Tag Archives: Risex

Sounds that can’t be made… or they can on Canute Road Quay and RisEx 23/02/19

Sound fitted DCC controlled locomotives are being more and more popular, effective and cheaper, especially since the introduction of cheaper sounds chips such as the Hornby TTS range of sound fitted decoders. However whilst the sounds of the locomotive themselves are achieved with a few add on sounds such as doors closing and guards whistles, what such sound fitted locomotives emphasise is that the ambient sounds of people, machinery, birds, water or waves (where appropriate) and sounds of the rolling stock, buffering wagons and flange squealing that is missing.

For Canute Road Quay I wanted to provide an overall immersive experience for the viewer at an exhibition by providing a mix of sounds to include not just steam locomotive sounds but those of the rolling stock and other typical background sounds that you would hear at a working quayside. I also wanted it to be reasonable subtle.

Hornby have recently partially addressed these requirements with their R6925TTS sound fitted vent van this has 29 separate sounds that covers some of the above ambient sounds including steam, locos, wagons being shunted, flange squeal, birds etc.  However, this would not be suitable for use on Canute Road Quay for a number of reasons; firstly it requires DCC control requiring each sound to be activated, up to three at any time, using function buttons rather than just playing on a loop, , secondly it does not feature all the sounds I require such as Herring Gulls etc. and finally would really require the wagon, which is not quote the correct period for my usual 1946 to 1949 period to be located on the layout all the time which would hamper operation a bit.

I therefore having spent some time looking around for suitable sound clips to make my own file, came across a friendly and efficient small supplier called BigTrainSound.co.uk The guys here can supply a number of off the shelf sound files ranging from platform announcements to urban sounds from different eras and weather conditions including thunderstorms. Another service they provide is to produce bespoke soundscapes of either 30 or 50 minute duration tailored to meet a clients needs.
Paul at BigTrainSound.co.uk quickly gained an understanding of my requirements from looking at pictures of Canute Road Quay, reading this blog and from my own suggested required sounds. Within a couple of days I had a schedule of proposed sounds and timings for approval followed by a provisional sound file. By the end of the week I had the agreed completed 50 minute soundscape file, very efficient service!
The ambient soundscape file is built upon a base layer of breezes and lapping water sounds then with multiple other sounds layered over it at different times including the following: Herring Gulls, steam locomotives shunting at various times (actual sounds recorded of shunting at Bristol and Goole docks), wagon wheel squeals, ships hooters, distant fog horn, truck arriving and departing, conversations, unloading wagons, dogs barking etc.
Last month saw the first exhibition with the sounds being played via a Bluetooth speaker simply clamped underneath the layout. I was certainly very pleased with the overall effect and even though the locomotive / shunting sounds are not synced with the actual movements during operation, it became a bit of a fun challenge to try and get the movements to coincide, which we managed quite often so much so viewers often commented that they thought the locos were DCC Sound fitted!

The video clips above give a brief idea of some of the sounds. I can totally recommended the great service by Paul and his team at BigTrainSound.co.uk as a very satisfied client.

If you want to see Canute Road Quay and experience the ambient sound effect, Canute Road Quay is making an appearance this coming Saturday 23rd February at the excellent little RisEx exhibition organised by the Princes Risborough and District Model Railway Club.
The show is being held at the ,Community Centre, Wades Park, Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 9AX and is is open between 10.00 and 17.00

Canute Road Quay at RisEx will also be in the company of my friend Simon Paley’s Norwood Road Layout, set in the West Croydon area circa 2000‘s along with eight other layouts. Some say… the show is worth a visit for the cakes alone…

If you planning to pop along to RisEx, please make sure you to say hello.

PS. if you are wondering about the title its a sneaky reference to one of my favourite bands, their 17th album in fact..

The quay facts about being on the road with Canute Road Quay

The next couple of exhibition appearance of Canute Road Quay are drawing near, as always I always look forward to exhibiting my little train sets and enjoy catching up with friends and making news ones alike.

An ex LSWR Adams B4 0-4-0T shunts the loco coal to the small sub shed at Canute Road Quay. The B4 is a McGowens white metal kit.

There will be a new feature on Canute Road Quay for these shows as I have commissioned a sound file of suitable background ambient sounds, including steam loco sounds, wagons shunting and buffering up, vehicles moving, voices, general quayside sounds and yes a few gulls make an appearance! I will cover the production of this in a future post with feedback on how it was received after these couple of shows.  As long as I set the volume carefully I believe it will add to, not distract from, the overall effect, time will tell…

In just weeks time over the weekend of the 26th / 27th January 2019 Canute Road Quay will be travelling to its spiritual home and inspiration at the Southampton MRS, exhibition being held at the Barton Peveril Collge, Chestnut Avenue, Eastliegh, SO50 5BX
This excellent show, which is a regular show I visit,  will feature an impressive line up of 24 layouts across a range of scales and gauges and genres. Other highlights from an SR / BR(s) perspective include:

  • Bosun’s Wharf – 00 – BR(s) 1960s
  • Evercreech New – 00 – BR S&D 1950s
  • Fawley – 00 – SR 1930’s
  • Redbridge – 00 –  BR(s) 1960s
  • Littleton – 0 – BR(s) 1960s
  • Atlantic Road – N – 1998 Southern in London

The show opening times are, Saturday: 10.00 to 17.00 and Sunday: 10.00 to 16.30. Also if you are not already a member of the excellent South Western Circle, the historical society for the London South Western Railway, then they will be present with a stand and you will be able to sign up at the weekend!

USA 0-6-0T No. 68 shunts on the quayside at Canute Road Quay. She is a model rail commissioned loco by Bachmann.

