Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
The <strong>Garden</strong> <strong>Whistle</strong> - <strong>Apr</strong>il <strong>2012</strong><br />
Lloyd Dickens Running Day<br />
The Standard railcar built by the late Beauchamp Dickens can be seen in the wharf siding on Lloyd’s railway<br />
Text & photos by Lloyd Dickens (Masterton)<br />
My running day in mid March for the<br />
Wairarapa <strong>Garden</strong> Railway Group was a fine,<br />
very warm day.<br />
I had spent some days previously preparing<br />
the railway. It had been allowed to get into disrepair<br />
as I had been spending my time keeping<br />
my brothers Maples Railway going and visiting<br />
him. Beauchamp died in late February but I am<br />
pleased to report that his railway will survive.<br />
It’s the case of selling the railway and throwing<br />
in the farm and a house. Joan, his widow, is<br />
moving to a new house in Masterton.<br />
My railway up to now had been intended to<br />
have a logging theme, but after my visit last<br />
year to the Isle of Man I have decided to convert<br />
Murray Clarke’s U60 German Shunter. The Isle of Man<br />
Laxey Wheel can be seen in the background<br />
it to an Isle of Man railway. I already have one<br />
Isle of Man Locomotive “Caledonia” and have<br />
another on order. Now I have Beauchamp’s<br />
Laxey Wheel so the new theme is starting take<br />
shape. I am also blessed with a wharf Beauchamp<br />
built for me some years ago. Also I have<br />
in my garage on the layout his 1/24 th scale 5 ton<br />
Bedford truck built from a plastic kit from<br />
Emhar.<br />
The logging railway theme was to the fore on<br />
my running day. I ran two of Beauchamp’s<br />
geared Locomotives, the Heisler and the Climax.<br />
Warren Stringer brought along his Shay so<br />
the main geared locomotives where present. Later<br />
in the afternoon I ran my live steam Shay.<br />
Joan brought along Beauchamp’s Standard railcar<br />
he built from scratch and Murray had is Mallet<br />
pulling two tank wagons built by Wayne<br />
Haste of Wellington.<br />
I am trying out a new grass on my railway, No<br />
Mow. It comes from a Nelson outfit. It grows<br />
only 2-3cm in height and is a rich green. To<br />
weed it you water it with salty water. It is a<br />
New Zealand Native and lives on the coast so is<br />
used to salt. It is planted in small blocks about<br />
30cm apart. Within one year it will cover the<br />
whole area. I will keep you informed on its progress.<br />
Like watching grass grow. The web site is<br />
http://www.nomow.co.<strong>nz</strong>/ and I am using Fine<br />
Tide Turf - Selleria Microphylla Native<br />
Page 8
Change language