My wife always refers to railway trains as ‘Diddly Dums’ because back in her childhood, that was the sound trains made as they passed over joints in the rails.
I have always hankered to own a model railway. As a child I had a Hornby clockwork train, and it and my Meccano construction set ranked along with my toy fort and soldiers as my favourite toys. In fact, some of the best memories from my childhood are of playing games that involved all three.
Over the years I have bought several narrow-gauge (i.e., H09 and 009-scale) locomotives and rolling stock as well as N-gauge track … but I’ve never got around to building a layout. That might be about to change.
Last week I bid for and won an eBay auction for a boxed Egger-Bahn/Jouef H09 model train set.
The box appears to have never been opened and contains a tiny 0-4-0 tank locomotive, three passenger carriages, and enough track to build a small oval. I now need to find a cheap model railway transformer/train controller and then I can set up my new train set and run my new locomotive and rolling stock.
There are several other sets of similar Egger-Bahn/Jouef trains out there, including:
- A Decauville Steam Locomotive and Summer Cars (these are sometimes referred to as 'toast racks')
- A Goods Train
- A Western Train
- A Ruhr Lippe Steam Rail Car
I would love to have a model of the Decauville Steam Locomotive ...
... as well as the locomotive that comes with the Western Train ...
... especially as the latter includes some great-looking passenger carriages.
One day, perhaps ...
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Bob,
ReplyDeleteThis is very good news- great that your Collecting the OO9 Joef Trains. As to not ever building a Layout - I'm the same- collected many an engine and such though never built the Layout. One of my all time favorite layouts is P.D.Hancock's 'Craig & Mertonford'...all mostly OO9- pure delight. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteNarrow gauge appeals to me because everything is small enough to fit on a tabletop-sized board and fits in with the 00 and H0 buildings in my collection.
On your suggestion, I’ve looked at the online photos of the ‘Craig & Mertonford’ layout … and it is marvellous and inspiring. Definitely somethingfor me to think about!
All the best,
Bob
If you have the space , there is not much that gives such fun as building a quality railway layout. Good luck...a worthy ambition that deserves to become reality....Regards.
ReplyDeleteTony Adams,
DeleteI’m hoping to combine my interest in model railways with my enjoyment of wargaming, just as I did in my childhood.
All the best,
Bob
Sounds like a good scale for a small set up, maybe one of those that be hidden inside a table or stored in sections. A good match for 12mm figures but one could probably get away with 15mm......
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteI think that I can create a layout that will fit on a coffee table. I recently saw a YouTube video about an 009 layout in an old suitcase which has given me all sorts of ideas.
A big plus is that it will fit in with my 20mm stuff.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
DeleteAn 009 layout in a suitcase - a Portable Model Railway to accompany Portable Wargames!
Did you ever see the Relief of Pippin Fort game which featured a railway line, albeit not a working one?
I used to dabble in 009 railway modelling many, many years ago but gave it up to focus on wargaming - one of the beauties of toy soldiers is that nothing can go wrong with them, mechanically speaking, and it is perfectly acceptable for 'The Hand of God' to push them into the right position on the battlefield.
I did think about resuming 009 railways when I retired, but found the price of good quality model locomotives had shot up and I would get more pleasure and 'play value' from investing a smaller amount of my cash in toy soldiers instead.
Good luck with your project and may it bring you much enjoyment.
Best wishes, Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteIt was built into an old leather suitcase from the 1930s, and it was pretty impressive when it was finished.
I remember the game you mention. It used 54mm figures and a homemade train.
I never knew that you had been interested in 009 railway modelling, but I can understand why you chose to opt for toy soldiers rather than trains.
Nowadays, the price of model railway modelling stuff is such that it is no longer a cheap hobby, but what some people manage to produce in the way of layouts is very impressive. I particularly like Jools Holland’s layout which features buildings from London (and mainly Southeast London, which is was where he was born and brought up) and Europe.
I’ve just ordered some easy-to-assemble second-hand N-gauge track on eBay, and with luck I should be able to test-run my train early next week.
All the best,
Bob
I had a narrow gauge OO9 model railway many years ago, and I had the Decauville locomotive the same as the one you have. My experience of these trains were that they are often too lightweight so that they tend to derail. You really need to add as much weight as possible to get them to stay on the track or avoid tight curves. The Jouef track that comes with the Egger Bahn sets is truly awful, though I understand it is actually based on the real life prefabricated track manufactured by Decauville. In the end I gave up with OO9 and switched to N-scale American outline. Big (and heavy!) diesels and freight cars that are either heavy enough or that you can easily add weight to. The best N gauge track bar none is Kato. It's relatively expensive but extremely reliable. It's also snap together which makes reconfiguring a layout easy or allows for set up/take down where you don't want to leave it set up permanently.
