Thamesiders’ Physical Meets

Thamesiders Physical Meet – November ’24 to March ’25 Catchup Special

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Author’s SD45 coming in with the local, dropping off some cars for the 44 Tonner to later switch. March ’25 Physical Meet.

With much excitement throughout the last 5/6 months comes much apologies! I seem to have not updated you on our physical meets since the Berkshire Special in 2024. Let’s correct this right now…

After the Berkshire Special, there was a general high from the Thamesiders in attendance, and we spent most of November’s physical meet just taking it easy. There wasn’t much photographic or video evidence of our enjoyment, so you’ll just have to take our word for it. What became apparent however fairly quickly was our desire to perhaps help host another convention like it again. As of writing this, that possibility is about to start being planned, potentially with the same partnership, but watch this space.

We confirmed this fact during the AGM and Christmas Lunch held in December. We were slightly light on attendees, mostly because of the storms causing trouble for the travellers needing to take the Dartford Crossing, for example, but for the most part, the usual attendance of the physical meets were present. Notable decisions from the AGM included holding our annual Open House (now the NMRA BR Summer Meet) on 21 June, aiming for another Quiz night, as well as the general agreement of hosting another NMRA BR Convention in 2026.

The same committee were elected, and at the time, the intentions were to hopefully catch up with these updates back then. Well… we all know how that went! With the meal done, we closed off another successful year for the Thamesiders. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to at least one member, because understandably the commute to and from St. Osyth was taking its’ toll for this person based at least 2 hours away.

This seemed to be our only concern for the moment moving into 2025; we noted a similar issue with one visitor early in 2024, whom couldn’t join us because the trip to and from the location was too much for them. For the moment we are doing okay enough for it to not be at the top of our list of issues, but it shall become a point to contend with if we lose other members in future.

Dennis’ Grand Canyon departing the yard on the N Scale in February ’25.

Our return in January saw us rearranging and sorting our storage at St Osyth. Myself aka publicity officer was unable to attend due to still recovering from a particularly nasty migraine which lasted most of the week before, but the other regulars seemed happy with the outcome and from what I have seen of both the stage and garage, everything seems to be in a more logical location. I know it was tough in November ’24 trying to get everything we needed for the meet out, and the general comparison to our experience in February ’25 confirms a difference was indeed made.

Dennis’ Grand Canyon train from the rear – drumhead noted and appreciated.

Moving on to February, and our first proper running session of the year. I took this opportunity to finish up with any outstanding work on the “recovering” Peach Meadows board, mainly aligning the track properly to the Clark Junction board in situ. I was pleased with the outcome; we had effectively removed one pain point for several members, but as it was one of several, the work continues. I was pleased to hear Chris C was satisfied with the join; before we did anything about it, his coal drag was a regular patient, but afterwards, it glided effortlessly across without decoupling, promising an almost a trouble-free run until it hit another problematic location down the line.

It must be said however, if I had the space, I would probably take the boards home with me and completely replace the foam foundations in favour of plywood. There may be hope in possibly achieving that in future, but that relates to my personal update which I’ll stick at the very end. The foam unfortunately serves as a very poor base for modules which get thrown about practically every month, and I can see it causing an issue later on during its life if something more permanent isn’t done about it. I know the top scenic covering is still loose; however with the track secured it isn’t as much of a disaster for the moment. It unfortunately doesn’t look very good!

Author’s BN Commuter Cab-Car running on the HO in Feb ’25.

Some noteworthy moments from February included Dennis K’s Grand Canyon, trying to run on the N scale layout. Unfortunately, one of David’s modules developed a power problem, and through pressured troubleshooting, the rest of the layout kept shutting off frustrating the other members. David acknowledged this, and relented during the meet to allow the others a chance to run their trains in some capacity. He may also be relenting on the relay/Arduino solution in favour of frog juicers. Time will tell; after all this is a hobby and it’s one thing to be pressured by the needs of a group, but it’s completely something different to personally face the horrors of ripping out and replacing components. March seemed to be better; there didn’t seem to be as much frustration or sudden silence-restarts going on.

I, having recently (and finally) received my Gallery Commuter Cars from Rapido, was very pleased to run them on the HO. They performed very well, surprisingly resisting the issues which tended to frustrate other modeller’s trains. I was expecting difficulties because the truck mechanisms seemed very tight, or at least, more fine compared to the many Walthers cars I have operated on to improve reliability. Perhaps asking us to fork out roughly £100 a car means something to Rapido, and they proved themselves very well. Keep an eye out for a video in the near future; they rival my El Capitan in terms of visuals, but because they aren’t the Santa Fe, they’ll never be that close to my heart! I only got them because of my sheer joy of seeing them in person in Chicago once upon a time, plus I could potentially get away with the BNs in particular running in the background of my (hopeful) future Chicago-based terminus layout.

Author’s local freight pulling the new Roka Model’s tank cars. February ’25 meet.

Lastly for the meet in February, I took along my newly-acquired Roka Models tank cars. Like the Gallery Cars, they ran wonderfully, and were only hampered by a coupler height problem occurring on the 2nd hand baggage-combine car I also brought for testing. It seemed the ScaleTrains couplers on the SD45 are a tad too thin for the relatively small height change between the board joins, so the car itself may have been innocent. As mandated by me, they have since been replaced with Kadees, which was the original plan for the March meet but I never got around to it until afterwards.

Lastly, but not at all the least, brings us nicely into the March physical meet. This was generally a positive one again with running on both layouts, and this time I took my El Capitan. What stood out for me during this meet was working out how to command the points with my tablet, which I was doing for the latter half of the meet with shunting operations. The videos I captured may not see YouTube for a little while yet as I pad out the queue of livestreams and videos from February, however the session did remind me of the few meets I had just after I joined the Thamesiders, and the eventual inspiration behind “the Essex Belt adventures”. With experience and use of the tripod (and now understanding how to easily level it), I was able to get some decent footage, rivalling some of that accidental high quality footage of years gone. This post’s first photo and thumbnail come from that very footage.

The SD45 and the local serving as a test subject for the track magnets and remote switching capability.

That generally wraps up our catchup. If I remember correctly, our escape times for the physical meets has always been earlier than on the kick out hours of years past. That again is thanks to those of us whom are able to attend, as well as the trollies as provided by Chris C. Albeit it being important to have a decent level of attendance if we wish to run trains, at the end of the day, this is a hobby we are paying to enjoy. My own experience of being pressured into attending, and then being mocked and/or being the centre of expelled “hot air” in relation to not being able to attend, left a sour taste in my mouth. With this in mind, I say to you, if you find the time, and ability to do so, please consider coming to St Osyth and run some trains.

Driving up and down the A12 for an hour each way once a month, spending hours setting up and breaking down, is all worth it for the few hours we get running trains, progressing little projects, and dare I say, even fixing small problems. Provided my health and finances keep up, I don’t think I’ll ever stop, because those few hours have made me a model railroader. They also have put the Thamesiders near the front of my planner each month, and if there ever was a clash with other clubs’ events, the Thamesiders will win out because I really do enjoy those few precious hours. I hope you are able to experience a similar satisfaction some day, even if it isn’t with the Thamesiders, but we sure would love it to be.

My final recommendation before dedicating a paragraph for my personal update is this; if you would like to come down but find yourself limited to one visit, please consider 21 June. This is our main event this year, and is probably where you’ll get to see the layouts in top form. All are welcome.

Neal K
Santa Fe all the way


(My personal update below)

Author’s El Capitan departing Peach Meadows after the 44 Tonner shunted some box cars into the head end.

A personal update

Part of the reason of failing to post the regular physical meet posts is because of mine and Kat’s house hunting situation was in serious flux during this period. To surmise, we lost our original buyer and the house we were going for. However, we did manage to secure another buyer and find another house. This took a lot of time, effort and as you could imagine, emotion. We’re now almost where we were before the previous’ chain collapse, and are hoping for a move date soon, albeit will be remaining cautious of the fact the deed isn’t done until the contracts are set and exchanged.

We are looking forward to moving and settling in to our future house, wherever it may be. I am personally excited for being able to properly setup a train space which I will know will be mine, and not contested as is the case for my flat’s loft at the minute. It may take some time to get a space situated, but when it is, I have no doubt it will be full speed ahead with my own layout/modules. Kat has also been… open… to letting me run a line around the future garden, so that may happen before the train space is up and ready.

