12.07.08 With so much momentum on the improvements to the power supply around the railway, this work has been continued, and there is only the 16v supply to Ålunden still to be done! The 'Bell Wire' has been started but not completed, so the continued work on the Siljansbanan has been delayed. It was decided, however, the point motors and detectors were of a higher priority than this, so much of the week's work was directed to that problem. Point 112 at Lövhöjden has failed quite badly, so unless we get enough time, the short siding here will remain out of use. Point detector switches are not surviving the weather very well, and some temporary measures will be necessary to have the railway working next weekend.
The next update will be to report from the Open day.

 
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Left - Point 112 at Lövhöjden is now set 'away' from the siding. A new motor is needed here, it seems. (The unsightly weather protection cover has been removed for the photo!)
Right - The 'Bell Wire' has simple toggle switches to divide it into sections, all strategically placed around the railway; this one just under the front of the baseboard near to the Lövhöjden control panel.
[Photos: A. Allum]

29.06.08 Due to a number of other commitments, the work carried out upon the railway this week, was not as much as expected. Nevertheless, the relocated 12v power supply was disconnected, and a new transformer wired into the same master power switch as the 16v power supply. (The Triang transformer will be sent away for overhaul; it works perfectly well, but the mains lead would probably fail a safety test!) Of the six 16v outputs from the disconnection box, only two are currently in use, and these supply power to Lövhöjden. The cable run was replaced with a new one that conforms to our new colour and weight specification. Work was started on the Bell Wire mentioned in the last update, but in order to do a really neat job, we need to buy some components; quite cheap ones, so we will go ahead with this. The Bell Wire will have 'terminations' where meter cables can be attached, and each termination will have two contacts, either side of a simple on-off switch. Therefore, the bell wire can be used in more than one area at any one time (it will be a ring circuit) with the switches Open, or long test runs can be made with the switches closed.
With the line through Kopparberg rationalised to single-track, and plans to redevelop Lövhöjden being considered, some spare cork was laid to shew a 'possible' diversion for the main line; well, it looks impressive ... see the picture! Not many trains were run this week, and X10 3149 was only brought out for the photograph!

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X10 3149 on the former down line near Kopparberg. Underlay shews where the track is 'likely' to be slewed as part of a major redevelopment programme.
[Photo: A. Allum]

23.06.08 With the FLMJ's July Open Day only a few weeks away, work is in hand to bring the railway up to scratch. Continuing unemployment has prevented investment being made, but between job searching, time is available to get some work done. Subject to the obvious more important matters, work will be done on the FLMJ every weekday between now and the Open Day.
The first job was to fit a master power switch to the railway's transformers. Almost all of the 16v circuits come from a 'disconnection box' near Ålunden, but since this has also become the 'route' for the power to the second shed, the box cannot be simply switched off. Now, the transformers can, without affecting the second shed.
During the week, the 12v and 16v input from Månstorp were relocated. The 12v supply (for the block signalling) is now inside Ålunden, and the 16v comes from Lövhöjden (ultimately from the Disconnection box). The 12v supply is still the old Triang transformer, but we are building a new more modern unit to replace it; which will also be wired into the master switch, mentioned above. Not having to put any transformers under the baseboards at Månstorp is most certainly an improvement, and it frees up two extension leads that had been semi-permanently fitted into place!
Continuing problems with the Siljansbanan were looked at, and part of the loom between Lövhöjden and the relay rack at Siljansnäs was replaced. This has made an improvement; we now have some of the indicators working again!
During the evenings, a train service was provided, so that we could find the faults. However, Rc6 1353 failed during testing (not picking up at all from one of the bogies)! Also we brought out T43 DLL 226 with a Gbs wagon to use the loop on the latter's coupling to pull cables through Månstorp's tunnel! This was for the 16v circuits there.
Next week, we plan to fit a 'bell wire' around the layout for testing purposes, and then to continue the investigation with the Siljansbanan. Then, point motors and polarity switches will be the key issue for that week!

 

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Top Left - The 'Disconnection Box' at the Up end of Månstorp station, shewing the CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) for powering the point motors and cables coming in, being linked, and going out through the box. The newly installed brown cable is barely visible - 'ac' circuits have had orange wires upon the FLMJ, but there is now a brown wire also so that the supply doesn't get crossed.
Top Right - Rc6 1324 awaits departure from Lövhöjden following the failure of Rc6 1353. By providing an hourly train service, there was always a break from the intensive work being carried out upon the railway.
Bottom - The 'Gbs' van with, just visible, a brown wire attached to its coupling; this was the easiest way of getting the wires through the tunnel! T43 DLL 226 provided the traction.
[Photos: A. Allum]

 
 
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Top Left - The road between the up and down lines was removed for repairs.
Top Right - IORE (101+)102 came to grief at Lövhöjden on its first journey of the year!
Bottom Left - Our anonymous Z65 diesel with the works train tests the crossing for 'clearance!'
Bottom Right - Y7 1136 rushes towards Lövhöjden, over the re-laid crossing, later in the day.
[Photos: A. Allum]

01.06.08 Steninge appeared at a model railway exhibition at Ewell (near Epsom) on May 31st. The new signals presented a problem in that they wouldn't work, and after some investigating, we found that their 'common' wire is the opposite 'pole' to the wiring and therefore to the panel indicators! So, we didn't use them. We also found the cause of point 101 not working, the Peco detector (switch) on this Peco point motor was creating too much friction to allow the motor to change! So, with the signals switched off, we removed the switch and the motor worked very well! One of the other troublesome point motors was found to have a burnt out coil, so the motor was removed and the point operated by hand! We also had to hot-wire the farthest baseboard because for an undiscovered reason, there was no power to the track through the correct cabling!
Problems aside, we were able to provide a train service eventually. All three T43 locomotives saw some service, as well as both T44 and one TMY diesel. The V5 completed the diesel locomotive line-up, but not much. The Y7 railbus saw some service at the beginning and end of the day, but the main passenger services were provided by the wooden bodied 2-axle coaches and a modern loco-hauled train of two Märklin 'short' coaches. The 'ABBA' set made only one run. Goods trains were low in number, but a bright yellow ballast train made a few trips as well as the set of O wagons and a baggage train! The Sa steam loco actually spent more time on goods workings than on passenger. There were a few visiting models also, not least the SSLidJ loco that was formerly on the FLMJ's own roster! A Ga steam loco made a few false starts, and a German DMU made a few trips also.
Due to all the technical problems that the layout presents every time we wish to run it, the decision was made to withdraw it completely; it would be easier (given time money and space constraints) to build a new small layout than to do all the work that this one needs. Immediately, one of the day's helpers asked about buying it, and by the end of the day, a sale figure had been agreed, and two friends (one a former member of AJK - and still a good friend) will work on the layout together. Once repaired, it will re-enter the exhibition circuit, still as a Swedish layout with very few factual changes. We are going to build a new similar (but quite different) layout instead!

 
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Left - T44 269 is an unlikely loco for passenger duties, but no others had compatible couplings (bad planning)!
Right - T43 233 with a short passenger train, one of the last at Steninge under FLMJ ownership.
[Photos: A. Allum]

25.05.08 On Sunday May 25th, two club members set to work replacing the signals on Steninge. You may remember that last year, we had problems with these signals, and due to very slow-drying paint and an urgency to finish their installation (so that the railway would be fit to be inspected by none other than the King of Sweden), we got rather sticky fingers trying to replace blown LEDs. Whilst on holiday in Sweden a few weeks after the King's visit, four new signals - ready assembled - were purchased specifically to replace them. Steninge goes to another exhibition next weekend!

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With the newly replaced signals in the foreground, a T43 loco arrives at Steninge with a short goods train. [Photo: D. Hill]

18.05.08 Five AJK members and two friends visited Roger Elkin's O-gauge garden railway, the BSLR on May 17th. Although the weather was poor, our spirits were certainly not dampened, and we managed to run a properly timetabled service along this remarkable railway (well, two trains were late; one requiring another service to use a different platform than that shewn in the timetable)! One of our team also brought some suitable locomotives along to augment the BSLR's line-up. An enjoyable day, one which will hopefully fire up our enthusiasm for the FLMJ this year ... if only for better weather!

 
 
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Top Left - This Brush Type 4 at Backford gives a good impression of the weather on the day of our visit! [Photo: D. Hill]
Top Right - Royal Scot class loco awaits departure from Bunbury. [Photo: A. Allum]
Bottom Left - The Metropolitan EMU at Stanton. [Photo: D. Hill]
Bottom Right - A small diesel loco at Holitry. [Photo: A. Allum]

14.04.08 AJK maintenance sessions have returned to their usual slot, but the weather came with it! Nevertheless, some track repairs were done, and some ballast applied to part of the re-laid mainline through Kopparberg. The new platforms at Lövhöjden were fitted, and the station building and kiosk were both repositioned at the same time. On the Sunday the weather was foul, but having repositioned Lövhöjden's kiosk, we decided that it was time for a repaint. This couldn't be completed in the one day, but we hope that it will be finished before the next club weekend. The sighting mirror (for Månstorp operators to see Siljansnäs) was taken down off the fence so that the neighbours can replace the fence; but whether or not this gets done remains to be seen due to the irrational belligerence of the Park landlord!

 

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Top Left - Overall view of the Industrial Area.
Top Right - Lövhöjden's station building has been relocated a little way along the platform.
Bottom - The news kiosk has also been moved slightly; but since this photo was taken (on the Saturday), the kiosk has been taken in for repainting.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

31.03.08 AJK's March session was late in the month due to the usual weekend being taken up by the Modelling Weekend at the Depot Museum and associated Acton Miniature Railway, where the FLMJ's Director General is also General Manager!
Inclement weather prevented many of the proposed jobs being done (jobs that can only be done in dry weather conditions), and lack of materials also caused a problem! (Whilst the Director General is still "Between Jobs," there is no money available to buy components!)
A booking has been received for Steninge for the end of May, and full details will be posted later.

10.02.08 February's AJK weekend was a busy one, with a great development finally realised, that of the provision of the Industrial Area near Siljansnäs. The board is an off-cut from a previous job, and the track is recycled from old but refurbished components, some dating back to the old KRBJ! All electrical connections were completed and point motors tested, but track sections will be tested at a later date, once other work has been completed here.

 
 
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Top Left - The track finally reaches the Industrial Area (but the right-hand curved point has not been deployed here)!
Top Right - Overall view of the layout. The short siding to the right will be a loco line (with small shed) for probably the TGOJ V-803 shunting loco. The centre track will probably have a loading dock alongside, with the other track as a siding, but we will see how well we can use the area before making a final decision.
Bottom Left - A second modern industrial unit (in blue) joins the existing unit here. They are shewn in their proposed positions, but everything here (almost) is subject to alteration.
Bottom Right - This small hut is covering a point motor. The other point motor will be inside the tunnel and therefore under cover. [Photo: S. Davison.]
[Photos: A. Allum unless shewn otherwise.]

Other jobs include the electrical installation of the re-laid line through Kopparberg, the building of a kit to go onto the new Industrial Area, and the fitting of the new platform at Månstorp. A decision was also made to the rationalisation of the track layout at Ålunden, replacing 10 points with 4, but in doing so, removing the possibility of parallel moves. A great saving on time and resources in return for only a minor inconvenience!

3.12.07 A few AJK members and a few friends made the journey up to Birmingham to the Warley Model Railway Exhibition at the beginning of December. This is one of the largest shows in England, with many inspiring layouts on show, and a huge variety of traders to cater for almost every taste. This year, however, there were no Scandinavian layouts on show, and the only Swedish models that we could find were the Roco TMY and some Heljan coaches. Adrian did come away with a Swedish railway DVD and model car, but only because he met former AJK-member Thomas, who had bought them for him whilst in Sweden, recently!

28.11.07 AJK's first session in the non-operating season started with a meeting to outline the proposals for the winter work. One important item was the consideration of concrete baseboards raised on brick piers for the extension of the railway. This would effectively 'shut-up' the belligerent landlord who claims the existing boards are a 'Fire Risk,' though in actual fact, the risk is very low. (And in any case, he'll just look for something else to be unpleasant about ... he's like that!) However, there would be problems with siting point motors (although we're going to experiment with Peco's new PL-11 motor, to test it for outdoor use, it does not have detectors (an auxiliary switch),) and with fixing the track down. We also discussed the club outing for 2008 and the open days, which will be notified in the usual manner, probably in early January.
After the meeting, we set to work lifting all of the track through Kopparberg. Although this is one of the areas under threat of rationalisation (to single track) it will be relaid double, for now! The reason for lifting it was the kinks that had formed at some of the track joins, and these needed to be sorted out. The down line was re-laid to a slightly changed alignment, using two new lengths of track (the rest was recycled). A start was made on the up line, but failing light and workable temperature prevented us from continuing. All of the track on the FLMJ is bonded (short wires that enable the current to bypass the fishplates), and the soldering is very difficult when the weather is cold. Also, point 107 at Lövhöjden was replaced with an Insulfrog type, as part of a programme to replace all Electrofrogs with Insulfrog. Platforms at Månstorp and Lövhöjden were also worked upon, but again, temperature (or lack of it) stopped progress!

 

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Top Left - Matt working on the 'new' down line. Works train with unpowered loco on what's left of the up line!
Top Right - Tracksetta templates are used for making the curve as smooth as possible. By using different radii, we get good transitions!
Bottom - Point 107 at Lövhöjden is now Insulfrog, and therefore less likely to cause problems.
[Photos: A. Allum]

14.10.07 On October 13th & 14th, the FLMJ was open for invited guests (in the usual manner). We had a special celebration, that of the 40th anniversary of the Swedish Rc-loco design. For this event, we spent many hours during the preceding week, preparing two new locomotives, both type Rc4, converted from Rc6. (One of them was to have been converted to type Rm, but the modifications to the bogies were beyond the abilities of the engineer involved!) One of these locos (and one owned by another AJK member) was repainted from SJ orange into Green Cargo green livery, complete with awkward transfers, and we will have to get some spares to improve the present appearance! So, having done all this, Saturday's event started with a loco parade, featuring all designs from Rc1 through to Rc7, plus Rc-derived models in the shape of Norwegian El.16 and American AEM7! After that normal running took over, and these new locomotives were joined not only by other regular models, but also the two new T44 locomotives, now fitted with all the extra handrails and other accessories.
We should also record that before trains were in operation, most of the point springs at Ålunden were replaced, and a whole point was replaced at Siljansnäs, thus improving performance there considerably. As a result of this, a decision has been made that all future point installations will be Peco Insulfrog instead of the Electrofrog type that we are using presently! Further modifications were made during the Saturday at Ålunden, but it looks as if the whole junction point arrangement there will need to be re-laid this winter! Following damage to a locomotive recently, the warped wooden platforms at Månstorp and Lövhöjden were removed prior to this event ... but we ran out of time to fit the new plastic ones!
On the Sunday, there were fewer members present (but more guests), and Månstorp station was switched 'out' (though we put some extra buses in the forecourt for disgruntled passengers). We managed to put on a good show and a regular train service.

 
 
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Top Left - Rc4 1277 enters Lövhöjden during the Rc-parade. Time ran out with this conversion (from Rc6) and the roof fittings will be added later!
Top Right - The other two conversions, Rc4 1174 (from Rc6 1407 ... was to have been Rm 1257, but see text!) and the Webmaster's Lima Rc2 1027, both on shed at Lövhöjden.
Bottom Left - Two locos shunting, GC RC4 1174 and GC T44 269; the latter a Jeco model.
Bottom Right - SJ T44 349, another new model, poses alongside two Da-locos, one by Märklin, the other by Fleischmann!
[Photos: A. Allum]

14.10.07 This was our last 'official' event for this year. Consideration is now being given to a major change to the railway; to rationalise the main line between Ålunden and Lövhöjden to single-track with limited passing facilities at Månstorp. The FLMJ requires a lot of maintenance, and we do not have enough regular members to keep up with the workload. Even when we did have a good turnout of members, the double-track nature of the railway was so rarely used, that when the new Månstorp panel was fitted, the second controller was not wired in! Our website question for November will ask for your views on the matter. You are welcome to email your views to us also. It is unlikely that any track will be lifted before the end of the year, but the present Down line is closed to all traffic!

 
 
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Top Left - Visiting T43 241 with a train of 'O' wagons.
Top Right - Another visiting loco, this beautiful Finnish loco is seen on shed at Lövhöjden.
Bottom Left - The Custom Car Rally was set up at Kopparberg, as usual.
Bottom Right - Månstorp's cinema shews the latest films ... we understand that two of these advertised, actually had their Swedish premieres this weekend!
[Photos: A. Allum]

30.9.07 On 29th & 30th September, AJK members were allowed to run their British 00-scale trains upon the railway (something that is usually arranged once a year)! This year, we also acknowledged Sir Edward Elgar's 150th anniversary (the great composer had been a regular railway passenger), so we invited a few guests to join us. We had the usual minor problems, but the Siljansbanan worked much better than it usually does! One of the track sections at Lövhöjden stopped working completely, and this was eventually traced to a faulty switch on the main control panel. All of these switches were bought new, so to avoid this sort of problem! We managed to do a "bodge" repair by connecting the wires to the other 'throw' of the switch (as this is not yet in use), but a replacement switch will need to be fitted before our October event. On the Saturday, a special train was run, comprising a steam locomotive named "Sir Edward Elgar," and a rake of coaches including two Mk.3 'royal train' coaches. On the Sunday, an electric loco appropriately named took this service. Also, on the Sunday, this 'special' was driven by the daughter of one of our members as a Birthday Treat for her!

 
 
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Top Left - The steam special arriving at Lövhöjden ... Stephen filming the train's progress in the background!
Top Right - Despite being a British train, this one is in H0 scale; Fleischmann coaches and Lima loco.
Bottom Left - Sunday's Special passing through Månstorp.
Bottom Right - Could this be a S&DJR Special? 9F 92192 at the head of a rake of Southern coaches.
[Photos: A. Allum]

After the event finished on the Sunday, the two new T44 diesel locomotives were tested, a wise move considering the problem that we have with them ... they're too wide for the platforms! (It doesn't help that the platforms move regardless of how well they're fitted down!)

 

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Top Left - Engineers' train near Kopparberg ... c/w evidence of much-needed track maintenance!
Top Right - The two T44 locos ... look at the footsteps in relation to the platforms; especially on the orange loco!
Bottom - Dad and "Birthday Girl" with a train at Lövhöjden.
[Photos: A. Allum]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Top - The Elgar-150 special between Lövhöjden and Siljansnäs.
Bottom - The two T44-locos departing Lövhöjden ... very slowly.
[Videos: A. Allum]

25.9.07 In the morning of September 24th, a tornado struck Farnborough (and was reported in the news). We are pleased to announce that the FLMJ was not in its path and that no damage was done here. We are humbled by and appreciative of the enquiries that we have received to our well-being at this time. Thank you.

23.9.07 During September, Adrian visited Sweden for his semester. Upon his return, the FLMJ had two new diesel locomotives, both types T44; one in an early orange livery with SJ markings, the other in the newer blue livery with GC markings. These are Jeco models, and as such, we have high expectations of them! New ready-made signals for Steninge were also purchased, as the kit-built ones were not as "tidy" as we had hoped ... and for an exhibition layout, we would prefer a better appearance!
Whilst in Sweden, a day out at Gävle was arranged, with travel to and from the railway museum on a vintage train headed by a beautifully restored Ra-loco. Stockholm suburban services are worked more and more by the new X60 units ... when their doors don't fail! Whether of not any models of these trains are ever produced, remains to be seen (remember, unlike the X10 units, of which the FLMJ has a model, the X60 is not made in Sweden). One nice surprise, was to see the only Rc-loco that still carries orange livery (Rc4 1290); this was waiting at Älvsjö with a goods train, for an express passenger train to pass.

 
 
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Top Left - T44 269 and T44 349 side-by-side at Lövhöjden. This "delivery photo" shews that the handrails and other accessories still need to be fitted.
Top Right - The beautifully restored Ra-loco at Stockholm before shunting onto the train to Gävle.
Bottom Left - X60 units passing just to the south of Årstaberg station.
Bottom Right - Celebrity loco, Rc4 1290 retains the orange livery, albeit, somewhat modified!
[Photos: A. Allum]

4.9.07 During the club session on the evening of Tuesday 4th September, Månstorp point-motor 108 was refitted. This one had been fitted with a home-made cantilever, but during the operational session on the 2nd, this broke! The repair features an extension piece, so that the motor is away from the catenary post, and a pillar to stand it on, rather like with point 111. Due to ongoing electrical work with the power supply, we were unable to test it, but there was enough energy in the CDU to throw the point once, and we were pleased with the result.

