Away from the exhibition layouts I had in gauge 1 I also dabbled in Live steam to run on garden layouts in the U.K. We used to have a series of GTGs (Get togethers) at members houses around the country in the summer months The most popular British live steam loco is the LMS 4F 0-6-0. The Gauge 1 model railway association published a book on constructing this simple, single cylinder design and many have been built using the book as a guide. Originating on the Midland railway, hundreds of these sturdy locomotives were built over the years This example is on a fitted freight heading toward Manchester through Dore & Totley station My example was a fantastic runner even though it ha simple centre flue boiler and just one cylinder with slip eccentric valve gear. Being single cylinder it needed a push to get it going if it had stopped at dead centre It was Spirit fired and would run for about 20 minutes on a fill I also built a variant on the theme by converting the basic design to one of Bulleids ugly looking Southern Q1 0-6-0s. Built during the second world war the design was used to us a little raw material as possible Another design that was quite popular was the author 'LBSC's' Chingford Express desing. This was based on a Great Eastern railway 0-6-0T and was again single cylindered More soon Kev
That design could be modified to represent the smaller cousin of the 4F, the 2F which was an earlier, smaller, Midland loco I wasn't happy with the painting of these models as I tried to use some heatproof enamel and the finish was basically rubbish and so behind the 4F in the picture above you get glimpse of the 2F repainted in Midland red. Strangely I can't find a proper picture of it red although I'm sure I would have taken some The 4F in action working tender first on John Tomlinson's garden layout in Timperley My favourite loco was this LMS Black 5 4-6-0 based on a design called Dot. This was a two cylinder design with the valves controlled by inside slip eccentrics ans was a beautiful runner. The suspension springs were a bit weak so it used run with a sort of lolloping gait but would easily tackle 8 heavy coaches This also had a repaint and finished up in British Rail black Seen on Gerald Hawkesworth's garden layout in Yorkshire. Also in the shot is my Radio controlled Class 58 diesel, Dennis Brown's Great Northern Atlantic and a RTR Avonside dock tank I also had an Aster Schools class 4-4-0, a kit built one not RTR. Seen running on Bob Symes garden layout in East Horsley. I had a bloke pester the life out of me to sell it to him and eventually did a swap for a rake of superb LMS coaches as I started having problems with some of the threaded holes in the boiler that were going to be big problem in the future Kev
I can give you a flavour of some of the GTGs back in the 90's First up Bob Head's stunning garden railway empire at Shifnal Want to model a famous bridge? First dig your lake. You can judge the scale of the operation by seeing how small a 1/32nd scale train looks on it A Paul Forsyth loco on test Three track main line Kev
The 27 arch brick arch viaduct on the approach to Bob's house The steaming bays part of the 60ft x 40ft indoor layout for when the weather outside got too bad! Dick Moger at the controls of his RC ,Propane fired LNER 2-8-2 'Wolf of Badenoch' An Aster GWR King 4-6-0 A little LBSC 0-4-2 in full 'Brighton Line' livery
Bob Symes was a well known TV presenter and producer. A former officer in the Royal navy during the war he lived in an idyllic cottage in Surrey where his gauge 1 railway had to cope with the steeply sloped woodland These shots were taken in the early 1990s and I had traveled down by train from Derbyshire to attend with my Aster Scools 4-4-0. Getting off at the local station I had no idea where Bob's house was so went into the local pub to ask directions. After a brief chat with the locals they organised a lift for me with the local policeman in his patrol car so that was how I arrived for my first GTG! This table was a selection of locos built by Freddie Wrighton. Serious money if you were tempted Well out of my price range at the time sadly
Gerald Hawkesworth's garden layout is more typical of the types achievable by the average member Set in West Yorkshire in the middle of a typical housing estate A superdetailed version of the Black 5 'Dot' design on test prior to apinting Gerald with his Project 4F 0-6-0. This was the afternoon he discovered that leaning over the chimney as he was lighting up wearing a ployester tie was not a good idea when it started melting!
Dennis Brown's garden was in Gainsborough in Lincolnshire and was a bit of a trek to get to but worth the effort. Again a small set up in a back garden Dennis with his Great Northern (not that one!) 4-4-2 That Black 5 again An Aster A4 pacific in BR Green One of Terry Rose's superb scratchbuilt LMS Coaches. In this case a 12 wheel diner. It was a set of these I swapped the Aster Schools for
John Tomlinson had built his garden layout as an elevated one but disguised it by growing a privet hedge underneath. neat idea apart from the constant trimming A pair of Aristocraft FAs converted to RC head out for a few circuits John throws the point so my Class 58 can have a spin The Avonside 0-4-0T shows its construction as it is prepared for lighting up
John's superb 4 cylinder LMS Duchess 4-6-2 makes light work of its load of coaches The other place to see the best gauge 1 live steam was the annual Model Engineering Exhibition at Alexandra Palace. these were some of the examples An LNER P2 2-8-2 and an LMS Rebuilt 'Jubilee' 4-6-0 Another 'Dot' Black 5 again with added detail and full valve gear A HighlandRailway Jones Goods 4-6-0 with its distinctive louvred chimney Sadly this was a period long before camcorders were common so I have no video Kev