Diesels come to Pendon! Form an orderly queue!

[Andy Y]

My view is that Pendon wouldn't be viable as a museum if it only depended upon modellers or railway enthusiasts for its visitor numbers, I know many modellers who have never visited or it has been many years since they last have. The museum therefore works hard to attract non-hobbyists attracting those who can marvel at the modelling and the scenes recreated, a world apart from most permanent model railway attractions. Casual visitors, families and grandparents with grandchildren are massively important.

 

Nothing about the event takes anything away from those visitors as this is an additional weekend added after the museum normally closes for December and January so anyone who visits for this special weekend is, literally, an additional visitor to help with the bigger picture (so surely no-one can object on ethical grounds). I am sure it will attract some who have never been and some who haven't been for a long time so it's a good thing. Aside from Pendon Parva station, the figures and the vehicles there's little else within the Vale scene that would distract from a 1960's session and there will be some great sights. I'd say this is a toe in the water which, if well supported, could stimulate future possibilities. A transition weekend? A blue weekend through to the HST; wouldn't that look magnificent?

 

I'd be quite happy with a seawall session!

 

[jjb1970]

Good grief, many people are acting as if Pendon is somehow being contaminated by the arrival of diseasels!

 

Pendon is a true masterpiece, a work of art. For 99% of the time it is faithful to the original vision of the creators. But allowing some diesels to run as an intriguing "what-if" is both entertaining and harmless. Normal service will be resumed on the 3rd of December and all will be as it always was.

 

Variety is the spice of life and a weekend of diesel working is nor more detrimental to Pendon than a class 50 visiting a preserved railway that closed in the steam era.

 

This is how civilisations always end, the barbarians are at the gates, morals collapsing, it's the end of days. I for one will be manning the barricades to hold back the vandal hordes, my chauffer has already loaded my favourite brace of 12 bores.

[Enterprisingwestern]

FFS, it's only a toy train set.

 

Mike.

[tomparryharry]

Deleted

Edited August 18, 2018 by tomparryharry

[chris p bacon]

"Quick, paint City of Truro black!"

 

 

 

That was done a few years ago as an April Fool.

 

I remember the outcry. and howls of protest.

[Edwardian]

FFS, it's only a toy train set.

 

Mike.

 

Quite right; no doubt exactly as Pendon sees itself.

 

Roye England, your work is done.

 

This is how civilisations always end, the barbarians are at the gates, morals collapsing, it's the end of days. I for one will be manning the barricades to hold back the vandal hordes, my chauffer has already loaded my favourite brace of 12 bores.

 

I can understand the concern, or even the distaste, at this 'aberration'; what part of the self-proclaimed museum-standard Pendon mission (which I understood as preserving in model form the changing Vale of the White Horse and its railways in the early '30s) does this fulfil? 

 

But, it's an event, not an alteration to a permanent display.  One of many to come, perhaps, but it's a one-off Gala Day that, as Andy Y points out, is one that does not intrude on the running season.

 

If it gets a larger and more diverse audience over the threshold, job done. Personally I won't be interested in seeing anything of this, but that's because my interest is precisely in the landscape and the railway in the age the Vale and Dartmoor Scenes are intended to portray, so it doesn't need to be altered to suite my taste in order to get me there and, for me, out of period running, be it BR steam or green diesels, can only detract from the exhibits.  But, I can simply go there on one of all the other days they're not running green or blue or whatever diesels.  No Edwardians will be harmed by the staging of this 'gala', so why complain? 

 

So, I don't complain about the 'day of the diesels', but I do have a niggling concern over what it might represent: Is this 'stunt' a symptom of Pendon colly-wobbles at what the future might hold? 

 

The problem seems to be that, at the very point the Vale Scene apparently approaches completion, the exhibits and the exhibitors are wearing out. 

 

Take Madder Valley: Pendon's museum ethos causes it to tie itself up in knots over whether to leave a worn mechanism in a dead locomotive to respect the integrity of the historic exhibit, or, replace a mechanism so the thing can actually run.  I'm pretty sure what Mr Ahern would have suggested, had he been with us, but in the meantime I've seen shots of the layout populated by various RTR locomotives, which don't really seem preferable to either alternative.

 

Take the Guy Williams locomotives that are wearing out before the scenery they travel through is complete, but which cannot be effectively dismantled so that parts can be replaced.

 

Take the comment in a recent Model Rail that suggests concern over Pendon's future, and maintaining enough volunteers, given the effect of Time's ever rolling stream on the current cadre.   

 

Further, as magazines, exhibitions and RMWeb comprehensively attest, most hobbyists are simply not interested in the period Pendon represents.

