The State of Montana

by Phil Cooper

Hello again. Look how quickly the time goes. Yesterday it was New Year’s Eve, today, it’s February! I’d love to tell you that I’d performed all the tasks I mentioned in the last blog but the only ones I have addressed is checking my overdraft and tidying the trains room disposing of all the Greggs Donut wrappers. As usual I went to the room aiming to complete the tasks but instead, started up my new Class 47 which is sound equipped and I made a weird discovery. It may be unique to me but I’d love to hear from anybody who has shared this experience.

OK so there I was enjoying the 47 with a small goods train. Harrison “helped” by loading the hoppers with coal before he changed his mind and started mixing a concoction of model coal, ballast, PVA glue, water and Plaster of Paris! He called it “poison” and gave me a strange look! I could be in trouble!

Anyway, back to my story. I took the 47 off the track and placed it to one side about 3 feet from the layout and replaced it with a GBRf Class 66 which was DCC controlled but didn’t have a sound card. I powered it up and off it went on it’s journey to nowhere in particular, but now it had acquired sound from somewhere. I concluded it was the 47 sound card still working despite being off the track but the 47. Was this weird magic? I don’t know. I shut everything down and went to the living room to watch my team, Rangers on Sky Sports. I returned the next day thinking the magic sound would have disappeared. But, there it was again. Has anybody got any ideas about this? If this carries on I won’t need to add sound cards to any more of my locos saving me lots of money! I love the sounds of these locomotives. Especially if it’s free!

SEAN SELLEY-WEST

Sean has been experimenting with a snow scene I tried one last year and, not surprisingly, it turned into a mess which grandson, Harrison, loved to make even messier. But Sean IS a REAL modeller. You’ll all be pleased to know Sean had a very successful first test of the snow for his latest layout. He has combined baking soda and PVA glue.

Sean is a terrific modeller and is always available to give advice to those of us who NEED help. You can find him on Facebook

www.facebook.com/selleywest.sean

SOME THOUGHTS ON WHO I BUY FROM

Since beginning this hobby I’ve had dealings with many manufatcturers and retailers with differing results. Because I have no skills I rely on retailers and crazy people like Neil Stanley to sell me stuff which I can’t make myself so I thought it would be a good idea to give you a brief analysis of these dealings I must emphasise that these are MY thoughts and I may have been lucky with my purchases and I’m glad to say that most of these organisations have been very helpful. So I’ve considered some factors to judge the organisations- website, customer support, friendliness, product range and any special mentions to be considered.

ANOTHER NEW DISCOVERY-ONE

I’ve been trying for ages to get permission from Mark Wilson to include his photos in the blog, Prepare to be amazed by these fantastic photos.

Absolutely fantastic, aren’t they. Just how does he create such detail?

ANOTHER NEW DISCOVERY-TWO

Welcome Martin Poulter with some great photos of some diesels that are close to my heart

When I was about 4 years old I would give my parents a break for a few days and stay with my auntie who lived very close to the Milburn Crossing in Inverness and I’d see real Class 25s and 26s throughout the day. I loved every minute watching them and waving to the drivers. Some of them took me up on board for a wee scud*

*scud is an old Inverness aord meaning ride

LAST YEAR WE BROUGHT YOU A SUPER COLLECTION FROM IAIN PATON, LET’S SEE SOME MORE OF HIS BUCOLIC FROLICS*

*The name “Bucolic Frolic” was the name given to the first Knebworth Festival held on a hot Summer day in 1974. I was there to watch The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Tim Buckley and Van Morrison. Not even a performance from the absurdly-named  Mahavishnu Orchestra ruined the day. Tim Buckley and The Allman Brothers Band were particularly brilliant.

MARCUS PICK

A little bit of history here as Marcus becomes the first modeller with photos in 2 consecutive blogs. I couldn’t resist these excellent night shots. But first, this is one of Marcus’ photos from last year which was my single favourite from all of our photographic contributions. It’s simple but brilliant with bags of atmosphere.

