The Buffers

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Founded by  Les Torrens    (1923 - 2000)

Established in 1982, the Buffers is a group of  transport enthusiasts living in Southern Ontario, which meets for their enjoyment of British railway and other transport modelling.

November, 2001

NEWSLETTER Issue No. 190

edited and condensed from the print version

News     Thanks to all who contributed to the October meeting, making it very interresting. These included David Thoms who presented a Cam Camwell video covering many areas of Britain from Scotland to the Peak District to Cornwall and the Isle of Wight. Ed Spencer provided us with a live steam demonstration of Invicta ( outside ), as well as a slide presentation which included his trip to Ironbridge, shropshire and Blist's Hill open air museum. Thanks are also due to Grant Miles for his road model display and to Dennis Littler for a slide show featuring an antique car rally held in his area of Ontario last summer. Yanis Smit has commenced building a model of an ex-GWR County Class locomotive to suit 3.5" gauge live steam. The locomotive will be named County of Monmouth, after his home in Wales.  Andrew Hopkins presented his completely scratch built terraced houses featuring stained glass windows in the front doors, the materials for which were obtained from  catalogue cut-outs. Geoff Chandler showed one of the latest releases from Hornby in the form of Casle class no 4097, Kenilworth Castle.The motor is in the body of the locomotive, which features a stepped GWR tender and is the first model  with such a tender released by Hornby. Versions with this tender have in the past, only been avaliable in train-packs.

Model News     Much well-deserved adulation has been poured by the railway modeling press and 00 scale modellers alike on the Bulied Pacifics that are currently being produced by Hornby. Models from all three classes are reppresented, the West Country and Battle of Britain in original and re-built form and also the Merchant navy class.    Included with this months newsletter are two pictures taken about 50 years apart. Geoff Chandler took the first one at Templecombe c1951. Both locomotives remain un-identified. The second picture of 34016 Bodmin  was taken by his daughter Rachel Chandler Fagan in the summer of 2001. She was waitng at Salisbury station ( 23 miles east of templecombe) for a service to Bath when the locomotve steamed into the station with a special from Waterloo.

Web Site Updates

The Road Ahead November 24 & 25 - Toronto -  Christmas train show. International Centre, Milton March 23, 24 -Toronto - Model train show, Congress Centre 650 Dixon Road. April 27 & 28 - Brampton -  Great British Train Show.

Some more  updates have been completed.   A new page has been added to the picture page.  This page is of Ed Spencer' s live steam model "Llewelyn" See also a work in progress of pictures from past newsletters put in to one album. More pictures of members own models are needed. Bring any prints to the meeting and I can scan them for inclusion.

Photo Gallery

Sojourn in the Isle of Wight.

Featured below are  pictures taken on the Isle of Wight  in the early 1950's. At that time the islands railway system boasted 27 locomotives which included four of E1 class 0-6-0 's used for freight duties and twenty- three class 02 0-4-2 's used for passenger duties. (photos by Geoff Chandler)

Above are two pictures taken at Sandown. Locomotive no17 Seaview shown at left is ready to leave with a train to Cowes, via the island capital of Newport. The gantry signal controls on the left are for the line to Newport and on hte right to the mainline to Ryde. In the left picture we see class 02 no16 Ventnor leaving on a Ryde train. Of interest in this picture are the upper quadrant signal controlling  the branch line ito the station and the Southern Railway warning sign at the right..

Featured above are two pictures of a class 02 locomotive being serviced at Newport sheps. Coaling was carried out manually. The picture on the left shows no25 Godshill. Tthe picture on the right shows no27 Merston, which is being lubricated by the fireman. Right at the end of steam in 1966, the island's locomotives and rolling stock were kept in immaculate condition. All were named after villages and towns on the isalnd, except no1 Medina which is named ater the river that enters the Solent at the northern island port of Cowes. ( Geoff Chandler photo)

Newsletter Archives Members wishing to view back issues of the online newsletter can click on the link below for over 12 months of the online version, including the excellent reproduction of Geoff's fine pictures

Newsletter Archives

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Please let me know if there is a problem, and I will remove any offending links or images.   -Andrew .Please E-mail me  your comments.