The Return of the Titfield Thunderbolt

nevard_111011_CatcottB_IMG_1462_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

It's not generally known, but following on the success of the Ealing Comedy, 'The Titfield Thunderbolt', the iconic Ealing Studios shot a sequel called 'The Return of the Titfield Thunderbolt' in the summer of 1956. The film was released the following summer, but was a complete flop due to the total Americanization of the cast, so sadly the movie has been lost in the mists of time but does occasionally make a secret appearance as a projected 16mm colour print at Lodge meetings in the area.


The film which was shot on the Highbridge Branch of the former S&DJR and used a Sentinel vertical boilered engine borrowed from the Marriott, Foster & Dent Brewery in Bath. The ex GWR 4 wheeled passenger carriage was loaned from British Railways Pontypridd Permanent Way Department and was hastily repainted in BR Carmine for the film. Sadly the carriage caught fire during a take when the on-board still producing 'Mallingford Magical Moonshine' blew up near West Pennard a couple of weeks after this shot was taken.


Ivan Locksmith, as always was around to capture unusual workings on the former S&DJR, and as usual he has posed his latest car in shot, much like his good friend Ivo peters.


If you believe any of the above, you'll believe anything! Catcott Burtle will be at Wycrail on Saturday the 5th of November, so though it best to dig the old girl out for an up and under. And for people that think photography is all Photoshop these days, only the puff of exhaust blowing in the strong south-westerly is.


Here is a bigger version of the above photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6235222235/sizes/o/in/set-72157612020895249/

Publicity Photo

nevard_110903_BQ_IMG_1087pete_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

This morning's rose tinted load of old tosh ....

This colour publicity shot was taken around 1964 of Sentinel 'Mendip' involved in a major cask movement during the change over from wood to metal casks at the Marriott, Dent & Foster Brewery in Bath. The gentleman posing behind one the casks is thought to be Lord Marriott de Shenley, one the leading lights at the brewery. A note on the transleeve says 'Ektachrome X, Mamiya C3, 55mm Sekor.'

Bigger version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6107287719/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Cheery pic for a dull old day!

nevard_110822_BQ_IMG_0942_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

Looking across the Avon towards the Marriott, Dent & Foster Brewery in Bath, Johnson 1P 0-4-4 No. 58086 is spotted shunting on what would appear to be a lovely summer's day. Note in the distance the little privately owned Sentinel 'Mendip' which can be seen resting in front of the grainstore.

Reality; in the UK today it's the height of summer supposedly, but as most are no doubt aware it's a dull, wet old day and more like something we would expect in the middle of November! To slightly balance reality, here is a rose-tinted reminder of how all summers used to be - well, as we like to remember them anyway!

Model; the quayside has been embellished with a little more undergrowth after seeing something similar week before last during a waterside afternoon walk on one of the few sunny days we've enjoyed this summer. The bright-ish green is more of a feature of my RAW conversion than the actual colour - it was rather late in the day when I sorted out this photo! And (yawn) again for all those sceptics who think that all photography these days is 'Photoshop', they will be disappointed to know that the only 'addition' is the light waft of steam as 58086 blows off.

58086 photographs really well from this angle, its elegant lines suiting side profile views. This is my oldest loco in regular use, it being the first 'proper kit' I built as a teenager. Interestingly, although it's from brass, quite a bit of superglue was used in its construction, and surprisingly almost 30 years on none of those bits have failed which very much bucks what the heavy-rimmed bespectacled tweed clad 'experts' with yellow flux-stained fingers told me all those year ago!

• See Brewhouse Quay at Model Rail Live, 17 & 18 September 2011
• A BIGGER version of the above photo can be seen HERE!

Brew-up at BQ

nevard_110821_BQ_IMG_0878, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

The Bull:
It's brew up time at Brewhouse Quay for Sentinel 'Mendip', ex-L&YR 'Pug' 51202, Planet 4WD 'Fleur' and 'Radstock' an Austerity tank recently purchased from the National Coal Board. The Ford Popular wasn't parked that well from a photographic point of view, but now 55 years on it adds to the scene.

The Model:
The Sentinel is a Model Rail/Dapol Sentinel which has had a change of identity, having been detailed up and is now in private ownership. The Pug a detailed, renumbered and repainted Hornby model  - it runs a dream too which is much to my surprise - widening out the back to backs to 14.7mm may have helped here. The Ford Popular in the forground is from Oxford Diecast and has been reglazed with Krystal Kleer liquid glazing, muckied up and finished off with Testor's Dullcote. The little green diesel is a Planet from a Roxey Mouldings kit, and finally the Austerity a fiddled with Hornby 'Harry'.

The photo:
Taken on a little Canon G9 shooting RAW under the layout's built in flu-lighting, 7 exposures were stacked and processed with Helicon Focus to increase the depth of field to match what the eye sees. The only CGI is the faint puff of smoke from the engines - which I like so there! The backscene is nice and high so, no need to mess about there.

• Brewhouse Quay will be at Model Rail Live for its very first outing on 17 & 18 September 2011

Gravel pits and no reciprocity failure

nevard_110804_bucyrus_IMG_0705, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

The model: Sentinel 'Mendip' poses with a single wagon next to a Ruston Bucyrus 19 'front shovel' on Cement Quay Old Gravel Wharf (try saying that quickly after 5 pints). The foreground is in fact a wharf, but for bit of fun you can instead see temporary big pile of beach sand.

The Ruston Bucyrus is a fettled with Corgi Trackside model and will be the subject of a 'Workbench' in the popular press shortly. I'm only showing its ugly side because most of the interesting stuff is on the pretty side and I don't want to give too much away at this stage.

