Tim Hale
Western Thunderer
Hello from the Blackmore Vale.
We thought it best to introduce ourselves to the layouts thread, it began some twenty two years ago and has faltered rather badly along the way although the original shed is still the home of the layout. One of the originators* is undoubtedly infamous on other forums but illness and incapacity have taken their toll and we (other retirees) have taken over.
The concept started as junction on the WoE mainline near Wayford in Somerset but this was blighted by the untimely passing of the builder, Bill Jones and it was all but abandoned, it only came back to life thanks to an article on the Age UK Men in Sheds website. Only the baseboards and part of the backscene are original though a couple of Bill's scratchbuilds have been returned, we decided to rebuild based on proposal in Lucking's Railways of Dorset that was the Dorchester and Exeter Coastal Extension. We recycled the original name but shifted the supposed location to Whitchchurch Canocorium in West Dorset, other changes were to reduce the line to a single track and change the emphasis to a secondary cross-country line.
The reduction in status has had its consequences, all traffic reflects the bucolic nature of a line in decline, the motive power roster is similarly unassuming with an overwhelming proportion of tall chimneys, big domes and low boilers, except the Ruston, everything has pre-grouping origins. There are exceptions, Drummond's last express hurrah is obvious but its is, like all the others, merely working its last days on the line.
*Curating our blog is his only input.
Thank you
We thought it best to introduce ourselves to the layouts thread, it began some twenty two years ago and has faltered rather badly along the way although the original shed is still the home of the layout. One of the originators* is undoubtedly infamous on other forums but illness and incapacity have taken their toll and we (other retirees) have taken over.
The concept started as junction on the WoE mainline near Wayford in Somerset but this was blighted by the untimely passing of the builder, Bill Jones and it was all but abandoned, it only came back to life thanks to an article on the Age UK Men in Sheds website. Only the baseboards and part of the backscene are original though a couple of Bill's scratchbuilds have been returned, we decided to rebuild based on proposal in Lucking's Railways of Dorset that was the Dorchester and Exeter Coastal Extension. We recycled the original name but shifted the supposed location to Whitchchurch Canocorium in West Dorset, other changes were to reduce the line to a single track and change the emphasis to a secondary cross-country line.
*Curating our blog is his only input.
Thank you
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