away to the left. Already it is getting dark at the bottom of the valley and to our left we glimpse something throwing sparks high in the air - another train no doubt. We look ahead just in time to see a brick portal and than we're inside Brook Tunnel doing at least lOmph and still on a falling gradient, though only 1 in 250. Despite the assurance of the loading gauge, we duck instinctively to avoid the unseen brickwork above us! We feel the change to 1 in 80 up as the train hits the curve just before the far end of the tunnel and catch a glimpse of something like a 7lA in Tich at a signal to our left. Passing South Junction the line begins a gentle descent to run round two sides of a small ornamental lake. Signals ahead show clear for the right-hand road as we pass East Junction and then PRECURSOR really starts to bark up the climb at 1 in 80/85 through a small rose garden, reaching a summit alongside the siding from whence we started. Down through the tunnel again, round the lake and this time the train takes the left-hand turnout at East Junction. A gentle climb and fall brings us to Central Junction; we keep to the left and now pass a signal box complete with oil lamp and baskets of flowers on the front platform. Through the windows we glimpse an eighteen lever frame. This time we are stopped by signals at South Junction until a whistle behind us indicates that whatever is sharing the track has reached Central. Off again round the lake we find Central's signals clear for the right-hand road and immediately heel over on a 25ft radius curve with an inch of superelevation. This is enough for 7mph and we've already realised that. Mitchell likes to drive fast, but this particular curve he treats with the greatest respect. Back on the main line, running clockwise, we climb the 1 in 77 to the summit and drop down carefully to East Junction where the signal is showing red. This gives us a chance to examine the inner loop which we now realise has three rails, the inner pair being only 3% in gauge. Moments later there appears along the inner track a chunky, large-boilered 3 0-4-2 tank fitted with a tall chimney extension to carry the exhaust above the driver's face. The driver is squatting on a driving truck that would look more at home on an elevated track, for it too is 3Viin gauge. This is Mitchell's original garden railway, now incorporated into his 7V4in layout. Separating the gauges so that the centre rail is common is a clever idea which permits dual gauge operation without the need for mixed gauge points. The signal drops and we're off again, taking the left fork at South Junction to go through the tunnel and thus back to the summit, where we get off. After the variety of routes we have taken it comes as a surprise to learn that we've covered no more than 1670ft: the outer track is 439ft round and the inner 330ft. The whole railway is compressed into a space about 150ft x 120ft! It's a bit different from the layouts we have back in 1990, but some things haven't changed much.