The Rev W Awdry's Ffarquhar Branch Mrk II at Cultra Model Railway Day 2008

[@Shipwright1918]

It's nice that this layout was restored, for it's a living link to Thomas history and a nice tribute to the Reverend and his work, and it's a really lovely layout too. I don't really model in OO/HO anymore, but it does give me a few ideas for my Gauge 1 layout. Great vid, mate, really like the remix on the music!

[@WhitehouseFilms]

Thanks. I too am glad that this layout was restored. It's a pity the Reverend's second model of the NWR did get to a stage where we see the scenic features. From what I read in TTTTEM book, the layout had quite a number of controlling problems and numerous derailments.

[@Shipwright1918]

Well, these layouts were made pre-DCC, so it's not surprising that it had control issues, and every railway large or small has a derailment every now and again. Given the fact that the Reverend was an amateur who'd been out of the saddle for a while before he got back into model railways, his efforts aren't too shabby in my book, and they look good even when compared to modern layouts.

[@max_1813]

It’s fun looking back at these old videos, seeing where we are now. ngl they still hold up really nicely, well done 👍

[@therailwayinspector3]

I saw the engine RWA Had as Duck at the Devon Railway Museum a year or two ago It's a great layout that. I'd love to see it for real...

[@WhitehouseFilms]

They work the same as the Spratt and Winnkle couplings. Magnets from old toys are placed in areas where a wagon or coach needs to uncouple. A metal chain or a bent bit of wire is on the coupling hooks which pull the hook down when it is over the magnet. The hooks look similar to LGB couplings but with a small hole for the chain to feed into.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Thank you. That lead me to the answer for the autocoupling, which was what eluded me

[@capmodesty]

nice, i knew that the layout still existed but I wasn't expecting it to still be running. I'm a little surprised to see the Jinty Thomas though, I was under the impression that during the 1980s Wilbert Awdry replaced him with one of the Hornby E2 tank engines.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Thomas' original model was a Jinty because that was the closest thing Awdry could find when he built the first Sodor layout. Thomas' original toy model made for Christopher and the proto-illustration sketches were in fact based on an LNER tank engine, which was turned into a modified E2 by artist Reginald Payne. When Payne explained he used an E2 for reference Awdry was satisfied, and so an E2 Thomas officially was. A Hornby E2 was adapted when available, due to accuracy and the Jinty's age.

[@eddierools]

I think i saw Stepney in there, but that's my opinion. Nice video, i myself would LOVE to see the layout in person.

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@Colonboy234 it was filmed at a model railway show in a transport meusem. I've got the footage of the other layouts aswell. Might put them up this weekend.

[@NewController01]

Must be Awdry's 1st version of Thomas I expect

[@WhitehouseFilms]

Actually the Jinty was the second Thomas model when Triang began bussiness in the 1950's. Stewart Reidpath's model was in my guess a freelanced model of an 0-6-0 tank engine or loosly based on an R1. It was one of two that Reidpath had in the collection but with different shaped fireboxes.

[@johnylitalo4163]

SECR class R1.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

The first one was, as it was the closest Awdry could get to Thomas' modified E2 build at the time, there being no E2s or any other Billinton tank engines produced then. Of course, when an E2 came out from Hornby, Awdry was quick and happy to adapt it, both for accuracy's sake and because that Reidpath Jinty model's motor is a bit temperamental from age and Stuart Reidpath had died not long after Percy's motor was made.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Not sure if I've said this before, but it's interesting to see the original Annie, Clarabel, Thomas, and Percy in use (as opposed to the Exley-made postwar K-series suburbans used for the 2nd-gen Annie and Clarabel, the Jinty Thomas - IIRC the Rev's E2 Thomas went MIA years ago, and the Nellie-chassis Percy). I wonder if Thomas and Percy's aged Reidpath motors were successfully given a tuneup. Some modelling notes of interest: These models use what was known at the time as the "H&N" coupler. This is identical in design to the Sprat & Winkle couplings you can get today. As careful observation shows, Awdry employed two common tricks used to enhance that type of coupler's performance on curves: Replacing the original receiving loops with a wire strung betwen the buffers, and not fitting hooks to the engines. Since they don't uncouple from each other in normal operation, Annie and Clarabel only have those couplers at their outer ends. They are coupled to each other by an assembly that looks similar to a horn-hook or naybe a Rapido-type coupler. To enable close coupling they only have one buffer apiece on their inside ends

[@bateaubaybubble3730]

Hello. Are you able to tell me what coaches Annie and Clarabel (the original, as depicted in this video) were modelled on?

[@RedGemAlchemist]

@capmodesty The original Thomas model was just a blue Jinty. he was drawn as an E2 in the books for some reason of which I do not know.

[@capmodesty]

@RedGemAlchemist I knew he was a jinty but Awdry did acquire an E2 that he turned into Thomas in the mid 80s

[@RedGemAlchemist]

I didn't know that. Thanks for filling me in.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

It would be. He actually wrote an article on replicating the original oval-loop Ffarquhar Mark I for Railway Modeller. But there is one thing that is a mystery to the modeller of today: the H & N coupler he talks about. What one can glean is this: It used links of chain to resemble real couplings, it coupled automatically, and it could be uncoupled by magnets under the track.

[@Hot293wildcat]

Nice timing on the "you know who" part.