If I can catch up with the Ditchlights as well, we’ll be back to good health for the website overall. In future I may also try to encourage members to submit posts, but getting articles in the Ditchlight will suffice.

Neal K

Tom F’s coal drag passing the box cars readied for the later arrival of the El Capitan.

The NMRA BR Berkshire Special – Friday, 25th to Sunday 27th October

Thamesiders' Physical Meets, Uncategorized
My ATSF 44-tonner standing by on the team track on Laxton

As communicated in several different formats including with the St Osyth Magazine, these posts and of course, the NMRA BR’s own communications, you will have hopefully realised we went to the NMRA British Region’s convention this year with the Laxton end to end, with several members being on the convention committee itself. So, what did it entail?

A good portion of the attendees, particularly those with layouts staying for most (if not all) of the weekend, arrived on the Thursday evening at CIM Moor Hall in Cookham, where we found ourselves first in the bar, and then in the restaurant, before retiring to our rooms for a nice, early start on the Friday. A lot of the feedback of the event noted the size of the rooms, and I can agree, they were rather small compared to the many other hotels I have stayed in, but on reflection, since I didn’t really stay in the room except to sleep and wash up, it didn’t matter to much to me. Other experiences of course, may differ!

The venue’s main building for reception. The main conference rooms we utilised were just out of shot on the either side.

Los Tanimals and Trainsporters had the benefit of their room/s being open early, so it was good to see them setup during the Thursday evening, but as expected both crew and owners wanted to relax with a drink or two before eating, so there wasn’t much operations. On the Friday morning however, it was all hands on deck and the centre became a hive of activity. With most getting breakfast first, the Thamesiders were soon deploying the Laxton branch in the Berkshire Conference Suites. Not too long into setup, we were soon joined by Dean and the D’IkeaKato, as well as the Barge Job.

The circus / D’IkeaKato dioramas as encouraged and assembled by Dean H. They were certainly a focus point for a lot of the punters, especially the younger ones.
The Barge Job; an N Scale L shaped layout just across from Laxton.
One of several “money shots” from the event of the Barge Job.

We were sorry to hear the Barge Job however not able to perform any switching operations, and therefore resigning to just running trains around the loop. It was not a detraction at all; far from it. There was plenty to look at, especially when the trains were running past the scenery sections, and we were very pleased to hear the owner, Benoît, was using parts of it for submitting to the Achievement Programme.

Not too far into the day, just before the official start in the afternoon of the Friday, we were joined by Anoraks Anonymous, a big draw for the punters and they seemed delighted to be engaged by buyers for most of the day moving forward. I obviously jumped in early and scored a few deals of my own, including a Southern Pacific steam loco; which will hopefully see the test track soon.

Another angle of the Laxton escapades – this time with an array of service locomotives including the full rake of detailed cars I had put on the RPM / show and tell tables.

It was around the point of AA’s arrival that disaster struck, and struck when Paul H was having a break. Something happened electrically, be it a short or a sudden stop, which rendered all layout unresponsive. We spent an hour trouble shooting, taking everything off and carefully putting them back on, using different handsets, turning the command station off and on again, trying different plugs… Until finally, I decided to google the problem, and the first result explained following a short, the Lenz command station may need to receive an emergency stop command to restore operations. This is what solved the problem, just before Paul H returned (unironically), but he did confirm the issue. There was an option to turn the functionality off, however it wasn’t much of a problem now since we knew about it.

Most of the other layouts and traders arrived on the Friday, but for the most part, I spent most of the time on the layout trying out my shunting lists and, much to my appreciation, running a livestream while doing so. You see, the great thing about convention centres are, is they have decent internet. So decent in fact, I could stream via ethernet, and watch said stream on my phone. It was a surreal experience, but a very good piece of media. By the end of the weekend, I had acquired around 15 hours of footage, hopefully more than enough to keep the channel going until the New Year.

Glacier – a N scale layout in the other section of the Berkshire conference suite, sharing the space with Mech Models.
Stevens Point Servicing – A HO layout representing the WC packing a lot of detail. Some money shots could be found here too!
Nove Mesto – Another smaller layout that also packed some details, but holding operations to the forefront of the mind.

That was essentially our Friday; most of the attendees on the day made time for Bill Schnider’s talk regarding the Rapido Way, just before dinner and settling down for the night. Admittedly, most if not all of the pictures were from the Saturday, just before the official opening for the public so with plenty of space to setup tripods before the punters streamed in. And if I heard correctly, there was a bit of a river’s flow worth of them on the Saturday, which was pleasing to hear.

After dinner, most folk departed for their rooms or the bar, or even the pub. However I took the opportunity to keep running with the switch lists, and I found myself running until just gone midnight. During that time, I was talking to the wife on speakerphone, prompting me to mute the stream, as well as showing the layout off to the security guard looking after the site. My body did ache after such a long day and such a long time standing up, so being able to settle down again for the night was worthwhile, and although I slept very well the night before, I didn’t so much on the Friday.

Dennis K’s Squaw Falls joined us on the Saturday next to Laxton.
Stu T and the T-Trak modular layout, another attraction popular the punters, and just across the way from the Berkshire Conference Centre in the Mayflower Suite.
Los Tanimals – An exceptional traveller and an exceptional layout to boot.

Alas, with several coffees and another hearty breakfast, I assisted Dennis aka dad with setting up Squaw Falls, before doing some rounds with both the DSLR and the video camera, capturing the pictures you are seeing here as well as the videos seen in the Berkshire Special Layout Compilation. After that it was giving dad the chance to have lunch and have a wander, as well as the other Thamesiders, especially those watching Laxton.

Saturday saw the FreeMo setup in the Regrave Room begin operations following several command station problems, but thankfully it sounded like the organiser, Geoff T, managed to get it working. It was an excellent feat especially considering Geoff wasn’t very well recently, and was still fighting some of the effects.

Geoff on the FreeMo managing to crack a pose even after battling the command station for several hours.
Geoff wasn’t the only one posing – the gents from Rapido graced us with a pair of good ones, representing both the UK and home branch of the company, showing of the soon to arrive items Bill and the team were very proud of.
Teniers Harbour, sharing the space with the FreeMo and Rapido. Another layout with a lot of excellent detail.

Shamefully, and in spite of trying to be careful and ensure I captured everything, I unfortunately almost missed another arrival on the Saturday, Keane’s Cove, which, by observation of many people, was arguably the favourite of the show. I had managed to visit the vendors in the same room on the Friday, but at that point I don’t recall the layout being there. Understandably, it may have had something to do with managing cost. I know there was a 3D-printed trader that only came on the Saturday because of the need to control costs.

Due to the general excitement and the list of things to do, I managed to miss all of the open clinics, including Bill Schnider’s layout tour, as well as Alan’s clinic. With the latter, I recall it being because of the need to help dad pick up Squaw Falls, which obviously was more important. We did make the raffle, which was worth the stay considering the amount and quality of the prizes being handed out.

Keanes Cove, a flurry of activity, detail and craftmanship. Or craftladyship…? Either way, a delight to behold and see.
Cessy-En-Bois, another continental layout worthy of attention with the detail and inspiration from a real encounter on the road in Europe.
The RPM / Show and tell table, as organised by Mike A. I was proud to present my lighted and detailed passenger cars, even if the quality of the models around them were just as good if not better.

After the public day, and dad on his way, cloth was draped over layouts and people tended to start winding down in favour of the bar or the AGM. Being my first full convention, I decided to step out of this one, but will hopefully jump in next time just to follow the decision making and hear the thoughts of those I may not have had a chance to hear. After that, and in not too long a time between, was the dinner.

With a special guest delivering the main speech, Dawn Quest, and her steps into model railways, followed quickly by the awards, including several well-deserved certificates issued to Benoît, generally inspiring me to try and start my own AP journey. We also saw the President’s award go to someone I had contact with following an invite to the CanAm FreeMo meet at the Warley club in Birmingham. I did get the impression of a man that was doing a lot for the hobby, and to see that award being presented proved all the same. I was also very happy to see Bob Norris, part owner of Los Tanimals, receive his Golden Spike award.

