Visting UK in Aug, September 2017

Rhinochugger said:
Oh no, I wouldn't do that :shake::shake::shake:

:p:p:p

The best way to find about exhibitions is Railway Modeller - if you can't get it down under, try and grab a copy at the airport where you arrive (W H Smiths).

Alternatively, post a request in the coffee lounge here just before you leave, and one of the UK members can have a quick check for you.

You've got a nice little East Anglian list - once you know where you're staying, put a message on the forum as there are a few G Scale Central members in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

The Wells & Walsingham has the w.................
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Thanks Rhinochugger, I look forward to seeing the Garrett.. I have just finished searching the Modellers online list and unfortunately many, if not all, of the exhibitions are at places we are not - ie not without a couple of hours drive - so will have to give the exhibitions a miss. You are certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to model train exhibitions !
Cheers
Rowan
 
playmofire said:
You mention North Norfolk Railway, Sheringham, but hopefully you will have the time to ride to Holt, the other end of the line and then walk the half mile or so into the town. Holt is a pleasant Georgian town, the centre largely unspoilt and The Owl is always good for tea/coffee and cakes (well, that's been our experience over more than 30 years). Sheringham is a pleasant Victorian seaside town, again, between the main road and the sea largely unspoilt, especially the High Street. Dave's Fish and Chips Bar/Restaurant on Co-operative Street has fed us well on visits for more than 30 years.

And while you're in Manchester if you have time visit the Museum of Science and Technology based partly in the original Manchester to Liverpool station, and the East Lancashire Railway. I've never been on the latter, but have heard very good reports of it.

And for something different, how about a cruise on the Manchester Ship Canal?
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Ah Ha !! Coffee and cakes, and fish n chips sounds good. Notes have been made. The museums in Manchester sound very good, we will check them out. We are looking forward to comparing the trams in M’chester with those in Melbourne, our home capital city. And the East Lancashire Railway might be a good railway to start our tour of UK with – as we pick up our hire-car in Manchester to start our trip. Hopefully we can squeeze in a canal tour as well. So much to do, so little time !!!Thanks for the info.

Cheers

Rowan
 
casey jones snr said:
The Great Central Railway is recommended. It's the only preserved Main Line in the UK. The line runs between Loughborough and Leicester and will have trains running on the17th/19th/20th/22nd/23rd/24th/26th/27th/28th and 30th August and the 2nd/3rd September.
The CFR is located at Rothley on the GCR and you will be welcome to visit.
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Hi Casey Jones Snr, We were planning a visit to the Midland Railway, Butterly on 23.8.17. However, on checking their timetable on their website (which is a challenge I’ve gotta say) it seems they are not running on that date. So now we may go on the GCR which will allow us to visit the CFR at Rothley. (I wonder if the CFR open on week-days eg 23.8.17?)

Cheers

Rowan
 
Miamigo259 said:
If you are in the Colchester area, 20 miles up the road is........
http://www.ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk/
Two (static) trams in the collection - Ipswich 33 (electric,1904) and a Bradford/Bath/Cambridge horse car, currently being restored, from the 1870's.
There is also the East Anglian Transport Museum at Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, with operating trams and trolleybuses.
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Hi Miamigo259,
Thanks for this info, We have noted to visit the East Anglian Transport Museum after getting confused with the East Anglian Railway Museum, Wakes Colne (we are going to both). Would also like to visit the Ipswich Transport Museum, but we are a bit confused (is there a pattern forming here? Or is it just that we colonials can’t understand English?) about the opening times. Ie their website states.

Quote
Sundays and Bank Holidays 11-4pm from 19th March to 3rd December
Weekdays Monday to Friday 1pm-4pm during Easter, May, Summer and October School Holidays
Wednesday afternoons 1-4pm in July and September
Unquote

I guess the question is do our preferred days of Wednesday 30 August and Thursday 31 August fall during Summer? Or is Summer restricted to the second Tuesday in August? :rofl:

Cheers

Rowan
 
Rowan Bravington said:
Hi Casey Jones Snr, We were planning a visit to the Midland Railway, Butterly on 23.8.17. However, on checking their timetable on their website (which is a challenge I’ve gotta say) it seems they are not running on that date. So now we may go on the GCR which will allow us to visit the CFR at Rothley. (I wonder if the CFR open on week-days eg 23.8.17?)

Cheers

Rowan
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I'm at the CFR most days, I will be there on the 23/8/17, you will be most welcome to visit if you can.
 