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@super58173 at the end there was super sonic dance attack it was a short version that I extended and edited to make it sound good.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Actually, I'm slightly wrong. The Jinty was a second model, the original was a G6 or something like it.

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@crazyracer12 That remix I made myself using Audacity, I wanted to make it sound like a girl was singing the chorus, but i'm not so sure if it worked that well.

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

He did, but it may have been lost by Christopher. In any case the Jinty is still brought out to play, though it requires a careful hand at the controls due to the aged motor having a tendency to be awkward. Ditto for the original Percy.

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@crazyracer12 which theme are you talking about? The layout was filmed at a train show near the miniture railway club

[@NemesisHero123]

Awesome!!!!

[@JH55000]

I saw the layout in the Awdry Study on the talyllyn railway, it's brilliant isn't it?

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@super58173 its the music that was played at the begining of story time with Thomas the tank engine with ted robbins reading Chrisopher Awdry's books

[@inkyscrolls5193]

Filmed on my iPotato Seriously though, it's really good to see these models in action. =)

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@speedracer456v Yeah it's the same gauge as Hornby. 4mm/00/1:76

[@GlennHolland]

Rock on, awdry!

[@DoctorTankEngine]

thankyou so much for uploading this. His Percy is really nice. After I saw this on the Talyllyn I thought it wouldnt be in opperational mode. Great, although not a fan of the rap lol

[@StabelyUnstable]

I know how you feel. I wish I was in Canada

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

So, did you see how the H & N couplers worked?

[@hartleymartin]

@Alexthemaster33 There's nothing stopping you from making your own version of the Ffarquhar layout. It wouldn't be identical anyway, as you would not be able to reproduce all of the buildings unless you made a concerted effort to do so.

[@MJC19]

Hay I'm making this layout for a children's library ...or a recreation of it and the engines and rolling stock!

[@NewController01]

This was what Percy was meant to look like but Dalby didn't pay any attention to it

[@IoriYagami288]

Great to see The Reverend's layout in action, it shows that you can create something amazing with little space as opposed to an unrealistic continuous oval. Where did this take place by the way?

[@NewController01]

exactly

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Fun fact: The Reverend's original Annie, is almost ninety years old.

[@MrDylan1997-Official]

so these are wilberts models from the 40s to 50s

[@WhitehouseFilms]

Indeed they are. The oldest out of the lot is Annie as that model was built when the Reverend Awdry was still in school in 1927.

[@NewController01]

where was this movie made?

[@NewController01]

wats the sonic track called?

[@NewController01]

I would give ALOT 2 c this 4 real

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

No, the good reverend would in fact write stern letters to them.

[@CrisisOnACanoe]

@whitehousefilms I meant Thomas you're the leader high pitch remix

[@CrisisOnACanoe]

where did you get that theme? And where was this?

[@micawber0190]

If my memory doesn't betray me, I remember seeing 3 more models on the layout, Edward, Toby and James. What happened to them? Great video by the way, thank you very much!

[@WhitehouseFilms]

All three models that you mentioned are all safe and sound in the care of the Talyllyn Railway where this layout is stored. In May last year I went there with permission to have a private photoshoot of the models to help me with my research and modelling of the Ffarquhar Branch. I didn't see Duck that day but knew he was kept in storage somewhere as well as the original Stewart Reidpath Thomas an Gordon's model. But those three that you mentioned were there and were still in good condition as before.

[@NewController01]

@kirbyfan600 maybe, 1 time Awdry's Thomas WAS a Jinty painted blue

[@UA-51]

NewController01 I like it.

[@johnylitalo4163]

What's the name of that classical music?

[@xxx-nz8ps]

Lol S.C.RUFFY at the end

[@TrackMaster555]

I bet that if Wilbert Awdry was alive and saw what HiT Entertainment has done to his series he would faint!

[@xiyyea5205]

Matt Gilbert imagine if he had Twitter....

[@speedracer456v]

what gauge is the track? it looks like hornby 00 gauge.

[@islandofsodorflims8712]

What happened to the original audio?

[@WhitehouseFilms]

I thought it was a bit too high pitched. If you'd like the original back, a simple edit is all I need to do.

[@kennycartoons]

What does it mean to be "scoring wood"

[@WhitehouseFilms]

I meant that the stone loads in the wagons were bits of wood scored into sections to give the impression of individual blocks of stone

[@kennycartoons]

Oh cool

[@KeithShizuo]

what is that music?

[@MrDylan1997-Official]

one of them is thomas you're the leader from thomas and the great discovery

[@DoctorTankEngine]

i think they look fat cos of the screen/camercorder has filmed everything slightly narrower than normal. I have seen footage before and the locos dont appear as fat/ squashed :-)

[@WhitehouseFilms]

@crazyracer12 i'll send you the link in a PM

[@knight_bracher4290]

isn't this usually at the Talyllyn Railway?

[@WhitehouseFilms]

It is mainly but when I asked about it's visit to Ireland, when I was there in May to gather some modelling research, they told me that 'someone' requested the layout to visit. I don't know who this 'someone' is but I'm glad they asked for the layout to visit so that I can get to see it for the first time.

[@knight_bracher4290]

WhitehouseFilms ok, thanks.

[@JintySteam1]

thats a nice layout just the layout not thomas

[@leifj2009]

Sonic the hedgehog 4:46

[@everfree1992]

Where was this filmed at?