Wednesday 11th June 2025

Worklist:

Set up all of the boards ready for a visit from Chris and Ted, the additional exhibition operating team, who were travelling down to see the progress.

Chris and Ted had only seen the work carried out since the NEC show on the blog, so after a brief description by Geoff, they were let loose on the controls. They seemed impressed with overall progress and everything went well, until they found a dead section on the mainline into the station. One short rail section at the frog was still fed by the point switch and so was ineffective when the point was switched to the siding. A great spot lads! A rail break was later cut and a jumper wire will be fitted in due course.

Ted and Chris getting to know the 'new bits'.

Chris had brought along his latest loco - a mainly 3D-printed 0-4-0. (More details at the bottom of the page). The test run was a success for the chassis and the Kadee couplings.

We then retired to a lovely riverside pub for lunch.

Geoff and Stephen later discussed Geoff's proposal to move the vertical display case forward, in more detail. It would keep the front of the layout flush and simplify reorganising the front drapes. We will look at it in detail in due course, but it seems like a good idea.

The loco kit is a model based on the two 1880 delivered Fletcher Jennings 3ft 2 1/4inch 0-4-0Ts (works nos. 172L and 173L) that worked for the Dorking Greystone Lime Co., before they passed into preservation at Brockham. “Townsend Hook” is now preserved at Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, while “William Finlay” is in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at the Talyllyn Railway’s Tywyn Wharf station.

The body kit is supplied by Paul Martin’s “EDM Models” and is largely the 3D printed body shown in the photograph with a few more resin printed parts and a number of superb cast brass detail parts and relevant wire. (See: https://ngtrains.com/shop/product/townsend-hook-body-kit/ ). For more info, instructions etc., see https://ngtrains.com/blog/tools-and-tips/instructions/townsend-hook-2/ .

The chassis is a Dapol mechanism – from the OO LSWR B4 0-4-0T.