Hello again my lovely little Corkettes. It's been almost two agonisingly long months since the last riveting update (yeah right!), but fear not...your Corky has returned once more!...Hellfire! I have tales of daring-do in foreign lands and photos of traction both old and new. This update also covers the latest gathering of Corkettes at Jones-Towers for a "run what ya brung" session aptly named CLAG 2013..."Corkscrew Lines Alternative Gala" where much tea was drunk, much cake was consumed and the phrases "Oh My Lords!" and "Dreadful!" were uttered many many times before the last of the participants headed home!
 |
| Green Whistlers meet during "CLAG 2013" |
Traction Action!
A detailed look at what's currently happening to the Corkscrew-Lines traction fleet.
I mentioned in the last update that the first of my eagerly anticipated Dapol class 52 Western locos had arrived on the Corkscrew-Lines. Just to confirm my previous comments, the model is an absolute stunner. This is without doubt the best looking and most accurate model of the beloved Western ever produced in 4mm. The detail and quality of the finish is astonishing and when I compare this model to the typical models of lets say 10 years ago it is truly incredible that that a model like this is being offered by a RTR manufacturer at such a reasonable price.
 |
| Both Whizzos are currently out of service awaiting fitters attention! |
However, all is not rosy in the diesel-hydraulic garden. As you can see from the shot above, my second Whizzo arrived from Hattons just a couple of days ago and I once again checked the loco out on a section of DC powered track to make sure everything was working correctly. All looked good electrically, the directional and cab lights worked and the loco ran smoothly backwards and forwards. Unfortunately, just like the green version, there seemed to be a slight wobble or rocking motion. I thought I'd check the loco on a much longer run under DCC control so removed the body (easy to do with just 4 easily accessible screws) and removed the incredibly stiff blanking plug from the circuit board on top of the motor. I decided to fit my normal first choice DCC decoder, a lenz silver 21+ and proceeded to try and slip it onto the pins of the loco. I say try because this was by no means easy. It was an incredibly tight fit and certainly not what I've come to expect from Bachmann, Heljan or Hornby. Ironically, also much more difficult to fit than I had experienced with Dapol's previously released class 22 locos! I have purchased and DCC chipped dozens of locos over the last few years and never experienced pins as fat as these.
Having eventually managed to fit the Lenz chip I placed the loco on the Corkscrew-Lines and set it off for a test run. My heart sank immediately. Just like it's green sibling, the maroon Western waddled along the track with a distinctive rocking motion and to add to the disappointment, the directional and cab lighting now refused to work. It was starting to seem the locos looks were flattering to deceive! I made the decision there and then that the locos would need to be returned for replacement or repair. I've waited years for them to arrive so I can wait a few more weeks for them to be repaired if necessary. The saga does not end there however. I started to prepare the locos to be returned whence they came and removed the Lenz DCC chips from both locos (after much more cursing due to the unnecessarily tight fit). When I tried to re-fit the blanking plugs onto the locos both of them literally disintegrated whilst being pushed back onto the loose pins!
I had no such issues with the gorgeous Dapol class 22 locos so I am happy to give Dapol the benefit of the doubt and say this is almost certainly a quality control issue beyond their control in the Chinese factory where the locos are produced. Having checked on the model railway forums it is obvious I am not alone. There seems to be many reports of waddling Whizzos and wheel sets which have not been assembled correctly. Where do I go from here? I will be contacting Hattons where the locos were purchased and I will be guided by them. I will keep you all updated and fingers crossed these early locos are a rogue batch and these issues will not be repeated. It has certainly taken the shine off what should have been a very exciting and pleasurable experience.
Full Sized Railway Adventures
As I mentioned last time, I have recently changed jobs and therefore left my rented room in Alton for the last time and at last returned home to the Fens and Jones-Towers. Before I left North Hampshire and Surrey I took a few photos of the signal boxes I have worked over the last year or so. I also took a nostalgic trip to the Worting Junction and Battledown Flyover areas in Basingstoke. When I was a spotty youth I would ride my bike to these locations with my trusty Pentax MV1 or ME-super and take photos of the endless procession of classes 33, 73, 47 and 50. Things have changed considerably since I was last a regular visitor but I was delighted when within a few minutes of arriving, a class 31...in green livery no less!, trundled past...Hellfire! The other extreme of the traction spectrum is illustrated by the pair of Colas Class 66 locos I saw at Peterborough recently. They were sat waiting for the road next to the new platform currently under construction. Having driven pairs of class 66 locos in multiple myself, I can confirm having about 6,000hp on the rail certainly helps to get a train rolling!
One thing I've learnt from working on the railway for the last 25 years or so is the one thing that never changes is constant change! Some of the signallers currently working on the Alton Line read these updates so I want to wish you all including "Levers", Gary, Ian and Owen the very best with the new jobs and locations you'll be going to. Thanks for all your support and friendship over the last year and I hope everything works out well for you all.
 |
| Farnham Signal Box...Due to close August 2013 |
 |
| Box Cat "Camo" on duty at Farnham |
 |
| Farnham Box lever frame |
 |
| Farnham Box lever frame |
 |
| Ash Vale Signal Box...Due to close August 2013 |
 |
| Goyle Alert at Battledown! Class 31 190 heads for Eastleigh Works |
 |
| Colas 66 846 & 66 848 at Peterborough |
Turbo-Banjo mania spreads!
