A Welcome from the Director General
Adrian Allum (Director General).
Welcome to the website for the FLMJ and the club that is responsible for its upkeep, AJK (Adnalms Järnvägsklubb). My interest in railway modelling started in December 1971, when I was given a model railway, which I was to share with my less interested brother. Having been born in the mid 1960s, I do not have much recollection of steam, and it was quite natural that my interest would turn more to diesel and electric motive power, as this was the prototype that I could relate to. Over the years that followed, I built up quite a collection of motive power and rolling stock, and by 1986, I had my own 00-scale model railway, complete with overhead power cables and a fully functional signalling system.
Top Left - 1978, and a scene from the 'shared' railway in the loft!
Top Right - 1981, sole ownership at last, but on a board only 1' wide!
Bottom Left - Wider baseboards, and overhead power cables on the fast lines.
Bottom Right - Working semaphore signals - Working backlights also!
At about this time, I reached the stage where it was difficult to maintain an interest in the modern railway scene. British Rail had made some remarkable excuses for not running trains, and this was not what I wanted to represent with my hobby. Further, friends (or usually friends of my parents) would target me with sarcastic comments about the abysmal British railway system, knowing that I had an interest in it, and I was expected to be a spokesman for it! Eventually, a change of scene was called for. The entire "Grove Central Railway" was dismantled and sold off, leaving me with bare baseboards upon which I built the 00-9 narrow gauge "Herpham & District Railway."
Left - Two Austrian diesels (one repainted) with a Lynton & Barnstaple train in the early days of the H&DR.
Right - A general (cluttered) view of "Swanchurch" - note the Branch Line controls to the lower right!
The H&DR was a wonderful experience in many ways. It was the opposite of the GCR. The GCR had been an operational railway - but at the expense of scenery. What little scenery there was, was nothing spectacular, and comprised assembled kits scattered wherever space could be found for them - usually in quite inauthentic places! The H&DR was spoilt with scenery, and it became a collection of villages served by a little railway! This new railway lasted only five years, due to the need to move home - into my own home.
Left - Spooky scenery - Two ghosts have come up for a chat! (In reality, I couldn't be bothered to paint these figures!)
Right - Despite its small size, the H&DR was still fully signalled - with interlocking! Here, imitation Saxby & Farmer levers!
Moving in 1991 into a "Park Home", I did not have the space for a model railway at all. However, this problem was not the only one. I also had a garden that I did not know how to look after. Therefore, the two were put together, and I have operated a garden railway ever since. The change to the Swedish scene was due to a number of factors. Perhaps the most prolific of them was the efficient system that was operated in Sweden (though this is now less apparent following privatisation). 00-9 would really be too small in the garden, and it would be impossible to recreate the scenic display of the H&DR. With a new subject and a new setting, the new railway has become well renowned.
Coming more up to date, the "Park Home" that I moved into was old and required a lot of work to keep it in reasonable condition. There came a time when it was no longer possible to keep it this way, and it had to be replaced. At the end of 2000, it was taken away, and a new home put in its place. The new home is bigger, so the layout has been redesigned. Construction of the new railway was held up due to the general stupidity and gross incompetence of Homeseeker and Calor Gas, but we did get going eventually, and the new railway has certainly become quite distinguished. Already, some consolidation has taken place, and as the web-site pages show, we (the club members) are all very busy with this wonderful project.
An InterRegio train seen near the farm on the new FLMJ in March 2003.
Do take a look around our site. We do make an effort to keep it as up to date as possible, and we hope that you will appreciate our efforts. We would love to hear your comments (by e-mail); and don't overlook our monthly opinion poll!
Hälsningar…!
All pictures on this page by Adrian Allum except header by Joe Sims.