I think after the conclusion of the dinner, there was a general feeling of things being done and complete. Only because it felt like most of the punters had come and gone in between the two days, and although there was some disappointment on the Sunday, I think the rest of the weekend may have needed some assistance in retaining traders IF that was the expectation. The Thamesiders was no different; there was a general need to get home, and me not wanting to hold anyone up and feeling similar feelings myself, especially if the majority of the others were doing the same, I decided to call it there.

The trip from home to St Osyth, and then back past home and down around the M25 to Cookham, certainly felt like the Birmingham run back in early September. The same could be said for the way back, doing the same but in reverse. It felt good to help out, and it felt especially good to feel like I accomplished something with the switch lists, even if they weren’t the most popular method of operations.

All in all, I believe it was a very good weekend and I hope to do it again. The dream of having my own layout made up of modules is still alive, albeit having to wait on the house purchase (which is hopefully on again as of writing this in November). We shall things progress, otherwise I have other ways to go after the Achievement Programme.

Hopefully see you later in November for our final physical meet of the year.

Neal K
Santa Fe all the way.

The venue’s large chess board – unfortunately I never found the time to play.

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 28th September 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Author’s new Rapido 44 Tonner making the switching moves

This physical meet I believe was a generally successful physical meet where everything we wanted to do in the context of preparing for the NMRA BR Convention was done. With the usual start time, both scales were well represented, and both were setup and running (in some form) by 11am. One particular bonus with the Laxton end to end setup is how much quicker it is and how simpler it is to get it running. It would be a lie to say I wouldn’t miss such quick setups, but with Chris C’s trollies there is definitely a general improvement to be had for the rest of the layout.

The N Scalers set up with their folded returning L shape, successfully hosting Dennis’ Burlington Zephyr (California I believe) and a British compatriot, Dean’s GWR Class 800! From what we could gather, both trains fared very well savour a few power cuts. Both were recorded by the owners and myself, and with any luck they will see themselves on the social media circuit at some point, which fits us nicely into perhaps the only disappointment of the day; another camera dying. I guess with any kind of used or refurbished equipment, one lends themselves to such risks. It only means new content for the channel will be limited, so I may have to recycle some old footage to bide our time.

Dean’s Class 800 underway after a brief stop at the yard

There were only a few minor hiccups this time around in relation to the Laxton end-to-end’s power. After some brief troubleshooting and resets, everything seemed to run fine. Paul P located the cloth, much to our dismay after rushing around the Open House event earlier in the year and not locating it, and after a brief panic, we also found the staging yard protectors we needed to ensure no fatal accidents. Beyond that, it was testing the track by re-creating potential operations.

Everyone had a go, particularly Paul P, Tom F, myself and Kian. Mike A had suggested based on the industries, that modern stock would do well and look right for the convention, however only Kian seemed to have any hint of modern stock, so we settled on just trying to represent as best we can and hope at least Mike A and now Alan S, are happy to take point in terms of contributing stock for the convention. The physical meet therefore, was something a little more dated and much to our appreciation, everything, bar one single stretch of track, worked exceedingly well.

Paul H (sorry Paul), monitoring stock shoves on Laxton.

I noted some passengers trains coming and going from both Paul P and Tom F, and then general freight again from Paul P. Kian provided a suitable train which (mostly) matched the industries, so we followed a loose plan of arriving, setting out and spotting what was essentially our locomotives and cabeese swapping trains in and out. My Santa Fe GP38u and accompanying caboose brought in the majority ATSF stock, distributing across the industry spots, and then Kian came in and brought his L&N U38 with Milwaukee caboose (loaned of course) with several of his modern cars, taking the whole rake of ATSF stock to staging while the GP38u took Kian’s. And then we did it in reverse, with only enough time for Kian to take back his train before we decided to start packing up.

My new Rapido 44 Tonner did most of the switching work, working in between the others as they came and went. She also served as the main tester following the fix to the problematic track on one of the boards; merely a dropper had come loose and needed soldering. We isolated, tested, fixed and signed-off with the 44 tonner, with the solder job not looking too bad (if I say so myself).

Kian’s U38 readying for departure with my stock as my 44 tonner sets out his hopper at the team track.

My only objection with Laxton is the lack of under track magnets, however this was very minimal and was easily resolved with the assistance of a Rix Products decoupling tool. Originally thought to have lost my first, I invested in another, but Tom F was kind enough to bring the one I had misplaced, meaning I now have two available, one of which perhaps to loan to convention goers and operators. There was a general sentiment to possibly add electromagnets at a later date, and I did like the sound of that, following an earlier opportunity to try out the operational ones at the Ethanol Boards.

So it seemed after some operating, it seems Laxton is ready for her weekend out. With any luck there will be sufficient interest to keep it running and busy for the public, and for Mike to complete some operating sessions. I myself may join in, provided there is space and need for it, otherwise I’ll be happy to be participating in my first convention.

Laxton Logistics and the scrap yard rammed with stock somewhere between the 44 tonner spotting ATSF stock and setting out Kian’s contributions.

With breakdown starting at 15:30, we all managed to be out and packed by 16:30, including some time to check if the setup would fit in Paul P’s van, which, by the look of things, just did with a few straggling bits and pieces fitting in other cars where needed. I’m sure that’ll be confirmed during the virtual meet ahead of the convention.

With regards to operations, I have been bitten by the JMRI bug and have been exploring its options, mainly for my own interests and perhaps for other layouts like the EBL and/or Mid Essex’s layouts. It will take some time, but the Laxton branch at the convention is an opportunity to test out some theories and see how for example, a switch list would look, based on what we have been doing during the last few physical meets. I doubt it’ll be ready or usable in time for the convention, but being able to demonstrate it to myself has its own merits, especially in the case of hopefully having my own space for a layout again.

Reading up on it, the use case for passenger operations is there, while understandably there seems to be more functionality and a certain finesse for freight ops. These potential struggles seem like opportunities, and apparently there have been some successful uses with it. Having switch lists for operators unfamiliar with passenger operations, let alone not being aware of the make up of some of the stars of the ATSF such as the Super Chief or the El Capitan, could go a long way to keep a passenger terminus-focused layout interesting. Time, and effort, will tell I suppose.

After the convention, the HO will likely go back to the standard loop configuration. We also hope for some exhibition action for the N Scalers; judging by some of the modules and the progress they have made, they certainly deserve it.

I hope to see you at the convention!

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way.

Dennis’ Burlington E8s with the Zephyr. He looked very pleased to be running it, I must say.

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 24th August 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
The Laxton setup in preparation for the NMRA BR Convention in October

This month’s physical meet was mainly brought to you by the HO’s hopeful NMRA BR Convention setup, with the 3 West Yard boards tacked onto the Laxton branch. The final measurement came in at a tight squeeze against the booked room drawings, but by the sounds of things it’ll do fine. Setup was a little bumpy at first, with the hopes of having the control station and a booster to cover any and every possible demand, and without the Pi setup so the conventional Lenz controllers were favoured. We soon found ourselves with control issues, and after trying the yard booster instead of Laxton’s own, we settled on just having the control station, figuring (and maybe hoping) it was enough to meet the demand, and especially since it was the only control setup without the Pi which worked!

We found ourselves filling up the layout quite quickly, running our locomotives up and down the possible combinations of point positions and locations, soon finding ourselves spotting and collecting cars to our heart’s content. Geoff T, one of our former regulars, was able to drop by and test out his new Rapido acquisitions, alongside my own GP38 which arrived not but a few days earlier.

We did spot a track alignment problem between the staging and the scenery boards not too long into the session, but Paul P quickly rectified that and partook in his own testing, especially after installing the backdrop boards, one of which was newly built for this setup.

The new backscene board separating the scenery and the yard. Rejected tank car for scale. Geoff can be seen out of focus in the kitchen enjoying a nice break.

The N scalers were running hard and fast this time around, with a perfect recording opportunity offered which I believe they happily partook in. With the same L, 180 and return setup we’ve grown fond of seeing, I found myself a little spot overlooking Dean’s super elevated curving module, and zoomed in for the shot. If I do say so myself, I believe the hour or so’s worth of footage came out excellent, and it’ll sent to YouTube slowly enough to allow some time between now and the next physical meet.

Satisfactorily, the Santa Fe got some good representation in, one each from Dad and David, with Chris running his NS hopper freight, and Dean with his DCC Sound loco I never remember to get the details of. Dad then got out his view liners again, this time with the big “Pepsi Can” liveried loco, and Paul brought in the BNSF representation with his container train. And finally, I was pleased to see the CP Rail Angus Van getting some work in, with its now working tail lamps. You could see them with the naked eye at the right angle, but the camera caught them just fine too.

