Cab ride around the Bekonscot Railway (10 scale miles)

A couple of weeks ago, we ran a cab ride around our Gauge 1 railway network. Just to see what happened, really. In this, one of our 94xx locos is shunting the camera around on a flatbed.

You’ll see a GWR Railmotor, a couple of freelance 0-6-0Ts from the 1950s and a 4-6-0 freelance from the 1950s too.

Note that the circuit is devoid of signals – the set of 40+ is currently away being refurbished. Our network is controlled partly by software (that was later redeveloped for the Jubilee Line Extension, incredibly), a Westinghouse L-frame from Purley ‘Box and a lot of relays to control the hundreds of blocks. The railway is 80 years old this year.

So sit back and enjoy 8 minutes of a trip back into 1930s rural railways...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMsJ_P6d-zg

 

Its ages since ive been to Bekonscot... That video really makes it come alive...

 

Thats incredible.

Do you ever run live steam?? I expect it would be quite hard as the track isn't very accessible in places but would be great fun to try 'after hours'. I've got access to a few engines if you want to try it \/

 

wow so accurately modelled, the plants scrape the stock and everything!

That was quite entertaining!

 

Strictly speaking, what you've got there (most enjoyable too) is not a cab ride but a "ghost ride" - the term was used in the early days of moving pictures for a film shot with a (usually) fixed camera on a wagon pushed by a locomotive. The technique was supposed to derive from a Lumière company cameraman inventing the travelling shot by accident, by filming from the end balcony of a train leaving Jerusalem. There was quite a vogue for them around the turn of the 20th Century, and there's a complete one showing a ride to Ilfracombe on a DVD of early railway films that came out a few years ago. Well done for reviving the tradition!

 

I had no idea I'd revived a tradition Ben - that's fascinating!

We do run live steam for a private event once a year for the local Gauge 1 Railway Association Group. Generally speaking, 500+ children in per day don't mix too well with locos costing £1,000+ especially when the tracks are so accessible. It was built as a private line in the 1920s, so although we have huge numbers of people visiting now, many of the paths haven't moved very far. Trains could (and are) easily grabbed, kicked, derailed etc. In our 200,000 annual visitors we do get a few people who enjoy causing crashes...

It is however quite spectacular to see a full length LNER teak set behind a Gresley steaming through express loops, over viaducts etc in a complete miniature landscape... being passed by LNWR locos on a loose coupled freight. Quite tricky to catch the little sods when there's a breakaway... We can't really open it up for various planning legislation reasons, but never mind.

I don't think we've ever sent a live steam loco through the long tunnel though, down to the Midland Railway station at Evenlode.

For the record;

Evenlode (inspired by the S&D stations) and Hanton (timber construction) have Midland Railway buildings and signalboxes
Splashyng has a Southern Railway station building (inspired by Kingscote on Bluebell)
Greenhaily is GWR & GCJR (Based on Beaconsfield, 1930s)
Maryloo is GWR & GCJR (Based vaguely on High Wycombe, 1930s but with extra platforms and a footbridge)
Bekonscot Town is entirely freelance
Bekonscot North is a GCR island platform with bridge access

Stock includes:

94xx panniers x 2
Brighton 4-4-2 tank (Bassett Lowke, 1930s)
0-6-0T jinty tanks x 2
0-6-0T freelance industrial tanks x 2
GWR railmotor
SR 2-Bil
SR Q class
Freelance 4-6-0 express tender loco (vaguely Gresley LNER)
Bo-Bo freelance (vaguely BR Class 17 but a bit continental)

Breakdown train
Coal wagon train (x 12 wagons)
Mixed goods train (x10 sponsored wagons by local or themed businesses)
Brakevans x 2
Track cleaners x 2
Mk1 coaches x 20+
Suburban Bassett Lowke coaches x 2 (original from early 1930s)

 

A cracking video there and when in the area, I shall be popping in!!! =D>

 

I was tempted to wait til 6pm when they'd all gone home... But I quite like having them in as a scale reference point!

Next time I'll couple a few coaches together so the clickety-clack is more obvious. We cut every rail into 60ft lengths or put in notches so that it sounds just right....

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

 

Thanks for sharing, thats a superb bit of film. years since I hve been to Bekonscot, will have to revisit very soon. I remember how well done the signalling is, watching trains run slowly past under yellows and then stop at the reds to wait for the road, very realistic.

 

If you'd like to know a bit more about Model Villages in the UK, we've put a short BBC film up about them in our archive:

http://vimeo.com/4015195

Plus a 1931 ride on top of the Gauge 1 behind some Bassett-Lowke stock. Is this the earliest cab-ride on a model railway?

http://vimeo.com/4015195

P.S. You may have also seen us on Midsomer Murders last week!

http://www.bekonscot.co.uk/news/latest/were-on-midsomer-murders-itv1-wed-28-oct-8pm/

 

That brought back some wonderful memories. I used to go to Bekonscot as a child in the 60s and always wanted to ride on the train!

And I think I identified the bridge where my the very small son put his finger down and derailed a train when I turned my back for a moment. So embarrassing