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteThanks very much for the very helpful information.
I do have other 009/H09 locomotives and rolling stock; this buy was very much one that was to intended to fulfil a youthful desire and is probably very impractical. You’re right about the Jouef/Egger-Bahn track being not very good. I tried joining a few length together and it felt very flimsy.
I’ve seen Kato stuff on sale, and I’ll look at it as a potential track that I can use on my layout.
All the best,
Bob
I just gave my brother-in-law 6 large boxes of material I'd collected for a projected N-scale MRR. He's actually started one and is mostly retired to have time to work on it. With all the naked lead in my house, I decided that I'd rather see all of that in the hands of someone who can use it now.
ReplyDeleteI hope your project moves forward! I still buy the magazines and love seeing what other folks come up with. A great hobby that overlaps nicely with the other things we do.
Dennis,
DeleteThat sounds like an excellent thing to have done! I also have a pile of painted and unpainted lead I’ll never use, and I’m looking to dispose of some it over the next few months.
I often find more to interest me in model railway magazines than I do in some wargaming ones. The latter are far too often dedicated to wargaming subjects that don’t appeal to me.
All the best,
Bob
Slippery slope Bob!
ReplyDeleteBefore you know it you will have joined the ranks of those I have heard uncharitably described as "chuff-puff loonies"!
Neil
Neil Patterson (Neil),
DeleteI suspect that I slipped a long time ago!
All the best,
Bob
Aha! The happy curse of the Diddly Dums, which I hope gives you great joy. From time to time the Diddly Dums emerge into my gaming, so I have an occasional blog. Indeed there seems to be quite an overlap amongst gamers. I found again recently one of the best Railway Modeller Junior Modeller articles involving Airfix that I remember as a child (read in a magazine laying about at home as we were / are a model railway family) https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/inspirational-articles-no-1-ww1-railway/
ReplyDeleteMark, Man of TIN,
DeleteI follow your 'Sidetracked' blog with interest. After all, how could anyone have a wargame from about 1850 onwards where railways do not have a part to play?
I remember that article you linked to very well indeed, along with one from Airfix Magazine that explained how to model an 009-gauge railway set in Africa.
So, as one wargamer/railway modeller to another, may I say 'may you wheel bearings never run hot, and your dice always roll high!'
All the best,
Bob
SW Africa? I think it sounds like this article which is also curiously in my scrapbook - not sure which modelling magazine - Continental Modeller perhaps? https://sidetracked2017blog.wordpress.com/2018/04/16/german-colonial-railways-southwest-africa-ww1/
DeleteMark, Man of TIN,
DeleteI actually used to read CONTINENTAL MODELLER on a regular basis, and still buy the occasional issue.
I have several locos that resemble the ones used in Southwest Africa. They were made by Lilliput and I think that I bought them back in the 1980s, along with some rolling stock.
All the best,
Bob
I know a number of wargamers who are also railway modellers. I started railway modelling about 1999 and it's been difficult to keep two major hobbies going at times but I do enjoy both. Mine are rather large - 1/43 scale - narrow gauge running on OO track and O standard gauge plus some OO standadr gauge. Peco do a range of track specifically for 009. I need to check but I think I have some pieces from a never-completed project which you'd be welcome to. I recommend Modelling Narrow Gauge Railways in smaller scales by Chris Ford and published by Crowood press. An excellent guide to building a first NG layout by by an expert who writes well. And most of it is ))9 as befits a chap who is editor of the OO9 society's magazine.
ReplyDeleteBrian Cameron,
DeleteI never realised that there were quite so many wargamers who are also railway modellers!
1/43rd narrow-gauge sounds very interesting. Tim Gow has built an O gauge armoured train for his Funny Little Wars battles, and I know of another wargamer who uses Hornby ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ locomotives and rolling stock as the basis of his 1/43rd narrow-gauge wargaming railway.
I do have some PECO 009 track somewhere and quite a lot of their N-gauge track, and bought some Kato N-gauge track from eBay, but if you have any stuff that might be of use to me and you no longer need it, I’d be only too pleased to accept your kind offer.
I think that I have Chris Ford’s book somewhere, but if I can’t find it, I’ll order a copy. I’ve also discovered that there is a specialist 009 society in this part of London, and I’m trying to get in touch with them.
All the best,
Bob