Erm, my dream of modelling the Eritrean Railway in HOm has been derailed because I could not find any suitable locomotives or railcars. The closest loco was the Bemo Mallet, but it is a) 2-4-40 instead of 0-4-4-0, b) excruciatingly expensive, and c) unavailable.
Now I am thinking of the Darjeeling railway in 009, giving at least the following advantages:
- smaller permitted radii (with the prototype being 2' guage instead of 950mm)
- available locomotives, such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway D Class Beyer-Garratt from Backwoods Miniatures
- possibility of modelling escarpment switchbacks (zig-zags) in much less front-to-back space than the tripple 180 degree curves climbing the Eritrean escarpment (which need at least 2 x 2 x the minimum radius).
Does anybody know of any Darjeeling layouts I could learn from?
Tom
Tom,
The current, July 2013, 009 News has "Darjeely" by Eddie Bristow featured.
My colleague, Phil Savage, is constructing "Ghum to Batsia loop" - see Mick Thornton's photos of Sussex Downs Group's 2011 show:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Mick6126/SussexDowns009GroupOpenDayWivelsfield28May2011#
Hope this helps,
Regards
Tim Sanderson
Tom,
Tim has beaten me to it! I've been wading through my Blog photos and have come up with:
2009 Sussex Downs members day Haywards Heath photos 031 - 033 show Phil Savage's D&HR layout in early stages of construction.
2011 Sussex Downs members day Wivelsfield photos 019 - 023 show the layout in a more advanced work in progress state
2012 Narrow Gauge South, Sparsholt photos 047 - 049 show it with further progress having been made.
Unfortunately I haven't yet photographed the layout more recently than that (I don't think I have anyway - it is possible there may be a later set of photos in more recent blogs which I've overlooked!)
Additionally check out 2013 009 Society members day & AGM, Rainford Merseyside photos 035 - 039 Darjeely by Ed Bristow
All the above can be accessed at: http://micksrovingreporter.blogspot.com/
Hope that helps get you on your way!
Mick
Was it Gert Jensen who had the entire line in his garage?
It was photographed some years ago.
Yes it was the late Gert Jensen's layout. It was featured in the Modeller and in the News (was it when you had the blue pencil Hugh?) I don't have either reference to hand at the moment, but I'm sure somebody must have them!
Mick
If you're interested here is an account of adding false frames to an inside frame chassis. The subject is the Langley Darjeeling 'B' class loco.
http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=1127 (http://www.009society.com/forum/index.php?topic=1127)