April Running Day Wellington Group

Gavin Sowry

Gavin Sowry

Garden Railroader and Raconteur
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In Kiwirail, we always start all/any meetings with a safety moment.... since both Ben and I are employed by them, we have a safety moment.

Ben C was our host for the April meeting, which we were expecting a low turnout due to a counter attraction in Australia, no, not the Commonwealth Games, but an organised Walkabout (they called it a safari) around NSW and ACT layouts. A satisfactory count of 18 attendees was noted.

This is the Pine Valley Estate Railway, nominally a 7/8ths layout that Ben graciously allows G scale to run. That's my passenger train from Taita Gorge.


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Chris W, and son Alec, are now really getting into the swing of this garden railway racket. They now have a rake of Hartland skips to tow behind their Bloothooth controlled 2-4-2T. (Edit note: originally posted as 2-6-2T, see post below). At the left of frame by the front of the loco, you can see the subway entrance to the Pine Valley Underground Railway. It was in full swing, one could hear the station announcements, and trains arriving and departing. Unfortunately, not being of scale stature, I was unable to pop down to photograph them.

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Gavin Sowry said:
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In Kiwirail, we always start all/any meeting with a safety moment.... since both Ben and I are employed by them, we have a safety moment.

Ben C was our host for the April meeting, which we were expecting a low turnout due to a counter attraction in Australia, no, not the Commonwealth Games, but an organised Walkabout (they called it a safari) around NSW and ACT layouts. A satisfactory count of 18 attendees was noted.

This is the Pine Valley Estate Railway, nominally a 7/8ths layout that Ben graciously allows G scale to run. That's my passenger train from Taita Gorge.


View attachment 235510

Chris W, and son Alec, are now really getting into the swing of this garden railway racket. They now have a rake of Hartland skips to tow behind their Bloothooth controlled 2-6-2T.


View attachment 235511
Click to expand...
Nice pics of a clearly happy gathering. But I think the 2-6-2 could be wishful thinking, looks more like a Bachman 2-4-2 to my eyes.
 
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Pure 7/8ths. Ben still hasn't finished the station/shed. He has used dolls house joinery for the door and window.


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JR, as usual, rounds off the meet with a a bit of live steam. The beaut thing about Ben's railway, is that the buildings are removable, thus allowing changes in scale. But we didn't remove the building for this shot.

A very pleasant afternoon, and thanks to Shannon for the catering.
 
Great fun - I'm disappointed about the lack of pictures of the underground railway.

I'm reminded of the Great Dismal Swamp Underground Railroad in the US - but this was more serious; allegedly it was a way of getting slaves across the border and into the northern states.

(There was also a Dismal Swamp Railroad, which was a genuine logging undertaking).
 
Rhinochugger said:
Great fun - I'm disappointed about the lack of pictures of the underground railway.

I'm reminded of the Great Dismal Swamp Underground Railroad in the US - but this was more serious; allegedly it was a way of getting slaves across the border and into the northern states.

(There was also a Dismal Swamp Railroad, which was a genuine logging undertaking).
Click to expand...

:confused:
Now, are we talking 'Dismal' as a place-name, or means of propulsion??
:confused:
 
Hi Gavin, we had Geoff Hallam, Derek Cooper, Chris Drowley and Brain Cashmore call in yesterday and today to see our live steamers. The monthly Rails in the Garden steamup was at my line in country NSW. The train safari was in Young for the weekend and I live 30 minutes drive away, so a few of them made a detour.
 
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