This great (IMO) photo invokes the great Charles Dickens short story, “The Signal-Man” described as “the best short story ever written”  and it is a great creepy story, well worth a read.

HORNBY DUBLO DELTIC

Hornby is to bolster its diesel and electric range with an all-new ‘OO’ gauge model of English Electric DP1 Deltic for the Hornby Dublo range, resplendent in its eye-catching blue and cream colour scheme.

HORNBY A MODEL WORLD

Now broadcasting on UK TV's Yesterday channel at 8pm on Monday evenings, the second glimpse into life 'behind the scenes' of Hornby.

Trains – tick, model trains – tick, rarely-filmed footage of model development – also tick. The second series of Hornby: A model world is now airing on Yesterday, introducing the manufacturing of models, and the hobby of model railways to audiences old and new.

The show seeks to share life behind the doors of Britain's most famous model manufacturer. If you missed the first episode of the programme, you can still watch it online via “Catch Up”.  

I love this behind the scenes documentary which shows the research and development of our wonderful wee trains. In my opinion it’s much better than that programme which pitted teams of modellers against each other; I forget it’s name. I had high hopes for it and thought it might inspire me. It didn’t and I didn’t watch it after the 3^rd instalment. Simon Kohler (God) is a tv natural and we get occasional glimpses of Ms Hoeren and her hair!

16 DAYS FROM LONDON TO MOROCCO

Train travel is booming in Europe, but what if it could take you beyond the continent? A new overland trip to northern Africa with flight-free travel company Byway proves you don’t need to hop on a plane to venture further afield.

A combination of train, bus and ferry takes you on a 16-day adventure from the UK to Morocco via France and Spain.

Starting in London, the trip winds through Nîmes in France, through Madrid and Cádiz in Spain, then crosses the strait of Gibraltar by ferry taking you to Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fez and Casablanca in Morocco.

Chefchaouen

On Byway’s Morocco trip, you’ll travel by train from London via Paris to Nîmes, where you’ll spend your first night. After exploring some of the best preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy, you’ll head onwards by train to Madrid via Barcelona.

Leave the museums and galleries of the Spanish capital behind as you hop back on the train and journey to the Andalusian port city of Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in western Europe.

After a night’s rest, a bus to Tarifa will then drop you at the ferry crossing to Tangier, where you’ll have two nights to explore the vibrant arts hub.

Chefchaouen, famed for its powder blue buildings, is up next. Here, you can lose yourself among ornate handicrafts, Ottoman rugs and ceramics in the medina’s meandering alleyways.

After a four-hour bus journey to Fez, relax in your traditional ‘riad’ accommodation before taking a guided food tour, relaxing in the Palais Amani hammam or absorbing the sights and smells (pong) of the Chouara tannery.

Casablanca will be your final stop before looping back to Tangier on the TGV Al Boraq high-speed train. A popular winter sun destination for the French pre-WW2, the port city is filled with antique shops and markets that hark back to this bygone era.

 Long distance train travel is gaining traction European train trips are an increasingly popular alternative to short haul flights - and often work out quicker overall.

But more people are now showing interest in long haul train trips: last year, 30 per cent of Byway’s holiday bookings were for 10 day or longer trips versus just 5 per cent in 2021.

Overland adventures are all about the journey, granting access to tucked away places you couldn’t reach by air.

www.byway.travel

I’ve been to Morocco three times and loved it. It’s a fascinating country with friendly people. NannyBarb and I visited an upmarket hotel in Tangier, not Casablanca, where a real-life “Rick”, in a white DJ served us cocktails and the pianist played THAT song. Tacky? Not at all. It was delightful If you go you MUST visit Marrakech (have you started humming the song  by Crosby, Stills & Nash yet? Visiting the Jemma el-Fna is an unforgettable experience with it’s snake charmers, musicians and magicians. Retire to one of the roof-top bars around the square to marvel at the sunset.      

