Nice one Chris.  I know you're great with your camera, so these will be good. 

Quote from: Chris on May 24, 2011, 05:50:41 PM
Well I received a parcel today which jolted my memory that I've not updated on here for a while

Yes, I was getting worried you'd forgotten about us.

I also have a dedicated camcorder now that replaced my old Fuji camera for video so will have a play around with that tonight.

I'm finding lately that I'm spending a lot less time on forums and the inter-web generally, partly due to being back at work part-time and also due to spending a lot more time outdoors now that my health and weather permits. I'm fast becoming a trainspotter now, finding more and more things to film around Norfolk's railways! Expenditure on the layout has been scaled back due to diminishing funds, being limited to smaller ebay purchases.

You've certainly been taking some great pictures from what I've seen on facebook. You're lucky to have so many different loco's and trains coming past.  Feel free to put them on the photo's section if you want.   I've slowed down on my layout too, for the same reason... £££'s.

Don't worry Chris, I will! I don't know if it's becuase this year's been a good year for railtours or if it's just because I now make the effort to see them but this year has been a good one for railtours around this area. We have a couple of kettles coming our way over the next few weeks too so will be out for them.

Right - here are the photos from the very special visit to Old Warren today.

This afternoon D1015 Western Champion breezed past the depot with the wagons bound for Old Warren town where a publicity event was taking place:-



Then after nightfall, the wagons returned past the depot behind 37069 and 37218 bound for the docks ready to be shipped to Japan (almost bowled by a cement working!).




And another view by another spotter in the field:-



I also put together a video of the afternoon and evening's spotting!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBN5cYQkzTg

Superb vid of a very atmospheric layout

Cheers. Word has it the wagons left the UK today bound for Japan, travelling overnight tonight!

Superb video and pictures.   Good to see them moving along nicely on the layout.  The lighting in the yard looks great.

Heavy freight finished on this small Japanese back-water many years ago. What is left is a small but regular transfer flow, which brings a DE10, or even occasionally a DD51, through to the town; breaking the monotony of DMUs. This time, however is a little different, as a special container train made its way down to the branch...with some rather interesting wagons...






The locals were unsure of what the 'N Gauge Forum' actually produced; or if NGF is a product, how much they actually required bearing in mind four containers-worth of the stuff was heading their way... The vicious rumour that all the NGF produced was a lot of hot air and wind was discounted by the very reasonable observation that the container flats would have needed to have been loaded with pressurised tanks, as opposed to standard containers, for such hazardous material!

These Yamanishi Prefecture folk are such little tinkers aren't they?

Anyhow, the Micro Ace DD51 brough the containers, along with a BBC example (constructed from the paper kit available from the BBC website when they first launched the 'Box'), and a couple of standard offerings to a rather bare station. Buildings have started to temporarily appear; however it will still be some time before the town has the air of permanence the residents so desire...at least their track-work is stable!

Next up (hopefully next Friday) will be a visit to the larger town of Yamanouchi Oshika; which itself is undergoing some serious redevelopment.

Glad to hear that the containers reached the news on your layout.     Hopefully they won't find out that they're full of unsecured nuclear waste.

The BBC container looks great too.  I used to follow that online.

Any news of where they are now or are they terrorist hostages somewhere out in the Orient ?  :'( :'(

They're still with Claude Dreyfus.

The tour has just arrived at Ives Yard.

08763 is shunting them into the yard after D163 (yet to get its new livery as it's well away from its home depot just as the blue changeover is happening) delivered them safely from the docks after their voyage from Japan. They're sharing the sidings with the Ives End GWR Society's Clun Castle and its short rake of Collets for the evening, so they'll be in good company until they get to run around the main line (currently under repair after an attack by a giant radioactive cat which also hitched a lift over from Japan) tomorrow.



(it was all sounding so historically plausible until the giant radioactive cat bit too )

looking good cant wait to see more pictures of your layout and wagons.

The wagons are looking a little weathered since my visit, wish i had tagged them up with some n gauge graffiti stickers..

also We want picturs of the cat!! 

This is the cat just as brave RAF helicopter crews distracted it with a giant ball of string..



Despite getting shot at by its laser eyebeams, they managed to safely lure it away to the Bide A Wee Giant Kitty Sanctuary somewhere on Dartmoor.

More shots of the wagons later