Saturday Film Club: 1975: Kids Choose TRAIN SPOTTING

Why do, or did, kids enjoy train spotting? The BBC's Nationwide went to ask them.

Ballast in hessian sacks

 

I love a good model shop, especially one where they have built up a healthy pile of "stuff" over the years. 

My December trip to the SVR includes a stroll down to Footplate Models, and a long chat with Derek about the world of model railways. I also get to look in the back room, which contains piles of models, and some delights. 

Anyway, he knows my interest in historic model railway stuff, and bring out a box. In the box are a couple of hassian bags, full of ballast. Each is the size of a donut, and both were made before I was born. 

The bags were full, and sealed, so I couldn't peek to see if the contents were both the same. They weren't for sale either, or I'd have been tempted to add them to my collection!

Date-wise, I'm thinking late 1950s and early 60s, but that's nothing more than a guess. I wonder how many other examples there are out in the model railway community?

Calendar Time

 

Time to start filling in the calendar for 2025. The number of weekends given over to shows hasn't decreased, but here's what I've put on the list so far.

Work events

8/9 February - Doncaster

21-23 February - Glasgow

1/2 March - Midlands Garden Railway show

15-16 March - Ally Pally

6 April - SWAG (RMweb Taunton)

12 April - National Garden Railway Show

3/4 May - Bristol 

7 June - Llangollen garden rail show (Not on a stand, just wandering around)

27 September - Elsecar on tour at Barrow Hill (Not on a stand, just wandering around)

25/26 October - Great British Model Railway Show

22/23 November - NEC

13 December - Rowington garden railway show (Not on a stand, just wandering around)

Non work

20 April - York

26 or 27 April - Key Model World

14 June - 7mm Narrow gauge show

19 July - Gauge 1 north

2 or 3 August - Art in the Park

28 September - Stafford

8 or 9 November - IPMS Telford

7 or 8 November - NEC Classic car show

That's 18 weekends accounted for already then, and I know I'll add more to this list during the year. For a start, there are dates not yet set for some shows. I have a few ideas for exhibitions I've never been to that I'd like to see - Blackpool model boat show perhaps. There really ought to be a trip to the Isle of Man too, the heritage festival is at the back end of July. 

Add in some club open days for both boats and trains, and the calendar is filling up fast!

I know people who are amazed at the number of events I'll head out to in a year, but the truth is that I really enjoy all of them. Working from home, getting out is a good way of taking a break, it's too easy to slip into doing something because it is there, but if you are out and about, you are forced not to. As far as the model train show go, it's a great way to find inspiration, or chat to readers and find out what they like for future magazines. 

Despite this, if anyone has suggestions for places I should visit, pop them in the comments, and I'll take a look. 

And if you are at one of these events and spot me, please come over for a chat. It's always nice to meet blog readers. 

Oh, and the header image is from the KMBC calendar. I nice shot of my boat on the water. The first time that one sailed for quite some time!.

2024 - Review of the year

349 posts. A couple of breaks in the year, but not too shabby. Yet again, my ability to create content from very little is impressive, to me anyway. 

Vistor numbers average 264 per day. This seems to have stabalised, but I wonder if that might change. I'm sure I read somewhere, that blogs are becoming fashionable again. Perhaps the lure of long videos with minimal content is starting to change. Who has time to watch them all anyway? Text is a far faster way to deliver information. 

Income from adverts has plumeted, something to do with the way Adsense works I believe. A couple of friends have suggested I use one of the "Buy me a coffee" sites to bring in some income. I'm not all that comfortable with this, and my blog isn't really about money, but it might be worth a look later in the year. 

The Garratts, railcars etc. that are briefly mentioned each year have made no progress. Sadly, this is also the case for my Beetle, although I might have some leads on a restorer from the VW club I chatted to at the NEC Classic car show. If I can find the card, I'll join and see what I can do. It was suggested to me that I ought to give the bug up as a bad job - but that would mean letting the bas**rd who runined it win, and I can't quite live with that.

The camper has not been investigated, and my mate seems to have stopped posting on Instagram too. I'm in two minds about this. On one hand, it's unfinished business. On the other sorting it out would be a cost, for insurance at the very least. Do I just quietly walk away? 

Anyway, back to the modelling projects. 

First out of the gates, or at least the Pod on TB2, was a muscial Thunderbird 4. 

 

A festive gift, and very quick project, was this platform trolley in 16mm scale.

Strictly speaking, this PW clearance car was built by my Dad, but I painted it, so I get a little claim.

We've had Mine Hutch wagons on here before, but at the NGRS, I bought a couple more kits, which actually got built.

Not the most exciting project, but I restored a Matchbox VW Beetle, by repainting it, and adding a whitemetal engine bay lid.

An expensive project was this G1 wagon. Not that the kit cost a lot, but it persauded me Northern Finescale kits were fantastic, which meant I had to spend big in their closing down sale...

A motorised duck was built from a Tamiya kit. I don't have a nice photo of the finished model for this post (there is video on the relevant thread), so here's a shot of the box.

 

And I finished the year with a couple of tiny Timber Kits.

Along the way, I have started, and not finished, an Ivor the Engine in O gauge, O16.5 tank engine, and a 16mm scale Roundhouse coach. The last two are progressing, but as they aren't finished, can't be included in this post. Maybe next year!

I think I ought to mention a couple of holidays too. First, I headed to Switzerland for a week, travelling by train and gawping at the scenery. 

 and then a city break in Paris, with a trip up the Eiffel Tower. 

I know you are probably unimpressed, but for someone who never really goes on holiday, two foreign trips in a year, is pretty good going. Admitedly, both ate into modelling time by forcing me to get myself ahead with the work projects, but it was worth it. And before anyone reminds me of the content of last years port, Lisbon is very much on the list for 2025.

I read an interesting article about your "future me". The author described how we all think that once we get past the current rush, or pressure point, everything will be easier, and we'll get more done. The problem with that is that we are the same person, and if that person isn't getting things done, moving part that pressure point isn't really going to make any difference. 

So, the mad rush from the run-up to Switzerland until after the NEC show wasn't replaced with a calmer time when I could relax and doing a few things for myself. Maybe there was a little more time, and I have used this reasonably well, but certainly not the endless hours I'd love. 

All this means, no new model boats, the Tamiya Baja bug kit is still in its box, along with numerous other kits and bits, that at the time of purchase, I felt sure I'd crack on with quickly! 

On the positive side, I've found myself uninterested in adding to the pile at most model railway shows. Despite my rule that I have to buy at least one box, it's sometimes a struggle. OK, I can farm some interesting projects in the direction of work, but even then, I can be a little jadded. 

There has been a lot more show visiting. Covid made me realise how much I love this. They say you should find your tribe, and mine inhabits exhibition centres at weekends it seems. There has been plenty of small scale chuffing too, something I want even more of in the future. Mind you, I'll need to go through the fleet and fix a couple of locos!

So, another thin year on the personal modelling front. Maybe 2025 will be better. Thanks to everyone for reading my blog, and I hope you all enjoy your hobbies over the next twelve months.