Travelling by train is also a great way to see the world with a lesser environmental impact than flying. According to Eurostar, flying from London to Paris emits over 14 times more CO2 than travelling by train.

The demand for sustainable travel is up, with 45 per cent of people saying they are conscious about the impact of air travel on the environment when making choices about their holiday in 2022 versus 37 per cent in 2019, according to UK travel organisation ABTA.

ICAO’s carbon emissions calculator estimates that a return economy flight from London to Casablanca emits 315 kg of CO2. This would be far higher if separate flights were calculated for each destination along the way. Added together, the train and bus journeys of the Byway trip amount to roughly 88 kg of CO2e, according to the online Carbon Footprint Calculator.

How do Byway’s flight-free trips work?

Byway offers a range of prebuilt flight-free itineraries and can also plan custom trips. Once you enter your travel dates, the company will book your transport and accommodation to fit your chosen itinerary.

Off-the-beaten-track activity suggestions are provided for

www.byway.travel

ORIENT EXPRESS RETURNS TO ITALY

Once upon a time, you could jump on a glamorous night train and travel along the Italian coast, perhaps meet up with Cary Grant or Peter Lorre in the Restaurant car, take in icy Alpine peaks and vast forests as you go. You could criss-cross through the country, gazing at the bustle of Milan – and then the splendour of Florence. Basically, you could live in an incredibly romantic Hollywood movie, and it was buonissimo. But you know what? Soon, you could do exactly that again, as the Orient Express is set to make its grand return to Italy in 2023. 

Six new trains will connect Paris, Rome, Split and Istanbul, with several different itineraries available to travellers looking to relive the glamour of twentieth-century rail travel. The exact routes are still to be confirmed, but the trains will also run the length of Italy, with a dedicated Orient Express hotel set to open in Rome – meaning guests can linger in the capital for a little longer. The trains will then run all the way along along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, and finally wind up in Turkey.

 While the details of the services still need to be fleshed out a bit, you can find out the latest about the new Orient routes here.

https://www.orient-express.com/

FRANCE’s NEW HIGH-SPEED TRAIN

Paris to the Riviera in under 5  hours

Snazzyer, faster, greener and more spacious trains are coming to the French TGV network

France is known for having one of the world’s finest high-speed rail networks. The country’s network of TGVs (or ‘Trains à Grande Vitesse’, as any true train aficionado will no doubt already know) covers pretty much all of France and is an exceptionally fast and convenient way to get around.

But are they resting on their laurels? Mais, non. France’s TGVs are about to get even snazzier, with new ‘TGV M’ trains set to launch in 2024. And according to the the French national rail operator SNCF, they’ll be substantially faster, greener and more spacious than the current models.

TGV Ms will be able to reach a mind-melting top speed of 220 miles per hour – which is about ten percent faster than current models, and even faster than Japan’s current generation of bullet trains. For passengers, that means much shorter journey times. Paris to Saint Raphaël on the French Riviera, for instance, would currently typically take about five hours. The new trains will cut that down to four-and-a-half.

And TGV Ms aren’t just faster than current TGVs: they’re also more energy efficient, promising a 32 percent reduction in CO2 emissions. Plus there’s 20 percent more onboard space, with capacity increasing from 634 passengers to 740.

The new trains will also be quite a bit more luxurious. Manufacturer Alstom says they’ll have superfast onboard Wi-Fi and real-time journey updates, as well as bigger windows – all the better to take in the rolling countryside and France’s prettiest villages as they whizz by.  

SNCF has apparently ordered 115 of these beauties, with 100 designated for domestic use and 15 for international routes to neighbouring Spain, Belgium,  Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands. The new trains have cost SNCF €2.7 billion (£2.34 billion, $2.7 billion).

These new trains will launch in 2024, so you’ve got plenty of time to get planning a French train extravaganza at even higher speed than before. Avant!

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The views and opinions expressed within the content are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Trackside Signs or its affiliates.