Mogul

The cows being herded in for milking by a Tamiya soldier who has been converted to look like a farm labourer. He is being assisted by a Britain’s sheep dog, note the cow pat which is a blob of solder painted greenish black. Peter M

The tall tree made from dis- guarded telephone wire wrapped in kitchen towel soaked in PVA glue. Then when dry and hard covered in Milliput modelling putty that was carved to represent bark then painted with acrylics. The leaves are made from Woodland Scenics material. It is supported at the back by a wire fixed to a branch as it is very heavy, over 1lb. and this keeps it secure when in transit. Peter M

In this next scene under the tree is a wooden implement covered with a tarpaulin. The model is actually A German field kitchen that I am pretending is a horse draw sowing drill hence the tarpaulin to hide its real identity. There are also some items of scrap and a jeep trailer lying about and a chicken looking for food under the scratch built tree. Peter M

The grey shunter has just brought into the yard a wagon loaded with items from an outlying farm that need repairing. Peter M

The scratch built greenhouse in low relief represents the one on the Nocton estate that was a quarter of a mile long with a narrow gauge track running though the centre. It was used to chit the potatoes and when these were planted the tomatoes were grown to provide a cash crop during the summer. The farmer’s brother is seen admiring the crop. Peter M

The Opel Blitz was used when I first built Two Sisters to check clearances when I laid the track, it is powered by an American Athearn five pole motor and is is very reliable. It was a very fiddly job cutting out the truck body to fit the motor and chassis in place. The back of the truck is filled with odds and ends and the canvas covered box hides the motor that powers the rail truck. Peter M

Nigel, many thanks for your kind comments I actually have Scaledown 27N tall Major and Eia diesel Major, which is painted a more accurate colour than that used on the model I use for exhibitions. When Chris Nevard took these photographs everything was done in something of a rush so I only used the models I had to hand at the time. I have exhibited Two Sisters on well over 60 times mainly at model railway shows and the tractors always create a lot of interest with the viewers, oddly enough mostly the ladies. Kind regards Peter M

This diesel is a figment of my imagination it consists of a yard switcher chassis and motor. The left hand end is the radiator from a yard switcher and the right hand end is from a road switcher The engine a four cylinder Gardener diesel, is in the left hand end and a drive shaft runs through the centre to the right hand end which powers a generator which then powers the traction motors and also acts as a mobile generator out in the fields. All total fiction of course but I hope believable. Peter M

The Fordson E1A Power Major was introduced in 1958 and was diesel powered and was more powerful than the old tall Major that it replaced. I personally prefer the tall Major because as a child my cousin would come home to lunch and let me sit of the seat of his TVO Major as it was ticking over during his lunch break. Peter M

The Fordson Standard model N is a particular favourite of mine because as a child the local farm had two of them. They were used in Summer at hay making time to push loads of hay with a sweep to make a hay rick in the fields. The model is a Scaledown white metal kit, and should be painted either orange or dark green. The ones I saw as a lad were earlier so I painted mine blue and red just like the ones I saw as a lad. Peter M

The foreman’s hut made of balsa was an exact copy of the huts we used at Rockingham motor speedway where I worked part time on the safety team. The bike is a Tamiya model and the chicken is a Britain’s model that has been repainted. Peter M

The water tower was scratch built from odds and ends in my spares box. It is used to refill the tank on the little Porter 0-4-2 and for filling up the tank on weed killing trains. The leather bag and insulation on the feed pipe are made from masking tape. A rear wheel from a Fordson Major E27N is leaning against the coaling stage. Peter M

When I first had the idea of a farm with a narrow gauge railway, the first rail truck I intended to build was the Quad. Unfortunately I was unable to get one as they were not being produced at that time, it took two years of searching to finally get the model and find a suitable chassis to power it. It was a lovely kit to make and I think it turned out rather well. She is seen having just uncoupled from a wagon in the yard. Peter M

Here we have a farm worker having a break after chopping a load of logs. He has a Labrador puppy inside his shirt. He was originally a member of a second World War German tank crew having a rest, he is 1/35 scale but is OK as people are all different heights. Peter M

I have kindly been given permission to post some of the superb photographs of Two Sisters Farm taken by Chris Nevard for Model Rail magazine. He came up to take the photos which appeared in the July issue of Model Rail magazine no 223 2016. Chris Nevard is probably one of the best model railway photographers around at the time the photos where done, and I think still is. The first picture features the Britain’s Milk Maid who is not the prettiest young lady but I suspect has been around for years. She is checking the growing vegetables in the cold frame and feeding the chickens as well. Peter M