Have a peek at some of the favourites!

The meet between Paul E’s container train and Chris J’s hopper train, overseen by the crew riding the visiting CPRR Angus Van. You can barely make out the tail light.
Chris J’s doodlebug move.
The view-liners and the Pepsi-can; train as hot as that super-elevation.
Dean’s loco I forgot to be named – answers on a postcard please!

The other item on the docket which I personally saw to was addressing the degrading health of one of the Peach Meadows boards. Specifically the corner at #4; one side of the wood structure was loose and the foam underlay was causing floating scenery across the join. I approached the “project” with the intention to replace the track which was affected by the degradation, but thanks to Geoff’s keen eye, not only did we discover I had the wrong size track, but also it would actually be more useful to fix the structure first before attempting to repair the right of way.

With hammering, and PVA flowing, all we had was the hope some track nails were enough to secure the scenery while the PVA sets. Paul P was kind enough to loan me some of the more hardy timber nails, allowing me to secure the loose board back into the rest of the module structure. One set of drums and an employee of the scrap business suffered as a result of the heavy hits to their home, which I’ll re-attach first thing next physical meet. Considering I was a little rusty on the process, the outcome of the repair seemed fairly decent and there was indeed hope the fix would last. We will however only know until at least after October, and possibly in the new year.

Patient 4 resting in the ward after some traumatic treatment involving a hammer. They may yet live.

Overall a very productive meet for both scales, especially considering the footage captured of the N Scale. Those able to represent the Thamesiders during the coming quiz night made their plans, and so did those on the committee for the NMRA BR Convention, especially Dean, considering he now had more information about one of his attractions. The HO was packed away with emphasis on keeping everything required for the convention in a location separate from the rest, and the boards formally placed on trollies now back together in their original pairs until November, at least.

I noted both scales up and running around 11am, and us beginning to pack away at around 3:30pm, as standard. The reduced lot going back into storage likely assisted with the slightly early finish, however the regulars were returning to full strength again following health, holidays and that well known fact of time; life. I believe the Thamesiders and their contribution will do well at the convention, simply because we don’t have too much of a complicated setup and we are generally in a good place already. There should be enough to keep a few of us occupied over the course of the convention, and especially during the public day.

I will admit not being able to run passenger ops is and will be a slight disappointment over the coming months, but that isn’t really a problem because this undertaking means more representation for the hobby, and the group itself, and that’s all that really matters in the end. Besides; change is on the horizon for me personally, and there is certainly hope it’ll mean I’ll be able to focus that side of my interests fully at home, allowing (and hopefully helping) the group to grow however it needs to; be it freight, passenger, logging/lumber, long, short or mixed.

Until September then…

Neal K
Santa Fe all the way

David representing the brand on Dean’s 180 module, complete with a meet.

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 27th July 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Paul H investigates a problem with the set-out at Peach Meadows

With Paul H’s return from what sounded like a most excellent holiday, the keys were handed back over, but not without opening up a little early just to get things moving ahead of time. With Paul P potentially still recovering and Tom F now out for a few weeks, numbers were thin on the ground for the HO, and as is the case for the past few physical meets, the N had another sizable contingent. But that doesn’t mean to say things all went as planned for them; there was it seemed some difficulties in the land of membership prosperity… But not that much really!

When setting up, and miraculously by 11:30, our priority on the HO was fixing some track issues felt for some time, even before the Open Day. One particular area of note was Essex Ethanol; with every board join potentially out of alignment with numerous ski jumps and a derail. To everyone’s appeasement, these were sorted in short order with a bonus fix on the siding at Ethanol where hopefully at some point in the future, we could utilise it without much problems again.

Dennis K brought out his new view liners, happily watching them traverse his modules onto the yard boards.

After these numerous fixes, I pulled out my new camera. Getting to grips with the focus, I was able to capture some ok footage while on the move, especially as evidenced by some of the screenshots littered around this post. I haven’t quite mastered it yet but the footage itself was still usable, especially the portions mounted on the tripod. It looks like I will have to play around with shutter speed and aperture to get the scene balance I want next time, but overall with everything on auto, I was able to capture some decent footage.

The planned roster today was passenger running and if there was time, freight running. Freight was left behind but the passenger trains ran with my Hi-Level El Capitan, plus I was able to get out one of my doodlebugs to shuttle around an old heavyweight baggage car. I didn’t really have the full opportunity this time around to make use of all the time, simply because I was fixing the trackwork. We also had a few visitors, one of which was very impressed with both layouts and we gave him a throttle and a locomotive to run and it seems he had a lot fun. Fingers crossed we’ll see him again.

The drumhead barely in focus as my El Capitan rushing past. Not too problematic, but still better than what I originally had besides my mobile phone.

The passenger express ran beautifully and I got it up to a decent speed flying past as the prototype used to do in its’ heyday. There were very few incidents with it, with the occasional derail and decouple; it definitely helped having everything lined up and most of the dodgy track fixed. The list isn’t fully complete yet, but with such a train able to fly past multiple times without any problems, it surely means things aren’t as bad as they seem for the layout. In time we’ll be back to proper reliability, and with Chris C’s new trollies, this might just be a reality in the not so distant future.

The trollies were built for staging, Ethanol and the Dan boards, leaving only the corners, Peach Meadows and the junctions as stragglers. There was a worry everything wouldn’t fit, but those worries were settled as Chris and I played a little Tetris with the trollies and the junction boards. It may mean we might have to rethink our approach for the next trollies, however one thing is for certain; they were so good the N Scalers wanted one too!

Perhaps my favourite shot of the day; Stu’s BNSF pair making way towards the return loop over Dean’s bridge board.

After getting an hour or two in, we all started breaking layouts down, and thanks to those trollies, we were out by 16:30 even with the reduced numbers! We slotted in the boards, put the legs on top and ferried them all back to storage with very little effort. We even got all the details glued down for Ethanol, and the measurements accounted for it. Here’s hoping with such a radical improvement, those that feel daunted in not coming because of the work involved, will hopefully soon realise with these trollies, it makes setup just that easier.

Following Dean’s suggestion, it sounds like our priority for next time is to get the NMRA convention setup tested and prepared again. Therefore, a bit of freight will hopefully get some representation. If that feeling carries over to the convention itself is an unknown at this point, but it will be good knowing the layout will get to stretch (some) of its’ legs again out on the circuit. It felt wonderful to do it at Ilford & West Essex, and hopefully we’ll see some more invites come our way at some point.

Chris’ Halstead Steel work horses hauling the EBL work train. It’s always good to see these.

Even if we don’t get many other invites, change is hopefully on the horizon. With the wife and I getting to the next official stage of the house hunt after the disappointing flop in February, we’re that much closer to hopefully securing a home and more importantly, a space for hobbies. If things work out, it means I can finally and properly participate, and hopefully (or eventually) bring along my own modules. The dream of a passenger terminus still stands, and I do like the sound of a bridge section, operable with humans in mind, attached to the other side of the APT junction and curving onto the stage.

We shall see. Nothing is promised, and as far as we’re concerned, it isn’t happening until the contracts are signed and exchanged. It’s just nice, as always to dream.

Neal K
Santa Fe all the way

My doodlebug shuttling around a heavyweight just for a bit of difference.

The Thamesiders Open House 2024 – Friday, 21st – Sunday, 23rd June

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
The culmination of work as inspired by Dean H – the circus dioramas.

With Paul H on holiday, I had volunteered to be the key master for the entirety of this event, and upon reflection, it seems all went very well thanks to being able to work with Paul in advance to understand what was needed, and the support provided by the group overall. Arriving Friday around 16:45, we set about packing away chairs and tables left behind by the previous booking, and setting up the layouts.

The N Scale, as normal, was up and running first, and the HO didn’t quite finish on the Friday but the modules were up and the loop was hooked up and tested. Laxton’s power, the back scenes and the signals would all be up before start time on the Saturday, albeit the last of that list not actually working at all. I tried my best to isolate the problem and remember the steps needed, however after a good 30-60 minutes, we had surrendered and just accepted the layout would be running without signals.

We also failed to locate the cloth “hides”, so the layout’s legs were exposed, and not for a lack of trying, with myself and Paul P, where he could, checking every possible storage location including the stage. By that point I, and likely everyone else in on the Friday, were tired and understandably, were all gone by 21:00.