 

It seems that there are some real challenges ahead for Pendon, and if we want this acme of modelling to survive, we should be supportive. Go or not go to the diesel gala as you please, but don't run Pendon down for trying something new that will garner publicity, support and improve visitor numbers. It clearly feels the need to do something, and we should respect that.

 

My only caveat is that the long-term future of the exhibits as modelled, and as intended, can only be secured if enough interest is engendered in modelling what is now very firmly, the historic railway, the inter-war years that have now all but passed from living memory.

 

You will not achieve that by running diesels.

 

EDIT: typos

Edited August 18, 2018 by Edwardian

[Craigw]

I think it's a rather good publicity ploy.

 

"Quick, paint City of Truro black!"

 

What would be interesting, would to build a duplicate Pendon, but with 00 scale track, populated with mainstream RTR. I wonder how many would notice?  Sure, my anorak would spot it, but how many?

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

 

Thats not what Pendon is about though and never has been.

 

Regards,

 

Craig W

[Nearholmer]

“The problem seems to be that, at the very point the Vale Scene apparently approaches completion, the exhibits and the exhibitors are wearing out.“

 

Exactly the sense that I got last week.

 

I wonder if as a landscape model it would fit better in a ‘museum of rural life’, alongside preserved/conserved exhibits and perhaps a working farm ....... think Acton Scott or Singleton. Then it would add the ‘broad perspective’ view of the countryside, in the same way that some urban museums, Lewes for one, have large townscape models.

 

Quite a challenge if, as I suspect might slowly be happening, the steam is running-out on the original ethos. The ethos itself might actually be an historical ‘artefact’, something that could only arise from the social context of the time.

[Edwardian]

To attempt to bring forward in date the Vale Scene, permanently, with all the many necessary physical changes in detail, would defeat the entire purpose for which the Scene was created, and would be true modelling sacrilege, but the Scene does portray a period that no longer interests most model railway hobbyists. 

 

Is there something in what Nearholmer says; is it now more relevant as a portrayal of past rural life than it is to our hobby, and should its future be planned accordingly?

 

Though it gives me no pleasure to say it, as the period holds not a scintilla of interest for me, the Pendon concept would have more relevance to The Many in today's hobby if it portrayed something of the lost 1980s scene and its blue diesel railways. 

 

Perhaps the Museum should open a new wing containing Black Country Blues, something that attests to the change, decay and renewal relevant to many of the current generation of hobbyists?  

[Clearwater]

I’m currently sitting in the cafe at Pendon - my debut visit. Whilst I’ve seen pictures before, they don’t wholly prepare you for the scale of the scene. I’m blown away.

 

To Edwardian’s points, the modelling is exquisite but some locos look their age but they’re working pretty hard. The coaching stock is fabulous and probably more of a highlight than the locos, particularly some of the npcs in the cabinets.

 

Diesels - not to my taste though I like the BCB suggestion. However, if it raises valuable money for the museum and allows people to enjoy it in a different way, then I’m all for it.

 

David

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I don't think any of us is proposing that Pendon change any of the railway infrastructure or update the landscape in any way. "The Vale" needs

(and should) be kept in the same era it currently is.

 

All that's being proposed is a (one off?) running day with some different (more modern) trains.

 

Can't seewhy anyone should get all steamed-up about that. Don't think it's the "thin end of the wedge either", just something a little different.

[Zomboid]

It's just a model railway, it's really of no consequence what runs on it, especially as a one off kind of thing. It's ultimately for fun, and once the day is over the diesels will go back in their boxes and it will be as if nothing had happened.

So go and see it if you want to, stay away if you don't. I suspect the exercise will draw in people who wouldn't have bothered otherwise, and I fail to see why that would be a bad thing in terms of keeping the whole thing going.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Thats not what Pendon is about though and never has been.

 

Regards,

 

Craig W

 

But what it needs to be to maintain it's existence?

 

Mike.

[Steamport Southport]

Those who complain about these things are probably the types who complain about the bloke parking his car outside his house and "spoiling" their view. 

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-39456449

 

 

Never been to Pendon. It's always seemed to be a bit too "chocolate box" for my tastes and the wrong end of the country to make a random visit. But I don't think that I'm quite the target audience anyway.

 

But I do appreciate the modelling and the locomotives and stock are what would interest me much more than the idea of trains running through idyllic countryside. A GWR 2-8-0 pulling a long train of PO wagons over the bridge? Yes please.

 

 

 

Jason

[Enterprisingwestern]

Those who complain about these things are probably the types who complain about the bloke parking his car outside his house and "spoiling" their view. 