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The repositioned motor seen in a late evening shot, the deployment of the maintenance train is to 'enhance' the photo! (Yes, the catenary post does need adjusting, but the cut wire is now surplus; we've fitted a bypass for it.)[Photo: A. Allum.]

2.9.07 AJK members met for a club session on September 2nd (a week earlier than usual), but due to their "other interests" (non-Swedish railway modelling), the FLMJ was host to 00-scale British models! It was also a good chance to make a list of the various failures on the layout, and these need to be repaired before the next main event.

 

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Top Left - Diesel railbus with a goods wagon on route to Ålunden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - Impressive line-up of BR Steam at Lövhöjden; from left, two class 9F locos, a WD class 8F and an Ivatt 4MT mogul. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom - Virgin Trains class 390 'Pendolino' EMU and class 221 'Super-Voyager' DEMU at Lövhöjden. [Photo: D. Hill.]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Virgin class 390 'Pendolino' departs Lövhöjden. [Video: D. Hill.]

14.8.07 It's been a busy few days at the FLMJ! Our session for August 11th had been cancelled so that we could visit an O-gauge garden railway, owned by a friend in Enfield, but with so many members away on holiday, we had to postpone that visit. It seemed pointless, therefore, setting up the FLMJ, so members went to other activities. However, the railway was set up to operate on Sunday 12th, partly because we had invited people to visit the railway, people who would not have been able to get to one of our designated Open Weekends. We were still low on the number of club members, but three of us kept the railway running (or at some moments, the phrase, "got it running again" would be more appropriate), and we had six visitors, including a nine-year-old boy from Devon, who was on holiday with his grandparents in this area! As usual, our hands-on policy applied, and the young lad certainly enjoyed his visit ... as did our other guests! Visiting stock featured American and British trains; the latter including Bachmann's new "Ivatt 2MT" which couldn't manage more than two coaches! The light American wagons did not stay on the track very well. An unusual train was a model of the London Underground 1938 Tube stock, EFE models modified with Tenshodo motors!

 
 
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Top Left - Daniel's Märklin D-loco arriving at Lövhöjden with UGJ coaches in tow.
Top Right - The Y2 passing Kopparberg on route to Lövhöjden.
Bottom Left - TGOJ T43 loco near Månstorp with a "Works" train; after the event had officially closed ... for track maintenance!
Bottom Right - An unusual view of Y7 1136 at Månstorp, with the station building and kiosk in the background; a late-evening photo!
[Photos: A. Allum]

Just before the weekend, the old "Arjeplog" shed was demolished and replaced with a Keter plastic shed (which will also be known on the railway as "Arjeplog"). This new shed is so impressive (though expensive at roundly £400 for 8' x 6'), that consideration is being given to replacing the "Ålunden" shed with an identical one also. Recently, one of the doors became stuck again, and got buckled whilst we tried to open it. However, here, we would need to lift track and remove shelving; not forgetting, of course, the looms of wiring that exist there! See September's Opinion Poll question...!

 
 
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Top Left - William and Stephen demolishing the old Arjeplog shed.
Top Right - The new Arjeplog shed.
Bottom Left - Damage to the door to Ålunden ... should we replace this shed altogether?
Bottom Right - 1938 Underground stock at Lövhöjden.
[Photos: A. Allum]

1.8.07 On August 1st, "Steninge" took part in the 100th anniversary celebrations for the Scouting Movement! It was on display at a Scout camp, and was admired by, among others, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. For the event, the RETB boards had been replaced by working signals and a new control panel, but there were still technical problems that needed sorting out. Nevertheless, His Majesty watched a few trains come and go, and shewed particular interest in the local passenger train, none other than the Y7 railbus!
After visiting Steninge, His Majesty looked at the "Little Red Train" (also operated by AJK members), which had been brought along to provide free rides. Unfortunately, the King's arrival where we were set up was very sudden and we had only just finished setting up ... so we didn't get any photos! The Site Warden has promised to forward any that come to light from other photographers!

 

 
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Top Left - Tågab loco with goods train arriving at Steninge. [Photo: A. Allum]
Top Right - The new control panel for Steninge, and to its right, a bank of relays for the signalling! [Photo: A. Allum]
Middle - Martyn shaking hands with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf before offering him a LRT baseball cap!
Bottom Left - All operators were given scarves for the occasion, here, Martin is seeing wearing his whilst working the "Steninge" layout. [Photo: A. Allum]
Bottom Right - A close-up of the scarf logo. [Photo: A. Allum]

17.7.07 On July 14th & 15th, the FLMJ was open for invited guests. The weather was more agreeable than it has been for the last few weeks, and Månstorp's control panel was fitted into place in the early morning (on Saturday), with the track and controller wires being connected as the 12-noon start time approached.
On the Saturday, we had to close the Siljansbanan again due to a power failure! This line's track wiring was completely replaced last winter; but we overlooked some track joints that needed bonding (essential on a garden railway), and there were a few dry-solder joints. By the evening, the line was back in use. We ran a couple of passenger trains, three goods trains, and then a third passenger train as a steam-hauled special to commemorate the 30th birthday of the Swedish Crown-Princess Victoria! Well, why not? But, before any of these trains ran, AJK-member Stephen Trower passed his Driver Test with Honours. (The Driver Test exists so that we can ensure that the FLMJ's models are in safe hands!)

 
 
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Top Left - V3 loco with a coal train in the sidings at Lövhöjden.
Top Right - Matt Scrutton's goods train at Lövhöjden.
Bottom Left - The HectorRail locomotive arriving at Lövhöjden.
Bottom Right - The new control panel installed at Månstorp.
[Photos: A. Allum]

On the Sunday, still more problems were apparent with the Siljansbanan, but after about an hour, it was all working again. The timetable was deployed for about the first hour, but it was not possible to maintain this with only one member present when there are also guests present; so it was abandoned! (A new timetable will be written over the summer to make the railway easier to operate regardless of how many people are present.)
It is nice to reflect on the fact that the new Månstorp control panel worked perfectly throughout the weekend.

 
 
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Top Left - The first train on Sunday was an intercontinental Sleeper service; shunted into the sidings during the day! [Photo: A. Allum]
Top Right - The X2-2 gave a good performance (once it had been run-in). (Månstorp's cinema is advertising the latest films...!) [Photo: A. Allum]
Bottom Left - The HectorRail locomotive arrives at Lövhöjden whilst the Y7 railbus waits in a siding. [Photo: M. Munsey.]
Bottom Right - An Rc loco arrives at Lövhöjden. [Photo: M. Munsey.]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Top - The Steam Special on the Saturday.
Middle - The HectorRail loco backing onto a goods train ... with a bit of a bump.
Bottom - InterRegio train departing from Lövhöjden ... FLMJ's Director General, Adrian, at the controls!
[Videos: A. Allum]

9.7.07 Sunday 8th of July was designated an extra club session, but at short notice, there were very few members available ... only one! The urgent job was the work on the new Månstorp control panel. This took up the whole day, and there is only a little more to do before it is ready to be moved into place outside. Foolishly, very little reference was made to the similar panel at Lövhöjden, and there was a better way of doing this job; but this will be tidied up later (when we're not in so much of a hurry)! Work will continue during the week to get everything ready for the Open Weekend, next!

 
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Left - Shortly after work started, this photo was taken; shewing only a few cables installed. The piece of square-section down-pipe behind the panel is to hold the top half in the right place!
Right - As the day reached a close, this photo was taken; shewing many more cables installed. The coil of red cable is acting as a balance weight to keep this lower half on the table!
[Photos: A. Allum]

2.7.07 Members and friends of the FLMJ made a visit to the indoor layout of the Western Model Railway Society in Acton for probably the last time, on July 1st. (With the WMRS's proposed new building there is a proposal to not replace the Permanent Layout despite it being one of the key advantages of that club!) Trains were mostly of British Origin, but a German train did make quite a few trips around the layout (with assorted motive power), and there were also some Swedish trains, including a goods train double-headed by the FLMJ's oldest and newest electric locomotives - symbolic of this last run. There were also many videos made of this event, and we hope to link to these (probably via YouTube) in due course.

 
 
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Top Left - British (Southern) tank loco with a train at the main station.
Top Right - Rc6 1353 (purchased in 1991) and 142.002-5 (purchased in 2007) double-head a train around the main line. (N-gauge loco in the foreground!)
Bottom Left - Ivatt class 4 (BR Midland) locomotives at the main station.
Bottom Right - We were interrupted by a steam train passing on the mainline nearby!
[Photos: A. Allum]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Top - Rc6 1353 and 142.002-5 double-head a train around the main line.
Middle - SR (BR) N-class at Acton
Bottom - Pullman train top and tailed by class 57 and class 37 diesel locos.
[Videos: A. Allum]

26.6.07 The FLMJ was brought into use for the first time this year on June 9th, and oh dear! The new control panel for Månstorp is still not in, and the old one is not at all serviceable. We could only run trains by making Månstorp a through station with access to the Up line to Ålunden and the Down line to Lövhöjden, via platform track 3! All worked reasonably well at both Lövhöjden and Ålunden, though. Being a running-in session, no actual Swedish trains made it onto the railway(!), but it was interesting to see one Spanish train and a few British trains; including a "4TC" unit built as a conversion project by one of the members. A train representing the "Underground Ernie" TV series also made an appearance, reminding us all not to take our hobby too seriously!
Club Tuesday Evening sessions will be dedicated to getting the new Månstorp Control Panel built and installed!

 

Click thumbnail for large images
Top Left - "Underground Ernie" train leading the 4TC into Lövhöjden!
Top Right - An APT also made a few trips on the railway, with reasonable stability!
Bottom - A Spanish train shunting at Lövhöjden.
[Photos: A. Allum]

30.5.07 On May 26th, Six AJK members (and two guests) had a relaxing day out on the River Thames, in the "Blue Lady." From Walton Marina, we travelled as far as (almost) Windsor. The weather was cool and there was even some rain, but although nobody had a swim, we did all enjoy the day out. The only trains were the ones we saw crossing over the Thames on a couple of bridges!

 
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Left - The crew of the Blue Lady (minus the photographer)!
Right - Stephen gets a go at the controls.
[Photos: A. Allum]

14.5.07 The FLMJ didn't get to see any trains running during May's club weekend, due to the weather! Nevertheless, we spent the Saturday fitting up the new point control panel at Månstorp and then wiring it up. We followed this with installing a power supply to Siljansnäs for the point motors there, and this included fitting up a CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) at Ålunden (because the supply will also be used for the point motors in that area also)! The CDU is housed in a former EXPO box, very smart and a useful application of waste material! On the Sunday, 15 locomotives got serviced, including Da 799 (which is for sale ... and may soon have a new home to go to) and an Rc5-loco on loan from Patrick Grace. (Incidentally, our Märklin D-109 loco, which we never got around to converting to 2-rail operation, was sold to a friend during the previous week, to run on a Märklin 3-rail layout.)

 

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Top Left - Månstorp's point control panel is now fitted into place ... the remaining holes are for the signal controls!
Top Right - The CDU in its new, original home.
Bottom - Patrick Grace's Rc5 1323 on test after servicing.
[Photos: A. Allum]

21.4.07 A small group of AJK members (including a previous guest who has now joined the club) set to work in April on the ground around the FLMJ. After a number of previous jobs, the garden had become quite untidy, and a complaint from the landlord was not entirely unjustified! So, this was the main job for the weekend, plus sorting out the "Arjeplog" shed (which took much longer than anticipated)! A few locomotives got serviced also, including the Tc-loco, which was finally able to run up and down a short test track with the gears meshing properly! This loco now needs only couplings and buffers, and then it can enter full service!
On the Tuesday following the club weekend, the FLMJ took delivery of a much awaited locomotive, 142.002-5 in "HectorRail" livery! This is a Roco model, and some of the detailing parts were so small (and didn't fit very well), that we now need to order some spares! Although this is a goods train operator, the 142 locomotives are also used on the sleeper trains operated by Veolia (formerly Connex), so the FLMJ's model will probably see assorted duties!

 
 
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Top Left - Stephen Trower testing the Tc-loco (minus cab roof) at Ålunden!
Top Right - The Arjeplog shed has suffered rain ingress, and the floor needed drying out.
Bottom Left - A large number of cars, buses and lorries are being sold off. Here, the cars are on display!
Bottom Right - 142.002-5 on the main line between Månstorp and Ålunden (the mis-aligned handrail due to missing parts - see text!).
[Photos: A. Allum]

19.3.07 The few Swedish model railway layouts that exist in the UK have been joined by a new one, called "Ekenäs." Owned by a regular visitor to the FLMJ's Open events, it was on show at a model railway exhibition in the middle of March, and the FLMJ provided motive power and rolling stock for this event.
The Y7 railbus provided a regular and reliable service, with the TGOJ V3 diesel loco taking care of the goods traffic. The goods traffic comprised one train of assorted wagons, and one train of five coal wagons. The K24-loco also saw a little traffic with a train comprising one of the Märklin/Trix wooden coaches and the Heljan F5, but after failing, the Sa-loco took over! (The K24 looks "serious," so it might be a while before that runs again!) The Volvo Rälsbil also made a few appearances during the day! The layout was operated as if in the 1965-1970 era.

 

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Top Left - Y7 1136 at the 'minimal' station.
Top Right - Sa 938 took over the other passenger train.
Bottom - The 4-axle Esso wagon spent most of the day on static display!
[Photos: A. Allum]

11.3.07 AJK members had a busy weekend in March; helped, no doubt by the good weather. The fallen tree was finally shredded and disposed of, giving us back a garden in which to enjoy the FLMJ! Electrical work continued along the Siljansbanan and a better layout for Lövhöjden's town scene was painted down. Problems have developed with the low-voltage lighting in Ålunden (purchased from a 'large' British DIY chain), and this was replaced with an IKEA product, which not only looks better, but gives off more light (even if only slightly), white light, not blue! Ålunden also received its annual tidy-up!
Plans are being made for our guest events for this year. All recent guests will be notified accordingly; newcomers are welcome, but please contact us if you would like to be invited. We have even made elaborate plans for our "British Weekend!" This is an opportunity for AJK members to run their 00-scale British models in the outdoor environment that the FLMJ provides. It is not an event that is usually taken seriously; except that this year, we will be running one or two special trains to honour the 150th anniversary of the birth of Edward Elgar, one of Britain's greatest composers.

 

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Top Left - Overall view of the town scene: one house missing, but two big buildings provided!
Top Right - The tree being shredded ... good AJK teamwork in motion!
Bottom - The new lighting at Ålunden; it would be a big job to remove the old, and equally big to hide the cables!
[Photos: A. Allum]

11.2.07 February's club weekend saw progress made at Siljansnäs with much of the rewiring done. A new control panel was made for here, so that shunting (for the Industrial siding) can be done with a local controller. More work was done on the Månstorp Point Control Panel, but couldn't be completed because we ran out of 2A terminal blocks! However, work also continued on the construction of the Artitec low-relief buildings, which will go in at Lövhöjden. These are resin kits, so paint and glue are not so well bonding, but we are making good progress. We will have some pictures of these a little later.
The Saturday started, however, with the first of six sessions of a "Master-Class" on railway electrics. Here, we go back to basic roots, and started by explaining how the 12v dc system works, how directional headlights work, and even studied Roco locos that go the wrong way and had a brief look at Märklin's 3-rail system. The purpose of the Master-Class is to encourage people to use their own brains and to enjoy creating a working railway, instead of using just two wires and surrendering to DCC, which does all the thinking for you ... and of course, charges you more for it!

 

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Top Left - Wiring going into the "Disconnection Box" at Siljansnäs, but the control panel needs fitting before it can continue.
Top Right - The small control panel for Siljansnäs, seen on the workbench, almost ready to be fitted into place.
Bottom - A junior member has learnt the skills of soldering (how many 12-year-olds can do that, these days?)! However, there was a little too much bare wire exposed, so he has also learnt how to use "heat-shrink!" Oh yes, the FLMJ is also an educational railway. (This is part of the back of the Månstorp Point Control Panel.)
[Photos: A. Allum]

21.1.07 After some perseverance, the Kibri kit (mentioned in the previous item) has finally gone together! With this job complete, the town area at Lövhöjden can be completed, but we are going to move some of the buildings around ... and that might mean one of the small cottages being removed (for use elsewhere).

 
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Left - This is the backview ... the evening photo session wasn't very good around the front, but there will be more photos when this area is developed!
Right - However ... we are quite proud of the shop fronts (photo from the workbench). "Lövhöjdens Tidningar Tobak och Spel" and "Konditori Rallaren" are names that have been made up here; but "Akademibokhandeln" and "Salong Carneval" are authentically Swedish, and the shop signs were downloaded from the internet!
[Photos: A. Allum]

15.1.07 The first club weekend in 2007 got off to a good start. Point motors at Siljansnäs were fitted up, and a "Disconnection Box" was provided there also, as part of our plan to rewire completely, the Siljansbanan! Whilst this was going on, more work was done to the new point (and signal) control panel for Månstorp, and our youngest junior member learned the skills of soldering! Having found the misplaced bases to two of the new building kits, they were assembled over the weekend; a Vollmer post-office and a Kibri 'shops and apartments' block. The Vollmer kit went together very well, and the instructions ('exploded' diagram) were easy to follow, though some of the finer parts were very fiddly to work with. The Kibri kit was not so good. The instructions (another series of 'exploded' diagrams) were very badly drawn, but worse, the part numbers did not match the part numbers on the diagrams. On more than one occasion, we had to stop and unglue what had been done because we found that parts went together differently to how they were shewn! Four locomotives were also serviced.

 
 

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Top Left - Point motors installed at Siljansnäs.
Top Right - The disconnection box at Siljansnäs.
Middle Left - The point and signal control panel for Månstorp under construction on the work-table.
Middle Right - The Vollmer post-office; a German design, but not out of place in a Swedish diorama.
Bottom - The Kibri kit; still not finished, and still not right!
[Photos: A. Allum]

1.1.07 The club's session in December was different in the way that it always is in December ... well, nearly! On the Saturday, the railway held its annual sale of surplus models. Although a number of models had been reserved, only a few were actually sold on the day; these being the T42 diesel locomotive and a Liliput "G" wagon. Also, a spare Fleischmann "Da" body was sold, as well as a pair of resin body kits for the Y6/UBF6 railbusses that were originally intended for construction at the FLMJ ... but, well, time was a factor not in our favour, hence the purchase of the Jeco model during the Summer! Consideration was given to selling the Märklin "D 109" loco, due to the lack of facilities to convert it to 2-rail operation, but the club members discussed the possibilities for this, and the loco was not sold. During the day, a few other models were worked upon, including the "SSLidJ" loco, "Tc" loco (now ready for renewed testing), "Y1" railbus (to be continued off site), Roco Iron Ore wagons and the new Märklin Coal wagons (pinching replacement wheels from the ailing UGJ Iron Ore wagons)! The "FM4" was also evaluated for continuation of work, and we are hopeful of having this 'freelance' model in service soon!

 
 
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Top Left - The K24 with the Märklin Coal train.
Top Right - The El.16 relieved a failed RENFE loco ... before failing also!
Bottom Left - The V10 on track cleaning duties.
Bottom Right - The AEM7 with the FLMJ's Iron Ore train.
[Photos: A. Allum]

On the Sunday, we visited the indoor layout at Acton again. Trains were a mixture of American, Spanish and Swedish 'H0' and British '00,' but the main oddity was the Iron Ore train being hauled by an American AEM7 (derived from the Swedish "Rc" of course) because we were reluctant to uncouple the IORE locomotive to make it safe to transport! But we wanted to run the Roco Iron Ore train! (The long-term solution is to make a special box for this loco, and that is something for the new year!) Also, the Märklin coal train was worked by the Liliput "K24" locomotive, a fine sight indeed. The Director General also operated one of the British trains, a 9F steam loco with five Southern coaches in tow! This was to commemorate the fact that about one month previously, he had driven a real 9F with similar train on one of Britain's preserved railways.