Michael T’s transformer move backing down the main past APT, demonstrating the lack of signalling.

Saturday morning saw the final rush to get everything installed and working, including Brett from Coastal DCC / Orwell Model Railways settled in. My main priority was powering Laxton and after that, getting the pi running which thankfully, seemed to come online without many problems except for the fore-mentioned signalling outage. By 11:00 the majority of our guests had arrived, the trains were running and we were able to relax for the moment.

The N Scale seemed to do very well, with only the occasional derailment affecting the trains, and the newest line up of modules, particularly from Paul E, Dean H and Dennis K’s modules forming the core scope of the N Scale’s compliment. I was personally very pleased to see Dennis aka dad happily running his trains over the modules he has worked on. I’m sure with some scenery they’ll be as beautiful as the others.

The N Scale yard eager to get going.

The livestream, as communicated in advance to the group, was again, a flop. I didn’t get a chance to test the livestream in advance and therefore I was not able to isolate the sound drop issue in time for the weekend. However, one of the great successes of the day came from just recording the trains on both layouts in turn. I have around 2 hours of fairly good footage – WITH SOUND – eager to get up on YouTube. The setup and pack up was also much quicker, simpler and therefore much more enjoyable. I may not abandon the livestream idea entirely, but moving forward I believe it’s best to go with recording the day for later, especially when access to the Internet is spotty, as is the case in St Osyth.

I recall the first of our major tests on the HO came in the form of a communications blackout entirely on Laxton and on all boards from there to the Ethanol modules. After checking each connection with a controller in turn, I was able to isolate a plug hanging loose from the socket, and sticking it back in remedied the problem. In hindsight, I would have found a replacement for it then and there, because it caused more grief on Sunday.

We also encountered shorting problems on Clark Junction’s only switch; and after an extensive search, we seemed to fix it by just removing and restoring the 12 pin plug. It’s possible it wasn’t screwed in tight enough, but the suspicion carried over to APT and Ethanol too, especially on the Sunday,

Kian R’s SDP40F hauling the Super Chief.

When I was able to get my trains out on the layout, I had several moments of pride. One, being the SDP40F Athearn Blue Box unit I had recently converted for the nephew, Kian R. Outside of the problems mentioned above, it ran very well thanks to hard wiring the track power and running the gears through some pearl drops. As promised to Kian, I let him have it pull the Super Chief, which was captured on one of the videos. Remembering to get the Indian Series sleeper I recently converted turned on, I was almost emotional seeing the rear half of the train making the curve at APT and the bridge modules. From the Pleasure Dome down, with the exception of one car, everything was lighted and had some painted life inside. It was gratifying to see several months’ worth of work coming together, and it’s why I have been doing it, and will continue to do it for the rest of the Super Chief, and any other name train I will have time for.

Lastly, I was able to get my ScaleTrains’ GP30s out on the road. Recently run in and eager to work, and through the observations of Mike A, we were able to spot some slight push-pull problems with the units, so they may need some speed matching when I next get the chance. I also have a GP35 to join them in a consist, and that will certainly need speed matching too. Also, as we were running, we spotted some sanding piping getting dislodged so I just removed them. I am sure they are great details to have, but if it doesn’t want to stay on, there isn’t much point to having it. Beyond that, I was very pleased with my new work horses. Why I decided to run them with modern stock is beyond me – I think I just wanted an excuse to run trains no matter what!

Crossing timelines with 60s locomotives and modern rolling stock; all in the name of running my GP30s!

And so it went for the Saturday. We seemed to have the same visitors as before, if not in a more grouped together session as opposed to spread out. That being said, it did seem busier and more energised compared to last year’s event, likely because it wasn’t as hot. Both Paul P and Paul E’s wives were there to lend a hand, and with gratitude as Paul P needed that extra support. We were also joined at one point by Tom F’s better half and their lovely greyhound. Such excellent memories.

We ran down on Saturday around the 19:00 mark, with plans for fish and chips scuppered at the end. We had to say goodbye to several members that evening, mainly due to travel times and managing their health, all very understandable and not really a problem considering we had half of Sunday to break the layouts down and pack away.

An N Scale meet between Dean H and David A’s curves.

The Sunday however, did not begin with fanfare for the HO. From the beginning, there were problems, particularly with the Ethanol plant. It started with APT’s point constantly resetting, quickly fixed with a cable adjustment, but it was joined by resetting points on the Ethanol branch, which continued for some time throughout several rounds of troubleshooting for those issues and others. At some point between fixing APT and giving up, the communication issue happened again at the same location / same cabling. It started as a track power failure but soon became clear there was no line of communication to the command station.

When Laxton was back online, cable re-seated, and Ethanol seemingly stable again, did I start testing, and failed at Ethanol with a short. It was at this point we decided to just give up, and started packing up for the day. With the short term failure heavy on heart, and the prospect of breaking down and packing the layout ahead, it didn’t take long for me to reach a point where I wanted to be done with the whole layout, and taking lunch at that moment gave me time to calm down and remember why I was doing this, allowing me to return to “work” in higher spirits. And, I was happy to see the N scale was still running fine.

The only time the Super Chief ran prototypically on Saturday; more time was lost ensuring the layout ran and general troubleshooting.

Being the main point of call to fix problems and ensure the layout is kept running does bring with it a lot of responsibility, and I was glad to have experienced it, even if it was slightly unpleasant at the time. My respect for Paul H and what he has done over the years for the layout and for the Thamesiders has grown significantly, but that isn’t to say it wasn’t low to begin with. I may do things differently for my own modules and hopefully my own layout in the not so distant future, but I will always remember where I got the inspiration and the skill.

So in summary I believe I agree with Dean when he said to me on closing, that it was a “great weekend”. It was certainly tough, and I know I was losing my cool during several moments, especially on the Sunday, but otherwise it wouldn’t be something I would regret, or shy away from in future. I suspect trying to run a terminus station would be a lot more challenging than running a looping mainline with a branch, but that comparison will have to wait for now.

My thanks again to you all whom were able to come down and show your support, but I would especially like to thank Mrs Evans and Mrs Purnell for their attendance, assistance on the day and looking after their husbands so we could all enjoy the Saturday together.

Neal K
Santa Fe all the way.

Chris J’s NS loco hauling a hopper train towards the Taggart crossing.

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 25th May 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Dean’s new bridge module, as seen on Facebook in the various groups including our own. Picture by Stu T.

With a lot of the outside excitement behind us, and the Open House event next month, it was all possible hands on deck. As seen for several meets now, the N Scale contingent is healthy and expanding at a steady pace with the official introduction of Dennis’ two modules into the setup and Dean’s second introduction of this year; the bridge module. I was very pleased to see some relative excitement over there, especially when this were moving over these modules with relatively little problems. It would be good to see them again during the Open House.

The HO also saw some significant work, albeit the contingent being not as large. Laxton was getting the attention it deserved this time around with the efforts of Paul H and Mike A to add the new crossover as well as from Chris C introducing more improved legs. We were sorry Paul P was unable to attend this time, and hope he makes a full recovery if not in time for the event, in time to see him again before the NMRA BR Convention later this year.

Dennis’ modules officially up and almost locked in with the runs. Photo by Stu T.

Most of us made it for 09:00 with a few of the others, joining not too long after to help the setup of both layouts. The HO was up and running at around 11:30, and this was in spite of the much needed temporary repairs on one of the Ethanol boards (many thanks to Paul H). The N scale with the additional modules was not that far behind.

During setup we had a visitor looking to see the action, and perhaps membership, if not for an additional head on the N Scale but a potential member none the less. Unfortunately he was a tad early but joined us later when things were up and running. It was also good to see Tom F back and showing his support for the HO, which certainly offset the lost effort Paul P usually assisted with and made things a bit more smooth for us in his absence.

Chris C and Paul H making final adjustments to the wiring to support the new crossover (as seen) as well as to make safe for the new legs. Picture by Stu T.

Once the main loop of the HO was up myself and Tom had the opportunity to run some trains, I brought a freight train (as promised) and Tom was able to test several of his own include a British turbine (but don’t ask me which model). I do remember the NYC passenger consist with matching express box cars / formally troop carriers. It seems I will never quite get away from passenger ops, and I did bring my twin RDCs, but they remained in my bag.

