Steam on the Arrow Valley

 

One of the fun things with the garden railway scene, is being invited to run on other people's lines. I recently had the opportunity to try the Arrow Valley Railway, a 45mm line about half an hour from me. 

My railmotor was first out. Being electric, it's perfect for this sort of thing, and allowed me to the explore the track, which you have to move around to see properly. As you can see, Little Phil and Brian were waiting at the station. 

It's bad form not to bring a steam loco, or at least I think it is, so my Lady Anne came out after its recent run at the club. It promptly embarrassed me by refusing to light up. However, removing the gas jet isn't too hard, even for someone as clumsy as me, and within ten minutes I'd fixed the problem. And yes, I am stupidly proud of myself for doing this. 

On the track, the loco was sprightly. Regulator half open was sufficient for running, even a little fast at times!

 

Saturday Film Club: 10 Mesmerising Manufacturing Films from the 1960s

I've always enjoyed films showing how things are made, and so British Pathe have done me proud here. And there are two more to watch too!

Gordon Ellis railway cartoons

My "big" Manx purchase came from the antique centre in Peel, a pair of railway cartoons. They appear to be originals; even studying them under a loupe, this seems to be the case. Mind you, I'd not have been ripped off if they were prints for the price I paid. 

The first is a Manx Northern Railway train. Very much in the style of Rowland Emett, but the signature says Gordon Ellis, 1948. 

So, who is Gordon Ellis? 

According to Wikipedia, Ian Gordon Ellis (17 July 1920 – 3 December 1978) was a British artist who specialised in maritime painting.

The trouble is, I can't find any of his work online that looks like my cartoons. There are some other very nice paintings though. But I have no wall space...

The second cartoon is this one. 

Now, the signature on this is interesting. 

Interesting, because it looks the same as the signature on this painting. 

So, have I bought work from a known artist? 

It doesn't matter; I love both cartoons for their content, but I would like to know more of their history. Any art experts out there? 

(Note, you should be able to click on the images for bigger versions) 

Back to Groudle

With a bit of planning, our trip ran from Friday to the following Thursday. This meant I could enjoy a Wednesday evening visit to Groudle - handy!

Pride of the line, Sea Lion was running, and the early trains were well loaded.  

Of course, there was cake. 

A delicious gluten-free slice baked by Chris the Guard's wife. While I don't need to avoid the glutens, I like to try the stuff and send photos to my sister. However, no need this time, as I was packed off with an extra slice to take back to her, and she enjoyed it as much as I did!

While visiting the line both times, I also caught up with some people I've been chasing for Garden Rail articles. They were chastised for going on holiday, when they could be writing, but having done this, I'm wondering if I can put the whole thing down as a work expense...

Warehouse Wednesday: Gansey Mill

Each morning, before everyone else got up, I'd take a walk around the bay to enjoy the sounds and smells of the sea. This took me past a tall stone building. 

Back home, I've done a little research, using this excellent guide (PDF download).  In here, I find that "The present Mill was erected in 1844 by Holmes the Banker, and the building was used as a "Town Corn Mill." The building was originally used as a thrashing mill and later used as a Woollen Mill. It has now been converted into apartments."

If you fancy one of those apartments buy the way, it will cost you £167k for a two-bed with excellent views. 

At some point, the mill housed Gansey Pottery, with a wooden extension on the front. There was a waterwheel, but this disappeared in the 1930s. 

You can see this building on Google Streetview.