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-39456449

 

 

Never been to Pendon. It's always seemed to be a bit too "chocolate box" for my tastes and the wrong end of the country to make a random visit. But I don't think that I'm quite the target audience anyway.

 

But I do appreciate the modelling and the locomotives and stock are what would interest me much more than the idea of trains running through idyllic countryside. A GWR 2-8-0 pulling a long train of PO wagons over the bridge? Yes please.

 

 

 

Jason

 

Being a devout diesel man I doubt that I am the target audience either, but having been numerous times since the late 70's, (19 not 18), I find it a fascinating "museum".

To appreciate and understand the concept of Pendon from day one and see the history of one mans execution of this idea is truly fascinating.

Excellent modelling is exactly that whether it is outwith ones sphere of interest or not, and Pendon doesn't fall short in this area. To me, just as interesting are the side cabinets giving vignettes of the evolution of the place and how other modellers have carried the torch onwards.

I didn't know Roye at all, but I would imagine that he would rather Pendon continue for as long as possible, even if that meant a bit of diversification/popularity/dumbing down, call it what you will, than the place die a slow death of a thousand cuts.

I recommend that every modeller visit it at least once irrespective of their interests.

 

Mike.

[Joseph_Pestell]

It's just a model railway,

 

But no, it isn't. The railway on the Vale is really just ancillary to the portrayal of the countryside. Pendon's importance is allowing people to see a past way of English rural life. In Roye England's day, no one would have predicted the creation of whole museums of the past such as Ironbridge and the like at 1:1 scale. But they can only do so much. Having it at 1:76 scale enables a wider view.

[Metr0Land]

Am I missing something?  Pendon is wonderful and I've been there a few times but now live 200 miles away.  If I recall correctly some of the buildings are representative of the wider area but have been transported into this diorama?  If we're to keep Pendon 'pure' then surely some buildings need to be ripped out as they shouldn't be in the position they are?   OR we accept there was some latitude in the orginal creation and therefore should accept some latitude on a new open day where those that are coming know what's in store?

[2mmMark]

Roye England will be turning in his grave. By the time of the diesels some of the buildings depicted had gone. The scene he set out was what he had seen..and having been fortunate enough to have a long chat with him a long time ago he wanted people to see the Vale as it was..and what a brilliant job the people involved in Pendon have done about doing just that!

 

Baz

 

Settling down in an armchair with popcorn and a beer. This could run and run.

[tomparryharry]

I wish Pendon well. Nothing helps like a little bit of good publicity & debate. One day I might try to emulate some of the scenes.

 

Cheers,

 

Ian.

[Enterprisingwestern]

I believe the original title was The Pendon Museum of Miniature Landscape and Transport, and Roye was born in Perth, Australia, so we're all up sh!t creek.

 

Mike.

[The Bigbee Line]

I visited Rye in Sussex in the past and visited the “Rye Model”. A history of rye it’s light and sound illuminated around a large model on the floor. Maybe Pendon could do the same, with the model as the stage and the history being performed by different trains through the years. With a nice commentary it would be good for all visitors.

[jjb1970]

Pendon probably faces the same issue that many other museums, art galleries, orchestras, performing artists etc face, getting enough people through the door to pay the bills and provide sufficient income to plan for the future. Enthusiasts may laugh at those visitors to museums who treat it as nought more than a pleasant day out and have very little understanding of what they're seeing but without those visitors museums would be closing their doors. Similarly, music lovers decry orchestras for dumbing down by performing concerts aimed at the casual listener with a program of easy listening tunes and pops but they don't complain about the fact it brings in revenue to support the more high brow stuff and generates goodwill and a broader engagement which eases appeals for state funding and support. If the odd "diesel gala" increases footfall, brings in money and expands the appeal of Pendon then not only do I not see anything wrong with it, I suspect it is essential if we want Pendon to survive.

[Andy Kirkham]

 

Take the Guy Williams locomotives that are wearing out before the scenery they travel through is complete, but which cannot be effectively dismantled so that parts can be replaced.

 

 

 

Surely it would not harm the ethos of Pendon if Guy Williams's locos were retired and replaced by newly built ones.

 

I visited last year and my only criticism is that the village in the Vale scene doesn't look to me like a real village. The buildings are not aligned with the road system as I would expect, but laid out in a kind of country park, which makes it look more like a museum of picturesque buildings than a plausible settlement.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Settling down in an armchair with popcorn and a beer. This could run and run.

Arthur, can we all join you at Bulent's café?

[Steamport Southport]

Arthur, can we all join you at Bulent's café?

 

Gerry's Café in the original.

 

Personally I thought the TV series was a bit rubbish. The radio series was brilliant though. Well worth a listen if you haven't heard it.

 

 

 

Jason