An afternoon at Shelvington and Rydes Hill. 

What a fantastic model. I watched, totally engrossed, almost as though it was real and I was watching the hustle and bustle of a southern region station. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

This must be the best Southern Region themed model I've ever seen. Can you supply dates of future exhibitions, preferably in Kent/Sussex?

Excellent detailing on the trains and the scenery backdrops!!..Very impressed with track detailing bordering on the obsessive n rightly so!!.20 outa 10!!.😊😊👍🏽👍🏽🥇🥇🥇🏆🏆🏆

THE RAREST "EMU" SERVICE EVER ??? - BELOW IS HOW WE DID IT !!! A 4CIG (greyhounded variant) being propelled by a 3-car Class 117 from Ash to Guildford, BOTH of which were in passenger service. This occurred in winter 1992. The EMU was working an Ascot-Guildford via Aldershot stopping service, while the DMMU was on a Reading to Gatwick via Guildford & Redhill semi-fast service. The fun began at Ash station. The Guard rang the bell to start, so I opened the power handle & nothing happened. I ran to the rear cab & tested those controls, still no power. So I rang the signalman in the mechanical signalbox the other side of the line, to report the units failure. His answer was "oh sh*t, I've let the Reading Gatwick DMMU in behind you onto the home signal", meaning he had blocked any chance of rescue from behind ! I then told the signalman "Ring the DMMU Driver, and ask him if he's willing to propel me to Guildford, & also tell him I'm trained on DMMU's as I doubt he knows anything about EMU's". (As he was a Western Region Reading Driver). The DMMU Driver agreed, so the Signalman let him into Ash Station under "Caution", & my Guard did the honours of going down the track with a Yellow flag, to guide the DMMU in, as there was no "calling on" signal provided for such a move. The DMMU therefore crept into the station & stopped 10ft shot, as per the Rule Book. The next problem was that the DMMU is a vacuum braked train, with Screwlink couplings. But the EMU has the Southern Electro Pneumatic Air brake (EPB) & Buckeye semi-automatic couplings, and Pullman Rubbing bars for buffing !!!! "Ah ha. No problem" Drop the Buckeye coupling on its hinge to reveal a standard coupling hook. Then pull out the EMU's retractable buffers into the extended position. Which now allowed the DMMU to buffer up. I then climbed beneath and threw the Screw link coupling over the hook. The next step, is that in all such unusual cases the staff involved must all agree the precise method of working. Which had to be thus. The DMMU would obviously propel, but these diesel units have very little spare power for such a move, and he was going to have to propel 4 vehicles ! Including a gentle down gradient to Wanborough Station followed by a gentle up gradient, & finally a fairly steep down gradient into Guildford Station. My only concern was the down gradient into Guildford, if we had to stop for signals on that gradient. So I got the Ash signalman to contact Guidford Power Signalbox to ensure we would have a clear road all the way into the station. Which Guildford guaranteed. As my EMU had no problems with its brakes, and my EPB brake was much stronger than the DMMU's vacuum. So we agreed the Diesel Driver would not exceed 30mph. And I would do the braking, and if for any reason I had trouble braking both my EMU & the DMMU behind, I would use the Horn to give the emergency signal (repeated blasts on the horn) & the DMMU driver would add the extra stopping power of his vacuum brake. Both the Guards had to give the right away, with the rear DMMU Guard giving a green flag first & then my Guard relaying the right away, giving two bells. So off we went. The DMMU slowly accelerated us to 30mph, & then shut off power, so we gently coasted down the gentle grade to Wanborough station at the bottom of a slight dip. Where I had no trouble with my EPB brake in stopping all 7 vehicles. Restarting on the gentle up grade towards Guildford Cathedral the DMMU was naturally slow to reach 30mph, as it only had 450hp. So we surmounted the summit near the Catherdral doing just 30mph. Now the steeper down gradient around a long bend until we came in sight of Guildford Station. The signals were clear, and we gently trundled into Guildford only 15 minutes late. Most of the passengers were totally oblivious to the fact anything unusual had occurred !!! The fault with the EMU, as I stated in my report, was that I suspected dirt had got into the airline filter, of the air supply to the Electrical Camshaft box (under the motor coach) which controls the power to the traction motors in line with accelerating speed. A not unknown but rare fault with the 4CIG units that had been "Greyhounded". Which means this small group of 4CIG's, had been given a bit more power to help them on the hilly Portsmouth line via Haslemere. This was done by removing the last bank of resistors, when the unit reached "Weak field", when the Drivers power handle is fully open. The down side was that it was found the air pressure line to control the Camshaft, a piece of equipment needed to actually alter the electrical settings as speed increases, was causing a slight increase in the air pressure and occassionaly allowing bits of dirt to clog the filter itself. My suspicions were confirmed, by the CM&EE Department at Wimbledon Depot, where the unit was taken that night for examination. And it was back in service the following morning, with a nice new clean filter installed. Of course today under the daft Franchise system, Train Drivers are No longer trained on Fault Finding, & are not allowed to touch anything except the actual Driving Controls. As they work for a Train Operating Franchise, NOT The Train Owning Franchise !!!!

Oh I want this model!!!