With my freight I managed to get a few loops out of it after ironing out a few niggles with my caboose and one of the new hoppers I acquired through the ScaleTrains / ExactRail sale. Frustratingly and even after a few tweaks, the caboose decided to misbehave only intermittently, completing a whole loop one time and just rejecting the bridge curve and derailing on another. It was a shame because it was the most complete brown caboose I had brought to the meet, otherwise I would have had to go back to the more modern red ScaleTrains Kit Classics ones.

I noticed several interesting trains on the N scale, some steam, passenger and general freight. One eye catcher was (of course) a Kato big boy. It seemed however the focus was mainly test running across the new modules and troubleshooting another connection issue, however by the same light they may have found a solution so fingers crossed all is well during the event for them.

The contingent remained full until around lunch time when Mike A had to depart, and Chris C needed to return home and retrieve some tools. There was also a family emergency so we also saw additional drop in numbers then, but we hope all is well and the member involved has everything they needed. We also received news that Paul H will be away on holiday for the event next month, so there was a lot of focus and planning ensuring we were covered next month. I volunteered to be key master if Paul is able to handoff in time, but failing that we did have a backup plan.

My stock this month serving as a freight train with Chris C focusing on legs in the background.

I was extremely pleased to find out I could setup the pi desktop on my own, but the wiring still had one single mix up but that hopefully won’t be a problem for the Open House; we should have plenty of time for troubleshooting and the only other thing which may cause problems is the Sprog, which Paul H kindly (again) let us borrow his own for the event. We also troubleshooted the problem with track four in the staging yard and it seems another board will be required, so PCB manufacturers and maybe MERG members reach out if you’re interested in the boards for Paul H! It would have been nice to commit myself but as the Mrs and I are trying to sort out a move this year or next we won’t have a chance to test such kit out yet, but fingers crossed when we’re settled properly.

When it came to break down, the HO started not long after 15:00, and the N Scale not too long after that. Chris C was making his propositions about the potential trollies, and against the context of fixing more issues related to setting up / breaking down as well as the monotony of getting the boards together and then back in storage, the prospect for me at least was sounding really good. The true test will come if they can withstand the trip from hall to storage every month, which is already a potential issue.

We were all done by 17:00, and like most meets there was, for me at least, a sense of satisfaction in being able to get out and run some trains again. Mid Essex unfortunately haven’t been running OO or HO for some time, which is fair, and it has been nice to help the other scales, but there is definitely a subconscious love for just running your own trains. We’re expecting the Scottish OO layout to be in running order in not too long a time so that may bring opportunity for another North American invasion!

David working hard on his module whilst Dean and Paul H discuss the electrical setup of the N scale, and finally Dennis getting to running some of his stock on the newer sections.

There was some concern the HO contingent was running a little small these days, but as a member it hasn’t been too much of an issue, even if there is only an opportunity to run trains for 30 minutes merely for the reasons above. Even alone, I find my drive and content in that end goal and why if it is only a few of us it isn’t so much of an issue. Admittedly however, if it is to be the norm, we may need to consider a smaller setup next year or at least, getting Chris C to build those trollies.

The main point to take away is we all have a life, and life does tend to get in the way for very welcoming reasons and others not so welcoming. For the latter, we can only hope those affected know they will always have a place here among us when they can make it, and we will always appreciate them bringing their trains.

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way

Thamesiders at West Essex Model Rail – Saturday, 27th April 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Neal’s El Capitan stopping at Peach Meadows, photo from Stu’s video

As you may have seen, in place of our regular physical meet this weekend, the Essex Belt Lines (the HO modules), found themselves invited to West Essex Model Rail at Marshalls Park Academy, Romford. They were in good company, with Dennis K and his Squaw Falls N Scale layout, Chris C representing the EM Gauge Society, and Mid Essex MRC with their EM Gauge layout, Blackwell’s Brewery Company.

The layout arrived at the venue at around 18:15 on the Friday, and myself, Paul P and Paul H got the boards up and had most of the electrics connected by roughly 21:00, where we were the only visitors left so we decided to stop there to return in the morning. From 08:00, we were in and finishing up the setup with Stu T and Michael T. Not too long after our arrival did Dennis K and Kian arrive with Squaw Falls. The layout was up and presentable by around 09:30 with the livestream attempt starting at around 09:45.

Stu T’s SW8/900 working the industry at Peach Meadows

The first hour or so from 09:45 was a little rocky, as we had problems with one of the Ethanol switches, so we had to essentially abandon any plans for having the run arounds at the plant and the Patrick board. To complicate things further, not too long into the setup in the morning did we find no Ethanol signals. Therefore, the only run around available was Peach Meadows and we all had to be very careful with the unprotected main after that when heading to the plant.

We also identified two problem areas on the staging yard, one causing derailments for every train that passed through and the other requiring hands to push the train to the other side. As expected, we were soon versed and aware of these, avoiding them at any cost. After these problems were mitigated, one particularly thanks to the efforts of Paul H on applying a temporary fix on the Ethanol board, we were running a lot smoother.

Paul P’s PRR local headed by a Shark Nose navigates the curve over the bridges

The livestream unfortunately failed. The dreaded audio silence problem had reared its ugly head, and the playback device plugged into the camera overlooking the Ethanol Plant started failing, or at least, one of the cables did. The webcam at Peach Meadows thankfully remained stable, so I kept the stream on that and just hoped the lack of audio wasn’t a serious issue and was the only issue moving forward. To my horror, it wasn’t, and by around forty minutes in I found Streamlabs hadn’t taken my event for EMR from YouTube, and instead had used the description from the 2023 Open House. To add insult to injury, the stream to YouTube closed after the 40 minutes.

After multiple attempts, I did manage to get two hours of streaming, but by that point I had also started recording directly to my laptop. The two hours of streaming did not happen on the QR link I had placed on the layout, so I settled with getting recordings and abandoned livestreaming at that point. With testing, troubleshooting and a bit of luck, I will hopefully have fixed any issues with livestreaming in time for the Open House, but I will remember to have recordings as backup.

Dennis with Squaw Falls, photo by Stu T

With the start up problems ironed out, the layout generally ran very well up until pack up time. The general consensus was passenger, both express and local, but there were some freight ops and Stu T took the lead on some local freight operations by doing run arounds and back ins into Ethanol (where possible) and Peach Meadows. If I can ever get over my love for my passenger trains (unlikely), I may take Stu’s inspiration and support the layout’s freight capabilities like the early days of my membership with the Thamesiders.

Michael T brought back his Triplex, and his PRR S-1 with complimenting passenger cars. The challengers to these were my Super Chief and El Capitan. The SC was being hauled by my F3s, and the EC my F7s. All ran very well, except for a troublemaker baggage car and a dummy FB unit. I believe the couplings are drooping on both. The only other troublemaker on these consists was my newly detailed 11 Dbl Bed sleeper, Indian Song. Like the Pleasure Dome, it suffered the occasional derailment likely due to the way I fed the wires from the trucks – I did notice from the PD it can be an exact science at times.

After a couple runs of both, I decided to go Super Cap. I properly cut the F3s from the SC consist except one dummy FB, side-lined the troublemaking baggage car and dummy FB, and reversed the El Cap onto the SC. The Super Cap made two runs before I made the mistake of routing her onto the derail track, and there I used god hand to save the SC consist and get it onto a separate road where eventually it was put away. The EC saw one more run before joining the SC in the box.

Overlooking staging and the Super Cap after a fairly successful run

General interest in the layout was grand. There were several moments the scenery section was watched by a sea of punters. Everyone had something to be enamoured by and everyone operating and supporting the layout did their best to engage and give information. I myself volunteered my services to a member of Ilford and West Essex to try and troubleshoot his Triplex and Yellowstone. We were not successful with the former but had some luck with the latter and ran the Yellowstone behind the El Cap. If I got such a pleasing event on livestream or on the recordings is something to find out later. On reflection, I should have probably offered my services after the fact as opposed to during the event. I might have missed some cues regarding the livestream failing and could have supported the layout better. However, there is hope it served as an olive branch to a person willing to visit us later. Any little gesture must help these days.