A bit closer to my home, well literally very close to home (I could almost throw a lump of coal from my own little cottage in the Chiltern Hills to the show venue) is the RisEx exhibition on Saturday 23rd Feb 2019. This pleasant little show is organised by the Princes Risborough and District MRC,at the Community Centre, Wades Park, Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 9AX

Canute Road Quay at RisEx will also be in the company of my friend Simon Paley’s Norwood Road Layout, set in the West Croydon area circa 2000‘s along with eight other layouts. Some say… the show is worth a visit for the cakes alone…

The show is open between 10.00 and 17.00

If you planning to pop along to either of these shows, please make sure you to say hello.

In addition to appearing at these two shows a few more exhibition appearances are lined up as part of the Canute Road Quay tour along also with a couple more appearances planned for Fisherton Sarum, check out my exhibition diary page here for further information.

A bit of an update: Heljan 07s, 247 Developments and Canute Road Quay on tour

This post is a bit of mix of a couple of updates in the BR(s) related model world and also where and when you can see Canute Road Quay on tour.

Heljan 07

Firstly, Heljan have announced a further run on their excellent 07 Class. This has been in response to strong demand and positive reviews, such as mine here, for the first production run.

One of the original releases D2985 is seen at rest on Canute Road Quay

Nine additional Class 07s are now being prepared for release in early 2019. These will cover new identities for the most popular BR green and BR blue editions which sold out quickly earlier this year, the well-known Eastleigh Works shunter of the 1970s/80s, D2991, plus two more  industrial versions in ICI grey/orange and Powell Duffryn blue/white. These model have a 6 Pin DCC socket and will be priced around £139. see below for the full list.

Artwork drawing for 2906: BR Eastleigh Works light green D2991

Version 1 – as-built BR Locos

  • 2904: BR(S) green D2986
  • 2905: BR(S) green D2988
  • 2906: BR Eastleigh Works light green D2991
  • 2907: BR blue D2998
  • 2908: BR blue 07002
  • 2909: Powell Duffryn blue/white ‘07006’

Version 2 – Later BR and industrial dual-braked variant

  • 2914: BR blue 2989
  • 2915: BR blue 07009 (weathered)
  • 2916: ICI grey/orange 07005 Langbaurgh

247 Developments

Friend, excellent modeller and proprietor of 247 Developments Brian Mosby has advised me that he now has produced 22 etched smoke box number plates 30081-89, 30092-103 and 30147 for the Dapol ex LSWR B4 Class 0-4-0t. Brian also stocks a range of SR etched nameplates and smokebox door number plates including the Lord Nelson class which will be of great use when the forthcoming new Hornby model arrives. In addition he stocks dated smokebox door roundels for the Bulleid pacifics and SR Engine Head Signal route discs. Brian’s products are of excellent quality and I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Canute Road Quay on tour

It was a very enjoyable weekend at the Worthing MRC show last weekend with Canute Road Quay, Thanks to friend and fellow modeller Simon Paley for his assistance and company over the weekend and all those readers of this blog whom dropped by and said hello.

Simon keeps the visitors to the Worthing show entertained
A Dapol ex LSWR B4 ‘Caen’ in Southampton Docks livery makes her debut at the show

It is always a pleasure to exhibit at this show, I took Fisherton Sarum there in 2015, as the Worthing MRC club president, Dave Kent, is a friend and past member of the High Wycombe & District MRS. He will hate me for saying this again, as I know he reads this blog, but when I joined the Society at the tender age of 15, *cough* years ago, he took me under his wing so to speak, working on the scenery for the Societies then large 00 layout ‘Hillingdon Court’.  Dave is an exceptional modeller and some of you may well have previously seen is excellent SR third rail layout Ashington (which featured in the November 2007 issue of Hornby Magazine).

For those that could not get to Worthing, Canute Road Quay can be seen a few upcoming shows, the first of which is my own Model Railway Societies show in four weeks time, on Saturday 3rd November 2018 the High Wycombe and District MRS Wycrail 18 show being held at , , Cressex Community School, Cressex Road, High Wycombe, HP12 4UD It is always a good show and Canute Road Quay will be one of 30 layouts on show.

The first couple of months next year sees Canute Road Quay attending the following shows:

26th / 27th January 2019 – Canute Road Quay: Southampton MRS, Barton Peveril Collge, Chestnut Avenue, Eastliegh, SO50 5BX

23rd Feb 2019 – Canute Road Quay; RisEx Princes Risborough and District MRC, Community Centre, Wades Park, Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, Bucks, HP27 9AX

As always the full list of show dates can be found on my Exhibition diary page here. 

Fisherton Sarum on the road in 2015

Regular readers of this blog will know that I do not exhibit Fisherton Sarum all that often, primarily so that it does not become too familiar on the exhibition circuit, potentially avoiding the walk on by syndrome that can be seen with some layouts that the public has seen time and time again.

However I do enjoy heading out on the road a few times a year and meeting up with old friends and making new ones especially those made through my ramblings here on this blog, if you do manage to get along to any of the shows I am at please make sure you say hello.

Plans are now taking shape for 2015, and I can now advise the confirmed, to date, appearances for next year as being:

Saturday 21st February 2015 – Risex – Princes Risborough and District MRS – Princes Risborough Community Centre 

10th / 11th October 2015 – Great Electric Train Show – Hornby Magazine – Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon 

Other exhibitions appearances currently in discussion will be added to the list on my Exhibition Diary page here when confirmed.

I am of course indebted to the continued valued help and assistance of my family and also members of the High Wycombe and District MRS, of which I am a member, to make exhibiting Fisherton Sarum possible at all.