My mate Steve Copley from Poole sent me a shot of the pair of Turbo-Banjos he has produced for his layout and I couldn't resist sharing it with you. He used to be such a serious chap. I think I may be a bad influence on him...Hellfire! Well done Steve, keep up the good work!
 |
| Banjo-tastic! |
Corky in Canada!
My recent holiday in Canada was a conventional family affair and therefore I did not indulge in any excessive Nedding activities. We moved between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa by train however so I had some opportunities for the occasional snap shot. I thought I'd share a few images of the trains I encountered and travelled on during our fascinating adventures. I absolutely loved Canada and it's people but I must confess, much to my relief really, I don't feel the urge to sell all my OO gauge equipment and start again in HO gauge with multiple lash ups of CN or CP locos and endless trains of double stack intermodal wagons. Sorry Rooster and Mr Clemes...it's the 1960's in the West Country for me.
 |
| Ottawa Station |
 |
| The Roundhouse Museum - Toronto |
 |
| The Roundhouse Museum - Toronto |
 |
| The Roundhouse Museum - Toronto |
 |
| Go-Transit commuter trains - Toronto |
 |
| Go-Transit commuter trains - Toronto |
 |
| VIA-Rail Canada Toronto to Montreal service |
 |
| Go-Transit commuter trains - Toronto |
Whilst in a large book-store in Toronto I happened across the magazine section. I wondered what sort of model railroading magazines were on sale so looked for the transport section. Well I couldn't find any North American modelling magazines but I did find all the British ones much to my surprise and delight. I then looked closer and saw my favourite monthly...Hornby Magazine. Fantastic I thought...I fly all the way to Canada and here I am in Toronto able to buy Hornby Magazine...Dreadful! Then I looked closer and realised the copy on sale was the very one featuring my Turbo-Banjo article...Oh My Lords! When I pointed this out to Sarah and Becky they also thought it was absolutely Dreadful! and proceeded to parade the magazine around the store. The locals looked on a little bemused not realising how fortunate they were to have Corky himself in their midst...absolutely Hellfire!
 |
| Corkscrew-Lines Groupies in Toronto! |
 |
| Despite being a celebrity...Corky plays it cool |
In conclusion...Canada gets top marks in everything, except choice of national beverage. I couldn't possibly consider living permanently in a country where coffee takes priority over tea! The shot below summarises my views quite succinctly I believe!
 |
| No kettles in hotel rooms...what's that all about eh? |
Visiting Corkettes
Because the Corkscrew-Lines is essentially a glorified train set and my friends and I are a bunch of big kids, we like nothing more than spending the day running model trains, drinking copious amounts of tea and having a laugh...normally at each other's expense...Dreadful! Hence I arranged a "run what ya brung" session yesterday which I christened CLAG 2013 "Corkscrew-Lines Alternative Gala". Visiting Corkettes were Rooster, Mrs Rooster, Mini-Rooster, Wibble, Napier-Boy in addition to the resident Fat Controller and of course Corky himself. And no, none of these people actually have real names...at least not during a Corkscrew-Lines event! As usual Wibble became unruly so was banished to the naughty seat in the middle of the Helix and Mrs Rooster very generously provided a large cake which was consumed within a few minutes!...absolutely Hellfire.
The resident loco fleet took a back seat as visiting traction strutted its stuff on the mainlines. Highlights included Wibble's new Hoover and his Warship with patented on/off propulsion system, Rooster's Goyle and class 26 and of course Napier-Boy's all green Whistler. Much fun was had by all and hopefully it wont be too long before we can do it all again.
 |
| Hoover on the Banjo! |
 |
| Start them Corkscrewing when they're young...Fun for all the family...Dreadful! |
 |
| There's always time for a cuppa on the Corkscrew! |
 |
| You can't come out until you promise to behave! |
 |
| I think Rooster may be getting over-excited again! |
 |
| Bunch of reprobates..Oh My Lords...Dreadful! |
The Future of the Corkscrew-Lines
If you have reached this far I have to presume you actually have an interest in the Corkscrew-Lines so it's time to be honest and lay my cards on the table. I have very recently started a new job which for the next few months at least will be occupying a lot of my time including a 5 week residential training course in Leeds and Doncaster starting in only a couple of weeks time. Any spare time I do have will be spent preparing Jones-Towers to be sold so we can start the process of moving to a more convenient location for our jobs. What I'm saying in a nutshell is the Corkscrew-Lines will regrettably be taking a back seat for a while so any plans I had to extend the track or construct a MPD is now on hold.
Don't panic though my Corkette chums...this is in fact all good news because I intend to re-model and improve the current layout when we have a new home and the adventure will begin again with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. I will be exploring new ways to control the layout using wireless DCC, new track layouts and new facilities and if I am really lucky I'll have more space for an extended mainline and incorporate a workbench within the layout room. In the meantime, there will probably be fewer updates and any modelling time will be spent working on detailing the current fleet and constructing existing kits and making preparation and plans for the Corkscrew-Lines Mk2.
 |
| Corky now has the power to levitate...Dreadful! |
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride.
Corky!
