I recently constructed a new private siding gate for Chitterne. In this post I’ll describe the issues with the previous gate and the construction of the new gate and rotation mechanism. A second post will describe the ridiculously over complex control system which I developed for it. Requirement and previous… Read More »A new gate for Chitterne
Chitterne had a very successful outing to Bracknell for ExpoEM. This was it’s first show since the new scenic board was completed. The board has appeared twice before, but in both cases was “Work in progress”. The new venue seemed to have rather more space and we had plenty of… Read More »Chitterne at ExpoEM Spring 26
With Navigation Road temporarily put back into storage, our test track has once again been in regular use, particularly with recently purchased OO models being demonstrated before conversion to EM. Work on Chitterne has continued at a frenetic pace; well to be precise Chris H has continued at a frenetic pace… Read More »March 2026 Report
Both Chitterne and Navigation Road had a successful day at Wilton Railex in September. Work to convert Navigation Road to round-and-round configuration wasn’t quite completed in time but both layouts ran well and seemed popular with visitors. Navigation Road was invited to appear at the recent National Festival of Railway… Read More »December 2025 Report
For the last few weeks it has been “all hands to the pumps” to get both Chitterne and Navigation Road ready for Wilton Railex on the 20th September. It is a long time since we have tried to take both layouts to an exhibition at the same time and our… Read More »September 2025 Report
Chitterne’s outing to Salisbury Railex in Thruxton on 17th and 18th May was a success. The unfinished scenic extensions and new fiddle yard worked reliably and we had many positive comments from visitors. There were a few niggling issues which we will need to address. Couplings again caused frustration and… Read More »June 2025 Report
It was a great pleasure to be invited to take Chitterne to Salisbury RailEx in Thruxton on the 17th and 18th May. This was the first year that this new expanded show had been run at Thruxton and we were keen to see how it would work out. We –… Read More »Chitterne at Salisbury Railex 2025
New rolling stock has been put to one side for the last few months as efforts have concentrated on getting our two EM layouts ready for future exhibitions. The test track has been dismantled and the group room tidied – producing a quite amazing increase in space. Both our EM… Read More »March 2025 Report
Wagons have been much in evidence on the test track. Chris B was unable to resist the temptation of Rapido’s D88 LNWR covered wagon and brought in three different versions in LNWR, LMS and BR livery all destined for EM conversion. Joe, our “King of Wagon Brake Gear”, has been applying… Read More »December 2024 Report
An invitation to take Chitterne to a show in the spring, has prompted thoughts of possible improvements and extensions including a safer fiddle yard. We are considering a turntable to replace the current cassette system which would allow us to store and turn trains without any need to handle or… Read More »September 2024 Report