WRF Member Peter Bowen
In 2007 I built a 32mm narrow guage Garden Railway in Chew Stoke at the home of David Heald my Father in law and ran a Roundhouse live steam loco and Accucraft live steam 2 cylinder Shay.
The focal point of the railway today is the magnificent wood Truss Bridge built by David before a stroke, that left him unable to continue work on the railway. Extensive engineering work was required to remove soil and build impressive earthwork embankments to enable the railway to serve its customers. Concrete blocks form the base of the trackbed, and lengths of Peco SM32 track have been drilled and screwed to the blocks. A 10mm stone balast completes the trackbed.
Affectionally known as the DHR (David Heald Railway) the railway was built to service the Magnite Ore Mines to the east. It consisted of a small terminus where ore trains would transfer the precious ore onto waiting wagons to be sent by rail to the processing factories in the far south of the garden. It was an ambitious plan from the start and much land and resources were required if the railway was to progress and consume more of the garden. Trackage rights were secured as far as the top end of the south garden, although further expansion would mean that other gardening jobs and household maintenance would need to be done first before any further expansion of the railway could be considered, this was according to the big boss lady Christine who usually laid down the law of the house and garden, much to David’s dismay.
Between 1983 and 1985 I wrote three books with my friend Andy Panko in Canada.
The first book was a paperback edition titled NS&T followed by Steam in Niagara a limited edition publication of 2,000 copies, each book was signed and numbered by the authors. The third book about the Niagara St. Catharines and Toronto electric railway was also published as a limited edition and all books have now sold out. I recently saw a copy of Steam in Niagara on eBay selling for 10x times the original purchase price...!
I am an avid watercolour artist and enjoy painting structures with humorous situations, my website www.peterbowen.net showcases many of my paintings. The Peter Bowen blog features photos, trains and paintings.
My earliest memory of trains was a wind-up clockwork locomotive that my father had and large metal wagons on a three rail track. My first trainset was a Hornby TT scale and the main motive power was a splendid Castle Class locomotive. I can still remember the brown plastic track that snapped together.
I had the good fortune to live and work in Canada for 30 years and during that time went from an N guage layout to an extensive HO scale north American layout where I built many scratchbuilt structures. I was an active member of the NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) and the CHRA (Canadian Railway Historical Association).
The HO Scale Coaling Station was completely scratchbuilt with basswood and contained over 4,000 parts and took 9 months to complete. The structure won first place at the 1982 NMRA regional convention in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
I have also modelled and built railway layouts in ON30 - 30 inch narrow gauge and ON2 - two foot narrow gauge of the Sandy River and Rangley Lakes Railway in Maine, USA and in 1:20.3 (North American) or 1:19 (British) an outdoor railway in Canada using LGB 45mm track and most recently a 16mm to the foot live steam railway in Chew Stoke called the DHR.
There are two 1:20.3 north American locomotives
gauged for 45mm complete with onboard sound waiting for an invitation to operate on member John Uncles' outdoor railway - a three cylinder 38 ton Shay and an impressive narrow gauge 2-8-0 outside frame Consolidation with fully working Baker valve gear. Known affectionately as the "vest pocket" 2-8-0, this workhorse out-performed many of its larger counterparts. Built by a variety of American locomotive manufacturers, the Consolidation was an integral part of almost every narrow gauge railroad.
En route to summit elev. 2562 feet on the White Pass & Yukon Railway 13 May 2008 snow depths to 14 feet had been cleared the previous day...!
Honorary Member of the Niagara Division of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association
Life Member of the East Somerset Railway