Sadly, after all the excitement of MVR 10 and the Rutton station rebuild, the rest of 2014 has turned out to be very quiet for the MVR - as you have probably guessed from the lack of website updates! Because of work and other commitments I have not been able to make many visits back to Buckinghamshire. Nonetheless, my parents continue to look after the garden in my absence. On a visit in August, I was pleased to discover that they have been working to tidy up the flowerbeds on the Rutton - Rose Halt section. A number of old bushes and strawberry plants - which latterly had been getting out of hand - have been swept away and replaced by new planting. Inevitably, the area now looks a little bare, but it will soften over time as the new plants grow. The goldenrod plants - moved behind horseshoe curve some time ago to help fill the gap left by the old confer - are also doing well.
Since these photos were taken, the apple tree near Rose Halt has also been removed, being well past its prime. Although a prominent feature of the garden, it is rarely visible in MVR photographs because its trunk was screened by a large hollybush in front of it! It can, however, be seen in the background of this 2009 shot, taken just after the removal of the Horseshoe Curve conifer. It remains to be seen how my parents will choose to fill the resultant gap in this corner of the garden. I should make clear that, although they kindly allow me to keep my railway in their garden, they retain full control of all horticultural elements!
Unfortunately there is bad news on the motive power front. When last steamed back in August, Russell's gas filler valve was found to be leaking. This probably won't be a major repair job, but I haven't had a chance to attend to it yet. Hopefully I will have time to take a look at her when I go home for Christmas.
Although I have had a busy summer and autumn, things have quietened down for me over the last few weeks. Hence, I wanted a new project to keep me occupied during the long winter evenings. One item that has been on the MVR's "wish list" for some time is a sheep wagon, to complement our cattle wagon completed in 2006. I want the MVR to capture the atmosphere of a rural, predominantly agricultural light railway on 2'6" gauge; of all the UK's narrow gauge railways, it is surely the Welshpool & Llanfair which best fits the above description, so their sheep wagons were an obvious prototype. Accucraft will soon launch an RTR version of these wagons, but it looks like the price will be beyond the reach of my current financial resources. Hence, I have decided that my winter project will be to scratch-build a sheep wagon.
My design brief is to create a "W&L-style" vehicle, rather than an exact scale model. After all, we wouldn't expect the Misbourne Valley Railway's cattle wagons to look exactly the same as the Welshpool & Llanfair's, now would we? More to the point, this approach gives me the freedom to take a little artistic licence. For example, the Welshpool wagons had doors on one side only; my plan is to create a wagon with doors on both sides. On the MVR, the door arrangements are not too critical because I have not yet built a cattle dock anywhere on the railway (!); however, I am concious that, if ever I build another garden railway in future, I may wish to place cattle docks on both sides of the line. If not, I can always say that vehicles are turned occasionally to even out tyre wear!
It is early days yet, but wagon R1, as she will be known, now exists. The floor has been made and the bufferbeams glued in place. For the floor, I have followed a construction technique described in an old issue of Garden Rail, whereby thin strips of hardwood are individually cut and laid across a solid wooden base, to give the impression of individual planks. Hopefully the end result will look better than scribed plywood!
Unfortunately there is bad news on the motive power front. When last steamed back in August, Russell's gas filler valve was found to be leaking. This probably won't be a major repair job, but I haven't had a chance to attend to it yet. Hopefully I will have time to take a look at her when I go home for Christmas.
Although I have had a busy summer and autumn, things have quietened down for me over the last few weeks. Hence, I wanted a new project to keep me occupied during the long winter evenings. One item that has been on the MVR's "wish list" for some time is a sheep wagon, to complement our cattle wagon completed in 2006. I want the MVR to capture the atmosphere of a rural, predominantly agricultural light railway on 2'6" gauge; of all the UK's narrow gauge railways, it is surely the Welshpool & Llanfair which best fits the above description, so their sheep wagons were an obvious prototype. Accucraft will soon launch an RTR version of these wagons, but it looks like the price will be beyond the reach of my current financial resources. Hence, I have decided that my winter project will be to scratch-build a sheep wagon.
My design brief is to create a "W&L-style" vehicle, rather than an exact scale model. After all, we wouldn't expect the Misbourne Valley Railway's cattle wagons to look exactly the same as the Welshpool & Llanfair's, now would we? More to the point, this approach gives me the freedom to take a little artistic licence. For example, the Welshpool wagons had doors on one side only; my plan is to create a wagon with doors on both sides. On the MVR, the door arrangements are not too critical because I have not yet built a cattle dock anywhere on the railway (!); however, I am concious that, if ever I build another garden railway in future, I may wish to place cattle docks on both sides of the line. If not, I can always say that vehicles are turned occasionally to even out tyre wear!
It is early days yet, but wagon R1, as she will be known, now exists. The floor has been made and the bufferbeams glued in place. For the floor, I have followed a construction technique described in an old issue of Garden Rail, whereby thin strips of hardwood are individually cut and laid across a solid wooden base, to give the impression of individual planks. Hopefully the end result will look better than scribed plywood!
Tank wagon S1 is on hold, by the way. At present, I am having trouble obtaining some of the necessary materials. However, I hope to make a start on her again in the new year.
So, that brings you all up to speed with the MVR's latest developments. Since I am unlikely to post again beforehand, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2015. All being well, the MVR can look forward to welcoming two new wagons into traffic during next year!
So, that brings you all up to speed with the MVR's latest developments. Since I am unlikely to post again beforehand, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2015. All being well, the MVR can look forward to welcoming two new wagons into traffic during next year!