I have been given a disc of photographs taken by my fellow operator Andy Knott some years ago, here are a few hopefully not seen before. The first picture shows the Diesel powered Davenport shunter in the yard shuffling a few wagons about. The second picture shows a view down the yard towards the empty engine shed. The third picture shows the scratch built Ruston diesel shunter and his Siku Chinese looking driver. The forth picture shows the little Fergie getting attention in the yard. The last 2 pictures show the yard foreman’s hut and the bicycle he came to work on. Peter M

A few pictures taken at Beacon-Rail Tring in Hertfordshire 2015 exhibition some time ago, an enjoyable small show where we were sadly the only narrow gauge exhibit. The first three photos show the wooden bodied shunter towing a long flat wagon with a worker having a nap laying on the wooden floor. The next photo shows the Fordson N Standard tractor with a mechanic looking at its front wheel. The last two photos show the yellow shunter with a small wagon with bales of hay, then coupled to a wooden side tipper. Peter M

I was asked on another forum to take a few close ups of the wooden bodied Simplex, these only serve to show up its faults really. I got the idea of the wooden bodied Simplex from some photographs of the version on the Fleet Railway towing a string of wagons loaded with sacks of potatoes. There is another photo of the small loco towing a long rake of wagons loaded with pea vines. The body gave a little protection from the Winter cold easterly winds and rain. Like all narrow gauge Simplex shunters the driver sat sideways. I used the opportunity to clean the track and wheels of the locos and stock and generally test the layout ready for its next outing. Peter M

The first shot taken outside the engine shed shows the wooden bodied Simplex ticking over. Over a period of time the exhaust has discoloured the canvas cab side which flaps about as the machine proceeds along the track. Tilly is seen lurking in the yard having spent the day doing track maintenance. The oil drums are from a Tamiya 1/35 scale military items kit which came with Gerry cans, large drums and buckets. They are mounted on a stand made of balsa and wire. In the last picture the small four wheeled wagon is typical of the sort used on some of the smaller farms, that used horse or man power. The tomatoes growing in the green house are made of thin wire covered with green flock and the tomatoes are blobs of red paint. At Nocton the greenhouse was a quarter of a mile long with a track running through the centre. Peter M

This picture is a view taken standing under the bridge as a Simplex rumbles towards the camera as it sets off for another day in the fields. Peter M

One of the advantages of freelancing is being able to make your own rules, and in my case I try to make things that are maybe unlikely but still believable. The biggest plus at model railway exhibitions is no one says in a very loud voice, “I think you’ll find the mark 3 had a bracket and two bolts there.” Because all the models are from my imagination, a very useful tool the imagination for any modeller. Some Britain's bales of hay which will be delivered to the extensive pig sties by the Davenport, on the Nocton estate (the model is loosely based on the Nocton estate railway) a two foot gauge track ran down the centre of the pig sties. As it did down the centre of the large greenhouse which was a quarter of a mile long on the Nocton estate. This modified Bachmann On30 loco although it only has four wheels runs superbly over the dead frog points. Peter M

This vehicle a particular favourite of mine, it is an Opel Blitz fitted with a gas converter, the black vertical cylinder behind the cab. Coal or wood chips were heated to produce a gas which was fed through a radiator at the front of the truck to cool it then into a storage tank and finally into the engine via the carb. It only produced about 40% of the power petrol would. It was introduced by the German Army at the end of the war due to a shortage of petrol. She is seen in the yard at Two Sister’s waiting to start the days work. Peter M

This shows the primed roof covering with kitchen towel which will be trimmed to fit then painted a dirty black colour. Then a general touching up around the edges of the roof. Followed by a few photographs of the shunter at work in the yard. Peter M

The above photograph shows a bit more progress with the final paint scheme and some work stained weathering. I am tempted to leave it at this stage as I think it is all too easy to overdo it. It is after all a device that is supposed to be in daily use. I have yet to fit the roof and this will be covered with a fabric effect. As is the roof to the store at the back of the cab with an access door on the near side where the fuel filler is situated. Then a few bits of rope and chain and a re-railing jack, KD's at each end to finish it off. Peter M

Grunty Fen Engineering have done a little more work on the wooden bodied shunter. I have managed to give it opening doors with the aid of some real bodging. The doors are hinged with a piece of rod passing through the top of the door frame and into the edge of the door itself. This was easy from the top with a small drill held in a pin vise. The bottom though could not be reached with the drill. So after a bit of a ponder I resorted to a hot dress maker's pin heated with a blow torch and held with a small pair of pliers. Crude but effective. I still have some controls in the cab and a roof to add. The driver faces outwards and can then see both ways without leaving his seat. The photographs were taken on my test track. Peter M