Rowan Bravington said:
Hi Miamigo259,
Thanks for this info, We have noted to visit the East Anglian Transport Museum after getting confused with the East Anglian Railway Museum, Wakes Colne (we are going to both). Would also like to visit the Ipswich Transport Museum, but we are a bit confused (is there a pattern forming here? Or is it just that we colonials can’t understand English?) about the opening times. Ie their website states.

Quote
Sundays and Bank Holidays 11-4pm from 19th March to 3rd December
Weekdays Monday to Friday 1pm-4pm during Easter, May, Summer and October School Holidays
Wednesday afternoons 1-4pm in July and September
Unquote

I guess the question is do our preferred days of Wednesday 30 August and Thursday 31 August fall during Summer? Or is Summer restricted to the second Tuesday in August? :rofl:

Cheers

Rowan
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The school summer holidays round here tend to start at the end of the third week in July and run through to the first week in September, so you will be OK for either 30th or 31st August.
Not sure who keeps the website updated, but I'll pass the message on about making the dates clearer for non UK visitors!
 
Miamigo259 said:
The school summer holidays round here tend to start at the end of the third week in July and run through to the first week in September, so you will be OK for either 30th or 31st August.
Not sure who keeps the website updated, but I'll pass the message on about making the dates clearer for non UK visitors!
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Thanks Miamigo259, Much appreciated. Cheers
Rowan
 
ge_rik said:
Nobody seems to have mentioned Bressingham - http://www.bressingham.co.uk/home.aspx - plenty to see and do there

Rik
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Thanks Rik, We have now included this in our travels...... as it is enroute between Dereham and Colchester so we can 'do' it on the way through. Cheers
Rowan
PaulRhB said:
If you like NG I'm surprised you didn't include North Wales as there's loads there ;)
Here's the best online listing for shows, just select august or September
http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/events/y2017/m9
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Thanks PaulRhB, We have previously spent a great number of days in Wales (on two separate visits) and have been on many of the trains in Wales, and funiculars, and slate mine museums, and castles, and trams, and canal trips.. a tremendous place to visit. Thanks for the shows listing, unfortunately there are none that coincide where we will be so we have decided to stick to the 1:1 trains. Cheers
Rowan
 
playmofire said:
And while you're in Manchester if you have time visit the Museum of Science and Technology based partly in the original Manchester to Liverpool station, and the East Lancashire Railway. I've never been on the latter, but have heard very good reports of it.
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I'll second that. Actually, I found it by accident...... I was looking for Coronation St., and popped in here to ask where it was.
'Ooh, You're terribly lost', then I saw the smirk on the cashier's face (we were right next door to the place).


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While in Manchester, hop on a train, and shoot over to York..... nice day trip, and something for t'other half as well.

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DSCF3701.JPG

Might pay to check on the status of Coronation St., did hear it was to be demolished (the real filming is now done at another site).
 
Gavin Sowry said:
I'll second that. Actually, I found it by accident...... I was looking for Coronation St., and popped in here to ask where it was.
'Ooh, You're terribly lost', then I saw the smirk on the cashier's face (we were right next door to the place).

While in Manchester, hop on a train, and shoot over to York..... nice day trip, and something for t'other half as well.
Might pay to check on the status of Coronation St., did hear it was to be demolished (the real filming is now done at another site).
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Hi Gavin, Yes the Museum of Science & Industry is on the list, and so is the Museum of Transport. And yes, have been to York (twice in fact) - started one trip there (finishing in Bath/Bristol) and ended another there (starting in Brighton). Bit of a shambles ;). The museum was great. T'other half is very keen on trains as well so we tend to 'usually' depart the B&B/hotel, visit the heritage train, have lunch somewhere, go shopping (usually charity shopping) then on a good day finish up at Toby's Carvery or a local pub for tea.
As an aside I met Warren Mitchell once - briefly - he was wandering down Collins Street, Melbourne and asked me directions to a smaller street. Nice bloke.
Cheers Rowan (from across the detch !)
PS - nice pictures
 
I hope you enjoy your trip to the UK as much as we did last September. We stayed on a farm in the Cotswolds. Weather was perfect the entire time. Got to see Swindon Locomotive Works and Didcot Railway Centre.
 