 
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Left - AJK member, Daniel Hill is building up a good fleet of locos ... Rc2, Rc5 and Da on standby.
Right - There was a strong Southern influence with the British models.
[Photos: A. Allum]

5.12.06 Adrian Allum (and a former AJK member) took a weekend trip to Stockholm at the beginning of December, to visit "Hjulmarknaden," a big railway fayre at Sollentuna Mässan. The shopping list was hopelessly long, and the FLMJ's budget does have a limit. One item hoped for, was Roco's new "HectorRail" locomotive, but there was no sign of it at all! Nevertheless, the rolling stock register gained four new Roco Iron Ore wagons to go behind the IORE locomotive, and five "preserved" coal wagons in a set by Märklin. The scenic side of the FLMJ (well, the roads) gained three Volvo Duette vans, and one Volvo 123GT. There were also five DVDs, including a review of SJ-150 and two cab-rides; and an enamel "Rökning Förbjuden" (no smoking) sign (purchased from Spårvägsmuseet)!
After the Fayre (on the Saturday), a visit was made to Stockholm's Model Railway Club, whose layout (seen at www.smj.org) is located in a basement to an apartment block. On the Sunday, a visit was made to the depot for the Museum Trams (at Stockholm) and we were shewn a start that had been made on a model railway, located beneath the floorboards. This is not daft, because the floor 'panels' are lifted away, and indeed, we were treated to observing this! Whilst we were there, I noticed a model bus in "Ekmanbuss ab" livery. A chance visit to Spårvägsmuseet later, and there was one of these models for sale! We were intrigued to see that the Toy Museum has been moved to here, and this was certainly an interesting detour whilst going around! Some casual non-railway shopping later (mostly along Drottninggatan and at Kista) procured two CDs and five more DVDs!
This trip occurs every third year (in theory), partly because it is on the same weekend as the Warley Model Railway Exhibition at the NEC (Birmingham)! Now, the funds need to recuperate!

 
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Left - Old tram and trailer preparing to enter service.
Right - The floor being opened up to reveal a model railway under construction.
[Photos: A. Allum]

6.11.06 Temperatures have finally dropped to 'near normal' for this time of year (and we ought to be grateful for the mild weather that we enjoyed during our open weekends this year), but the cold didn't put members off with the work needed upon the railway. All of the point motors at Månstorp were fitted except for the one to the siding. Most of them were wired up also, but the switch panel was removed so that it could be wired up indoors (switch wiring is always tricky, especially as we are using 16/0.2 cable for point motor supply). All of the motors will need lubricating and testing later.
Before work begun on the Saturday, members had a meeting to discuss the winter maintenance programme; a bit ambitious, but not unreasonable. Work was also started on preparing a Sale list of surplus models at the FLMJ!

 

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Top Left - A member's girlfriend did some soldering on the control panel (as well as other jobs) ... a new trick learnt, but that is part of what the FLMJ is about!
Top Right - One of the point motors (partly hidden) at Månstorp. By turning it upside-down, the weather cover does not need to be too high and ruin the scenic effect!
Bottom - There is now some space on the stock shelves as a few models have been removed to be offered for sale!
[Photos: A. Allum]

15.10.06 The FLMJ was open for guests for the last time this year (officially) on October 14th & 15th.
On the Saturday, the FLMJ provided only one train (the IC-11 set) plus two locos and a railbus (TGOJ V10, SJ V5 & Y7), with club members running their own Swedish stock on the layout. Oh, yes; the IORE also made an appearance, but it's train is probably best not mentioned...!
All members (but one) were present, and the day was a mixture of running trains and doing maintenance. Of course, emphasis was on running trains whilst our guests were present. During the day, Lövhöjden point motors 111 and 115 were connected up to the control panel (completing that station) and Månstorp points 108 were connected to their motor (via a cantilever, due to the restricted space). Ålunden was provided with layout lighting (mounted under the shelf above the tracks), though the wiring for this will eventually be made more permanent. We entertained nine guests during the day, many of whom got the chance to drive a train also.

 

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Top Left - V5 175 arriving at Lövhöjden with a mixed goods train.
Top Right - The member's non-FLMJ express train passing Kopparberg with Rc5 1351 at the head.
Bottom - The IORE with a most inappropriate train on Saturday!
[Photos: A. Allum]

Sunday was a much quieter day with only two members present, and only one guest who arrived just as we were finishing for the day. Three trains were in regular service; a member's Y2 set and his express passenger train, and the FLMJ provided a goods train with the IORE loco. Out of the twelve UGJ iron ore wagons, only five were serviceable, and then we had a derailment, knocking another one out (couplings pulled out)! So, we looked at running the Roco iron ore wagons instead. With incompatible couplings, we fitted NEM Kadee couplings to two of the Märklin "O" wagons, and these served as barrier wagons. The train was quite inauthentic, but it was nice to see it going around. The Y7 was on standby for most of the day, and a V5 with scrap train spent the day at Lövhöjden along with an engineers' trolley!
Also, during the day, one member assembled his 00-scale kit of a British train(!), whilst the other worked on lorries buses and cars that have been in stock for a long time, but not actually fitted with mirrors and so on; and therefore never seen on the layout!
At the end of the day, we paid tribute to Ian McKendrick, a friend of the FLMJ (who had introduced us to the indoor layout at Acton, where we frequently visit), who passed away on the previous Sunday. We ran a short train in his honour, headed by the K24.

 

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Top Left - The IORE with its unusual train on Sunday.
Top Right - The Engineers' "trolley" in the sidings at Lövhöjden.
Bottom - The K24 worked a special train at the end of the day, in memory of a friend of the FLMJ who died recently.
[Photos: A. Allum]

Inspired by a report and photos in a Swedish magazine, we had, as a side-show, a car rally at Kopparberg ... old-timers, customised cars, and so on. It was actually quite a shock to realise just how many cars we have here!

 
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Left - The car rally at Kopparberg!
Right - A few customised lorries also turned up!
[Photos: A. Allum]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Top - The special train in the honour of Ian McKendrick, who passed away recently. Here it is passing Kopparberg.
Middle - The IORE passing Kopparberg with a train on Iron Ore wagons, but also with "O" wagons acting as barrier vehicles whilst we decide how to sort out coupling incompatibilities!
Bottom - A visiting train, headed by Rc5 1351, starts away from the Lövhöjden home signal.
[Videos: A. Allum]

2.10.06 AJK members took the layout, "Steninge" to the Model Railway Exhibition hosted by the Western Model Railway Society on September 30th / October 1st. Although Adrian is a member of the WMRS (and ought to have acted as a Steward rather than Exhibitor), it was kindly agreed that we could exhibit Steninge in recognition of SJ-150. In the event, we provided more operators than necessary, and were able to double-up as Stewards wherever necessary.
The layout's performance was reasonable, but problems with conductivity in the points were apparent mostly on the Saturday; but on the Sunday, we needed to solder a wire back onto the traverser, and later suffered a switch failure! Rolling stock was too varied to try to describe here, but as one might guess, the Y7 made frequent appearances, as well as the 'old' T43 ... after the latter had been serviced! The photos shew some of the 'other' trains!

 
 
 
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Top Left - AJK member, Stephen Trower behind the layout on the Sunday morning. [Photo: A. Allum]
Top Right - The ballast train is not a regular visitor to Steninge, but was popular enough to be drafted in more often! [Photo: A. Allum]
Middle Left - Fb-u wagons at the dock ... note the 'old' Volvos parked nearby. [Photo: A. Allum]
Middle Right - The local Taxi awaits custom at the station. [Photo: A. Allum]
Bottom Left - The Sa-lok is seen alongside a baggage van. [Photo: A. Allum]
Bottom Right - Following service on Saturday morning, this T43 gave good performance over the weekend. [Photo: M. Munsey.]

24.9.06 Four AJK members spent Saturday September 23rd working on the Steninge layout, getting it ready for the Model Railway Exhibition next weekend. This work included providing new bolts to hold the sections together (complete with new dowels and holes); a new backscene that really does look good (but needs finishing), and just a little bit of cleaning! No damage appears to have been caused to the frames during the recent flooding, and we are moderately confident of good performance at the Exhibition.
In the evening, some of the members went to an industrial estate near to the local main line to watch "Tangmere" (British steam locomotive) bring a 'Special' train through Farnborough!

 

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Top Left - Y7 1136 at Steninge before the work started.
Top Right - Y7 1136 at Steninge at the end of the day ... the misaligned track join is one of two jobs outstanding!
Bottom - "Tangmere" racing through Farnborough.
[Photos: A. Allum]

23.9.06 The FLMJ was open on September 16th & 17th, for a Scandinavian themed event, with trains from Denmark, Finland and Norway joining the usual Swedish theme. (Iceland regretted that they were unable to take part due to a slight technical problem ... they have no railways!)
Unfortunately, the event was not advertised in the Scandinavian Railways Society (as had been intended ... and material submitted), so numbers (people and trains) were low! We made the most of this (or at least one member did) by working on the pointwork at the down end of Lövhöjden, to make it easier to use and more reliable. This did cause some disruption to the service, but, well, that only makes it more authentic!

 
 
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Top Left - Daniel's Y2 set pauses at the new platforms at Siljansnäs.
Top Right - The Danish EG loco spent some time on stand-by.
Bottom Left - "The Scandinavian Job?"
Bottom Right - We have a "hands-on" policy at the FLMJ, much to the delight of this young lad at Månstorp!
[Photos: A. Allum]

By the end of the weekend six of the eight points were fitted and working, with the other two almost ready. For a side-show, we set up a small narrow-gauge circuit, to whet an interest in the eventual NG section that will be a part of the FLMJ one day!

 

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Top Left - The steam loco for the eventual narrow gauge railway, in service on a temporary circuit at Kopparberg!
Top Right - Following failure of the El.16 loco, the NSB train was hauled by TMY 101!
Bottom - Daniel's Rc3 (Ex-FLMJ model) departing Månstorp with a goods train.
[Photos: A. Allum]

Videos - Hosted by YouTube

Top - The Y2 set speeding through Månstorp.
Middle - The IC-11 set arrives at Månstorp.
Bottom - The Y7 railbus departs from Månstorp.
[Videos: A. Allum]

4.9.06 After a little research, we have concluded that our model of the diesel railbus number 1136 is a class Y7, as modified from Y6. The obvious difference with the model, is the large drivers' window; but internally, the Y7 has 2+2 seating, and the Y6 has 2+3 seating.

13.8.06 The FLMJ was open on August 12th & 13th for its "Tågetsdagar" weekend. ("Tågetsdag" was a day during the Stockholm Water Festival in the summer when "SJ had a party!" Sadly, this no longer happens ... except for here at the FLMJ!) As a side-show, we had a display of lorries at Kopparberg, illustrating Swedish commerce, including a larger-than-we-remembered collection of "ASG" lorries!
The weekend got off to a start on the Friday evening, when one of the new models bought in Sweden only two weeks previously was run-in at the indoor layout at Acton ... so that we could be sure of reliable service during the weekend and thereafter! Therefore, on the Saturday, both the FLMJ's Y6 railbus was brought into service, and a club member's Y2 unit also. This latter item is the retooled Heljan model, and its performance puts the earlier version (such that the FLMJ once had) to shame! With a low turnout of members, we were not too adventurous with the number of trains in service, and we had the customary electrical failures along the Siljansbanan and at Månstorp! Nevertheless, once these were dealt with, we had an enjoyable day, with four guests; and a Swedish Crayfish Party in the evening!
For Sunday, we had been promised some rain! Sure enough, it had rained through the night, but there was only a light drizzle in the morning, so everything was set up, ready to roll. Soon after midday, the heavens opened, and the continuation of the event had to be cancelled!

 
 
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Top Left - Y6 1136 being run-in on the indoor layout at Acton.
Top Right - Y6 1136 and Y2 1373 ("Horrevin") side by side at Lövhöjden
Bottom Left - ASG lorries; (almost) as far as the eye can see!
Bottom Right - The flooded field at Kopparberg precluded the lorries being put out again on the Sunday!
[Photos: A. Allum]

9.7.06 The FLMJ celebrated SJ-150 on July 8th, with a big parade of Swedish Railway History at Lövhöjden. Friends of the railway provided some of the trains from the earlier eras, and the event went down very well. We had the use of a CCTV system to make operation of the railway flow more easily; and this certainly helped. The IORE was back in service (but was only able to run light-loco) and the Tenshodo "Sb" made a start, but expired near Kopparberg! Its train comprised a new Heljan F5-LÅ van with "Pressbyråns Tidningstransport" markings and an 'Om' wagon carrying the band. The train was parked over a CD-player that was playing Swedish Marches; and the effect was good! Most of the photography was taken from one vantage point ... to suggest that the photographer was among a crowd that had gathered to watch the parade! These things that we do for effect...!

 
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Left - Sb 1306 with train, having just arrived at Lövhöjden. There is a band in the rear wagon ... and a CD-player under the baseboard!
Right - HNJ 14 railbus, provided by Patrick Grace, seen pausing at Lövhöjden.
[Photos: A. Allum]

On the Sunday, there was no parade, but there was a bit of rain, so we got off to a slow start, but by the afternoon, the weather was quite nice, and we ran a normal service, but not to the timetable. AJK members who turned up early on the Saturday got a Swedish-style breakfast, and an evening meal (Swedish-style again) was provided for those who helped pack away on each day. This is becoming an AJK tradition!

 

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Top Left - Ra 994 locomotive (Rapid 10), provided by Raymond Butler, arrives with a 1960s passenger train.
Top Right - V5 175 with wood pulp train arrives at Lövhöjden.
Bottom - And the band played on...
[Photos: A. Allum]

The Director General's new camera was put to good use over the weekend taking video clips of the railway, which we present below.
These, along with videos taken by another club member have also been added to a new videos page.
The videos are hosted by YouTube and require Macromedia Flash to play. They are not guaranteed to work on all browsers.
To play, click the play symbol in the middle of the video.

Top - Patrick Grace's Swedish Dk locomotive bringing a train into Lövhöjden.
Bottom - TGOJ V class rounding the curve from Kopparberg to Lövhöjden with a short "Enthusiasts' Train." on the Sunday.
[Videos: A. Allum]

3.7.06 Members of AJK and guests were invited to a running session at the indoor layout of the Western Model Railway Society at Acton on July 2nd. The theme for this event was "Scandinavian." The FLMJ's stock was mostly confined to goods, but the X10 was ready to run if needed. Other Swedish stock was provided and run by the members and guest, and a good day out was had by all. Unfortunately, the day was marred by one of the member's car breaking down on the way home!

 
 
 
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Top Left - The FLMJ's Danish EG-loco with a long goods train.
Top Right - The X10 awaiting a journey (AJK member, Daniel Hill in the background)!
Middle Left - "Don't break any windows," was the special instruction with this wagon's train!
Middle Right - Daniel Hill's K24 steam locomotive.
Bottom Left - One of the more artistic shots ... a guest's Ga-loco with goods train.
Bottom Right - Even the Narrow Gauge branch line was used!
[Photos: A. Allum]

19.06.06 The FLMJ was open for invited guests on June 17th & 18th. This also served as our chance to "shake-down" all of the winter work, and as one could almost predict, the event could have run better; but we still had an enjoyable weekend.
On the Saturday, track failures at Månstorp were frequent, and only served to highlight the need for the new control panel and wiring here. As the weather got hotter during the day, we reached the point where it was too hot to be working under the polycarbonate baseboards, and the service had to be reduced to single-line working, on the Up line only. And to make operation easier, the Siljansbanan was closed for the day! In the evening, it was suitably cooler, and Månstorp was repaired, ready for the Sunday.

 
 
 
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Top Left - Matt Scrutton's "K" class loco shunting at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - Visiting T21 diesel locomotive arriving at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Middle Left - Rc6 1353 on stand-by at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Middle Right - The X10 unit provided a very reliable service around the Siljansbanan on a shuttle between Lövhöjden and Månstorp, seen here at the latter. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Left - InterRegio train rounding the curve into Lövhöjden. [Photo: S. Davison.]
Bottom Right - Adrian working on the Scenery at Lövhöjden's new town scene. [Photo: S. Davison]

On the Sunday, our new timetable was trialled. The Iron Ore train was not run (as the IORE loco is still out of service) and the first Malmö train didn't run. (At the start of the day, there were too few members present to make this operation run smoothly!) But after that, all worked well, though glitches were found in the timetable, and these were adjusted as we went along. Rc7 1421 derailed at Månstorp and it was found that both of the traction tyres had come loose. Whether this was the cause or consequence of the derailment, we shall never know; but it was returned to service, suitably put-right, soon after. (Unfortunately, there were no photographs taken of the TMY diesel pulling the IC-11 train from Månstorp!)
One of the GaugeMaster controllers developed a fault, putting it beyond use (the direction switch simply stopped functioning), but we were fortunate in that this was at Månstorp, where the spare is still connected up! So, although this was inconvenient, we were able to keep running. GaugeMaster controllers have a lifetime guarantee, so we should be able to get it fixed or replaced quite easily ... we'll keep you posted!

 

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Top Left - After repairs at Lövhöjden, Rc7 1421 was put on the front of an older-liveried train to go to Ålunden!
Top Right - One of the fields at Kopparberg was requisitioned for a Volvo Car Rally ... an FLMJ side-show.
Bottom - Progress at Lövhöjden's town area...!
[Photos: A. Allum.]

12.06.06 Sunday June 11th was the last chance to get the FLMJ ready for the impending Open Weekend.
Membership turnout was again, low; but by the end of the day everything was working except for the Up line between Ålunden and Månstorp when switched to be controlled from Månstorp. (We can use the Open Weekend's Saturday morning to sort that out!)
Whilst this was going on, foundation work for a scenic overhaul at Lövhöjden was also effected, and over the next few months, this area should be turned into something quite nice.

 

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Top Left - This is what we wanted to see ... full power on the block section between Ålunden and Månstorp; here on the Down line.
Top Right - Workers celebrate the completion of a new baseboard at Lövhöjden ... scenery is next!
Bottom - Herpa's new Volvo models (two version of the P1800ES) are now available, and they were 'on display' during the weekend.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

02.06.06 Electrical work continued at Ålunden during an extra club session towards the end of May, and is continuing afterwards at intervals in non-club times! The fact of the matter is that we have an open weekend approaching, and Ålunden is still without power or control! The progress made at the end of May was good and inspiring, with the four main tracks inside the shed powered up correctly, and the running lines between here and Månstorp also under power, but needing further work. A temporary GaugeMaster twin-track controller has been procured for this area, but the more permanent controllers will be decided upon (which type to get) once we have had some use of the equipment here.
We hope to have a "Shake-down" on the Sunday before the open weekend, to have everything ready by then, and be able to test it all!

14.05.06 The FLMJ was operational for the first time this year (not if you count the "British 00-scale" event) on May 13th & 14th. Very few members were present on the Saturday, so there was no opportunity to work on the Ålunden control panel. The panel, now with almost all of its wires on, was fitted into place on the evening of the12th, and now it just needed to be connected up! Some wiring work was done on the Saturday evening, but much of that evening was also taken up by the sudden demise of the cistern over the toilet and the need to sort that out! Another "Ivar" corner shelf had been located and purchased on the 12th, and it is hoped to fit this up at some point. We are not going to replace the home-made effort, as it has the track fitted to it; but another shelf below it will make the whole corner assembly more stable! It also makes the storage of materials easier!

 
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Left - The control panel at Ålunden before wiring up, shewing the Ålunden area to the left, and the Månstorp area to the right. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Rc6 1353 and EG 3112 at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]

On the Saturday, one of the members was permitted to run his new German steam locomotive alongside the Swedish stock (at least it is H0 scale, and our argument is that it was working an enthusiasts' special service). For most of the day, this pulled a train comprising Lima sleeper coaches among others! One of the FLMJ's Rc-series locomotives hauled a passenger train around, and the Danish EG-loco worked a goods train. With no control panel at Ålunden, we were limited to a circuit route involving the Siljansbanan, but we still managed to enjoy the session.

 
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Left - Sb 1306 was on shed, on show; looking much better, and almost ready for service! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - B8FR 3974 derailed too many times to continue in service, and was stored in a siding at Lövhöjden before evening repairs! [Photo: A. Allum.]

