Sat 8th Aug - Isle of Wight Garden Railway Open Days

Well it's got to be 2 years since I attended any kind of G-scale Society open day, but this Saturday we will be descending on the Isle of Wight to attend no less than 2 events on the same day... one in Ryde, the other in Bembridge. I have heard good things about both of them so I am looking forward to seeing them for myself. I hope to get the opportunity to take at least 2 tonnes of photographs, and hopefully some video footage (subject to being able to locate and fully charge my video camera before Saturday)

I mention it here, just in case there are other G-Scale soc members in the vacinity who maybe didn't know.

BTW, here is a short set of pics, courtesy of the G-Scale Society website from 2006:

http://www.g-scale-society.co.uk/apr_-_jun_06.htm - "Brian Priestman's Holzleighbahn, Isle of Wight"

Lucky you! So much choice back in the homeland!

GWhizz wrote:

Lucky you! So much choice back in the homeland!

.....Marmite (not at 5.95€ for a tiny pot), Lemon curd, peanut butter and Branston pickle ditto, 'Cheddar' cheese that's not red, proper rashers of bacon that don't shrivel up in the pan, fresh milk from a cow, fish and chips,
curry, baked beans, green (not khaki drab ) peas and runner beans......I could go on....but I wouldn't go back, I like it here really.


I think in a few years time there will be a greater railway choice here too.

More French people are building or thinking about building railways in their gardens. That's at least 5 new people this year around Paris that I know of. Retailers are starting to respond slowly to this too.
What happened at Geoff's was a big achievement and realisation.

The main difficulty is that France is 4 times larger than the UK and so the distances are accordingly greater between layouts to visit, unless of course you are on the illustrious 'West Coast' boulevard de couche du soleil.....

Well it's been the best part of a week since we undertook the gruelling sea voyage from Portsmouth Harbour to the People's Republic of Vectis (that's Isle of Wight to thee and me) - OK, 10 mins on the 'Fast Cat' to Ryde Pier Head

We spent the morning at a lovely house and garden in Ryde town in the morning, then in the afternoon the assembled party decamped to Bembridge to see another very nice line.

I took more than a few photos, most of which were predictably poor - but even so, enough were salvageable to require me to pare the list down to a reasonably manageable 35 images.

A great day out, very warm and consequently tiring, but we were well looked after with some legendary catering laid on, and even transport laid on to and from the various venues.

Anyway, a week spent working away has delayed my posting of said photo collection until now: here then, is my collection of photos from the first venue, at Ryde, on the beautiful Isle of Wight:

http://clivesgscalerailways.fotopic.net/c1740088.html

Bembridge pics to follow.

Some great pictures of a fascinating scenic railway.
All the matured rock work looks very natural.

I would like to see a track plan of that and what sort of space it occupies.

I don't think you should be so self critical of your photographic skills Clive!

A great set of pics!

Several shots feature gaurd railling (handrailing) alongside the track - do you have any idea how that was achieved - looks very realistic?

Yes agreed look really good all the rock and scenic. The little stream, the bridge, the plantation, trees, ... a very impressive railways.

This line has been 15 years in the making, so I was told. The Rocky outcrops were for the most part achieved by using lumps of rock liberally smeared with simple brickie's mortar mix - and I quote - "slapped on any old how"

The natural look has come from being exposed to Madame Nature for all that time. And a very nice job she has done on it, too.

Strangely enough, Brian, I found myself wondering that very thing in regards to the 'railings'. It is apparently cunningly fashioned from off-cuts of fencing mesh - I would be inclined to call it 'chicken wire' apart from the fact that it's not hexagonal in structure. But I have indeed seen that very thing in DIY shops around here. Again, leaving it outside for 15 or so years also helps the look of the thing I guess.

I was planning on going to this do but 'er indoows is not very well so had to give it a miss. Shame realy as it looks a fantastic railway.

Well worth a visit - if you give him a call with a few days notice, he's more than receive visitors

Where are you at, if you don't mind me asking? No addresses or postcodes or anything like that, just wondering how close to Portsmouth you are.

Second lot of photos now available...

http://clivesgscalerailways.fotopic.net/c1740445.html

This line has more of a US 'wild west' theme, but still very interesting - and a pond inhabited by what at first sight looked like a Japanese midget submarine, but on closer inspection revealed itself to be a koi carp... One can only presume that its mother ventured to have a liaison dangereuse with a killer whale.

One interesting observation which the Bembridge shots don't show, is that the Roundhouse Lady Anne live-steamer was having some difficulties with the IoM stock (is that Accucraft? not sure). Although the loco and coaches looked very suited to one another, there was a bit of an issue with the difference is buffer heights between them.

The loco buffer sits considerably lower than the coach buffer (a chopper-type coupling, but with the chopper removed and a length of chain to link the coach to the loco). Given that it was being driven by radio control, it was somewhat prone to derailment at certain times- like, during excessive 'braking'. I think the momentum of the coaches was forcing the lead coach buffer to ride up over the top of the loco's buffer, and then sliding back down on either side, thus dropping the wheels off the rails.

You may already have known this, but just in case you didn't, then maybe something to bear in mind about mixing and matching stock from different suppliers?

Another interesting thing I overheard, was the news that the IoW Steam Railway are going to be operating up as far as Ryde St Johns, using a spare track on the existing line. Unfortunately, because of loading gauge restrictions they'll never be able to get back to operating out of Ryde Pier Head,..