Well as an enormously challenging year draws to a close we all I am sure hope that 2021 will provide a more positive and uplifting time. Fingers crossed.
A brief thanks particularly to our fantastic health service which has worked tirelessly in an effort to improve many peoples lives and also our brilliant scientific services who have developed vaccines that are gradually being delivered worldwide.
In the garden railway environment things obviously have been a lot ‘different’ this year also, with many railway groups not getting to meet up for long periods of time. My own group, the South Devon Garden Railway Group’ (SDGRG), based at Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway site have been in a similar situation so I have only made five visits there this year.
Fortunately of course ‘we’ have our own garden railway in the shape of the ‘Barrack Lantern Line’ which has a single track circuit completed in June 2019. Some additional sidings have been added since then and also line side development goes from strength to strength.
Included in our ‘development’ we have the ‘The Golden Rivet’ public house (of course), a small station, a Fire Station complete with drill tower, a coal yard and a ‘lay apart’ store (used for the storage of non essential equipment).
Footnote here: Regarding the Fire Station I am still unsuccessful in obtaining a crew to man the station - and also only have a ‘French’ built fire truck (gasp - astonishment!!). Wot - no ‘Dennis’??
Dotted around the track are a few smaller line side huts and two ‘Halts’ plus of course near ‘the beach’ we have a beach hut that stands alongside a very sturdy house! All in all not bad.
The BLL has proven to be most successful and nobody is more surprised than myself at that success having never ever embarked on anything like this until two years ago. In the main it has withstood the trails and tribulations of severe storms and heat waves.
In the engine shed the rolling stock has also gone from strength to strength and I am now the proud owner of three steam driven locomotives, two of which are radio controlled. The most recent acquisition arrived this Christmas as a present from my Financial Director - thank you Beloved!
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| Freddie 'on fire'!! |
In addition to the steam locomotives I have three battery powered units - one which I built myself from a kit.
The BLL is predominately a ‘working line’ so the bulk of the rolling stock consists of goods vehicles, quarry trucks and the ever developing fire support vehicles (well their has to be really)!!!
A potted BLL history: ‘Our’ line commenced building in February 2019 after taking up the 16mm hobby in October 2018, that was after visiting the Talylln Railway in Wales and being amazed at the ‘Llechfan GR’ - we were both immediately sold on the idea of garden railway’s!
We are fortunate enough to have garden space to build our own, but at the outset we decided we didn’t want it to take over the garden, but compliment it and hopefully we have achieved that.
Not really having any previous experience (apart from being a ‘Stoker’ in the Royal Navy for 10 years, does that count?) it was decided that we ‘would just go for it’. So no particular theme has been included i.e our line is not based on any real life railway anywhere, and I make no apologies for that. What we have tried to do is introduce some of our own life history into the layout, which is why you will see ‘flashes’ from our past built into the site! (Not a lot here then!).
We now have 34 metres of single 32mm track with one 3m and one 1m siding. Some additional sidings have recently been introduced giving us 44m of track overall.
So where do ‘we’ go from here? Well, I am glad you asked……
Planning Applications have been submitted to erect a small ‘Recycling Centre’ near Greenhouse Sidings and most importantly a ‘pastie’ kiosk will be added at the railway station (selling only Cornish pasties for this retired Cornwall Firefighter)!!! I am also considering what to introduce which can represent the work I carried out as Project Manager for the 'worlds first integrated firefighting response to ships around the UK coast'. Anybody got a 1:19 scale ship or SAR helicopter???
I have also just taken delivery of a ‘Coach Kit’ which I will endeavour to ‘adapt’ into the Sheepham Fire Brigade ‘Canteen Van’ (CV)! Now you may ask what and why, or you may not, however - during my 33 years in the Fire Service the CV played a very important role in extinguishing fires!
When I worked in the city (Birmingham) at the larger fires we would order on the CV very early to ensure firefighters got fed and watered, this in turn kept up morale, which in turn made them/us work harder (If you can believe that). So we must have a CV supporting the ‘local’ Brigade - albeit on rails - that will be a first!!!! Unless you know different of course?
So work continues on and around the BLL and in anticipating 2021 bringing an improved quality of life for everybody we are hoping we will be able to get out and visit fellow enthusiasts far and wide - or just get out!!!
In the meantime may we both take this opportunity to wish you all a Healthy and Happy New Year and don't forget -
“Let’s Be Careful Out There”.
You can view a selection of our sensational 😂 video clips by visiting our YouTube channel (Click HERE).
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