On the Sunday, only one member was present, so the Ålunden control panel was wired up to the terminations. It was found that four track wires had been missed off the panel, and this is going to be tricky to remedy ... it would be a big job to remove the control panel now, but there is not much room for getting a soldering iron where we need it! To break the day up, a shuttle service operated along the Siljansbanan (to the timetable), but using the IC-11 train with a loco at each end; and extra train services (not on the timetable) were provided by the Sa steam loco with coaches AB4, BF2 and B15F; and an Rc6 with four Inter Regio coaches, but which at the end of the day, had three special coaches added!
Extra club sessions are to be announced, as Ålunden needs to be working for the running session in June, a 'guest event!'

 

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Top Left - A derailment at Lövhöjden, but no damage done. [Photo: S. Trower.]
Top Right - The new DB Steam locomotive and a SJ steam locomotive double-heading through Lövhöjden! [Photo: S. Trower.]
Bottom - The Inter Regio train on the Sunday, heading towards Lövhöjden from Siljansnäs. [Photo: A. Allum.]

06.05.06 AJK members had a "British 00-scale Weekend" upon the FLMJ at the end of April; acknowledging the fact that many of them have an assortment of British 00-scale models, including the Director General! This event is usually arranged only once a year; though in practice it doesn't happen every year. Being the first operational session this year, there were many problems that needed sorting out, and most of the Saturday was spent working on the layout! Having re-laid Siljansnäs to a new layout, the wiring was incomplete and incorrect on one point. Unfortunately, with the Ålunden controls behind schedule, plans to operate on a circuit using the Siljansbanan were foiled! The control panel at Ålunden was held up when we discovered that we had ordered the wrong switches! The ones that control Månstorp need to be three-pole, but we had ordered two-pole! Although the Månstorp controls at Ålunden are not being installed yet, we wanted to provide the wiring so that we don't have to remove the panel to do it later! Thankfully, with Månstorp's new control panel behind schedule, we've taken the switches from there, and we will order replacements this week!
There was a selection of British models on the layout, including the Director General's new BR 4MT 2-6-4T in "Preserved" Green, and an Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0 among others. A celebrity engine turned up on the Sunday (see photos), as well as a model produced by Hornby to acknowledge HM The Queen's 80th birthday! Also, at the request of two of the members, there was a British Bus Rally on the field at Kopparberg! The weather was threatening on the Sunday, but operations did not need to be suspended.

 
 
 

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Top Left - Daniel Hill at work at Siljansnäs, rewiring the station area.
Top Right - Adrian's new BR 2-6-4T in a siding at Lövhöjden.
Middle Left - Matt Scrutton's Ivatt 2-6-0 awaiting departure from Lövhöjden.
Middle Right - The Celebrity loco (from the "Thomas the Tank Engine" series) seen at Lövhöjden!
Bottom Left - "Queen Elizabeth II," a special from Hornby (which surprisingly - for Hornby - didn't need re-gauging)!
Bottom Right - The "RM2" (left) alongside an RML at Kopparberg. The RM2 was the second prototype of what became the famous London buses (recently withdrawn), and the RML is an extended version of the basic RM.
[Photos: A. Allum]

10.04.06 Work at Ålunden was the main job for AJK's weekend in April, and despite the low turnout of members, exceptionally good progress was made. By the end of the Saturday, all Block Circuits on the railway were working. The new Control Panel at Ålunden met with a delay, due to the absence of some panel indicators and switches that are needed for the part that looks over Månstorp. Although we don't need these indicators and switches yet, it makes sense to fit them so as to avoid disturbing the panel once it is in place. The panel will also need the necessary holes drilled, and the tracks need to be drawn on also.
Whilst all this was going on, scenic work was taking place at Månstorp. The remaining buildings were put in place (Månstorp has lost the cafe, but the white cottage was reinstated on the Sunday) and the roads marked with a fibre-pen. Parking lay-bys, bus-stops, taxi-ranks and so on were plotted and then the main road painted on the Saturday with the rest on the Sunday (once stocks of paint had been replenished). It appears that the Mod-Roc has stuck exceptionally well to the baseboard, so we are reasonably optimistic with this work being done. The edge of a lake was also put down at the edge of a baseboard between Månstorp and Kopparberg, and once the surrounding scenery has been put down, it should look quite nice! Some scenic work was also done at Lövhöjden, but only road surfaces (as we had the paint open)! Unfortunately, rain-stopped-play on the Sunday, but not before the road paint had dried - thankfully!

 

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Top Left - Tracing the route of cables is not an easy job, but working methodically, we got there in the end!
Top Right - Painting the main road at Månstorp; buildings safely out of the way.
Bottom - The reinstated cottage at Månstorp, with colour-matched car in the drive (not intentionally colour-matched, you understand)!
[Photos: A. Allum]

28.03.06 A few AJK members made the most of an extra club session at the end of March. The main work was electrical, with the re-wiring at Ålunden, which included the construction of the first part of the main Master Control Panel. Also, some scenic work was done at Månstorp. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken, but we hope soon to present a new-look Månstorp, and the new control panel! We were joined for the day by a guest, who has indicated a desire to join the club, and was therefore given the necessary paperwork!

12.03.06 Despite the bitterly cold weather, a few AJK members turned up to the maintenance weekend in March. The priority now is to complete the refurbishment at Ålunden, and by the Saturday evening, track had been re-laid through the opening (or 'access hatch') into the indoor area. In order to achieve this, the baseboards outside Ålunden needed to be raised by about 2cm, and the two 3-way points replaced with four 2-way points, as the former is quite unreliable in an outdoor environment. (Presently, there is only one 3-way point remaining, in a siding area at Lövhöjden, and therefore of low priority!) There was a gap between the end of the Ivar shelving and the access hatch, and this was bridged using an off-cut from the corner shelf that we needed to build last month. It is thus fitted to the Ivar shelves using the correct method with two pins, but is screwed to the wall with brackets. Part of the off-cut from that was used for the missing corner commented on last month! (So we haven't wasted anything!) One of the shed's metal doors developed a crack (caused by being knocked - very easy to do), and this caused the door to virtually fold in half! We remedied this with a wooden brace, and all appears to be well. However, we would advise people against buying metal sheds! (If you live on a Park Home estate where wooden sheds are banned, look into a plastic shed instead ... we will eventually replace the home-made 'effort' at Arjeplog with a plastic one, and news updates here will let you know how we get on with it.)
On the Sunday, this work continued. Track laying was the priority - it is a fairly easy job and it got us into the mood for the electrical work needed later in the day! The tracks are now numbered 1-4 from the back (the track nearest the wall), and track 4 now has a point half-way along, with a long siding going around the corner (on the corner shelf that we built) to the end of the shelving unit. This will allow us to run longer trains than the 2m limit imposed presently, but only in limited numbers ... there is only the one long track! There is a sprung buffer-stop on this section as there is a "visibility issue" when two operators are in the area! All tracks (including both parts for track 4) have insulated end sections, so that we can have turn-over locomotives without having to reach over to the far corner of the fiddle-yard. And whilst locomotives are awaiting their next turn of duty, a single length of track has been provided (track-5), not connected at either end to anything (or to a power supply), for the safe storage of them. There is a slight gradient on this section (don't know how that happened), so un-motorised rolling stock will be prohibited from this section. The main difficulty arose when the electrics were started, in that there is not enough cable on the switch panel for it to reach to where it would be best located! Therefore, the decision was made to stop at this point and prepare the schedule for the eventual master control panel. This can be built in sub-sections and now Ålunden will go in as a prototype. The block control switches were temporarily placed, but it was felt that although quite logically placed, there would be more visibility issues! An extra club session (one day only) has been proposed for later in the month, and members will get the chance to air their views and then continue with the installation.

 

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Top Left - The new alignment outside Ålunden's indoor area, but still part of the fiddle-yard.
Top Right - The block control switches temporarily mounted near the access hatch. The section control panel is in the background (back facing) pending replacement.
Bottom - The point in track-4; two engineers' trains pose in both sections.
[Photos: A. Allum]

18.02.06 Progress has continued at Ålunden, and now the Ikea "Ivar" shelves are in.  The lighting has still to be fitted, but the lighting especially made to go with the "Ivar" range doesn't fit, so we're going to make it fit!  With only one corner shelf available, the lower one was made up from two standard shelves.  We may lower the top shelves as there is a lot of wasted space presently, but we will make this decision after the track has been laid and we can determine how much space we need above the layout.  
Before this all went in, the flooring was completed, and this now looks very smart; though we'll spare everyone the "Shoes off indoors" rule ... but a decent brush-mat will be bought!

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The view looking into Ålunden, with the "Ivar" shelves in place.  Note the home-made lower corner shelf with its extending support, ready for a filling piece to be fitted.  The higher corner post is for hanging things on!
[Photo: A. Allum]

14.02.06 AJK members had a very busy weekend in February, completely rebuilding Ålunden!  The only thing not interfered with (much) was the actual metal shed into which the Fiddle-yard was built!  Having got everything out, as much of the original polystyrene sheet was re-glued, but damaged sections removed.  Extra sheets were purchased, and the whole shed was covered with it.  This will provide vital insulation, especially considering that we have mains power supply here, and cannot permit any condensation!  As much of this as possible was then covered with an inner wall made from hardboard, but we were unable to do this where the sliding doors need to pass.  The same was done on the ceiling, but the floor has a different insulation under the hardboard, and floor tiling over the hardboard.
For the railway, IKEA's "Ivar" shelving has been used, despite IKEA's desperate attempts to stop us ... or so it seems.  The materials were bought and got home one recent Friday ... and then it was noticed that we needed another corner shelf.  So back we went, to find that all the others had gone ... not sold ... IKEA has withdrawn these items.  Yes ... overnight!  This is now the fourth time that IKEA has done this (twice with parts of the 'Ivar' range, so we will be making no more big purchases there ... see note below about lighting).  The railway is carried on the lower level shelves, and the control equipment is to be located above.  Extra shelves have been bought to go below the railway to provide safer storage for stock boxes, buildings, tools, and everything else that has cluttered up the area in the past!
The railway is lit from "Tjugofem" lighting sold at IKEA.  This is mounted to the underside of the shelves above.  We will need to extend this, so expect the 'Tjugofem' range to be withdrawn!  Having forgotten to think about lighting for the rest of the area, and knowing that we may need to extend it when we can see how well it all goes together, we decided against going back to IKEA.  We bought some low-voltage LED lamps locally, and the results are impressive.
Starting on the Saturday, we made reasonably good progress, and we found a suitable point at which to stop for the evening.  The trip out by some of the members to get more materials took a lot longer than planned, but it was worth it!  On the Sunday, however, we had rain to contend with.  It didn't stop all day.  This made it very difficult to continue as we couldn't just put everything out in the garden again.  Much of the cutting and drilling had to be done outside, but not only were we getting wet, the materials were getting wet, and this was not good.  We had problems getting glue to stick to damp materials, so we changed the way we were fitting panels into place, and managed quite well.  The garden became a mud-bath ... but it will be quite some time before we can afford to pave it all over (and that is on the list of jobs to do)!  Thankfully, the weather was better on the Monday.  (Some members had arranged for the time off work, and younger ones had the Half-term holiday this week!)  Progress was more apparent, but by the time that we had to stop for the night, the job was still not complete.  Nevertheless, the Director General is able to continue with some of this work during his week's leave, and in essence the job has been a success.
During the work, we found only a few lost items; but none of the important ones that are still elusive!  Photography was limited, and the images provided here will be added to, once one of the members has had a chance to upload them and forward them to us!

 

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Top Left - The old shelves being dismantled - quite unusual to see this all so clear!
Top Right - Here is Ålunden's clutter ... out in the garden, out of the way!  A good sort-out is in order before it all goes back in properly.
Bottom - The new Polystyrene insulation, shewn here, around the opening to the FLMJ!
[Photos: A. Allum]

15.01.06 AJK members enjoyed a trip out to visit an open day in Epsom, a collection of model railways in an assortment of narrow gauge scales, including some of the more obscure ones, thus: 00n9 (1:76), On9 (1:43), H0e (1:87), Se (1:64) and Sn9 (1:64) on 9mm track; and Fn16.5 (1:20.9) and Sm (1:64) on 16.5mm track!  One of the layouts, (Se scale) was based on a Norwegian setting in 1937.
Earlier in the day, some work was done upon the FLMJ, including the fitting of the final point motors at Lövhöjden ... now they need wiring up ... and attention diverted to Månstorp!  Also, quite a few trees were 'planted' and the fence along the edge of the church yard was provided.
On the Sunday, seven new point motors were fitted at Månstorp.  However, the FLMJ suffered it's first rationalisation with the removal of the passing loop at Siljansnäs, as it was considered too elaborate.  The only trains scheduled to stop here are the goods trains for the industrial area, and a run-around loop is to be provided in that area.  It is easier to maintain one locally controlled point at the closed station, than four, and work has begun!
Consideration has been given to abandoning the plan for a Narrow-Gauge line from Gärde to Folketspark, and instead, having a tramway from Månstorp to Siljansnäs and the Industrial Area.  The unreliability of 9mm indoors has provoked this idea (outdoors would be even more difficult to maintain), and the tramway would be standard gauge with bigger and better motors.

 
 
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Top Left - A scene from Tempelfjord Kolgrube Kompani A/S, the Norwegian layout at the Epsom open day.
Top Right - New up-turned Peco point motor bases (with the motors beneath) in place at Månstorp.
Bottom Left - The facing point on the left track has replaced a trailing one that connected with the point on the right track.  This is the start of the work to rationalise Siljansnäs!  The new facing point was lifted from the other end of the passing loop.
Bottom Right - The new fence between the church and the railway.  Note also the new trees in the background.
[Photos: A. Allum]

15.12.05 The FLMJ was open for invited guests on December 10th (but we abstained from imitating a Nobel Ceremony (note the date),) mainly for the purpose of selling off withdrawn models.  Some of the surplus Lima "Om" wagons were sold, but otherwise, this was just like any other open event ... only colder!  
Due to the ongoing work on the route between Månstorp and Ålunden, we had only the down line available on that section, which made for some interesting movements at Månstorp, especially considering that the 'scissor' crossover is completely "Clipped & Padlocked."  In view of the operational challenges today, the train registers were not used. 
We had eight guests, one of whom may become a new member of AJK.

 
 
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Top Left - AJK member's steam loco (touched-up photo) running up the down-line towards Lövhöjden.
Top Right - The Portacabins hide the hole to the former subway (that led to the platform) at Månstorp.
Bottom Left - To make the 'closed' line between Ålunden and Månstorp look busy, it was put under possession by various works trains.
Bottom Right - Guests enjoying the cold afternoon.
[Photos: A. Allum]

14.11.05 Now that the "Maintenance Season" is upon us, a lot of work was done to the layout during the club session in November.  In preparation for the new controls between Ålunden and Månstorp, some rail joints were cut, but insulating fishplates are out of stock.  (This is not a problem presently, but needs to be dealt with before we run again.)  Also, the old Block equipment between these two locations was removed, and the new equipment installed.  The 12v Power Supply Ring around the layout was completed, with a spur to Ålunden also provided.  With enough members present, more point motor installation was carried out at Lövhöjden.  The temperature dropped to almost freezing, so we didn't continue as far as we would have liked (and at least one member was going down with a cold)!

 

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Top Left - A point motor ready to be fitted into place at Lövhöjden.
Top Right - The Relay-rack at Siljansnäs.  The two relays on the left are for the Block Equipment on the Siljansbanan, but the four empty relay bases on the right are for the Up and Down lines between Månstorp and Ålunden.
Bottom - A hoody at work?  No!  With the extreme cold, it made sense to keep the head warm (as well as everything else, of course).
[Photos: A. Allum]

31.10.05 The FLMJ's new EG locomotive (Danish, but purchased because these work into southern Sweden, over the Öresund crossing) was run-in at Strömstad; Patrick Grace's layout, which was exhibited at the Colchester exhibition at the end of October.  As is typical of Heljan locomotives, Roco close-couplings cannot be fitted without modification to the loco, and parts of the snow-ploughs needed to be cut away!

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EG 3112 arrives at Strömstad with a short goods train. [Photo: A. Allum.]

11.10.05 The FLMJ was open for invited guests on October 8th & 9th. 
New Block Equipment had just been installed, and there was still some electrical work being undertaken as the first guests arrived, but the railway did get into full operation as the day progressed. 
The FLMJ's own stock was complimented by Swedish stock from another member and some Spanish stock for a short while during the Saturday.  Unfortunately, it started to rain during the latter part of the afternoon and services had to be suspended.
Sunday's weather was much better, but guests (and members) were fewer.  Nevertheless, an enjoyable operating session was had.  The last train of the day was the Steel train, double-headed by blue Rc6 1407 and orange Rc6 1328 ... these locomotives have now been taken out of service for conversion to blue Rm 1257 and green Rc4 1277!

 
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Above Left - The new Block Signalling apparatus, seen here at Lövhöjden.
Above Right - Rc7 1421 awaiting the signal at Månstorp.
Below Left - The carpark at the main depot at Lövhöjden was resurfaced during the weekend also.
Below Right - Rc6 1407 on a steel train at Lövhöjden.  This loco was taken out of service immediately after the weekend, to be converted to an Rm type.  Ironically, steel trains would be the main traffic for this loco in its new guise.
[Photos: A. Allum.]
 

 
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Above Left - TMY 101 passing Kopparberg on its way to Lövhöjden.
Above Right - The X2-1 set with the new coach clearly visible ... in the original livery!
Below Left - Rc6 1328 awaiting its next turn of duty at Lövhöjden.  This loco was also taken out of service immediately after the weekend, to be converted to a green Rc4!
Below Right - V 803 was used on the engineers' train at the end of the weekend.
[Photos: A. Allum.]
 

27.09.05 AJK organised a visit to the permanent indoor layout of the Western Model Railway Society at Acton on September 18th, for the benefit of its many friends.  Unfortunately, turnout was low, but the FLMJ arranged for five trains to be there and there was a French steam train also.  (There was also an attempt to run-in a recently purchased second-hand Fleischmann Swedish loco, owned by another AJK member, but this was in vain ... the loco needs looking at!)  One FLMJ wagon got damaged during unloading, and it will need new components from Roco before it can run again!

 
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Left - Rc6 1353 with an Inter City train arrives at the main station, exiting a tunnel as it does so.
Right - The French coal train on the steep climb behind the Fiddle-Yard.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

A work session was arranged for the last weekend in September, and progress was made, though there were compromises!  The old Point Polarity switches at Månstorp points numbers 101 and 104 were reinstated, and the 12v dc power supply tidied up (obsolete cable-runs removed in the main).  Månstorp has now been declared fit for limited service.  (Points 102, 103, 105 and 106 remain "clipped and Padlocked" to use the correct terminology!)  At Lövhöjden, all sidings had ballast applied by a guest to the railway, and the appearance has improved considerably.  Also a few trees were 'planted' at Kopparberg and Lövhöjden, and the area around the church was cosmetically improved with an improved carpark and new footpaths.
We have now decided that the open weekend planned for October will go ahead, and invites will be sent to those who are on our invitation list.

 
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Above Left - A new tree at the Engineers' Office near the sidings at Lövhöjden was 'planted' during the weekend, and a bench provided.  Also, the office was repainted! 
Above Right - A better carpark and new footpaths were provided at the church near Kopparberg.  (A wall will be provided behind the church at a later date, to 'border' the railway.)
Below Left - Even the farmhouse was decorated with out-of-season flowers!
Below Right - We have been asked to provide a photo of the X2000 model for a forthcoming magazine article.  We took several ... here's one of them, slightly enhanced digitally! 
[Photos: A. Allum.]
 

