Events in 2017

Ted Polet

Sussex Downs Group Open Day, 18/3/2017

In March, 2017, Creag Dhubh Summit appeared at the Sussex Downs Group Open Day, which is held on a bi-annual basis at Lancing near Brighton. This is a small local show featuring many interesting narrow gauge layouts.

A new layout on one of its first outings was Pentre Uchaf by Tony Peart. Regrettably this was to be the last time it was shown because Tony sadly passed away shortly afterwards. A small photo album shows video stills taken of Pentre Uchaf, a Welsh border location with slate industry. A loss to the hobby.

Pentre Uchaf by Tony Peart:

A few more photos, not in the album, showing Creag Dhubh:

Photos - Pentre Uchaf   

Apart from Pentre Uchaf and Creag Dhubh the video features:

- Souk el Khemis (the late Frank Saunders, shown by Andrew Walters, 009)

- BETA Cables (Stuart Brewer, 00-14, 3'6" gauge in 4mm scale)

- Thakeham Tiles (Michael Campbell, 0-14)

- Sonne See und Schmalspur (Andrew Knights, H0e)

- Talynog (Phil Savage, 009)

- Compass Point (Chris O'Donoghue, 009, first prize)

- Tokar (Peter White, 009)

- St Mary's (Julian Evison, 0-16.5)

- Vale Quarry (John Bruce, 009)

Video:    

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Festival Vapeur de Printemps - Froissy, 4/6/2017

In early June 2017 my brother and I were invited by Jacky Molinaro, to exhibit Nixnie and Creag Dhubh Summit at the Festival Vapeur de Printemps in the Froissy museum, at the Froissy-Cappy-Dompierre railway.

The night preceding the show we visited Jacky's railway empire situated in a cellar below his house. A separate photo album is devoted to Jacky's excellent modelling work. And during the show we were invited to the trains outside the museum, including steam workings through the tunnel just above Cappy, and the reverse taking the train on to the plateau. A memorable visit to northern France.

Nixnie, photo by Jacky Molinaro:

The train up the gradient to Dompierre:

Vis-en-Artois (Jacky Molinaro), photo by Marcel Polet:

Photos - model railways at Froissy   

Photos - visit to Jacky Molinaro   

Photos - Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre   

Video Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre (1):    

Video Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre (2):    

Video Cappy-Froissy-Dompierre (3):    

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Dutch 009 Group meeting, NZH bus and tram museum, Haarlem, 10/6/2017

On June 10th, 2017, a large number of Dutch Group members met at the NZH bus and tram museum in Haarlem, setting up our layouts amongst life size buses and trams. Due to the warm weather more suited to a trip to the beach there were very few visitors, but we had a good time nonetheless. At the end we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

Layouts we set up:

- Uivernest (Jan van Mourik)

- Dislbach (Rob Reinders)

- Yurze Ore Mine (Lucien Eijdems)

- halfway into the video, Dick van Beek sounds the air whistle on one of the trams...

- Nixnie (Ted Polet)

- Jan's Oil, Pitch and Tar depot (Jaap Stuurman)

- Daheeme (Michael Staats)

- Creag Dhubh Summit (Ted Polet)

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Daheeme (Michael Staats):

Dislbach (Rob Reinders):

Württemberg Tssd Mallet, owned by Marco Balk, posed on Nixnie:

Oil, Pitch and Tar depot (Jaap Stuurman):

Photos    

Video:    

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Narrow Gauge Model Days, Katwijk-Leiden steam railway, 23 and 24/9/2017

The annual exhibition at Valkenburg (Katwijk) was a huge success with visitor numbers on the rise. There were many new layouts from Holland and Belgium, and Dutch Group participants were Lucien Eijdems, Marco Balk, Henk Wust and Jan van Mourik, Gerard van de Weijer, Jaap Stuurman and myself. The photo album shows many other contributions - a short selection is shown below.

Creag Dhubh Summit (Ted):

Niemendahl (Marco Balk & MRC De Hoekse Lijn):

Pabrik Gula Jairuba (Diger Rossel, H0e):

The sunset train around the lake:

Photos - Valkenburg   

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Expong, 28/10/2017

Every October, ExpoNG is the destination of a trip across the Channel by a few Dutch Group members. The show is only a 90 minute drive from Dover, and this time Bert van Rhijn and myself brought the completed Creag Dhubh tramway as a showpiece for the 009 Society stand.

The next day we visited the Bredgar & Wormshill Railway for their October gala, with 7 locomotives in steam.

Chris O'Donoghue's Castle Quay:

Fort Whiting by Charles Insley, with a C&DR train:

Holbeach Estate, Stephen Sullivan:

Bredgar & Wormshill Railway, a sunset view over Armistice's tank:

Photos - Expong:   

Photos - Bredgar & Wormshill Gala   

Video Bredgar & Wormshill Gala   

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Eurospoor, Utrecht, 3-5/11/2017

At the start of November, Jan van Mourik exhibited his layout Mouburg at Eurospoor in Utrecht. He sent the following photos for the website:

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Walferdange, 11-12/11/2017

At the beginning of November I got a phone call from Jan van Mourik who needed help showing the industrial Smeerdijk layout in Luxemburg due to Henk Wust having to cancel at short notice. So suddenly I spent a weekend at Walferdange, a small but busy show with excellent modelling work mainly from France and Germany.

Busy moment at Smeerdijk:

Jean-Ville by Jan van Remmerden (0e):

'La grotte champi' by Michel Lecoursonnais (0e):

Photos of Walferdange   

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Dutch Group meeting, 25/11/2017

On November 25th, nine Dutch 009 Group members gathered at Lucien Eijdems' place in Roosendaal not far from the Belgian border. Lucien had set up Buchau(Württemberg) and the Yurze Ore Mine layout, and as I arrived it was quite busy. Hans Kamps had brought his pizza layout and we renewed our acquaintance with long time H0e modeller Hugo Baart, who is the owner of a well-known exhibition layout called the 'Niggende Saeligheyd', and recently joined the 009 Society. We also set up the Creag Dhubh layout which I had brought. Soon various items of rolling stock appeared on successive layouts to be photographed:

Diesel railcar by Bert van Rhijn next to the Buchau loco shed:

Pizza layout by Hans Kamps with electronics board featuring speed control, sound, automatic stops and the lighting of the smithy fire:

Diesel locomotive of the Transports Régionaux de Mouville (RTM) by Jan van Mourik:

Two Württemberg locomotives owned by Lucien Eijdems in Buchau:

Yurze Ore Mine, also owned by Lucien:

Photos