'S T U F F'

 

Harlingborough N Gauge Railway Project

 

This is a labour of love, something to do on those rainy days (and boy do we get plenty of them!)

 

Actually, I started off with the intent of working on the railway in the winter months, and regailing in the glorious summer UK sunshine whilst flying my RC models etc, but the way things have gone, the railway gets worked on sporadically at any time of year.

 

The whole thing started off about 5 years ago(ish) but don't ask me how, cause I can't remember, just seemed like a good thing to do!

 

I purchased a few lengths of track (Peco code 80) some curved points and a little DC 0-6-0 tank engine.  I must have got the bug, as it has now evolved into quite an enterprise.

 

I had some basic knowledge of model railways from my early childhood, as I always held an interest in model engineering (my Dad built scale model aircraft, and also started a basic 00 gauge layout back in the glorious 60's).  I decided to locate the layout in my loft, and started with a very basic shallow 'U' shape, which I then added to each passing year, until fairly recently I managed to join the 'U' into an oval, or continuous track.  

 

This enables a certain amount of 'free running', whilst I concern myself with other tasks, whether they be railway related or not!  It's always magical and evocotive to hear the trains running around the track, with the distinctive clickety-clack noises providing an ambient backdrop to my thoughts.  For added fun, I hook my iPad mini up to the JMRI server and can then control up to 4 trains that way.

 

I have speculated about putting together a soundtrack, or canvas of sound, which I would capture on my travels, like station noises, loco's dogs barking, that kind of thing.  If I could get a handle on scripting in the JMRI program, who knows what could be achieved?

 

AJW.