12.09.05 We have two items to report from:
The FLMJ's Director General had a long weekend in Stockholm at the end of August.  During the visit, he bought seven wagons for the FLMJ (Marklin's set of three "Oms" wagons but fitted with Roco wheel-sets, and Roco's set of four "Uad" wagons).  New Double-Decker X40 units were observed in service along the Svealandsbanan between Centralstation (Stockholm) and Eskilstuna, but one new X60 Pendeltåg unit was seen in a siding for driver familiarisation, and not actually in service.  The new Årsta bridge is now open, and the old one closed for renovation.  A trip was made to Malmköping (by car as public transport is not so good at Malmköping) to the tram museum there (well worth a visit), and advantage was made of a Steam Special train from Centralstation to Nynäshamn (buying the ticket, as advertised, on the train - not in advance)!  Adrian bought only 3 CD music recordings (another of his Swedish interests), and it is unlikely that he will ever beat ... or come close to ... his 1994 record of 30 CD records!
On 3rd September, our exhibitable layout, "Steninge" was taken to the "Woodmansterne World" model railway exhibition, where it worked alongside other Scandinavian layouts representing Denmark and Finland.  Three AJK members kept Steninge running with an assortment of "weekday" modern services and "weekend" preserved trains!  There were a few equipment-related stops, but on the whole we kept the show running.  We also had reduced power from the controller ... but it was when we started to pack away, that we found out why ... one of the cables had been screwed into the terminal block so that the insulation was gripped, not the bare wire!  (Something to look out for in future!)

 
 
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Top Left - Roco "Uad" wagon at Lövhöjden.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - Marklin "Oms" wagon at Lövhöjden.  It is better than the Lima model in that it has NEM couplings and printed text; but it is worse in all other respects ... badly scaled for example, and it has a curious platform along the outer sides that does not exist on the prototype!  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Above Left - X40 at Centralstation.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Above Right - E class 0-8-0 steam loco alongside an X1 unit at Nynäsgård.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Below Left - Southbound X1 unit coming off the new Årsta Bridge, with the old bridge seen on the right.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Below Right - One of the many preserved trams arriving back at Malmköping after a trip along the 3km line to Hosjö, and back.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom - A modern diesel shunting some preserved wagons at the dock at Steninge.  [Photo: P. Grace.]
 

17.08.05 AJK members were thwarted in their attempts to work on the FLMJ by the weather!  Nevertheless, before the rain got too heavy, an even better method of fitting the point motors was devised, and two were fitted in place.  As one of the photos shews, the motor is mounted upside down into a hole in the baseboard, so it is in effect still above the baseboard and needs weather-proofing, but this protection will take up less space and be less of an eye-sore than presently! 
Also during the weekend, the rest of the new block control units was assembled, and all ten are now ready for fitting and wiring up! A member's K24 locomotive (early Liliput) was also investigated during the Saturday afternoon as it had stopped working completely.  After locating the fault directly to the motor (everything else worked and there were no loose connections), the motor was removed.  It is a sealed unit, so deciding that there was nothing to lose in breaking it open, a repair was in fact made, the motor then put back together, and the locomotive now works very well! The Saturday was finished off with a truly Swedish Crayfish Evening! 
Saturday was also the 60th birthday of one of Sweden's most famous literary characters, Pippi Longstocking; but please don't take the "themed photo" too seriously!

 

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Top Left - Point Ldn-108 with the motor arrangement attached ... and working very well, indeed!
Top Right - The K24 on the workbench a.k.a. kitchen table!
Bottom - Pippi Longstocking celebrating her 60th birthday upon the FLMJ!!!
[Photos: A. Allum.]

10.07.05 The FLMJ's Guest Weekend for July had been cancelled due to overrunning engineering!  And a wise move it was too! 
With much of the layout out of use due to the point motors not being fitted (and the polarity change-over switches having been removed), we wouldn't have been able to provide a train service at all.  So, during that weekend, we set to work on the point motors ... and by the end of the weekend, we still hadn't completed one!  Part of the trouble is that we're moving them under the baseboards.  We've found a way of doing this without them getting damaged by rain ingress.  But the stupid polycarbonate sheeting that we use for the baseboards, is just too thick to allow the motor to move the tie-bar on the point!  (We're using this polycarbonate as we have been asked by the landlord not to use timber ... even though a neighbour has been allowed to have wooden decking all around that home!)  As we packed away for the evening on the Sunday, a theory was proposed on how we can improve the most recent modification to allow the installation to work.  Watch this space!
Some scenic work was done also, and the temptation to play (see photos) was inevitable!

 
 
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Top Left - A wooden base section ... we will now attach the motor to the underside of this section (having cut a large hole in the baseboard), and the point and the motor will be attached to the same section, preventing sideways play during operation.  That's the theory.
Top Right - The sidings at Lövhöjden, and an old wagon.  Note the weeds!
Bottom Left - The siding at Månstorp with the V10 stabled.
Bottom Right - Summer sun and ... well ... summer madness ... a Prieser bikini-clad lady running along Månstorp's new platform!
[Photos: A. Allum.]

01.07.05 AJK member Daniel Hill has just completed a 3 year Computer Science degree course at Oxford University and has received a First (highest grade). His final year project was the development of the Signalling System currently being installed upon the FLMJ. So we are all very pleased for him. - Adrian Allum, Director General

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A screenshot of Lövhöjden on the FLMJ's signalling system; Daniel's degree project.
[Graphics & Software Design: D. Hill]

21.06.05 The first of the new Block Section Control Panels for the FLMJ was made on June 18th.  There will be 10 of these for the present layout, and the remaining nine will be slightly different to make better use of the surface space and depth within the box.  It is hoped that these will be ready for the July club session!

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The prototype Block Section Control Panel on the layout at Lövhöjden. 
There will be one of these at each end of each section of track between stations (the Block Sections). [Photo: A. Allum.]

12.06.05 With July's "Open Weekend for Guests" cancelled due to overrunning engineering, the pace was somewhat relaxed during the AJK session in June.  The tunnel section through the Up end of Lövhöjden was reinstated minus the bonding wires; these are now wired into a terminal block under the layout so that if (goodness forbid) we need to remove that section again, it shouldn't be as much of a problem!  A cable-puller was also provided in the trunking that runs through the steps to make life easier when we start using it! 
More catenary spans were painted, and some of the recently applied ballast had remedial work done.  A timetabled train service was provided by two locos working as a push-pull set with four coaches, until the wiring had been completed at Lövhöjden's tunnel, afterwhich, running round became possible. 
A new loco, Rc6 1323 provided some of the service, but this was only to run-in the loco ... it is due to be chopped about and converted into probably an older Rc4 (so it doesn't even appear on the FLMJ's roster)! 
The wiring for the British-style Absolute Block Instruments was removed over the weekend, and a new, much simpler system will be installed to replace it.  Also, during the weekend, some stop discs were made up ... these are placed on the track during engineering possessions!

 
 
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Top Left - Rc6 1323 at Lövhöjden.  Repairing handrails is quite low on the agenda as much bigger work is scheduled for this loco!
Top Right - A Plasser & Theurer machine arriving at Lövhöjden on the Sunday.  Note the Banverket logo.
Bottom Left - A Stop Disc protecting the re-ballasted track.
Bottom Right - Cables removed from the Block signalling circuits!
[Photos: A. Allum.]

22.05.05 Saturday May 21st was a very productive day for the FLMJ, though it did involve lifting track at Lövhöjden! 
There has been no through route for cables under or around the steps that lead into the back door of the home, and early efforts by AJK were in vain.  Therefore, a suitably experienced neighbour undertook the task, and now a cable trough has been provided. 
As the steps had originally been built by a tradesperson of dubious repute (!), there was much more work required than should have been necessary, but apart from a little tidying up, all is well; and we can now route the cables through the new trough under the layout, out of sight.

 

Top Left - The cable trough (square section down-pipe) in place before the inner wall was rebuilt.  Note the existing cables pinned out of the way!
Top Right - The end nearer the station is more-or-less in line with the main trough under the station.
Bottom - This is the view whilst waiting for the cement to dry; and then the track can be re-laid.  Note how the track and board comes out as a "panel" (seen to the right).
[Photos: A. Allum.]

16.05.05 The FLMJ had an operational weekend in the middle of May, but only just! 
A short-circuit had developed in the power circuits for the block signalling, and our attempts to locate it were in vain.  Therefore, all block signalling was disconnected and the tracks that rely on them were hot-wired to adjacent sections so that trains could run.  Although this was not a guest event (and we would have persevered normally), a few guests had been invited due to the Director General celebrating his 40th birthday on the preceding Friday!  So it was important to get the railway running as quickly as possible.
On the Saturday, all trains were of a "Heritage" nature, from a Ga-lok provided by a club member and a Yo1 railbus provided by a guest, to the Sa-lok and orange Rc5 provided by the railway!  With the platform removed at Månstorp, a construction scene was created there!
On the Sunday, only three trains were run, the Sa-lok with five bogie-coaches, a TMX diesel with five modern coaches and the AEM7 (!) with some Iron Ore wagons.  Regrettably, the IORE loco received some damage to the coupling rendering it out of action for the foreseeable future! 
With no guests attending, the members present made the most of the nice weather to clear out both sheds!

 
 
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Top Left - Patrick Grace's Yo1 railbus eases past the home signal (by the adjacent catenary post) into Lövhöjden.
Top Right - Even Lövhöjden's police got into the spirit of things with older "Polis" vehicles!
Bottom Left - The official "Birthday Train" (Födelsedagståget) departing from Lövhöjden at the end of the day.
Bottom Right - Sa 938 held at the home signal to Lövhöjden
[Photos: A. Allum.]

AJK member Stephen Trower has sent in some of the photos that he has taken of the FLMJ, and two of the more technical ones are here.

 
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Left - The Lövhöjden control panel - with diagram.
Right - Block Instruments at Månstorp, the home-made smaller unit is for the Siljansbanan.
[Photos: S. Trower.]

8.05.05 The FLMJ, somewhat behind with it's maintenance schedule for last winter, saw some activity during an extra club session in early May, ahead of the regular AJK session there.  During the day, four point machines at Lövhöjden were installed, and the varnish on the main line between Månstorp and Lövhöjden was cleaned away to enable the operation of trains.  (The varnish appeared as a result of making the ballast weather-proof!) 
Some test-trains were run, including a club member's Ga-lok with three brown coaches (AB8K and two Co8a) and Rc6 1328 with two catering coaches - because they happened to be closest to hand!  Also, during the day, the platform at Månstorp was removed, in readiness for the provision of its replacement!

 

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Top Left - The Ga-lok on the final curve leading into Lövhöjden.  Ballast and weeds make an authentic environment!
Top Right - Rc6 1328 on the same curve, later in the day.  The partly-built catenary looks good ... just wait until the wires are up!
Bottom - This surplus coach also appeared on the layout for photography, in preparation for selling on eBay!
[Photos: A. Allum.]

17.04.05 AJK's club weekend in April was poorly attended, but progress continued.  A fair amount of time was given to creating the new timetable (an essential part of the new signalling system), and although we are pleased with our effort, it needs much refinement!  There was also some work on ballasting and catenary.

 
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Left - T43 243 and Ra 988 at Lövhöjden.  FLMJ rules presently prohibit raised pantographs!
Right - TMX 1012 at Lövhöjden alongside recently fitted catenary posts.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

31.03.05 The Y2 diesel set has been sold on eBay to a buyer in Sweden. 
In April, we are canvassing your opinion about a possible replacement for it.  (Heljan has completely retooled this model and a sample has been seen running AOK on a model railway layout where the FLMJ's one failed to do so!)  Here are some pictures:

 
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Above Left - Y2 1372 at Röjeråsen on the old KRBJ (former name of the 'original' FLMJ).
Above Right - Y2 1372 at Köpingsvik on the old KRBJ.
Below Left - Y2 1372 at Månstorp on the FLMJ just before being packaged up ready for despatch!
Below Right - A Y2 set (in slightly modified livery) at Stockholm's Centralstation.
[Photos: A. Allum.]
 

29.03.05 Easter Friday was an opportunity for an extra club session (it's a public holiday in the UK).  More catenary masts (particularly at Månstorp) were painted into the lighter green (Humbrol 120), and some scenic improvements were made near Lövhöjden. 
Meanwhile, work progressed on the Signalling system software, something that can be done away from the railway itself! 
On the Saturday, AJK members were treated to a Swedish style Easter Dinner (not much different from a British one).  Glad Påsk!

 
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Above Left - Månstorp as seen from below the catenary masts.  It will be some months before the cabling can start.
Above Right - The railway's Head Office building has been turned through 90° and some scenery has been applied nearby.
Below - Part of the Månstorp area on the Signalling system.  Train 422 is passing on the Up main line and train 725 is about to depart from the platform track 3 to the Siljansbanan.
[Photos: A. Allum. Signalling System Graphics: D. Hill.]

21.03.05 On March 21st, an AJK member's repaired Ga-lok was tested at the indoor railway at Acton, with four FLMJ coaches in tow, all of which had been retrofitted with Roco metal wheels. 
These are models by the Swedish firm, UGJ; and all have now been passed for regular service - at last!

 
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Left - The test-train is seen in the sidings before it went out on a few rounds.
Right - One of the beautiful TGOJ coaches in the train.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

20.03.05 On March 19th, three AJK members enjoyed an extra day, hard at work upon the FLMJ! 
More overhanging trees were cut away from next-door, and the hedge where Fjällnäs will eventually stand was cut back considerably. 
The Up line through Kopparberg was ballasted, and this included a little more of the down line and the provision of a private crossing to the depot!  Also, more work was done on the catenary, but no point motors as a minor revision is to be made here, and the required engineer was not present!

 
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Top - AJK member, Stese, in the trees, whilst cutting them down!
Bottom Left - The new crossing near Lövhöjden.
Bottom Right - Ballasted curves leading toward Månstorp.
[Photos: A. Allum.]

14.03.05 The March club session proved busy.  One member set to work applying ballast along the Down line near Kopparberg, using conventional methods, but then coating the whole lot with Matt Varnish to protect it from the weather! 
Two other members got on with the catenary, including raising the spans at Lövhöjden and Siljansnäs.  Unfortunately, we discovered that we had made a mistake with the order for custom-dimension spans, but we have been able to improvise using spare double-track spans that we have in stock!  The spans to go under the steps at the front and back doors of the home have been held back, as slight modifications are necessary! 
Månstorp was reached on the Sunday with all spans going up there, but due to problems with solder and glue, these have been held up with modified paper-clips - and then glued!  Later in the day, much of the area designated for the Folk-Park was cut away so that we can get to the back of the layout - and cut down the overhang from the tree in next-door's garden!  We are going to rebuild the Folk-Park area, a little higher and with an access hatch for maintenance purposes ... an oversight with the original construction!
The final job for the weekend was to offer for sale our "Y2" set on the internet auction website, eBay.

 
 
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Top - A view towards Månstorp, the newly ballasted down line on the left.
Middle Left - A German restaurant coach with Pantograph is used to check alignment and height of the catenary.
Middle Right - The Y2 at Månstorp, on what will probably be its last visit there!
Bottom Left - T43 DLL 226 at Lövhöjden under a new catenary gantry - the latter only partially painted!
Bottom Right - AJK member, Daniel Hill at work clearing up the Folk-Park area, standing where there was once a field (proposed)!
[All photos: A. Allum.]

6.02.05 With the arrival of single-track posts, more of the catenary was worked upon recently.  Most of the posts between Månstorp and Lövhöjden have been fitted into place; the only 'missing' ones being those that need special attention!
Another AJK member has bought a "Ga" steam locomotive; this time the Fleischmann version, but without any transfers or plates!  Fleischmann are not interested in supplying these as a separate item, so we wonder if anyone reading this knows of any alternative source - from within Sweden, perhaps?  (Please use the Email facility; thanks.) 
Also, the prototype point motor cover has been out in place, over Lövhöjden point number 107!

 
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Top - A late evening shot of a works train among the catenary posts near Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Left - A member's Ga-lok at Lövhöjden with his own wagons, but the loco needs a number (see text). [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Right - The relay-room covering point motor Ldn-107.  V5 175 is testing clearances. [Photo: A. Allum.]

30.01.05 AJK members are enjoying some extra sessions in the hope of catching up with the schedule of jobs to be done this winter.  The weather has been bitterly cold in recent weeks, and not only is it unpleasant to work in, but soldering is very difficult - and this is needed with the present projects!  In addition to the installation of the point motors, there have been an assortment of other jobs going on, including members testing their new purchases upon the layout - including a Swedish 'K' class 0-6-0 locomotive!  The T43 diesels have been serviced and tested, and much to everyone's surprise they all managed to haul longer trains than ever before!  (Quite how they managed this, nobody knows, but we think that they're telepathic and have learnt that their days here may be numbered!) 
All six main line diesel locomotives (3 x T43, 2 x TMX and 1 x TMY) are likely to be used for double-heading in the early part of our summer season if we haven't finished putting up the power cables, as the electric locomotives will have to work with the pantographs down!  This will make operations somewhat interesting.  But, more on that later.  We have also experimented with different shades of green on the Catenary, but cannot find one that looks right - and if the various videos that we have are anything to go by, there is no consistency anyway - so we have settled (for now) on the dark Brunswick Green.

T43 243 in TGOJ Green livery with a 16-axle goods train at Lövhöjden.  6-axles was the previous limit!  Note contrasting greens on the catenary - the darker one is the adopted one!  [Photo: A. Allum.]

9.01.05 Work continued on the installation of point motors during the club weekend in January (and now that this project is behind schedule, extra club sessions have been arranged)!  Whilst this work was going on, many of the Catenary spans were painted in readiness for installation, and the first Relay Room (a.k.a. Point Motor cover) was made and painted.  Also, the order for signals was prepared and will be placed toward the end of the month!

 
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Left - Catenary spans hanging up in front of the garden fence whilst the paint dries! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - An AJK member working on the "Prototype" Relay Room (for point 107 at Lövhöjden). [Photo: A. Allum.]

12.12.04 The FLMJ had a small open day on one Saturday in December, mainly for the purpose of selling off some withdrawn items.  Unfortunately, none of the models were actually sold, and the three guests (and three club members) had a frustrating day trying to get the railway to work!  Although the weather was dry, the track was damp, and the track-cleaning block only made the matter worse - it cleaned the dirt off, but left a moist residue in its place!  We brought into action our new electrically powered track cleaner, only to find that this also does not work on damp track!  (Was that £135 well spent, we wonder?)  Instead, it covered one of its bogies with sludge!
On the Sunday, the club visited the indoor layout in West London again, but in view of the expected turnout of guests, members took their British outline models, and the FLMJ stock stayed at the FLMJ!  (In the event, three of the guests did bring 00-scale British stock, but the other two brought Spanish and French H0-scale models!)

 
s Click thumbnails for large images
Left - The electrical track cleaner with its cover removed.  This is made by a German firm, Lux-Modellbau, and the large grinding wheel is driven by power from the track; and the batteries are part of an accumulator to keep the wheel turning when the wagon loses contact over a very dirty piece of track! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Well, you can't really expect us to take "British" railway modelling seriously, can you? [Photo: The Fat Controller!]

14.11.04 At AJK's November club weekend, work continued on motorising the points at both Månstorp and Lövhöjden, despite the near freezing temperatures!  Also, the track in the tunnel at Lövhöjden was re-laid onto a wooden base (instead of cork) to give it more support and prevent it from lifting or buckling, as has been the case for some time.  There was also some work done on the T42 diesel locomotive to bring it back into service, though we are still looking at how to improve the couplings - hopefully so that we can fit NEM boxes!  On the Sunday, the Sb-lok (steam outline 2-6-4T) was taken apart to be studied, and hopefully brought back into service.  Much of the heavy mechanical work was completed in the one day, but there is much more to be done to this 45-year-old model!

The Tenshodo Sb-lok on the Kitchen table.  The brass object between the centre driving wheels is a gearbox, complete with oiling points!  The overall quality of this locomotive is impressive, considering it's age (see news). (Click for full size) [Photo: A. Allum.]

25.10.04 Adrian Allum visited a model railway exhibition at Colchester on Saturday October 23rd, to help Patrick Grace operate his Strömstad layout.  Although set in the Summer of 1965, the FLMJ's X10 did make a brief appearance towards the end of the show.

The FLMJ's X10 set at Patrick Grace's Strömstad station - under the newly installed catenary! (Click for full size). [Photo: A. Allum.]

AJK members visited the layout of the Western Model Railway Society on Sunday October 24th, to operate the FLMJ's models (and a few others) in an indoor environment.  Although the number of members attending was low, the number of models taken was high, and the event was enjoyed by those who did take part.

