Barchester

              Happy New Year Everyone.

I know it's only the 31st December while I'm writing this but I wont be in any fit state tomorrow so you will have to bare with me.

Here are some pictures of the latest addition to the Barchester fleet of DMU's. The Bachmann Class 108, a sweet runner that looks the part. Two pictures showing it's inaugral run, departing from platform 5 to Ditton Heath.

 

 

 

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Because of the above addition a redundancy has occurred. This next picture shows the auto coach and little 0-6-0 shunted off into the goods siding where it will wait until it's future has been decided. It's normal 3 times a day run between Barchester and the Dittons has been taken over by the Class 108 so things are not looking too good for it at the moment. The 'Friends Of Barchester', a quite widespread organisation which is affiliated to the 'Barchester Preservation Society' (BPS) has offered to take care of coach and loco with costs and ownership remaining with the BPS. This offer is now under consideration.

 

 

 

 

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The offer mentioned above has been taken up and the 0-6-0 is under the protection of the BPS. The auto coach will remain in service however and the Class 108 will take over the duties of the 0-6-0 tender loco which was push-pulling passenger coaches and which will now be behind the auto coach. The BR 0-6-0 will undergo a complete overhaul in the coming months, the work to be undertaken by an all voluntary staff of the BPS and 'Friends of Barchester'.

At long last I have started on the GWR locomotive replacements for the flood damaged ones on Barchester. It will take some time because of the cost involved but I have ordered the first one. It's a Bachmann 56 xx 0-6-2 in GWR green and with a bit of luck will be here this week. This does mean that Barchester, which at the moment only offers a purely passenger service, will have to have a reorganisation of it's running schedules to accommodate the new goods service which I will be introducing. If the new model is a good 'un that is.

In the meantime here are a couple of pictures taken recently on Barchester. The first one showing that Barchester does indeed have passengers, contrary to all reports. Not many I have to admit but it's a quiet day around these parts.

 

 

 

 

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This next one shows the Metcalfe brewery kit sat there in pristine condition. It's waiting for me to make up my mind whether to keep it with added weathering and all the details or rebuild with my own version. Eventually I want to replace all the Metcalfe kits, ha, I should live so long, with my own stuff and this one will be the first to go. Not that there is anything wrong with the Metcalfe kits as I think they are the best card kits on the market but I do like modelling my own as you will have probably noticed.

 

 

 

 

 

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Well fellow modellers that's the first month of 2007 finished with and also the last entry in this Diary as further development of Barchester has come to a standstill due to other commitments. I hasten to add that the commitments are all model railway related and this site itself will continue to develop as the months pass. I sincerely hope that the diary to date has provided many of you with some interest and hopefully some pleasure.

 

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