Steaming Ahead

more trains from Doc Sleaze on Vimeo.
I've been doing some work on my (still far from complete) model railway lately.  Mainly, I've been replacing and realigning track in the hope of achieving smoother running.  I've also been repairing and assembling locomotives.  This brief film was intended to showcase the progress with the track and the two locomotives most recently returned to service.  Things, however, didn't go smoothly, with numerous derailments, despite the track improvements.  The main culprits being the Pullman coaches, which steadfastly refused to co-operate, resulting in me issuing threats and throwing some of them across the room.  Eventually, after witnessing one of their number coming close to being smashed to pieces, decided to play ball.

Anyway, these seventeen seconds of video are the only usable footage from this session.  They show, first, the newly assembled Rebuilt West Country 34005 'Barnstaple' hauling the all-Pullman down 'Bournemouth Belle'.  This is a hybrid comprising a Hornby Dublo body on an early Wrenn chassis.  It is still using a Wrenn tender borrowed from another project.  In time, once i.ty has its own tender (which I'm going to have to convert from an old Tri-ang style 'Battle of Britain' tender), this locomotive will probably have a change of identity, (most likely to 34016 'Bodmin', for which I have a set of nameplates).  The final few seconds of the film show 35028 'Clan Line' hauling the up 'Royal Wessex' through the station.  (Since I replaced the single Mainline Mk1 coach in the rake with another Hornby Mk1, it has run impeccably).  This locomotive has just been returned to service after a major repair: I had to replace the entire chassis block, successfully transferring the motor, pick ups, bogie and pony truck over from the old, damaged, chassis block.  Gratifyingly, it ran first time after the repair.  This is a pure Wrenn built version of the old Dublo Rebuilt West Country, incorrectly named and numbered (as was Wrenn's wont) as a Rebuilt Merchant Navy.  (In reality, whilst both types of locomotive did look very similar, the Merchant Navy class was noticeably larger than the West Countrys).  A comparison with the older Dublo body on 'Barnstaple' is interesting - while the shade of green used by Hornby Dublo is actually quite close to the real thing, for some reason, the green used by Wrenn got significantly lighter.  Why, I don't know.  But, as I say, Wrenn were a law unto themselves when it came to the identities and liveries they applied to their models.

Finally - yes, I know that my spare room, where the layout is located, still badly needs a clear out.  As can be seen, it is still a repository for all manner of household junk.  Unfortunately, during the current lockdown, disposing of larger items of refuse is next to impossible.