 
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Left - Two Rc6 locomotives on standby. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - The NSB El.16 climbs the incline in the background, whilst other goods wagons are seen in the main yard. [Photo: A. Allum.]

7.10.04 During AJK's regular club weekend (not an 'open' event - though two visitors did turn up on the Saturday), very little operation was achieved.  However, the five point machines at the Down end of Månstorp were fitted.  Also, despite earlier intentions (to put this loco aside), the SSLidJ locomotive was stripped down completely, rewired, reassembled, and lo; it runs!  Some work was also done to the Tc and Z68 diesels, but there is more to do.  (A screw thread had stripped on the Tc, leaving nothing to hold the motor in place.  The hole was filled and drilled, and a new screw needs to be fitted!)  Both of the unreliable Märklin Rc-locos were serviced, and the T42 was stripped down completely for a major overhaul.

 
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Left - Five point machines loosely fitted at Månstorp, though they will need to be repositioned slightly. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - The SSLidJ locomotive at Lövhöjden after repairs were completed.  It retains its buffers (although the prototype doesn't) for the benefit of the FLMJ's operational requirements! [Photo: A. Allum.]

7.10.04 The FLMJ was open for invited guests on October 2nd & 3rd.  As with earlier this year, the weather disapproved, and the rain brought the trains to a stand for a while on both days.  Visitors were few in number, but AJK members were still able to operate the railway regardless, and an enjoyable weekend was had by all!
During the weekend points 101-103 at Lövhöjden were connected up for remote control, and this saves the operator there having to walk from the Down end of the station (where the controls are) to the Up end, just to change some points.  These are the first in a project to remotely control all points on the railway, as part of the Signalling project, where the whole railway (other than the Fiddle Yard at Ålunden) will be under CTC (Centralised Traffic Control) from an installation at Arjeplog (on the railway)!

 
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Above Left - Tenshodo "Sb" locomotive on static display at Lövhöjden, with these work-men attending to it! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Above Right - A snail was in hope of taking a train from Lövhöjden, but he didn't have a ticket! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Below Left - One of the new point motors (with two accessory switches) during installation.  These are now under covers. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Below Right - An InterCity train from Ålunden to Lövhöjden passing through Månstorp at speed, whilst a goods train awaits the signal.  Note also the recently raised masts for the overhead catenary. [Photo: A. Allum.]
 

25.9.04 AJK members had an extra club session at the end of September, to get things ready for the Open Weekend, and to become conversant with some new procedures, such as Block Working on the Södra Stambanan between Ålunden and Månstorp!  Before this, some work had been done at Månstorp to put up more masts for the overhead cables, as well as some engineering at Lövhöjden to prepare the installation of point machines there.During the club session, however, the bases for three point machines were placed, but not without difficulties.  There will be a change in specification, and unfortunately, the price for each installation will go up by about £1!  The weather, however, was damp, and it really does appear that digital cameras cannot focus in these conditions.  Sorry, no photos from the session; only one from the weekend before!

Click for large image
V5 152 bringing an ex-DB restaurant car onto the Siljansbanan at Månstorp.  These coaches have a pantograph on the roof, and so one is now at the FLMJ in connection with the installation of the overhead power cables (surveying and testing).  [Photo: A. Allum.]

10.9.04 It is with great sadness that we learn of a tragic incident, where two people are known to have lost their lives in a collision between a train and a lorry on a crossing near Kristianstad, southern Sweden.  Although the blame is almost certainly with the lorry driver, it is not the blame that we focus on now, but the people who survived the crash and the friends and relatives of the deceased.  Our sincere condolences go to those affected by this incident.

5.9.04 AJK members had a sunny weekend to operate the railway in September (one week earlier than usual), and a busy schedule was managed on Saturday, with only the minor of problems.  A little track maintenance was required at Månstorp, but a slightly bigger job was needed at Lövhöjden, but being in a siding, that was postponed.  One of the newer members took his "Driver Competence Test" (and passed with Merit), and our newest member had his first session (as a member, not a guest) and got to grips with the railway's operation quite quickly.
On Sunday (warmer by all accounts), fewer members were present, but a timetabled service operated throughout the day, except for a 90-minute shut down due to a complete power failure at Lövhöjden.  The problem was corrected by diverting the power through the "back-up" wires that had been provided "just-in-case!"  The track maintenance at Lövhöjden was dealt with in the morning (whilst that station is in the shade), and the minor repair at Månstorp was replaced with new components during the afternoon, requiring the Up line at Kopparberg (between Månstorp and Lövhöjden) to be closed for a few hours.  The assortment of trains was interesting and somewhat photogenic.  Two pictures are provided here, the rest are on the gallery.

 
Click thumbnails for large images
Left - The Iron Ore (IORE) locomotive on the curved approach to Månstorp.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Rc6 1328 bringing an Up goods train into Lövhöjden from the Down line, due to engineering referred to in the text.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

15.8.04 AJK's August weekend was poorly attended due to holidays, one party(!) and a special train service to see-off the old "slam-door" rolling stock - even though some will remain in service for a while, yet!  Saturday's session was cancelled, but although no trains ran on the Sunday, and there was only one member present, work was continued on the "Z68" diesel shunter.  We are hopeful of having this in service for the October Guest Weekend!

The Z68 in the sidings at Lövhöjden - still sitting a bit high on the Tenshodo "spud" motor bogie, but with more work to be done.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

8.8.04 There's more to life than just trains! Four AJK members (and a guest) enjoyed a day out on a boat on the River Thames - as a club social outing.  (Our thanks to Stese for organising this.)  Not a red signal or point failure in sight!

 
Left - Adrian "Please take a picture of me now" takes to the wheel for a little while.
Right - Three other members onboard during a Lock navigation.

17.7.04 AJK members enjoyed a day out (as a club outing) at the BSLR in Enfield.  This is a British Outline '0' gauge garden railway, that entertains many guests throughout the year, and is operational all year round!  The members operated the railway to a set sequence reasonably well (despite the lack of "Route Knowledge"), and a good day was had by all!

 
Click thumbnails for large images
Left - A locomotive on shed at Bunbury.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - '0' gauge in the garden - quite delightful!  [Photo: A. Allum.]

11.7.04 The FLMJ held its main open weekend in July, despite the weather.  Downpours even included hail for several minutes on the Saturday, and this probably contributed to a low number of visitors.  Nevertheless, as the weather improved, we were able to get the railway working.  Electrical faults were at a minimum (though there was an alarming rate of operator error...!) and down-time for repairs was, therefore, minimal.  There is a hint of a new member joining as a result of this weekend, so the weather didn't totally dampen the event!

 
Left - Rc6 1407 and visiting Da 903 at Lövhöjden, clearly showing how "overscale" the latter is!  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Two camera-shy (!) Rc-series locomotives at Lövhöjden.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

5.7.04 Members of AJK had an extra session at the beginning of July to get the railway ready for its open weekend.  A few trains were operated upon the railway, and as they struggled, so the cause of the struggle was dealt with.  Several joints needed re-bonding and one even needed new joiners (fishplates) fitted.  The IORE locomotive was brought back into service, along with ten of the twelve wagons that usually run behind it.  The X10 had a fair run, but it still needs to be better!  The Block Instruments for the Siljansbanan were faulty (again), but these were repaired in the morning.  Added to this problem was the failure of a GaugeMaster controller, where both of the controlled DC outputs were actually putting out AC power!  GaugeMaster controllers have a lifetime guarantee, so we will be asking them to repair or replace.  (They have done this before for us (for a different unit), so we are not expecting any problems with this.)  So, hopefully, all will be well at our open weekend.

 
 
Top Left - An InterCity waits at the home signal to Månstorp whilst the Electrical Engineer repairs the adjacent track. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - Even the Director General did some track repairs - here requiring the tunnel at Lövhöjden to be lifted! [Photo: S. Davison.]
Bottom Left - Rc6 1408 'split' point 113 at Lövhöjden, whilst bringing a train into the station. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Right - Two visiting locomotives (Da 903 & Z67 637) await their next turn of duty at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]

13.6.04 The FLMJ entertained some of its club members (AJK) and a few guests (who casually called in) on June 12th & 13th.  Electrical problems were of a minor nature, and were sorted out as they arose.  Due to low numbers, the number of trains in service was also low, but the service was enjoyable.  Rc6 1407 had been retrofitted with Roco close couplings, and this saw more service than it has done in the past!  (For an "Rc" loco with standard "hook-and-loop" couplings, there are two Märklin models available.)  The X10 was given a run, but it is still not quite right.  On the Saturday, two brown coaches were used for the suburban service for a while, and were later replaced by an SJ coach and an NSB coach with the Norwegian El.16 locomotive! 
On the Sunday, the steam "Sa" locomotive provided this service with its three wooden bodied coaches.  The IC-11 was the main express passenger train for the weekend, but a second train was brought in on the Sunday, comprising SJ and NSB coaches!  The only goods train (apart from a short visiting one on the Saturday,) was a TMX locomotive with Märklin wagons, retrofitted with standard "hook-and-loop" couplings, as Märklin's own couplings are prone to uncoupling when in service - and have now been banned from the railway.  The last train of the weekend, was the IC-11 train with the appropriate Rc7 at the rear, but with two Rc6 locomotives at the front!  (Is this an FLMJ power-to-weight ratio record?)

 
Click photos for full size images.
Top - Rc6 1344 enters the locoshed at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Left - Rc6 1407, retrofitted with close couplings and coupled to the IC-11 train at Lövhöjden.   [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Right - The "Sa" steam locomotive at Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]

30.5.04 On May 29th & 30th, AJK members enjoyed the first operational session upon the FLMJ for 2004.  Unfortunately, the 'snagging' that was necessary, took us right up to 5pm on the Saturday, and so the railway operated for only an hour.  On the Sunday, a more thorough service was provided until a problem developed at Lövhöjden (not the new control panel, thankfully), and we had to stop.  Unfortunately, this was a "British 00" weekend, and no Swedish trains operated at all!  However, we do have the rest of the summer for that.

Above - A club member using the new control panel at Lövhöjden.  [Photo: A. Allum.] 
For more photos (of British trains on the FLMJ), click here.

18.5.04 After Steninge's trip to the SRS AGM, some work was carried out upon the FLMJ on the Sunday.  This was concentrated on the installation of the new control panel.  This work is being hampered by the incompetence of a large DIY chain who have stopped selling the trunking that we started using!  Also, on this day, we had a look at another model railway that the Director General has acquired, with a view to modifying it to Swedish appearance.  However, we have decided that this conversion would be inappropriate, so British it will remain!
On the following weekend, the FLMJ had a sale of surplus items, along with a big sort-out at Ålunden and a photo-shoot for a forthcoming article for "FLMJ-Nytt" later in the year - about the Rc-series of locomotives.  On the Sunday, three AJK members and two guests visited the regular indoor layout in West London for an operational session there.  In addition to some Swedish stock from the FLMJ, there was some British LMS, Spanish and Japanese stock!

 

Click photos for full size images.
Top Left - A British "Warship" diesel locomotive emerging from one of the many tunnels on the layout in West London. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - Swedish "Ga" loco - not from the FLMJ - at the Terminus station on the same layout.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom - The "Da" electric locomotive passing the farm at Kopparberg on the FLMJ. [Photo: A. Allum.]

14.5.04 Steninge had its first outing (in AJK ownership) on May 8th, to the Annual General Meeting and Members' Day of the Scandinavian Railways Society, at Banbury.
Being such a momentous occasion, the camera was left behind(!), so a disposable alternative was purchased, with predictable results!  Overall, the layout worked well.  We were missing one lead to power up the Fiddle Yard, and the newly isolated section isn't completely isolated (something that was overlooked)!  Operation of the layout was kept quite simple so that we could monitor performance, but we did have a good selection of passenger trains and goods trains.  Locomotives were an assortment of steam and diesel - as there are no cables at Steninge!

 
Left - The TGOJ 'V' class locomotive was put into service, and performed very well, despite many years in store! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - The TMY worked with the modern coaches, but these were a bit too long for the fiddle yard, so Märklin coaches will be used in future. [Photo: A. Allum.]

5.5.04 AJK has received news from Brimalm of a steam locomotive to be considered for our "Available Models" page.  This has now been arranged, but the text that came with the pictures was too informative to just edit down; so here it is in full.

The prototype, Class Y3 / S5 / S7:

The private railway company Bergslagens Järnvägar during the years 1915-27 took delivery of a very successful tank engine class with driving wheels of 1400 mm diameter, which was designated BJ Class Y3. The class could be rebalanced for 12,5 or 14,5 axle load. In 1921 the same type of engine was introduced on the private Hässleholm-Markaryds Järnväg (HMJ) and in 1928-29 on  Landskrona & Hälsingsborgs Järnvägar (L & H J). The total number built was 25 engines. The locomotive HMJ 6 was taken over by the SJ in 1930 and classified HVd, but it was sold in 1934 to the private Skåne-Smålands Järnväg and became SSJ Y3 Nr. 14. In 1940 the engine returned to the SJ, keeping its class designation Y3. In 1942 the L & H J engines were taken over by the SJ as Class S5, which designation Y3 1489 now also received.
Of the BJ Y3 engines eight had 12,5 tons axle load when nationalized. They were classified S5 by the SJ. After rebalancing to 14,5 tons axle load they became Class S7. In 1947 the same thing happened to S5 Nr. 1489. Fourteen of the twentytwo BJ engines were balanced for 14,5 tons axleload at the time of nationalization and were thus designated Class S7. All engines had been withdrawn by 1970.

The model:

The Brimalm model is available in 3 versions:
1) An early version with bluish boiler and cylinders as delivered new to the BJ.
2) An early private railways version in black.
3) A late private railways and SJ version in black.
The models are hand-built in brass in a total number of 250 for all versions together.  The Y3 like our earlier productions is furnished with a flywheel equipped Swiss precision motor and ball bearing transmission system specially designed to give the locomotive excellent low speed characteristics and smooth running qualities in the range from 0 to 80 scale kph. Like the prototype the middle axle is powered and the rotation transmitted to the other coupled axles though the individually milled and prototypically linked coupling rods. Lead weights in the boiler and side tanks in combination with the fully sprung chassis gives the engine wonderful running qualities.

The model is characterized by

Exact scale 1:87 (H0)
2-rail DC with current collection through 12 wheels
Simulated 2-cylinder Walschaert steam machinery
Cab with detailed interior and removable roof (the whistle serves as fastening screw)
Detailed smokebox interior and smokebox door which can be opened
Drive system with ball bearings and exceptionally fine slow speed performance
All axles sprung
Wheel rims made of stainless steel with RP 25 flanges
Sprung couplers and buffers
Detachable snowploughs and headlight armature
A wide choice of signs and decals for different engine numbers
Realistic running characteristics 0-80 kph
Original Brimalm spare parts kept in stock
Five year technical warranty.

The price is about EUR 820 for the late version, 845 for the early black and 865 for the early blue version.

The three versions of the Brimalm Y3 lcomotive.
Top: Late Version, Middle: Old version in black, Bottom: Old version in blue.
[Photos: Christer Brimalm.]

25.4.04 With the "operational season" soon upon us, an extra club session was arranged for April 25th.  The two main areas of work were the control panel and the track.  Due to the lack of required materials at the local DIY store, the electrical work was a little different to just the track sections being connected; we also worked on the Polarity controls for the points.  Much of the track needed levelling and in some areas there was some more severe work required, such as removing kinks and resetting the super-elevation on the curves!  The only bad news was the worsening condition of the "Y2" unit (an early Heljan model), with the discovery of a missing horn-block!  Explain that on an H0-scale model...!  The unit has caused many problems in its 10-year history, and has now been withdrawn completely.

 

Top - The trunk for the cables ... will hopefully keep things a bit tidier than before.  [Photos: A. Allum.]
Bottom - The Danish diesel set on the Södra Stambanan between Ålunden and Månstorp.  The super-elevation of the curve is clearly seen in this view.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

12.4.04 AJK held its traditional Easter Dinner on the Saturday of the Easter weekend, attended by most members.  However, it was the Sunday that would see a great achievement; the new control panel for Lövhöjden was finally fitted into place, and work started on connecting all of the tracks to the terminations inside it.  (From the terminations there are cables leading to the isolating switches and other apparatus.)  Also on this day, new panels were made up for the Point Polarity switches.  These are used to ensure that the correct polarity is fed to the points when they are changed - as we cannot rely on the inbuilt self-contact feature of the Peco product, due to the accumulation of dirt on a garden railway! 
However, points 101-103 also have switches nearer the control panel, ready for when the point motors are installed (the polarity will then be changed by the motor) and they can be more remotely controlled.  A similar panel was made for Månstorp also. All three pictures by Adrian Allum.

This first picture shows the panel folded away when not in use.
We have used an old equipment case for the superstructure, with holes drilled wherever necessary. To the right, you can see part of one of the Point Polarity panels. A crossover will have just one switch for the two points involved.

The second picture shows the panel in its operational position.
Unfortunately, in this view, the track diagram is unclear.  But the layout of the new panel is clear. The top row of switches are for the main track sections.  The red lamp above them would indicate when the section is in use by another controller. (Note that three of these sections cannot be controlled from elsewhere!)  The lower row of switches are for sub-sections (sidings, for example) and Intermediate Block Section Overrides!  The switch in the top right corner is deployed to isolate the amp and volt meters and connect the High Frequency Track Cleaner - thus owners of visiting stock can choose whether or not to use this facility.

The third picture shows the panel opened up for maintenance - or more presently, installation!  In this view, only three looms of eight-core cable have been run into the panel; another fourteen looms will be added!  The terminal blocks are provided so that we can isolate and disconnect whenever necessary.  However, there are no longer any terminal blocks adjacent to the tracks; thus a reversal of our previous installation, and less crawling under the baseboards!

(Click for full size version).
This is the diagram as fitted to the front of the control panel. It clearly shows the layout of the station, and which switch controls which section. Point numbers in brackets are those that need to be operated in pairs (crossovers). Signal positions are also shown, so that drivers know where they are supposed to stop and where the shunting limits are! CAD by Hilary Hill.

29.3.04 Following on from our news of March 17th ... a lot of motive power and rolling stock was taken to an indoor layout for testing, following repairs and whatever else had been needed - with mixed results!
"Rc 1010" still wouldn't run unless tilted to one side!  After demolishing and rebuilding the 'trailing' bogie, it ran reasonably well (- it ran very well by Märklin/Hamo standards, anyway)!  The "SSLidJ" loco was dead completely!  Two Lima locomotives were taken as "back-ups," but they were taken out of service as they both failed!  The "T43" (which couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding) wouldn't even pull its own weight this time!  The "Ra" ran reasonably OK, and managed a six coach train, but we had to stop it as its traction tyres were found at various locations around the layout!  Five of the eight UGJ coaches were OK, these being the A5, B8, B15, BC1 (one of them) and S1.  The F4 had too much friction and managed to derail the whole train whilst at the back of the train - on a curve!  The AB4 has a dropped coupling and this meant taking that and the BF2 out of service as they have different couplings within (these two operate as a set). 
Despite the failures, we are pleased with the ones that have now been passed for service.

17.3.04 During the "club weekend" in March, there were a number of achievements!  The new Control Panel to go in at Lövhöjden was finally made ready, and this coincided with the track being made ready (old wires removed and stuff like that).  Whilst this was going on, track maintenance was in full swing, and the Södra Stambanan between Lövhöjden and Månstorp is now much neater, level and ready for ballast to be applied, though this is an application for the Summer.  Three locomotives (Rc1 1010, TMX 1014 and SSLidJ 20), the X10 set, four coaches (BF2 3554, and the three green TGOJ preserved models) and a track machine (Plasser OBW-10) were all serviced on the Saturday, also. 
Earlier in the morning, a delivery had been taken comprising amongst other items, no less than 6 Volvo Amazon models (made by Brekina), including two 123 sport models!  (An Estate version of this "Beautiful Swede" has been announced for release later this year!)  On the Sunday, work continued on the control panel as well as 8 UGJ coaches (Types A5F, B8, B15F, BC1 (x2), F4F, S1 and Q1M).  This is probably the greatest number of items of motive power and rolling stock worked upon during an AJK weekend!

 
Top - An impromptu Volvo Amazon rally was arranged at Steninge! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Left - The final stages of the preparation of the new Lövhöjden control panel. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Right - UGJ S1 "Konferensvagn" (Conference Coach) left to stand for glue to dry. [Photo: A. Allum.]

