Well, Spring 2022 is passing very quickly and there has been little activity with the layout.

A major addition to the model has been the introduction of two backdrop panels that extend from the Avenue Signal Box to the central town area of Leamington. The backdrop has used aerial images of Leamington extracted from Google Maps. It was difficult to get truly accurate perspectives and some repetition was necessary to cover the whole view. However, the final product is sufficient to fool the eye into thinking the whole town is represented.

There has been little operation of the rolling stock. The improvement in weather conditions has resulted in a host of gardening and outdoor painting work!

My last post was written at the start of Winter. Now we are in March 2022 and the weather is improving – but not enough to entice me into spending lots of time in the garage (with no heating).

During the last three months I have completed the building from card kits of four terraced houses. My one locomotive that was in need of a service has returned and runs very well on my trial track inside the house.

In the last week I have bought a second-hand DAPOL BR 2-6-2 Ivatt engine number 41258 – it will replace an existing Trix Ivatt engine number 41234 which was in a damaged state when purchased and was noisy to run. This newly purchased engine will be used for passenger services on the LMS line.

Snow is falling outside and it is time to move the modelling activities indoors for the next few months.

There are still a few scenery items to be constructed next to the Avenue Station, with some Metcalfe kits ready for customising. All the locomotives have been brought indoors for close examination and maintenance work. One locomotive (Burghclere Grange) was found to stutter at slow speeds and has been sent off to a DAPOL repairer. If this is work successful then another DAPOL locomotive (Priory Hall) with a similar problem will be sent away.

I have built a couple of benches and laid eight tracks on them – where I have positioned all the locomotives. The nearest track is connected to a power supply so that I can watch each locomotive in action going back and forth along that track.

Graham Farish BR 2-8-0 Class 8F 48413 has been bought to run a goods train service through the LMS Avenue Station and then onwards into the GWR Up line route.

Work has completed in linking the LMS line to the 7th lane (goods) of the GWR fiddle yard. The above photograph shows the finished product – the LMS line is shown bottom left and this previously terminated at the top left.

Now a new set of points has been introduced on the LMS line to branch off to the right and join the GWR fiddle lane 7 (via another new set of points).

This change allows the goods wagons stationed in the GWR fiddle lane 7 to be backed out (via an LMS locomotive) and run through the Avenue Station in the direction of Coventry. The goods train can then head run around the back of the GWR station, onto the GWR mainline and then around the GWR circuit – possibly running through the GWR station before returning to the GWR fiddle lane 7.

The latest locomotive to be added to the layout’s loco shed.

This locomotive was spotted several times by me in my youth – sometimes leaving Nuneaton Station and sometimes leaving Rugby Station. I felt I needed a locomotive in BR maroon as a change from the GWR green that is the colour of the majority of my mainline locomotives.

The LNER locomotive is pulling a rake of BR carriages through the GWR station on its return trip to the northern parts of England – recreating a typical scene in the 1960s when football specials would transport supporters across the unified regions of British Railways.

This locomotive will be run on the LMS side of the layout. It was used in the 1950/60s for passenger haulage between Coventry and Rugby.

Here is a photograph showing the two GWR main lines crossing the Leamington girder bridges.

In the above photograph the buildings to the left of the girder bridge have been created over this winter time. The nearest building are in Clemens Street and have been modelled on the structures that can be seen today in the town.

Above is an alternative view of Clemens Street. This view shows the unfinished nature of the nearside of the buildings. They will be eventually abutted to the backdrop – further work is planned for the backdrop.

Below is a photograph showing the girder bridge spanning High Street – the road leading towards the GWR station.