Henley

Post pictures and information about your own personal model railway layout that is under construction. Keep members up-to-date with what you are doing and discuss problems that you are having.
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Chops
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Henley

Post by Chops »

As previously mentioned, my tastes run towards Monty Python, and superlative British humor, which tends to be dry and perceptive. In no way am I poking fun at British culture, but rather admiring it, its legacy, and my happy memories. I say this in advance, because I am essentially an outsider, and strive not to be misunderstood.

I am having a bit of a steep learning curve posting pics, isn't that the way it always is with computers, and I am not a spring chicken. That being said, when I add pictures as an attachment, they keep coming up in doubles, or completely out of a story-board sequence.

Below, I hope, is a photograph of the recently constructed Catford Urns, in honor of a British friend. The "Urns" are pieces that arrived to me in another round about story, but seeing them lying about the layout I thought to myself, "self, those look like something ancient and mysterious." So, I built a fantasy archeology site of what I call "an ancient Celtic Brewery," being visited by an Eduardian era couple:
New Catford Urns 001.JPG
The little patch of wall on the bottom is a fragment of Hadrian's Wall.

OK! That worked, so here goes...
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

OK, that came off nice (many thanks, Montford), let me try another view of the "Urns" (apologies to Ken). It shows the Eduardian couple (Langley) better.
Other view of Catfords Urns 001.JPG
Other view of Catfords Urns 002.JPG
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

OK, two success in a row, maybe now I got the hang of this. Please bear with me as I try to post this short story board of "The Cricket Match." It is a little spoof on Nessie. Sorry for the bumbled repetition, I'm attempting to use some different views of the original thread.

1. A cricket match is being held upon the commons at Henley. They arrive by train:
Other view of Catfords Urns 020.JPG
2. They arrive by bus:
Cricket and Nessie 011.JPG
3. And some not at all:
Cricket and Nessie 018.JPG
4. Still, in true British fashion, the match goes on:
Cricket and Nessie 004.JPG
Phew, it worked! Finally!

I also posted some videos, I've had some feed back saying they cannot get them. Please do advise me, I enjoy sharing my stuff for the sheer fun of it.
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

Oh, BTW, that blue structure in the back is a Fahler product I purchased in 1994, back before one could get anything, at a price, upon the internet. I painted it blue in an attempt to capture some of the beautiful homes on that lovely seaside town of Brighton. My memories of the one British beach visted, is that while it was austere in comparison to American beaches on the Californian and Floridian coasts, they have a stark and ancient beauty and invite one to walk for miles and empty one's mind of distraction.

See back then, I could scarcely find a British product, and was grateful to find a Dapol model of an Isle of Wight church. This, too, from 1993, from one of the very few British retailers in the U.S. The few British stockists here are far and few between, and have a small assemblage of British OO as an after thought, mostly sold as curiousities. My dream: a day in Hattons with a blank check book.
bamburgh old church 003.JPG
bamburgh old church 012.JPG
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

While living in Shiplake, Mum bought some place mats featuring various features of 19th century British life and landscapes. One placemat, one of my favorites, regarding the historical British Fox hunt. In the absence of television, where we lived stateside, I spent a good deal of time studying these scenes. Figurines by (I think) Langley.
British fox hunt 001.JPG
British fox hunt 008.JPG
But, having run out of foxes, the gentlemen swarm to capture Nessie, instead:
nessie and hounds.JPG
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Chops
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Nessie Rail Tours, 1927

Post by Chops »

Going to have a go at trying to repost this video, copied the link directly from Utube. It is completely, well almost completely, family acceptable, so I'm not sure why it would be inaccessible to other countries that have different regulations concerning content. Here goes:

https://youtu.be/yMKR0vD4UFg

My apologies to the Australians, who have given us such memorable music and some of the best film ever done. :D
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Chops
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"Castle Henley"

Post by Chops »

To capture another amazing bit of British history, the following scene is that of a Medieval re-enactment jousting tournament. I gather, in a general way, that then, (1927), as now, re-enactments were performed. It also serves as a popular tourist attraction for the developing middle class of 1927.
Attachments
knights jousting.jpg
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Chops
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A Nessie Rail Tour, 1927

Post by Chops »

https://youtu.be/dMxWkQltsZY

Think I straightened out this video, problem was with the sound track. Try it now?
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Chops
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Swans at Castle Henley

Post by Chops »

nessie swan bobby 010.JPG
nessie swan bobby 001.JPG
Squint hard and the white blobby things are swans (Langley)
in the moat of Castle Henley.
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Chops
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Nessie on the Rampage!

Post by Chops »

Before I post this spoof, let me assure my gentle readers that the British Police Force, e.g. The Bobbies, are champions of courage, integrity, and duty. Their legacy spans the Globe. The following video is a just a Monty Python inspired sort of sketch upon the layout of Henley for amusement.



https://youtu.be/xX-nrnUun0c
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TimberSurf
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Re: Henley

Post by TimberSurf »

Chops, nice to see you are having fun. A lot of us put personal cameo's in our layouts and they usually come with a little story (explanation), so being quirky/offbeat is perfectly allowable in our hobby! :wink:
Only one comment, in your last film, the 4 policemen are actually Firemen! :lol:
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

Blargh! Say it isn't so! The packet said they were policemen, how dare they! I will say that the shiny blue paint I used is dreadful, will probably have to do them over.
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TimberSurf
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Re: Henley

Post by TimberSurf »

A policeman's helmet would have been black. Firemen had chrome shiny silver helmets, they may have been policemen, but with silver hats they definitely look like firemen! :D
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Hymirl
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Re: A Nessie Rail Tour, 1927

Post by Hymirl »

Chops wrote:https://youtu.be/dMxWkQltsZY

Think I straightened out this video, problem was with the sound track. Try it now?
Very nice, I might recommend running the 0-4-0 a little slower, the models run at approx 200 mph scale speed a gentle trundling pace is more like what they actually did. Is that a Games Workshop castle? It seems quite at home in OO gauge.

Does the internet age help you obtain UK models ok? I find USA stuff is pretty thin on the ground over this side.

Oh the policemen should have black helmets but they look like policemen to me. ;)
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Chops
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Re: Henley

Post by Chops »

Yes, that Hornby 0-4-0 is a hot rod. I had the voltage set to minimum with the pulse function on, and that is the slowest it will go. I do wish manufacturers would realize that we prefer our trains to run like trains, not like slot cars.

The castle, I found after a year of searching, and it was some Spanish brand, I forget which. It was the closest I could get to something that looked Norman.

I am ankle, literally, deep in USA stuff over here, friends periodically endow me with stuff they no longer want. Let me know if you have any particular needs and I will do my best to grub it up. The new stuff is astronomically expensive, so most of my stuff is from the 70's and 80's. When I run the old stuff down at the El Paso Model Train Club, I am quietly amused that it often runs better than the stuff that costs a small fortune. Plus, it squeaks, too, which is a realistic sound effect.

Finding British stuff stateside is a trick, I can tell you. The few stockists nationwide have a few bits and pieces primarily as curiousity items on the back shelf, if at all. That is a bit of a blessing, as it forces me not to get to carried away due to the shipping costs, which are often more or as much as the item.

The internet is quite a game changer. Before 2000, it was really tough to find anything British.

I'll go back and put on another layer of black paint on the helmets!
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