The latest edition of our journal, 'FLMJ-Nytt,' is now available as a free download from this website. It is intended that all future editions will also be made available on this site to reduce the need for the (costly) printing of hard copies, (these will still be available for a small fee as at present). To download, please visit the FLMJ-Nytt page.

9.3.04 On Saturday March 6th, all AJK members were present at the Model Railway Exhibition in Greenford (West London), hosted by the Western Model Railway Society.  Additionally, Patrick Grace (another modeller of the Swedish railways) was there with his H0 scale layout, "Strömstad," as well as a stand from the Scandinavian Railways Society.  Details of the "Steninge" layout were given to one potential host as well as details about AJK to another guest.  It was also nice to chat with two Swedish visitors, both of whom were impressed to learn about the FLMJ - "a Swedish layout in England!"  (Never ceases to amaze...)

15.2.04 AJK had an interesting weekend in February.  The work on Saturday took a long time to get started because everybody was distracted by a new camera that was fitted to one of the trains to give a driver's eye view of the railway.  More about that much later, once we are in the running season again!  When we did get started, we worked on the new control panel for Lövhöjden and prepared some of the layout for ballast.  With the weather forecast looking good, some ballast did get put down; but the forecast was wrong, and the rain on Saturday evening and all day Sunday prevented any of it from setting!  On the Sunday, because of the rain, we set to work on Steninge.  By the end of the day, the roads had been painted down, and the back-scenes improved (trees and clouds painted on).  There is still a little more work to do here, but it will soon be ready for the Exhibition circuit.

 
Top - A flat wagon carrying a micro-camera (to the right) and a 9v battery.  The image (in colour) is transmitted by radio to a receiver plugged into the TV - for awesome results!   [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Left - The station area on the Siljansbanan has ballast applied, but the weather, despite the forecast, did not allow the ballast to set! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom Right - Two of Steninge's back scenes waiting for the paint to dry before being refitted to the layout.  The blue areas at the bottom are hidden behind the framework, which is why we didn't bother painting them. [Photo: A. Allum.]

1.2.04 Sunday February 1st was not an official AJK session, but that didn't prevent a lot of work being done at Steninge.  The point that was to have been salvaged from the removed crossover actually got damaged in the process (it was put in very well), so a new one had to be bought to replace the SetTrack in front of the station building.  With this in place, the rest of the 'revised' track was laid, wires soldered on and ballast applied.  Unable to rest for even a minute, the gravel roadway was dug up in readiness for a tarmac one to be put down, a new pedestrian crossing was placed across the tracks between the station building and platform, and whilst this was going on, a club member's locomotive that is here for repainting was completed and the outstanding copies of the latest "FLMJ-Nytt" were made up!  And to cap it all, we remembered to take some photos...!

 

Top Left - A scrap wagon full of sand!  Where the new track is laid, proper ballast is being used, bringing Steninge a little more up to date!  Sand is quite authentic on a Swedish layout - but for an earlier era!   [Photo: A. Allum.]
Top Right - A ballast machine is seen on the new track at the station, awaiting the right-of-way. It will be towing a couple of wagons away also; one of them, an open wagon full of track pins! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Bottom - The station master still has his car parked outside his house, but the road has been taken down to bare baseboards.  Some of this work was too difficult to complete, but once it has been, the new road surface will be applied. [Photo: A. Allum.]

18.1.04 AJK's session on January 10th & 11th was cancelled due to ill health.  However, an extra session in lieu was arranged for Saturday 17th, and two members tackled trackwork on the recently bought "Steninge" model.  The "S" bend is now complete with track wires soldered back on and ballasted.  The track in line 2 has been lifted as well as the point that needed removing from track 3.  Also, the goods shed was moved further away from the point so that a wagon could be in the correct place without fouling the point, and then many of the uprooted trees were planted elsewhere on the model.

The goods shed is seen after being moved away from the point, but before trees, weeds and other effects were added.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

1.1.04 The new 'S' bend at Steninge was laid toward the end of the year, and some 'dark earth' put down where the old alignment stood! 
Ballasting will get underway soon, along with the reconnection of the track wires.  Once this is complete, the end board can be put away, and the adjacent board connected to the next board, in readiness for one crossover to be removed and one point to be exchanged.
In other news; if you have been tempted to buy a track plan of the Stockholm area, produced by Quail, hold on!  The map of the Pendeltåg routes is completely wrong.  We have written to Quail (enclosing a correct map of the area), and hopefully, a new correct edition will be published before too long.  When it does, we'll let you know.  If you already have a copy, try following the route of a southbound Pendeltåg through the 'inner' platform 1 (as it is shown) at Karlberg, through the tunnel, and then try to arrive at platform 13 or 14 as per the prototype...!

 
Left - The new track in situ.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - A (Kibri) digger seen at work at Steninge.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

8.12.03 If you want to see snow in Stockholm, wait until the new year!  Or just happen to be there for one particular weekend in December.  Indeed, it was in some way, a shame to be indoors for the purpose of our visit; but in other ways, that North Wind is exceptionally cold, even though the daytime temperature didn't go into 'minus' figures!
The purpose of this visit was the annual railway fayre, which this year had moved from the Town Hall to Vasahallen (near the Vasa Museum and Tram (line 7) Depot).  The tramway even had a special 'stop' (hållplats) for the event.  Vasahallen was a cheaper place to hold the event, and bigger, but on two floors.  Most of the Swedish 'local' manufacturers were there along with some of the bigger names in Swedish railway modelling retail!  For the AJK delegation, this turned out to be an opportunity to buy books (mostly from the SJK table), videos (LEG and LTF) and a few minor souvenirs.  No models were bought however.  The wagons that the FLMJ especially wanted were not to be seen, and JECO decided to put up the price of their Y6 chassis units, putting them out of the equation.  (We were going to buy two, advertised at 895:- (SEK), but these had gone up to 1095:- (SEK)!)  Otherwise, Roco and Lima models (and for that matter, Fleischmann also) were considerably outnumbered by Märklin, including wooden bodied bogie coaches for something in the region of £200 each!  No thanks!
After the fayre, we went to a model railway layout on Södermalm, "Ekensholmsbanan" is owned and operated by Stockholms Modelljärnvägsklubb (see www.smj.org).  To get there, we travelled on an ex-German class 420, with its hideously spartan interior!
On the Sunday, we went to Spårvägsmuseet (SL's museum - trams, trains, trolley buses and buses), where in addition to more books, two slightly out-of-scale models of the Tunnelbanan 'C2' cars were bought.  (More about these later in 2004!)
Finally, for those of you who appreciate a spot of dubious humour ... we spent the Saturday evening exploring the T-bana (Stockholm's longest Art Exhibition) and ended up at one point at Norsborg, at the western end of the Red route.  We were later thankful of this being the terminus, as at the next town, Salem, there was a riot that evening, a clash of neo-nazis, anti-nazis and police, and there were 15 injuries!
AJK's next trip to this railway fayre is scheduled for 2006.

 
Left - View from the tram (trailer) on our way back to Norrmalmstorg. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - A view of the Ekensholmsbanan in Stockholm. [Photo: Thomas Crame.]

17.11.03 Early in November, Adrian took an extra visit to Sweden for the purpose of helping some friends to migrate back to the UK, by taking an empty lorry there ... !  There was not a lot of time for railway activities, but he did get photos of Rc3 1061 (of which the FLMJ has a model - but in a slightly different livery) and the imported German trains being used to supplement SL's X1 and X10 units!
During November's delayed club weekend, the main work was on the electrics under Lövhöjden, in preparation for the installation of the new control panel there.  Also, unfortunately, much time was taken up making stone guards to go over the windows facing the brook-side path, as delinquent school brats have taken delight in smashing one and chipping another!

 
Left - Rc3 1061 at Stockholm on November 5th 2003, waiting at the head of a northbound train.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - A German suburban train now operated by SL (and also in SL livery) is passed by a conventional X1 set whilst waiting in a siding to the north of Centralstation (Stockholm).  These units have received a lot of modifications, but are still proving unreliable and troublesome!  [Photo: A. Allum.]

26.10.03 Five of the club members turned up to an extra AJK session on Saturday October 25th.  Results today included filling in the gap in the wooden fence (necessitated due to vandalism caused by stone throwing at the windows), preparing the ground near the Siljansbanan for a hard-standing, removing the old Lövhöjden control panel and installing a new siding at Månstorp.  Unfortunately, we were all too busy to take any photos of the work in progress!
One member proved himself to be extremely competent with trackwork, and has been 'promoted' to the position of "Infrastructure and Mechanical Engineer."  His main responsibilities are the upkeep of the track, point motors and overhead power cables; delegating jobs where necessary and so on.  As with all positions, he has no extra authority over other members, he's just in charge of these specific jobs.
In the evening, the new track diagram for the new control panel at Lövhöjden was presented, having been produced for the FLMJ by the mother of one of the members, using a CAD program.

13.10.03 The FLMJ's regular operational weekend in October was poorly attended, but the railway was operated just as efficiently!  Two main failures occurred on the Saturday, the IORE broke down and a fault developed with the signalling equipment between Ålunden and Månstorp.  The first job on the Sunday was to replace a faulty switch so that the signalling would work, but the IORE was put away for the end-of-season.  Some neighbours (residents on the estate where the FLMJ is located) called in for a while to watch, and the railway certainly made a good impression on the 7-year-old who visited...!

 
Left - The IORE, outer ends innermost - there can be no misunderstanding that this is out of use!  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - The fascination of trains in the garden...!  [Photo: S. Robinson.]

28.09.03 The FLMJ's final 2003 Open Weekend was held on September 27th & 28th.  Like all authentic railways, there were problems during the course of the day, but they were attended to as and when they arose.  The new control panel wasn't ready (despite our efforts), but nevertheless, operation of the layout was up to the usual high standard.  A total failure of one small part of track, almost brought the railway to a halt, but once the fault had been traced to a Peco Single-slip of faulty manufacture, a jump-wire was soldered on and everything worked OK from then on.  We had a total of 16 guests over the weekend, some of whom were new to the railway, and left suitably impressed.

 
Left - Da 903, formerly an FLMJ owned model, makes a return trip to the railway and is seen at Lövhöjden.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - An InterCity train at Lövhöjden with the IORE and train on an adjacent track.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

 
Left - During the last 90 minutes each day, non-authentic trains (for a Swedish railway) are permitted, and here a French goods train is bound for Lövhöjden with two steam locomotives at the front.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Two club members are seen hard at work on the new control panel for Lövhöjden...!  [Photo: A. Allum.]

21.09.03 Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st were extra club sessions to enable us to get things ready for the open weekend, next.  The new control panel for Lövhöjden was half-installed, and this is looking good.  Continuation will be during the week.  Some track panels also at Lövhöjden were replaced as well as a few point over-centre springs at various locations.  There were a few other jobs done also, but only enough to have the railway in full operational order for the next weekend!

06.09.03 On Saturday September 6th, a new 'Rc' locomotive arrived at the FLMJ - but not one on the waiting list - as such!  We had been thinking about finding one cheap (but had to be a Roco model) so that it wouldn't hurt if we removed the motor so that it could act as a push-pull loco!  However, one was found for £65 (after a bit of haggling) and we're not so sure that we want to remove the motor.  A decision will be made later!
Also, an 'Rc-derivative' arrived.  This is an American AEM7.  This would not suit the FLMJ at all, but at the excellent price we felt that it would be nice to acknowledge the success of this loco.  The AEM7 is derived from the Swedish 'Rc4' and the series was built following trials with an 'Rc' locomotive sent over from Sweden.  It is fitted with Kadee-style couplings (and does not have buffers), so it will be used on the Iron Ore train towards the end of running sessions when we allow somewhat inauthentic (for a Swedish scene) motive power and rolling stock to operate upon the railway!
Finally, on this day, Adnalms Järnvägar acquired the "Steninge" layout, built by Patrick Grace.  We will use this for exhibitions (once we've completed a few modifications) until we are able to build a new "Köpingsvik" layout (subject as usual, to the availability of time and money)!

Adrian and Patrick shake hands over the transfer of ownership of the "Steninge" layout.  [Photo: Raymond Butler.]

01.09.03 The FLMJ was host to an unusual event on August 30th/31st.  This was a British "00" Weekend.  All of the Swedish models were kept off the layout, and 00-scale British models took over!  This happens usually only once a year, when it is a chance for AJK members (and a few friends) to run their British models on an outdoor layout - such as this!  Purists may be disappointed with this approach, but for them (and all), the good news is that our Electrical & Signalling Engineer managed to trace and correct the problems that we were experiencing with the Siljansbanan Block Instruments (which took most of the Saturday) and they worked faultlessly on the Sunday.

 
Left - Steam era and modern era.  Who cares?  A line up of steam and diesel traction at Lövhöjden towards the end of the Sunday.  Tender-first working was necessary for Down trains as there is no turntable at Lövhöjden.  (The one for Fjällnäs has already been bought, but that is looking some way ahead!)  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - It wasn't just trains - a selection of buses made the excursion to the FLMJ also. Worryingly, one of them had "Railway Relief" showing on its destination blind! [Photo: A. Allum.]

27.08.03 During August, Adrian took a personal holiday to Sweden.  (AJK trips are organised every third year.)  Restricting his movements to the Stockholm area, and making an effort to enjoy more than just railways(!), there is little to report.  However...First, advice to all would-be travellers to Stockholm.  Wherever possible buy your SL tickets from shops and not from SL offices.  SL staff are not very friendly.  Further, there is a difference between the 72-hour travel card and the 3-day travel card.  The latter is valid for three days (so if you buy one at 12-noon, you've wasted 12 hours of it).  The 72-hour version is valid for 72 hours from the moment you buy it - Adrian managed to time his for two and two-half days!  However, the shop sold him the wrong one second time round, but were only too helpful in correcting (replacing) it.  (Incidentally, the SL cards are now valid on the museum trams to Djurgården!)
Visiting a friend in Skarpnäck, Adrian was able to look over a new model railway and a model of the class 'Rd.'  This is a "what-if" locomotive, and is quite simply the Swiss 460 in SJ "IC-11" livery!  Very smart too!  Attempts at photographing the German stock being used on the suburban routes were in vain (they really ought to cut back the weeds at Älvsjö) and the withdrawn Danish stock was too far away to get a clear image!  However, a GreenCargo 'Rc' locomotive was photographed, as well as an ex-Austrian 1043 class - based on the 'Rc2' and having been withdrawn in Austria, brought back into Sweden! 

 
Left - The "What-if" model of a class 'Rd' in SJ livery! [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Banverket 'Rc' locomotive (ex-Austrian 1043) at Tomteboda. [Photo: A. Allum.]

The Tvärbanan (modern tramway) has been extended beyond Gullmarsplan to Sickla Udde, and this features a long gradient that would not go amiss in San Francisco!  The tramstop at Årstaberg is to have a connection with the suburban trains and this work was underway, as was the construction of the new Årsta bridge!

 
Left - GreenCargo 'Rc' locomotive at Södertälje. [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Tram climbing from Mårtensdal to Gullmarsplan. [Photo: A. Allum.]

25.08.03 On the weekend of August 9th & 10th, most AJK members sensibly shied away from club.  On the Sunday, it reached 35 degrees indoors!  Nevertheless, the Director General worked alone on the Saturday and had one other member turn up on the Sunday.
The bulk of Saturday's work was the control panel for Lövhöjden - the new one.  The case and equipment had been supplied by the FLMJ to Almbek Railways who planned, drilled and fitted the equipment, leaving only the track diagram to be done locally.  The next big job is the internal wiring, then the railway will stop running whilst the external wiring is changed...!

The new control panel for Lövhöjden is seen indoors pending commissioning.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

On the Sunday, a fault-finding session was arranged to find the cause of the false feed to one of the lights on the Siljansbanan Block Instruments.  The work was in vain!  The switches are still suspect, but so is the loom of wiring between the stations!  Whilst this went on, an hourly timetabled train service was provided by the X2-2 set.  And the locoshed for Lövhöjden was built.  Once this had been done, the works train was parked in it and alongside it to check clearances - and for a photo!

The Danish DMU provided motive power for the engineers' train (and accommodation for the engineers!), and is seen here trying out the new locoshed at Lövhöjden for size!  {Photo: A. Allum.]

13.07.03 On Saturday July 12th, three AJK members visited the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway as their official club outing for 2003. Traffic chaos on the way turned the 90 minute drive into four and a half hours!  However, a good day was had by all!

The RH&DR's Canadian outline loco No. 10 'Dr Syn' stands on the turntable at Hythe, during the AJK visit. [Photo: A. Allum.]

On the Sunday, four AJK members made the most of the good weather (probably too good,) to operate the railway (the FLMJ - not the RH&DR)!  More irritating problems were found with the Siljansbanan, but otherwise, all worked OK.  One member also took - and passed - his driver test.

20.06.03 AJK members hosted an open weekend upon the FLMJ on June 14th & 15th.  (Note that we do not advertise such events here as the railway is not open to the general public.  But if you would like to visit the railway, let us know and we'll "invite" you accordingly.  Our next guest event is in September.)  A full report will be published later. 
The Siljansbanan was opened at 1pm on the Saturday with "Rc7 1421" and a matching set of coaches forming the inaugural service.  Problems were encountered with the electrical installation along the Siljansbanan on the Saturday, and on the Sunday operation along that route did not commence until new controls had been connected up!  Unfortunately, on the Sunday, the control panel at Lövhöjden finally bowed out and its replacement is under way.  Watch this space!

 
Left - Rc7 1421 about to enter Lövhöjden just after the cutting of the blue & yellow ribbon that crossed the track!  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Having opened the new route, this band played the national anthem (well, the sound came from the tape-deck below the railway, but the effect was worth the effort)!  [Photo: A. Allum.]

11.06.03 An extra club session was called for June 7th & 8th, in order to get things ready for the open weekend.  On the Saturday, four members set about with the installation of electrical control equipment, especially for the new Siljansbanan route.  (One member also set about painting the skirting around the home - but in addition to painting the front timbers to the baseboards!)  Try as hard as we could, we just could not get the route to function correctly.  Also, other sections were beginning to drop out - sections that had proven OK during the previous weekend!  And here lies a lesson ... when using terminal blocks, do ensure that the screw grips the metal wire and not the plastic insulation!  By the end of the day, having bell-tested the switches for the block controls for the Siljansbanan, we found irregularities and the switches were withdrawn!

TMX 1012 under power on the Siljansbanan, arriving at Månstorp. [Photo: A. Allum.]

On the Sunday, only two members continued with this work, and using some almost-suitable switches that were found in store (6-way instead of the required 5-way) we set about connecting these up instead.  During the transfer of wires from one switch to the other, we found that one of the switches had not been wired correctly.  Human error - and we take back all those things we said about the manufacturer on the previous evening!  At 7.30pm, TMY 101 worked Light Engine along the Siljansbanan under power, and controlled by the associated equipment.  A little later, the works train headed by TMX 1012 followed - and despite a minor problem with "frog polarity" on one (or possibly two) points, great relief was felt by all!  (We still have the indicator lights to install, but they will take only one evening.)  Also, during the Sunday, the entire junction at Ålunden was connected up, tested; and proven AOK.  We're ready for the Open Weekend!

The return working approaching Lövhöjden. [Photo: A. Allum.]

1.06.03 AJK members had an extra club session on May 31st, in preparation for the opening on June 14th!  Unfortunately, due to unavailability of required materials at our suppliers, progress was disappointing.  Nevertheless, several track repairs were made, including electrical connections; and a locomotive was tested over the entire layout.  Consideration was also given to the required repairs to the scenery, as the new baseboard material has not permitted it to withstand abuse from the weather!

 
Left - The works train headed by TMX 1012 and as-yet un-numbered Z65 enters Ålunden at the end of the day.  [Photo: A. Allum.]
Right - Weather damage upon the new layout is colossal, as seen here at Lövhöjden.  [Photo: A. Allum.]