The folk from my second (officially first) club Mid Essex were also interested in the layout, and I recall at least one hoping to see us in June on the Sunday after the Open House. I do know several members having HO in some form, one even running Canadian, whom would love a go running their consists. The general feedback has been good, but I do note the location could be and has been problematic for some in conversation. With such things one hopes the desire for trains defeats their reluctance to travel. I know it did with me, especially with facing the A12.

With the wife arriving in the afternoon, I took a stroll with her through the rest of the exhibition and noted similar interest and volumes as we did, and we even found some HO vehicles I could add to my expanding collection which will hopefully be added to some kind of layout in the not so distant future. We also used the time for snacks and tea breaks, returning to the layout not long after saying hello to Dennis aka dad, and Mid Essex.

Michael T’s S-1 taking the curve at Peach Meadows, PRR passenger express in tow.

As with all good things, our dreams and enjoyment began to fade around 16:30, when we saw the stream of punters run down and the vendors beginning to pack up their wares. Michael and I set a freight and my RDC to run laps, while Paul P ran his shark nosed local one last time. As they did the laps, we packed up everything else until finally, the boosters were switched off and break down began.

We escaped in fairly good time but as expected were the last to leave, but not by too long a time. I think towards the end I was running on autopilot, as there was many a time the wife was willing to help and I just couldn’t think up what was needed to do next. Thankfully the guys helped out and she made an excellent contribution.

Speaking of which, it’s important to recognise the contributions of Michael T, Paul P, Stu T and Dennis K for making the event go smoothly and representing the Thamesiders best. But most importantly, Paul H, for not only the above, but also specifically in securing suitable transportation for the layout and being our guide in ensuring we kept running and stayed interesting, and as usual, with the help of the others, keeping the layout itself in working order. I sincerely hope everyone named got something out of the event and continue willing to help in future events, because without them it would have been much more difficult, expensive, and above all, not as fun. I find with this hobby it is hardy about why you started, and more on how you’re finding yourself getting more interested and more involved. For me, it is working (and playing) beside people like these, and seeing what they’ve done and are doing for this layout, the Thamesiders (and Squaw Falls), and therefore the hobby itself.

Here’s to another one like it, or at the very least, another invite at some point in the future. I would love to do it all again.

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 23rd March 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Stu and Dean running some trains on the N Scale, overlooking Dean’s progress on his return loop.

After last month’s hiatus (and prioritising the NMRA BR Winter Meet), it was good to get back in on the physical meets. This time, the N Scalers outnumbered the HO chaps, and things went more slowly for the HO, purely because Paul P and Paul H were hard at work improving things and fixing some issues on both Laxton and the looping modules in preparation for West Essex Model Rail. Missing at least two regulars, we did our best to get at least the loop up at a decent time, but it was 12:30 by the time it was operational.

The N Scale went up fast, however they faced some issues with the command station, particularly with the phone throttles and then later on with patchy connections. However after some troubleshooting and adjustments, things started to run. It was good to see the usual running their trains as well as Paul E and David A doing their best to keep working on their modules. Fingers crossed they both get to a place where they are happy and satisfied for the open house!

I had a chance to stretch the Super Chief’s legs… again… On the HO. I may never tire of it, especially with the way the car detailing is progressing.

With both layouts up and running, those that could, or at least didn’t want to get in the way of those working, ran some trains. I note from Stu we had a UP unit train, and Dean got his El Capitan out. Dennis (aka dad) in receipt of my recent acquisition of the CP Rail Angus Van #434677, as seen at Mangapps, took it on a trip with some of his trains where possible. I’ve lent it to him to run on Squaw Falls at the Chelmsford & District MRC’s Small Layout Exhibition on the 6th April. Squaw Falls will also be at West Essex Model Rail on the 27th, so there should be ample opportunity to get some shots of it, unlike during this meet.

As for the HO, we really only got an opportunity to either pitch in on the work or run some trains for about an hour before packing up again. I was able to get my Super Chief out, this time being led by a ABAB consist of F3s, and the trailing cars missing one late era Indian Series Sleeper as it is currently in the shops receiving detailing, passengers and lighting. A duplex sleeper, normally from the same name series, stood in to represent. These sleepers were the configuration prior to them being upgraded to 11 Double bedroom luxury sleepers, so they represented an era before what I was aiming for with the rest of the train. As part of the power pool on the train, I tested out the upgraded Athearn Genesis F3A #34C with Soundtraxx Blunami. With the app it worked well and as expected, but lashed with the others and running on conventional DCC it didn’t seem willing to co-operate. I believe address 34 was reserved for an accessory elsewhere on the layout so I’ll probably renumber the loco to address 340 to be safe, and try again at West Essex Model Rail. MTH F3A #22 is due to also receive Blunami, and with any luck it’ll be ready and speed matched with the rest of the F3s in time for West Essex.

The only other train running on the HO; a GP30 and a SD24 hauling a short freight.

The other train that had a run on the layout was a short freight, starting with a GP30 and then later an SD24, the latter of which wasn’t speed matched and was essentially being pushed by the GP30. Either way it looked good and with any luck I can add and speed match more locos to represent a typical freight of that era matching the later ATSF passenger consists.

As mentioned, Paul H did some brilliant work on Laxton to bring it up to the Thamesiders’ standard, as well as looking at some minor issues, especially with the 21-pin plugs, on the loops, before checking my work which to my pleasure, was (almost) spot on with regards to the cabling and electrical setup. Turns out the only thing I forgot was the semi-redundant switch on Peach Meadows which isolates the track! One to remember for sure in future. Meanwhile, Paul P focused on general appearance and track on the general loop, and then worked on the Ethanol Plant, bringing it back up to standard after several years of abuse. Dennis brought his modules in to work on too, and that was where his focus was after a short period of running. Progress is good and with any luck it will at least match Dean’s most excellent 180 loop.

Dennis was workin’ on the railroad.

With the absences we weren’t quite able to get Laxton to the standard we needed for West Essex, so it will likely mean Laxton won’t join the rest of the HO at the exhibition but hopefully we’ll have everything ready in time for the Open House. One particular mess up was my fault – Mike A had kindly provided some replacement point motors, and unfortunately as part of forgetting to bring my drill, that also meant the point motors stayed home as well. Fingers crossed such a mistake doesn’t happen for West Essex, but there will be opportunity to bring the drill and motors up on the Saturday morning if forgotten on the Friday evening!

During lunch, which most of us brought instead of partaking in the usual fish and chips, Dean was kind enough to showcase the T-Trak module demo he brought as well as the very interesting and very attractive prospect of “circus dioramas”. Everyone in attendance, besides Kian, took at least one disc of round cork and a stretch of Kato Unitrack, with the challenge to have them presentable and ready for the Open House, and then on to the NMRA BR Convention in October. I took three, with the hopes that the wife and Mid Essex MRC would like to do one each. I am pleased to report the Mrs gladly accepted, and we’ll find out if Mid Essex would be willing later, merely for the purposes of putting feet in doors.

Noteworthy works by Dean on his return loop.
Another noteworthy – Dean’s bus station as shown both on Facebook and during earlier meets

Beyond that it was break down time. As usual, even if we had the numbers, the N Scale always packed down and away first and they helped the HO where possible. We all got out by 17:00, or at least, everything to do with MRR did and a few stragglers helped to clean up the hall and hide the evidence of our presence. It’s too easy to think hours of setup and breakdown make these meets almost tedious, however it is the achievements demonstrated by those that have worked on their various projects which makes it worthwhile, besides the opportunity to run some big trains. One such example is what Dean had achieved over the last few months, and even more so, it’s good to see the excitement from the others as they work towards goals such as West Essex Model rail, the Open House and the NMRA BR National Convention. Besides that, it’s the monthly opportunity to get out of the house, get some exercise, and reinvigorate one’s interest in the hobby.

Finally, by setting up and breaking down the HO, we were able to get the inventory sorted of what we need in the garage instead of under the stage, and are now as ready as we can be when it comes time to load up the van and head to Romford. Any problems now will hopefully be ones we can sort inside the garage, or in the hall during the Friday evening.

Thanks to all whom came, and hopefully we can see more of you in the coming months.

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way

Dean’s El Capitan consist. One of the many joys of N Scale – Kato and their train packs.

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 17th February 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets

Due to the webmaster and publicity manager being at the NMRA Winter Meet during this physical meet, there is likely to be no report to share just this once. However, if that changes, you’ll be notified on the front page.

