Warehouse Wednesday: Two track levels at Reading

OK, this isn't a warehouse, or even a building, but this sight intrigued and I suspect some blog reader can probably enlighten me as to what is going on.

Between the tracks for platforms 1 and 2 at Reading station, there is a marked difference in the track levels. Platform 2 is very slightly higher. To accommodate this, a small concrete fence made of posts and panels retains the ballast.

I've not seen this before and don't understand why it's set up like this. The height difference is very small, smaller than many steps down from a train. Both platforms are in use. Platform 1 does appear to have wooden sleepers and 2 concrete.

Why not just build up the ballast for the track in platform 1 and have them at the same level, surely easier than sinking a fence.

It's a mystery to me, but I suspect not to everyone. Please explain in the comments.

Box for a big loco

While we are talking about boxes this week, here's another new one for my collection. It's a sturdy wooden container for my Ragleth from Loco Boxes.

Handmade from good quality plywood and nicely varnished to protect it from the various leaking fluids that find their way out of live steam models, it's a good, solid box with strong latches to keep the model inside and a carrying handle on top to make moving the model easy.

Price (yes, I did pay for this one) is £36. Not cheap, but worth it considering the value of the contents and if you don't have a gear to cut this wood as neatly, or the time to finish it this well, worth every penny. Nice people to deal with too - I spent a weekend on a stand next to them at TINGS a couple of years ago and we had a great time.

Loco boxes website. 

A box for ideas...

This is a box. 

A laser-cut box. 

Assembled and ready to play. 

OK, leaving the Camberwick Green memories alone, what we have here is a Tim Horn photobox. Cut from birch-face ply, the dimensions are:

Length-80cm

Depth - 25cm

Window - 74 x 21cm

Tim himself gave me this at DEMU a few weeks ago, the normal price is a bargain £40. I don't have a project lined up for it. He didn't want me to do anything specific. So far I've slotted the parts together without glue, just masking tape and Blu-tack to keep things together for the photo. 

But it's got me thinking. Let's face it, I have form at making model railway layouts in small boxes and this one has my creative juices flowing. There's no rush, this isn't (for the moment) a magazine project. It's a blank canvas.

Visit Tim Horn baseboards for this and many other useful laser-cut goodies.  

Model Boat Mayhem at Wicksteed Park 2018

I'd never been to Wicksteed Park before, but a free Saturday and the promise of a model boat show saw me take a trip. Arriving at the east to find venue (follow the signs, not the satnav) followed by a gentle stroll to the purpose-built model boating lake saw my Dad and I enjoying a procession of floating models.

Mayhem is the largest on-line forum for boat modellers, sort of RMweb for sailors. The "show" is a relaxed affair with several clubs putting up gazebos and then sitting, chatting and sailing. The pond is larger than our local water and benefits from a path all the way around the edge just above the water.

And that's basically it. We say and watched the boats and full size IC-powered train. Pretty good day out. We'll be back next year, but with something to sail.

More photos on Flickr.

Saturday Film club: How Matchbox cars are made

We all played with model cars as children, and if you were a youngster in 1965, this is how your toys were made.The use of a wooden master 5 times full size followed by a pantograph milling machine to make the final mould fascinates me. I'd love to have a go with one!

Pathe obviously enjoyed their trip to the Matchbox factory as they had made almost the same film 3 years earlier.