Madman said:
I hope you enjoy your trip to the UK as much as we did last September. We stayed on a farm in the Cotswolds. Weather was perfect the entire time. Got to see Swindon Locomotive Works and Didcot Railway Centre.
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Thanks Madman, I am sure we will.
Itinerary has now been finalised after some adjustments with the excellent suggestions from this group Thanks to all.:)
 
if your still in the north west on the 20th, there is an open day on in diggle..
Great day, either permitting..
PM for more details :)
 
Well, we are back, and now almost recovered from the jetlag after nearly 8 weeks since we got home.

And what a trip it was.

Thanks to all who contributed to the suggestions for our visits to various railways.

We managed to get to the following that were suggestions via this forum (as well as all the others mentioned in my original post earlier):

Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway for their Tractor and Farming special day – lots of rides on their unique rolling stock, spent a great deal of time checking out their shed and rolling stock and talking to the volunteers. Their G scale layout was in full operation and a sight to behold. I particularly liked the glowing cave showing dragons! Thanks to ntpntpntp for the heads up on this railway.

A planned hook up with Dunnyrail failed to eventuate due to unforeseen matters on his part. However, we enjoyed the drive from Matlock to Peterborough, and our visit to Nene Valley Rwy and Railworld. (The latter could do with a spruce up, but they have some interesting stuff to look at, and they are focused on the kids with their garden layout and other kiddy stuff.)

The Great Central Railway – a delightful trip on this railway, and we got to meet with casey jones snr who unfortunately was unwell, and I am sure he has recovered now. Great meeting you.

East Anglia Transport Museum, Chapel Road, Carlton Colville – visited here – thanks to Miamigo259 for the suggestion.

We did manage to squeeze in the East Lancashire Railway after initially thinking it was too out of the way. However, we picked up our hire car in Manchester on the morning – drove up to Bury, rode the train etc then motored down to Crewe. (As an aside the hire car company ‘upgraded’ our from a ‘small auto’ to an E Class Mercedes sedan – about 30 feet long and almost as wide. Not the best auto for driving around UK. We only scratched a mag wheel on a rough curb parking.

Again thanks to all for the suggestions.

I’ll try and post some pics that may be if interest to the forum

Rowan
 
Rowan Bravington said:
Well, we are back, and now almost recovered from the jetlag after nearly 8 weeks since we got home.

And what a trip it was.

Thanks to all who contributed to the suggestions for our visits to various railways.

We managed to get to the following that were suggestions via this forum (as well as all the others mentioned in my original post earlier):

Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway for their Tractor and Farming special day – lots of rides on their unique rolling stock, spent a great deal of time checking out their shed and rolling stock and talking to the volunteers. Their G scale layout was in full operation and a sight to behold. I particularly liked the glowing cave showing dragons! Thanks to ntpntpntp for the heads up on this railway.

A planned hook up with Dunnyrail failed to eventuate due to unforeseen matters on his part. However, we enjoyed the drive from Matlock to Peterborough, and our visit to Nene Valley Rwy and Railworld. (The latter could do with a spruce up, but they have some interesting stuff to look at, and they are focused on the kids with their garden layout and other kiddy stuff.)

The Great Central Railway – a delightful trip on this railway, and we got to meet with casey jones snr who unfortunately was unwell, and I am sure he has recovered now. Great meeting you.

East Anglia Transport Museum, Chapel Road, Carlton Colville – visited here – thanks to Miamigo259 for the suggestion.

We did manage to squeeze in the East Lancashire Railway after initially thinking it was too out of the way. However, we picked up our hire car in Manchester on the morning – drove up to Bury, rode the train etc then motored down to Crewe. (As an aside the hire car company ‘upgraded’ our from a ‘small auto’ to an E Class Mercedes sedan – about 30 feet long and almost as wide. Not the best auto for driving around UK. We only scratched a mag wheel on a rough curb parking.

Again thanks to all for the suggestions.

I’ll try and post some pics that may be if interest to the forum

Rowan
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Hi Rowan, glad you had a good trip. Sorry my day turned out to not be possible on my side, I have had the busiest year in a long time and have not manage any more than 2 operating days with visitors this year. Must do better next year, if you visit UK again I hope things work out for you to visit me.
JonD
 
I have just returned from the UK recently I went to Shildon RW mueseum also Swindow and the York mueseums, they where all fantastic. I also walked to and explored 5 of the many Viaducts on the Settle to Carlisle railway these are amazing feats of engineering. Ribblehead was the best. While in Swindow I caught a train to Bristol to visit the SS Great Britain, well worth visiting. Also a day visiting Ge-Riks layout was very inspiring Thanks mate
 
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