SR EMU ISSUES NOT WELL KNOWN. Of course the SR unlike other regions, was still using headcodes until the time of BR's demise in 1997. And two white blanks was normally used only on certain ECS movements. So you had to have the relevant 2 digit ROUTE headcode displayed. Red blinds were of course only allowed to be displayed at the rear of trains. And were prohibited on other Regions where a tail lamp was required. So 4TC units & Class 33/1's which occassionly reached Exeter (Western Region) had to have a tail lamp, not red tail blinds, which instead had to show two black blanks. DIFFERENT LINE VOLTAGE SUPPLIES. Another issue is the operational voltage of different EMU types. Pre BR designs such as 4COR; 4SUB; 2BIL & 2HAL were designed for 650v DC. All BR designs from 1951 were designed so they could accept up to 800v DC. As a result the voltage provided to the Third Rail post 1957 began to be increased to 750v, which prevented pre BR designs from running on such routes. This began with the Kent Coast Electrification schemes of 1957/59 & 61. So the South Eastern Div HAL & BIL 650v types were transferred to the Central or Western Divisions. (Replaced by SR 2HAP's, not the BR variant which followed for general secondary service in Kent). The Express services were provided by new 4CEP & 4BEP types. All these BR types were of course express gear ratio 90mph designs. The suburban areas were some of the last areas to have the voltage increased from 650 to 750, due to the large fleet of 4SUB units. Indeed the Bulleid 4DD units were withdrawn because the South Eastern Division suburban area was the first to be increased to 750v around 1971. The South Eastern swapping its 4SUB units for 4EPB's from the Central & Western Divisions at that time. THE 4REP'S & 800v DC SUPPLIES. There was of course an exception to this slow increase of voltage from 650 to 750. This involved the 1967 Bournemouth line Electrification, and the power demand of the 3,200hp 4REP "Power Packs" which were NOT classified as EMU's but Locomotives. As these units had the electrical equipment of TWO Class 73 locos, one under each power car. Like ALL locomotives they were restricted to 60mph, when "Running Light", which meant they only ran by themselves when going to or from their scheduled maintenance at Chart Leacon Depot near Ashford, or when running between Bournemouth Station & the running shed on the old Bournemouth West branch !!! The Bournemouth line beyond Pirbright Junction (south of Brookwood) used a new type of "container" Sub Stations giving 800v DC to the third rail, south of this point. To ensure the 4REP powered expresses could maintain closer to an average of 85mph, even in the rush hours when frequency of trains of course increased power demand. As far as I am aware the only Pre BR units to be rewired to accept the 750v were the preserved 4SUB & 2BIL units, both of which were officially 75mph maximum speed, as were all pre BR EMU designs, and BR designed suburban units such as 2EPB & 4EPB. CLASS 73/0 ODDITIES Another oddity revealed itself when the first six Class 73/0 prototype locos entered service in 1964. A test with one of these locos coupled to a BR 4EPB EMU in multiple, revealed they tried to go in opposite directions - oops !!! When coupled to a Hampshire DEMU in Multiple they happily worked together. This revealed that the whole Southern DEMU fleet had in fact been wired wrongly. Two of the wires in the Standard Southern 27 way Jumpers were, contrary to design, back to front. The Class 73/0's were however not altered. So could only work in Multiple with other 73/0 locos & the DEMU fleet. The Production Class 73/1 locos were wired so as too work with the EMU fleet, & each other, (but not 73/0) as some of their earliest jobs, was working on the Bournemouth line hauling/propelling 4TC units, due to a shortage of 4REP's. 4REP RESTAURANT DIFFERENCES Three more 4REP's (& some more TC units) were added in 1972. But these later 4REP's had slightly different Restaurant vehicles. The original units used converted Mk1 RB's (from the Southerns own Mk1 fleet S1714 -S1724 inclusive) while the later three 1972 units used Mk1 converted RU's from the Eastern Regions Mk1 fleet Nos= E1932; E1935 & E1939. Further E1925 sometimes quoted, was in fact found to be in an unsuitable condition for conversion & as far as is known was scrapped. THE 17.30 & 18.30 WATERLOO MIXED TRACTION DEPARTURES ! These two evening rush hours services, during the 1980's & early 1990's divided at Basingstoke with portions for Bournemouth & Salisbury ! So had to be formed of both Diesel locos & EMU's in each case. From the Signal end of the Waterloo platform, were 2 x 4VEP's, followed by a 4TC (non powered Trailer set) with a Class 33/1 1,550hp at the buffer stop end. They called only at Woking & then Basingstoke, where they divided, with the 4VEP's continuing to Southampton & Bournemouth. And the 4TC & Class 33/1 all stations to Salisbury. This was only possible because the Class 33/1 had been fitted with Pullman Rubbing Bars between their buffers, & Buckeye couplings. To allow them to couple to EMU's which had corridor gangways. And included through the standard Southern Region 27 way jumper fitted to each cab front, a provision to allow the much simpler EMU cab controls to control the more complex Diesel loco controls. For example the EMU cab "line reset button", would when coupled to a Class 33/1, also act as an engine start up control, if for some reason the Diesel loco had been shut down.

Awesome

Very good video. 😃👍

Love the layout, What software are you using for the automation/sounds?

Hi. Just subscribed great content. Bernie

What gauge is it? OO EM or P4/

Can I speak to you. Matthew Dr.Joannes L.

Tragic yet again all we here is that chatty chaps in the background. He cant eve nshut up long enough to listen to platform announcements.

Nothing in the diary at the moment