Since more or less completing the Bucyrus seen here, I'd quite like to build a gravel pit layout, but with current space restrictions there is no way I'll be granted planning permission by the domestic authorities. So instead there will be a bit of land-reclaiming by turning some of the water along in front of the current wharf into a gravel pit - see here. I have a spare Walthers Cornerstone aerial conveyor too, so it will consist of gravel dumps to allow for drying prior to loading into wagons. I'm tempted to add a little narrow gauge tramway coming through from the rear too - who knows what will happen, so much more fun!

Photography: Rather than use studio lighting, for convenience this shot was taken under a single domestic light bulb hanging from the ceiling with a 4 second exposure. Digital photography especially when shooting RAW allows succesful results in the sort of lighting that would never have worked well with colour film without a great deal of trial and error correcting and filtering to compensate for the warm colour temperature which is probably only around 1800 kelvin; and that's before we even get to reciprocity failure!

Dirty Minky

nevard_110719_MinkD_DSC_2976, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

From a Parkside Dundas kit; a GWR Mink D used for stores and local movements around Bath seen here on Brewhouse Quay being pulled along the wharf road with a tractor. The driver has probably gone for a jar by the way...

Rather than go for 1950's carmine which was rather pushing history, I decided to turn it into the local stores runabout in grey (Halfords primer). Numbering still needs to be toned down a little  and I need to replace the rods between the brake levers at either end with some brass as I have already have between the V hanger wotsits in the middle - the supplied styrene rod is not really tough enough even for normal handling.

Note the Sentinel in the background - that is a modified Model Rail/Dapol Sentinel and this is a tease for a forthcoming article 'wot oi wrote' for the printed page. 

Now you've got to the bottom of today's drivel, be sure to check out George Dent's blog - and by pure chance he has made up a cracking selection of stores van including a Minkypoos...
http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot.com/2011/07/ncb-stores-vans.html

• Bigger version http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5951905761/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Another old print from the archive

nevard_110708_BrehouseQ_1p_DSC_2784_BW, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

Johnson 1P 0-4-4 No. 58086 eases a rake of vans between the hop store and the main brewhouse on Brewhouse Quay, summer 1957. It's thought that this photo was taken off the Bristol road bridge over the Avon - hence the elevated view.

The eagle eyed will notice the privately owned Sentinel parked next to the wagon turntable that leads to the bottling plant.

Here's a bigger scan of the above http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/5914988354/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The Punter's View

nevard_110627_BQ_IMG_0286, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

Here's a punter's view of 'BQ' - Brewhouse Quay's all so trendy nickname, a bit like Baz, Caz, Tez is to hip 30 or 40 something Barrys, Carolines and Terrences. Though to be honest the abbreviated name probably has to do with where most of the raw materials came from!

Some of the snaps of this tiny 4ft x 2ft layout tend to make the layout look rather big, I'm not sure why, but I guess getting the camera right in there and avoiding layout edges helps a lot. Good depth of field tends to rather buck the preconception that model photos should have a minimal focus - but I gather in contrast that there are photo-editing tools that will promise to make the real world look like a model by making large parts of the photo look out of focus.

So, when you turn up to BQ's first outing at Model Rail Live in September, this is pretty well what will greet you, though you will have the addition of the Model Rail stand and various red clad members of the editorial team initially cursing what an awkward layout this is to operate with the high backdrop and 3 link couplings. Actually, with the little practice the layout is fun to operate, and there's plenty of scope to make up some kind of shunting puzzle too! I'll of course do my best to answer any questions - and if you're nice and don't smell too much you can have a go as well!

• Model Rail Live 
• More about Brewhouse Quay
• A bigger version of the above photo

Combwich at RAILEX!

nevard_101106_wycrail_IMG_8338_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Combwich will be having a rare outing at RAILEX this weekend (28 & 29 May 2011). Tim Maddocks' excellent SDJR Enginewood will be right next door, and the intention is to run occasional trains between the two layouts.


To add to the excitement of this rare operational marriage of layouts, it will also be a chance to see Model Rail's specially commission Sentinel in action - at least 2 months before the production models appear in the UK.

• Find out more about Combwich here!
• Find out more about Enginewood here! 
• Find out about RAILEX here! 
• Find out about the Sentinel here!

RAILEX 2011 Model Railway Exhibition  

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Harvey Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 9PP

Saturday 28^th May 10.30-5.30
Sunday 29^th May 10.00-5.00
Adults £7.00, Child £4.00, Family(2+2) £16.00
Sunday only - up to 2 children admitted free with an accompanying paying adult.

10 inches in 2 Minutes

Model Rail Magazine's Sentinel, taking around 2  minutes to traverse a mere 10 inches (that 25cm in new money) in the sidings at Combwich.

• Order now http://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/
• See this loco running 28/29 May at Railex!

Model Rail Sentinel at RAILEX!

An announcement from Model Rail's Chris Leigh...

The proprietors of Combwich and Engine Wood are pleased to announce that it is planned to operate a service between their two layouts at Railex at Stoke Mandeville, May 28/9. Following successful negotiations with the manufacturer, a Model Rail Sentinel demonstrator is expected to operate this service. This is a rare opportunity for those who would like to see the Sentinel in operation.

At the time of writing we understand that the models are in production and we hope to have delivery in August.

CHRIS LEIGH  (Model Rail Mag)

• Order now www.modelrailoffers.co.uk 
• See this loco running at Railex!

Above is a video shot on Combwich demonstrates the very good slow speed performance over hand built track. Any juddery movement here will simply be the You Tube compression which tends to drop frames here and there - not the loco performance which is exemplary!