The Friends of Honeywood Museum
  • Home
    • Latest News
    • Find Us
    • Contact Us
    • History of Honeywood
    • Accessibility
    • Links
  • Families
    • Pastimes
  • What's On
    • Events
    • Regular Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Exhibitions >
      • Painted Wandle
      • Picture Postcard Page
      • No Place Like Home
      • Story of The Oaks
  • Shop
    • New Book 2025
  • The Friends
    • Volunteers
    • Acquisitions
    • In Memoriam
    • Acknowledgements
    • Privacy Notice
  • Garden
    • Front Garden
    • Back Garden >
      • French Windows
      • Well
      • Raised Beds
      • Greenhouse
      • Northwest Corner
      • Rectangular Pond
      • Oval Pond
      • Water System
      • South Side
      • Belfry
    • Garden News
  • Nearby
    • Beddington Park >
      • Beddington Park Audio Visual
    • Little Holland House
    • The Old Rectory CORA
  • Archive
    • Events >
      • Platinum Jubilee 2022
      • Open House 2020
      • Spooky Afternoon 2015
      • Carshalton on Sea 2015
      • Alices Mad Tea Party 2015
      • WW1 Centenary 2014
      • Model Rail 2013
      • Olympic Torch 2012
      • Museum Status 2007
      • Maid of the Oaks 2007
      • Other Events >
        • Horse Play 2007
        • Top Sutton Attraction 2007
        • VE Day 2007
        • Yarn Bombers
    • History >
      • Birds Eye View 2011
      • Carshalton Park Grotto
      • Culvers Lodge
      • Honeywood
      • Springs and Watercourses
      • Sutton Lodge
      • The Leoni Bridge
      • The Lodge Gatehouse
      • The Oaks
      • The Oaks Info Boards
      • The Old Rectory
      • Wallington Green & Holy Trinity Church
    • Memories >
      • 20th Century Stories
      • Carshalton Carnival 1952
      • Carshalton High Street
      • Carshalton Memories
      • Carshalton on the Hill
      • Coronation Day Morden 1953
      • Echoes of my past
      • Growing up around Sutton
      • Growing up in Station Road Carshalton 1945-79
      • Wallington in the 50s and 60s
    • People >
      • Lionel Tertis
      • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
    • Transport
  • Search

Model Railway Exhibition - 29/30 June 2013

For the first time in a number of years, Honeywood Museum played host to a Model Railways exhibition over the weekend of 29/30 June. Featuring exhibits from Croydon Model Railway Society and Carshalton & Sutton Model Railway Club the weekend was a great success, as the two reports (with thanks to Peter Wood of the Croydon MRS) clearly illustrate!!
‘Tramlink’ at Honeywood Museum, Carshalton David Stocks

By all accounts the railway themed weekend of 29/30 June at Honeywood Museum was a great success. Jane Howard, the Curator, seemed well pleased at the ‘close of play’ on the Sunday evening and may well wish to hold a similar exhibition again.

The event was held in collaboration with Carshalton & Sutton Model Railway Club, who exhibited one of their layouts, and Croydon MRS who exhibited ‘Hemlock’, Avon Sidings’ and ‘Croydon Tramlink’ and Ray Butler’s private layout ‘Tarttila’.
Spread throughout a number of rooms on two floors, the museum provides a fascinating history of Carshalton and its surrounding area. On the railway theme there was an interesting display of early 20th Century photos of the railway through Waddon, Carshalton and Sutton, assembled on the snooker table in the largest room on the ground floor. In the same room was ‘Avon Sidings’ which seemed to be providing plenty of entertainment for the younger visitors attempting the ‘shunting puzzle’.

The railway theme was continued on the back lawn under a large gazebo where a plentiful supply of paints, paint brushes and paper glue was available to ‘youngsters’ of all ages to colour outline pictures of various trains, or glue pre-cut card parts together to build their own loco. This area was well patronised throughout the event, as observed by the ‘Tramlink’ team in the room overlooking the garden.
Picture
Tramlink
The ‘Tramlink’ layout, not having been out for over two years, needed much TLC before being exhibited. It ran almost faultlessly during the two days and was well received by a steady flow of visitors, with plenty of questions asked, especially regarding possible extensions to the Croydon system. These were prompted by the fact that various extensions have already been completed or are in progress on other UK systems, particularly in Manchester. Probably the only answer to that question at the moment is that our neighbouring boroughs and Boris (Mayor of London) fully support an extension to Crystal Palace provided the money is available. But when and where is that money? Answers on a postcard, please.

Hardly anybody commented on our tram remaining in the original red/white livery. I think they accepted that the diorama was a snapshot in time. One visitor proudly pointed to his office window on the fourth floor of St. Anne House.