The FLMJ is looking into the fitting of overhead power cables and already Jeco posts are in place.  But where do we go from here? 
The spans (available from a German supplier) aren't long enough - so we'd have to reposition the posts and masts.  The alternative metal solution would require a lot of soldering - but then the plastic version (our original idea) would need an equal amount of gluing!  Presently, only the posts are in place, so we can operate electric locomotives with the pantographs up, but if we fit the masts, the pantographs will need to stay down - until we have fitted the contact wire!  See our question for June on this subject!

14.05.03 Our May weekend functioned on the Sunday only, due to the Annual General Meeting of the Scandinavian Railways Society taking place on the Saturday.  Nevertheless, all of the wiring looms for the Siljansbanan were installed.  All that remains to be done on this job is the connection to a 12v power supply and the provision of Block Indicators.  These indicators are home-made as they are for a single line where it is not practicable to use tokens (as per British practice) and we need to ensure that only one train is in the section at any one time...!  AJK members now have three extra days to look forward to between now and the open event in June to get the railway ready.

1.04.03 On Saturday March 29th, some of the AJK members were tested on their understanding of the rulebook - an annual procedure.  All members who were present passed OK.  Later - as people were present - we got on with some work upon the railway including some alterations to the Siljansbanan and infrastructure improvements.  We also had a look at providing a crossing over the railway between Folketspark and Månstorp, but no 'final' decision was made.

17.03.03 Pictures of recent tracklaying on the Siljansbanan, foundation work on the Norra Stambanan and rennovation work at Ålunden have been added to the FLMJ Construction page.

13.03.03 During AJK's maintenance weekend in March, a lot was achieved.
1.All of the track along the Siljansbanan (from Månstorp to Lövhöjden) was laid and wired-up.  This included a short siding at "Folketspark" and the start of the long siding to the industrial area nearby.  (Folketspark is the name of a station along this route, which will be open until the Narrow Gauge railway is built - then there will be a station here, served by that railway; and the standard gauge one will be made to look closed - but not derelict!)
2.The junction trackwork at Ålunden was removed and modified (to make operations there a lot easier), but although the new track was fitted into place, electrical connections will be done later - we need to draw a new wiring diagram for the new layout!  Also, in connection with this work, the baseboard inside this area was levelled and strengthened!
3.The platform at Månstorp was refitted, following a cosmetic overhaul.  This was needed because the posts for the overhead cables will be fitted to the platform, and therefore, it cannot be removed later!  The underside was sealed at the edges to stop the rain from getting in, as were the holes for the screws and the area around the subway entrance.  Having made such a tidy job here, we had to improve the stairs to the other end of the subway also!
4.A start was made on the Norra Stambanan (the Northern Mainline), which will be the eventual route to Gärde and Fjällnäs.  This work involved only the provision of the legs for the first board, but as we were working with post-cement, we also prepared the way for the industrial siding near Folketspark!
A few pictures were taken - and we managed to finish the film - so some pictures will appear soon!

1.03.03 The FLMJ is better off by three locomotives, four coaches and four wagons!  The wagons are Roco's Iron Ore set of four.  Very nice too, but don't mix well with the UGJ ones!  Couplings are a bit of a joke also!  The coaches are one of each of the new "Blue-X" models - standard Roco models.  The main new locomotive is the "Blue-X" Rc7 1421, again a Roco model.  This is our first 'Rc' locomotive with the single-arm pantographs, and the whole set looks very nice indeed.

The new "Blue-X" or "IC-11" train seen passing the farm on the FLMJ.

However, it was not just the new arrival that made the news; V5 175, which has been unpowered for a very long time has finally had its motor refitted - and now it even goes the correct way!  And to cap it all, we are spending a bit of time this weekend painting and fitting the buffers to Tc 306, giving us a snow-plough-locomotive!
However, there is a little disappointing news also.  Our opinion poll has been abused.  It is provided for fun; none of the answers are ever likely to influence any decisions.  But please vote only once for each question.  Thank-you.

9.02.03 At AJK's club weekend in February, the baseboards for the Siljansbanan were finally completed.  Although there was time available, track laying didn't commence due to poor weather!  Also, the shed used for the Fiddle-Yard was cleared out so that work could commence on refitting the baseboards in there, following rain damage!  This is one of the inherent problems with metal sheds - thus explaining why the shed built for the signalbox is built of a different material altogether!  (The local council have outlawed wooden sheds on Park Home estates!)  However, an electrical problem prevented this job getting too far advanced! 
Parts of the new catenary system were taken down due to corrosion, and these are to be treated and painted in our workshops before being replaced.  The platform at Månstorp was made ready for refitting following overhaul, and this should not need to be interfered with for a long time - hopefully anyway, the catenary posts will be fitted to it!  Our new track cleaning van is almost ready for service (having been painted into SJ orange) and the 'Tc' locomotive needs very little to complete it now - Watch this space!
Tågklareraren Erik (our cartoon character) is in need of a new artist, so until one has been appointed, there won't be any additions to his page.  We'll keep you posted of any developments!

13.01.03 AJK's club weekend in January was a bit cold!  Nevertheless, we were able to continue with work on the foundations for the Siljansbanan and this is almost ready for track to be laid.  Two small connecting boards need to be fitted and that is all!  Also, the first of the masts for the overhead cabling were fitted into place.  These are white-metal products by Swedish firm, Jeco.  They're not the best on the market, but they're more than good enough and at a price that the FLMJ can justify.  We also held our annual Winter "Sell-off" of material surplus to requirements, but sales were very low.
There was an interesting response to our survey about pushing a train (December's opinion poll).  One person commented about his experiences in Sweden, thus: "I remember when I lived in Sweden, the year around 1954-55.  I was going home on the then Narrow Gauge line, NKlJ from Karlstad to Forshaga.  It was a huge snowstorm with a lot of snow coming down.  The train crew placed about 25-30 snow-shovels on the last open platform passenger carriage.  This was in case the train would get stuck in a snowdrift.  If it happened, I guess the train guard would have commandeered the passengers to assist in shovelling.  I would not have any problems doing it.  The only thing in today's world, I think, is that people are like zombies and couldn't do such a thing without creating more trouble.  I am mostly thinking about the high voltage overhead.  The NKlJ line was at the same voltage as SJ.  It didn't seem a problem for humans that year!"

01.01.03 GOTT NYTT ÅR - And let's hope its a good one!
On Saturday December 28th, AJK members enjoyed a Swedish style Christmas dinner - a five course Smörgåsbord!  The meal was rounded off with the Director General's report for the year and then three of the members were each presented with a "Certificate of Excellence," in recognition of the outstanding effort that they had put into the railway during the year.

15.12.02 On Sunday December 8th, many of the members and a few guests took a number of railway models (almost none Swedish) to an indoor layout in West London, on a Pay-and-Play basis.  This event has been enjoyed before and was probably overdue!
The following weekend was the official club weekend.  Our annual sell-off of surplus material was postponed because we just didn't have the time to get it all ready.  Therefore, we spent the Saturday morning working on the signal-box.
Saturday afternoon, however, saw a social event - a trip to a local-ish cinema to see the latest Harry Potter film!  This was quite an achievement considering the various TOC's (Train Operating Companies') efforts to prevent anybody from going anywhere that evening - and the infrastructure wasn't much better either.  However, where there's a Wizard, there's a way!
On the Sunday we continued working on the signalbox and the start of the new route, the "Siljansbanan," also.  Progress was impressive, and our recent thoughts about delaying the start of work on the "Norra Stambanan" route may not have been necessary!  Watch this space.
Club members are now eagerly awaiting the Swedish Style Yuletide Dinner...!

2.12.02 On November 30th, a few AJK members made the journey to Birmingham, to the Warley Model Railway Exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre.  This is one of the biggest shows in the UK and attracts many visitors - including from abroad!  The FLMJ benefited with the purchase of a second Roco track cleaning van (which will be painted orange).  Earlier in the week, we took delivery of a number of catenary posts made by Jeco and a few Brekina models ... of a Volvo 121 (Amazon) - long overdue, we think!

10.11.02 AJK had a quiet weekend in November.  We spent the Saturday assisting Patrick Grace with the operation of his Swedish layout, "Strömstad" at the Tolworth Showtrain Model Railway Exhibition.  One FLMJ train did visit the layout during the course of the day, the TGOJ V10 and two "Svenskt Stål" wagons.  With poor weather, nobody turned up at the layout on the Sunday (and Patrick had other helpers at Tolworth).

16.10.02 October's club weekend was quite a mixed bag.  There was some electrical work to do, involving changing the way in which the indicators from Ålunden to Månstorp work.  As usual in any project of this nature, the job took a lot longer than planned!  Work on the scenery (especially ballasting) was postponed due to the poor weather.  But there was a small train service - to break up the day.  The Sunday, however, was too wet.  There was a brave attempt by one member to get the railway working, but although there was some movement, it was mostly in vain!  The main activity on this day was the demolition of the wooden shed to make way for the new (non-wood) shed to be used for signalling!  (The local authorities have deemed wooden sheds on Park Home sites a fire hazard - despite the Park Homes being made of wood also!  See our Opinion Poll for October!)

24.09.02 Information about the latest edition of FLMJ-Nytt has been posted on the site.
Also, some more photographs from AJK's recent visit to Sweden have been posted on the Sweden 2002 page.

21.09.02 The FLMJ had an open weekend in September for the benefit of guests.  Patronage was much lower than in May, but the weather was a little cooler and we were competing with the large Model Railway Exhibition at Woking!  Nevertheless, with a good amount of scenery in place and a reliable operation, great fun was indeed, had by all.  Towards the end of the Sunday, the railway was invaded by "Fast" trains from around Europe, and a line-up of the TGV, Eurostar, Thalys and X2-2 just had to be seen to be appreciated!  (A photo will appear in due course!)
Strictly speaking, the railway is closed for operations until next year; we have quite a heavy winter building programme, but this website will keep you up to date.

16.08.02 During July, three AJK members visited Sweden, and a report can be found on this site - or click here.
Toward the end of July, some AJK members had an enjoyable day operating the railway, whilst others did some ongoing maintenance. There were a few short moments when all trains were required to stop, but on the whole, it all went OK. Some of the wiring at Månstorp was revised (and made neater), whilst both stations saw revisions to the arrangement of train controllers - each now having one fixed (temporary) unit and one remote (permanent) unit.
At the beginning of August, a special session was called on for the purpose of entertaining a guest from Sweden. Unfortunately, this visit had to be postponed, but the members made the most of this situation by relaying the track alongside the platforms at both stations - to remove the gaps in some places and to prevent the trains hitting them in others! Whether these modifications will enable 00-scale British "Hall" class locomotives to run - or not - remains to be seen!
During the regular club session in August, the temporary Block instruments between the two stations were to have been rewired, resulting in the removal of an irritating "track" switch. (We won't bother explaining this switch to you as it is now virtually obsolete, and will be completely obsolete once the new control panel at Ålunden has been installed.) However, electrical problems with some associated circuits that we were not able to find and repair, made it unwise to do the work! Nevertheless, with the help of an override facility, we were able to keep the railway running, and one member was even able to renew his qualification as a driver (done every three years).

12.08.02 Due to holidays, we won't be canvassing your opinion on a Swedish railway subject in August. Look out for a new question in September. Trevlig Sommar!

12.06.02 Over the AJK weekend in June, six members put the FLMJ to test. Now that the railway is operational, and we have got the official opening behind us, it is time to make the adjustments, to iron out the problems.  There are plenty of them, but only one is serious, and that is to be postponed until after September's open weekend!  Some wiring jobs were carried out over this weekend, but the emphasis was on running trains.  On the Saturday, the FLMJ's trains worked tirelessly for a few hours and then gave way to members' other stock - all of a British origin!  The same was planned for the Sunday, but rain stopped play during the afternoon!  One point worthy of note, is that the IBAB liveried 'TMX' locomotive was retrofitted with Kadee couplings so that we have something to haul the UGJ Iron Ore wagons until Roco can be bothered to return our faulty 'IORE' locomotive.  (This was faulty when delivered, and we have now been waiting for it for six weeks!)

1.06.02 On June 1st (an 'extra' club session), four members set to work repairing the Peco Diamond crossings (which are quite unreliable) and doing various others jobs - jobs that were deemed necessary following the opening weekend. The trackwork at Ålunden was adjusted and means of non-radio communication installed between there and Månstorp. Unfortunately, we ran out of four-core cable and were unable to finish the job.
We have made an adjustment to the website information, in that we felt that it was unwise to carry a list of members' names. Although none of them had complained, we were advised that it was for the better. Instead, we now show just how many members we have.

26.05.02 Three AJK members visited the Newmarket Model Railway Exhibition to assist with the operation of the Swedish model railway, Strömstad, owned by Patrick Grace, our special guest from the opening of the FLMJ. 
On the following day, a different group of three members visited the Hollycombe Steam Collection near Liphook for the official annual AJK outing.  Despite dubious weather (and the vehicle used for getting to and from, getting stuck in the field), it was an enjoyable day out.  For more about the HSC, click here.

18.05.02 A full report of the FLMJ's opening day, including photos of the new railway, is now available on the FLMJ Opening Page. More photos of the event will follow shortly.

12.05.02 The new FLMJ was officially declared 'open' by Mr. Patrick Grace (Chairman, Scandinavian Railways Society) at 1300hrs on Saturday, May 11th.  There were many guests present, all of whom appeared impressed with our efforts.  There were many niggling problems with the railway - mostly of an electrical nature, but we were able to keep on top of it all and keep the trains running.  During the days leading up to the event and including the day itself, two AJK members became qualified as drivers upon the railway, and another completed the written part also.  AJK also gained a new member!
On the Sunday, the atmosphere was more relaxed.  We were also short staffed - we need three operators and only had two who knew how to control things, but our newest member got a lot of training!  The Peco Diamond Crossings started to play up (a problem we've experienced before), and these will be heavily modified on site before the railway is operated again.  A rather pleasant conclusion to the day was the gift of some new radios.  The 2-way 'toys' that we had been using were far from ideal, and this gift is deeply appreciated.  Another guest enquired about joining AJK, also!

7.05.02 With time running out, extra AJK member sessions were called for at the beginning of May.  Due to other commitments, the Sunday saw no activity, but both Saturday and Bank-Holiday Monday were busy days for the members.  The main job was electrical connections at Månstorp, but lots of other small jobs all over the railway were tackled.  By 9pm on the Monday evening, with the exception of just one section of track (!), the railway was declared ready for use!

20.04.02 All but one member turned up to an extra AJK session in mid-April. Work included track laying in the fiddle-yard and on the down curve between Lövhöjden and Månstorp; more electrical installation at Lövhöjden - and a start at Månstorp; track bonding at an assortment of places; and building the cover for the tunnel extension at the entrance to the fiddle-yard.

15.04.02 The AJK session in April was poorly attended, but a lot was achieved. Repairs to the control panel at Lövhöjden took up quite a bit of time, but it is now ready (barring the installation of an extra switch) to be used.  As suspected, the built-in isolators on the Peco points have failed and as an emergency measure, polarity switches are being installed.  Thankfully, the wiring is already there...!  A start was also made on the panel for Månstorp, but this didn't get very far.  Track was laid all the way into the Ålunden tunnel, but only the Up line could reach the fiddle-yard due to some pointwork being out of stock with our supplier.  Unfortunately, modifications were necessary with some of the baseboards on this section - one problem was an 'oversight', the other a 'correction!'  That was Saturday's work!  (Very late in the evening, the FLMJ's model of the 'IORE' locomotive arrived...)
On the Sunday, work continued with the polarity switches at Lövhöjden, and the control panel for Månstorp was wired up, ready for connection to the tracks.  Ålunden's missing point was improvised with an old 'insulfrog' type from the old FLMJ, that will be replaced at a later date.  (Later in the afternoon, the 'IORE' was tested - and it is faulty!)  :-(

3.04.02 The Easter weekend was an active one for AJK members, though the railway didn't see much activity.  On the Saturday, the members were treated to a Swedish style Easter dinner.  Because of this, the members' attire was not suitable for working on the railway afterwards.  A work-day had been planned for the Sunday, but rain-stopped-play. For AJK, the Easter weekend extended into the Tuesday also.  On this day, the top level baseboard that is to carry the mainline into the fiddle yard area was completed, and track laying was in hot pursuit!

25.03.02 Three AJK members spent an extra Saturday in March, working on the railway.  It was found that the boards erected in the shed for Ålunden were too high (creating a 1:15 gradient) so these needed to be lowered. (We didn't have the use of professional surveying equipment this time! - Oops!)  Nevertheless, this work was done, and the track base continued to edge towards this shed.  Track laying couldn't continue due to none being in stock with our supplier, and the FLMJ has exhausted its stocks also!

10.03.02 Five members and a guest set to work in March on a more tricky part of the development of the new railway - the 'high-level' extension of the railway.  Some ingenuity was called for and executed remarkably well.  The guest has indicated that he may join AJK - evidently impressed with our project!
Only three members continued this work on the Sunday, but track-laying was in hot pursuit of the baseboard-laying.  One of the baseboards is split into three along most of its length (so it's not quite three boards) and the centre potion goes down (for the Siljansbanan around the home) and the outer two go up (for the main line to the fiddle-yard).  Track was laid through the station to the two crossovers at the down end (i.e., not including the 'Y' point at the start of the Siljansbanan), and one length beyond one of the crossovers to permit locomotive running round engineering trains!  Our layout plan has been modified to show the latest developments.

17.02.02 The extra AJK session saw five members in action. The final (for the time-being) baseboard was fitted in place and then attention was turned to track laying. The Down line was extended by only two panels (about 2 metres in length - or in scale terms 174 metres!), but the Up line reached through the tunnel under the top step to the front door of the home. On the following day, the Director General carried on with this work, and the Up end junction was provided. Some photos were also taken on this second day, and these will be presented on this site soon!

10.02.02 The AJK weekend in February was indeed a very busy one.  On the Saturday, five of the six members (plus a member of AJK-V) were present, and between them, they fitted more uprights into the ground, assembled and fitted baseboards, and insulated the floor in the shed for the fiddle-yard, to help eliminate condensation!  On the Sunday, three members continued this work, and although not quite finished, morale was boosted.  An extra session was mooted...

13.01.02 AJK had a busy session in January!  On the Saturday, enough uprights (legs) were purchased to carry the railway from Månstorp to Ålunden, and most of these were concreted in place.  Also one baseboard was made up (but couldn't be fitted because the uprights hadn't 'set' in time).  Five AJK members were present; but also a delegation from the Scandinavian Railways Society were present for an impromptu meeting - and of course, an inspection of the development of the new railway. Subsequently, two SRS members renewed their subscriptions for "FLMJ-Nytt," our journal.
On the Sunday, there was relatively little activity upon the layout.  However, attention was turned to the stock maintenance and a number of wagons were returned to service.

01.01.02 AJK had an extra weekend at the end of December to operate the railway. Originally, this was planned for the Saturday, but installation of the temporary control panel for Lövhöjden took longer than planned, and the webmaster was requisitioned to sort out the computer blues (printer, drivers, a hoax virus, to name but a few), this taking almost all day. Furthermore, the weather failed! Yes, the weather during the holiday had been dry, but on this day, it rained! So, at a last minute, a session was proposed for the Sunday. Over two hours were spent connecting power to the controls and then sorting out wiring errors! A revision to wiring procedures will be enforced forthwith! Then, at about 1330hrs, Rc6 1408 with a set of five coaches made its first move of many upon the layout. Later the X2-2 was also brought into service, and an enjoyable - if somewhat cold - afternoon was had. The morale of the membership was boosted that afternoon, and work can continue in high spirit...!

Keep checking this website for the latest news on the rebuilding of the FLMJ

Sponsor the FLMJ?
The FLMJ needs rebuilding, but funds are very limited, and the new plans do take this into account. The FLMJ is looking toward a brighter future with open events that are hassle-free (though the weather will always be a nuisance). Certain parts of the project have been the subject of pledges - the trackwork, the signalling and other electrical work. However, the base is the biggest cause for anxiety, and the FLMJ is still looking for assistance with this - either by sponsorship or by an interest-free loan. As the FLMJ is not a public railway, (and it is located on a private residential estate,) we are not looking at putting up big posters for the sponsors. However, we are looking at free advertising in our journals for an agreed duration, and posters for display during open events only. (Also, when the new layout is featured in the "Continental Modeller" magazine, all of our sponsors (where in agreement) will be mentioned.) E-mail AJK for more information.

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