Breaking news and up and coming events

West Essex Modelrail
We are pleased to announce in April, the Essex Belt Lines (HO Scale) will be attending West Essex Modelrail, alongside Sqauw Falls (N Scale) by Dennis. The event is being held on the 27th April and our friends from the Mid Essex Model Railway club will also be in attendance.

The Thamesiders Summer Open House 2024
We are also pleased to confirm the NMRA British Region’s support for our annual open house, taking place on the 22nd June at the St Osyth Village hall. We will also be supported by Coastal DCC and Orwell Model Railways, having their own stall in the annex just off the main hall. The main event will be on the Saturday only, however we have planned to have a second day of just general running on the Sunday. Visitors are welcome but don’t forget – the official event is on the Saturday only!

NMRA British Region Annual Convention “The Berkshire Express”
And last but not least, we are delighted to confirm the Laxton branch modules (HO) will be at Cookham, Berkshire for the region’s annual convention. NMRA members can register for the venue’s accommodation and general festivities for the 3 day duration, whilst non-members are more than welcome to come down on Saturday, the 26th October for the public show day. Several of our members are also on the organising committee for this event in partnership with the NMRA and Seaboard Southern, so there is certainly drive to make it a great weekend.

We will have individual pages up and publicity out in due course, but for now, mark your calendars and sign off those weekends with your families now so you don’t miss out!

Neal K

Thamesiders Physical Meet – Saturday, 20th January 2024

Thamesiders' Physical Meets
Dennis making progress on his modules whilst important maintenance work takes place on the original N Scale layout

Our first physical meet of 2024 was started with the knowledge we wouldn’t be joined by the N scale layout as it is known – it was time for important maintenance and therefore a non-running session. Dean took the opportunity to work on the Taggart Bridge module, David on the pulp mill, Paul E on his loop and expansion board, and finally, Dennis on his new modules.

We saw the usual faces set up and run on the HO Scale, with Paul H and Paul P walking through the overall layout and identifying problems that needed rectifying. We also gave Rai’s fixed mainline on the Peach Meadows modules some running; spotty at first as expected but as time went on the choppiness settled down. As for me, I decided to continue my journey into the realm of the ATSF, especially considering I am now a member of the Santa Fe Historical and Modelling Society.

Just after Christmas and on the run up to this meet, I found myself in the possession of a proper ABBA F3 consist; all powered and all needing speed matching. I took my time at Mid Essex MRC to achieve this, hitting some problems on the way but eventually finishing what we saw at St Osyth on Saturday.

In the end the consist transformed from a hopeful 3 sound 1 silent to a 2 sound 2 silent consist of 3 F3s and one F7. My first ever sound-enabled F3, #22 by MTH, turned out to have a decoder which wouldn’t let me alter speed settings without MTH’s proprietary hardware. Luckily the other three units had more forgiving decoders installed. So, I relegated that to the storage case awaiting a replacement decoder for later and called up my unconventional stand in, my recently upgraded MTH F7A #39 with ESU Loksound. Unfortunately, it gave up during its first heat of the speed match. Therefore I pulled out the decoder and replaced it with a reliable Gaugemaster Ruby decoder. Speed matching was completed not long after that.

Author’s mixed F ABBA consist pulling the September 1967 Super Chief El Capitan through the Peach Meadows and Dan modules. Paul H investigates a potential power problem on the West Yard fan, whilst David and Chris can be seen in the background conversing over a Pulp Mill N Scale module under maintenance.

Thinking about the YouTube channel, and what I could bring onto the table (or layout), I decided to go with something easy which I knew were working (relatively) fine; my Hi Level El Capitan and Super Chief cars. Unfortunately there hasn’t been much progress in terms of detailing the cars, but those that were detailed still looked very good (in my opinion), and with the exception of the SC pleasure dome, ran exceptionally well. The pleasure dome just didn’t like coming out of staging for some reason, which I believe could have been a snagging wire from the truck. I’ll queue her up for the workbench and when I get around to fixing her up, I’ll take a look at the track power wires and hopefully replace that sagging antenna with something more solid.

The Super Chief El Capitan (or Super Cap) took all of my operational time on the layout, as I found it quite invigorating to be able to run something so close to the original with very few hiccups. I managed to snag several videos for the YouTube channel too, and with any luck the video should be up and viewable by now.

Otherwise it was a fairly quiet day for the HO with some testing being done on Laxton to ensure it is still in good condition, with Paul P running some of his stock on the yard to the sound of the busy N Scalers making their mark. It was also good to see the young amongst us eventually make some moves on the layout on his own, and from what we could tell he had a perfect run too.

Dean’s contribution – working on a yard board and the bridges at Taggart. In the foreground, Paul P’s test machine on Laxton as we take one more step towards the NMRA BR 2024 convention.

During lunch we broached the subject of a recent communication from an exhibition manager about potentially having a modular layout at a local show. With the N Scale down for maintenance the HO chaps agreed to offer some setups, and as a result Paul H and Paul P started their list of any issues left to resolve including the scenically decaying Bridge Modules, which Chris C took home to work on. The details of the potential setups were recorded and passed on to the manager with hopes we may get an invite!

Otherwise… Not bad at all for the first physical meeting of the year.

In terms of what’s next, February’s physical meet may see even less action as several of us plan to go to the NMRA BR Winter Meet at Stokenchurch; myself included. There’s a need to have some representation there on behalf of Thamesiders in advance of the NMRA 2024 Convention rollout, as well as the general interest that comes with events like these being closer to home.

It’s just a shame we couldn’t secure an alternative date for our meet this time – it is always a fulfilling time of the month when it’s time for the Thamesiders. If we don’t see you in Feb, then see you in March!

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way

The EBL staging and general setup, as of January 2024.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Thamesiders – Saturday, 9th December 2023

Thamesiders' Physical Meets

And so, with heavy (but not at all wary) hearts, we conclude our business for 2023 with the AGM, begin looking forward to Christmas, and anticipating a bold new year for the group. We’ll be holding another Open House in June, and then will be supporting the NMRA BR 2024 Convention “The Berkshire Special”.

The AGM emphasised our good position, and the plans we have in store concerning these events and the general health of our layouts. We were pleased to hear membership and attendance is up, and problems which plagued both scales may soon be a thing of the past. We saw evidence of this not only through the new modules seen from Dean H and Paul P, but also the great efforts made to improve existing trackwork and operations from (again) Paul P, Dean H, Paul E, David A, Dennis K, Rai F and Paul H. The future efforts also have commitments behind them in the form of the layout reports and general matters arising.

As a general reminder for those that may not follow these blogs, the N Scale is branching out into a “U” configuration, and the HO is making plans to deploy Laxton as an exhibition layout for the NMRA BR Convention. We’ve seen Paul P’s city running modules, and they have been proven to work with and support the branch line through Laxton (even in their bare states). For those that know me or have been on the circuit with me, you may know I have long term plans to do some modules of my own, but a higher priority project is currently in the way.

Aside from that, the N scalers are eager to see Dennis’ modules, so we hope he’ll have plenty of time to work on them during the festive period so the group will be able to see them at one of the early 2024 meets. We know they’ll go a long way to support Dean’s 180 board and the rest of the layout once done.

With any luck by this time next year, my wife and I will (finally) be living in our own house, so 2024 for the webmaster means a potential busy period. The good news is we’ve already had volunteers from the group to support, so I may take up their offers in due course. Many thanks again to Stu T and Dennis K.

So on a personal note, depending on how well the move goes and what space will be at my disposal, you may see those long term plans bear fruit, but it may be more reasonable to expect them somewhere in 2025. The general idea at the moment is for a passenger terminus – one I find sorely needed for the HO Scale and for my personal interests as I find myself drawn into passenger ops especially. Thing is, even if the HOers gode each other into showing them off, there are far too many passenger trains out during every meet not to have something like that somewhere in the future. For the time being however, I’m just building a two-board shunting module which will hopefully have two states of either latching onto the HO or be a stand alone exhibition layout. All in good time!

I think that nicely wraps up the future and 2024, and I hope you’ll forgive me for not reviewing 2023 this time around (or at least just not yet). I look forward to continuing my work as webmaster and publicity manager in 2024, and believe the same could be said for the rest of the group as well.

If we don’t speak or there are no other updates prior to the next physical meet, I hope you have a most excellent Christmas, and a happy New Year. Thanks for sticking around.

Neal K
– Santa Fe all the way