I wish to thank Ron H, Don C, Kieran H and Peter W for their support in transporting and manning the layout at various times throughout the two-day event
Picture
Hemlock
A Weekend at Honeywood with ‘Hemlock’ Richard Preece

For me the weekend started just after lunch on Friday when I arrived at the club, though I wasn’t the first there. Mike and I had to pack Hemlock and then load it in the car. When Avon Sidings was loaded they went off to clear the area and we helped load Tramlink and then followed them to avoid the Friday afternoon traffic. Unfortunately this did not work as we got caught by traffic lights and then I missed Ron showing me a short cut.

We actually reached our destination first but as they had two cars we moved off to find somewhere to park which we found in a pub car park. So we took advantage of their beer festival and arrived at the museum at booked arrival time and unloaded Hemlock and were helped up the dogleg staircase to our room, where, with help, we put Hemlock up, and then headed off to a prior engagement.
I decided to go by bus Saturday morning and had cleaned the track by the time Mike arrived with the stock and a controller. We finished the set up and got things working well by the time the Museum opened its doors. We had a lot of interest from the visitors and were kept going by frequent cups of drink and biscuits.

Unfortunately we had underestimated the available members so we had to have a short break sitting outside the French windows on the dwarf wall to have a sandwich break. We did have visitors in the afternoon from the club but didn’t manage to persuade them to have a go so that one of us could have a break and in my case rest my voice from answering lots of questions.
Picture
Oak Hill
​Sunday I took the car to bring the layout back in the evening and was much the same as Saturday though with I thought not so many visitors.

We were grateful for Alan coming up to rather apprehensively take over operating so that we could have alternative lunch breaks and have a little longer break We eventually managed to prize the controller out of his hand in the middle of the afternoon, we tend to watch and can usually spot when someone is getting tired.

Highlights or worries over the weekend were the two boys with their parents who did not seem to understand “do not touch”, however their parents eventually managed to regain control and took them away.

With some help from Chris and Neil and the Curator we managed to get Hemlock dropped and down so that she could close up at 18:00.

We then drove back to the Club and managed to get the cars unloaded and we were all away by 19:00. I think a good weekend was had by all.

All images and text on this page are Copyright © Richard Preece, David Stocks and Peter Wood 2013 and The Friends of Honeywood Museum
The Friends of Honeywood Museum
A Registered Incorporated Charity - ​CIO No. 1175789


Join The Friends of Honeywood Museum   Privacy Notice   Accessibility   Dogs Policy

The Friends of Honeywood Museum cannot be held responsible for the content of links to external sites. Links to external sites will open in a new window
Unless stated otherwise, all words and pictures on this Website are Copyright © The Friends of Honeywood Museum 2006 – 2025
We are hugely appreciative of 34SP for their generous Charity Hosting of this Website
Picture
Picture
No. 2182
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Home
    • Latest News
    • Find Us
    • Contact Us
    • History of Honeywood
    • Accessibility
    • Links
  • Families
    • Pastimes
  • What's On
    • Events
    • Regular Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Exhibitions >
      • Painted Wandle
      • Picture Postcard Page
      • No Place Like Home
      • Story of The Oaks
  • Shop
    • New Book 2025
  • The Friends
    • Volunteers
    • Acquisitions
    • In Memoriam
    • Acknowledgements
    • Privacy Notice
  • Garden
    • Front Garden
    • Back Garden >
      • French Windows
      • Well
      • Raised Beds
      • Greenhouse
      • Northwest Corner
      • Rectangular Pond
      • Oval Pond
      • Water System
      • South Side
      • Belfry
    • Garden News
  • Nearby
    • Beddington Park >
      • Beddington Park Audio Visual
    • Little Holland House
    • The Old Rectory CORA
  • Archive
    • Events >
      • Platinum Jubilee 2022
      • Open House 2020
      • Spooky Afternoon 2015
      • Carshalton on Sea 2015
      • Alices Mad Tea Party 2015
      • WW1 Centenary 2014
      • Model Rail 2013
      • Olympic Torch 2012
      • Museum Status 2007
      • Maid of the Oaks 2007
      • Other Events >
        • Horse Play 2007
        • Top Sutton Attraction 2007
        • VE Day 2007
        • Yarn Bombers
    • History >
      • Birds Eye View 2011
      • Carshalton Park Grotto
      • Culvers Lodge
      • Honeywood
      • Springs and Watercourses
      • Sutton Lodge
      • The Leoni Bridge
      • The Lodge Gatehouse
      • The Oaks
      • The Oaks Info Boards
      • The Old Rectory
      • Wallington Green & Holy Trinity Church
    • Memories >
      • 20th Century Stories
      • Carshalton Carnival 1952
      • Carshalton High Street
      • Carshalton Memories
      • Carshalton on the Hill
      • Coronation Day Morden 1953
      • Echoes of my past
      • Growing up around Sutton
      • Growing up in Station Road Carshalton 1945-79
      • Wallington in the 50s and 60s
    • People >
      • Lionel Tertis
      • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
    • Transport
  • Search