Eppur si muove (after Galileo)

As David says right at the end - it does indeed work.  Warms the cockles it does.  Now to get Swallow's End to a similar state of activity...

South East Queensland Area Group Meeting –13 June 2015

Same day report – don’t get used to it!  (And yes – apologies for not having one last month at all!)

6 of us gathered at a new venue (well new in the sense we haven’t been there as the LAG before but only one of us had never been at all) today where the highlight was the presence of David’s 2mm layout of which video was shot – more of which anon.

Some discussion was had around the 2mm scale layout Greg has out the back of his place having obtained it from estate of the bloke who introduced him and I to 2mm Finescale in the first place.  I suspect that 2016 could see it finally getting done, some 13 years or so after Andy’s unfortunately early departure from this life.

Once modelling got underway, all of us worked on our various projects.

Ben and Greg did something about replicating the lamp posts pictured at Sturminister Newton for his layout.  You guess the height of the fence, do some drawing and some scaling, bit of maths then get a paper clip, some bits of plastic tube of various outside diameters, a sequin and bead and voilà – lamp post.  The assembly judge it pretty good but felt the lamp was too close to the bend so some tweaking needs to be done for the production run.  Still, not bad for half an hour!

 

Barbara continued on with her N Gauge Society GWR wagon project, this time doing the opens which come as part of Kit 48.

Don kept on going with his pair of GWR Milk Brakes from Etched Pixels – I think this is the second of the pair under construction but I forgot to ask.

David, flushed with the success of the running session, got the servomotor for the fourth point mounted and wired.  It now just needs the blades installed and the programing done and he’ll have the ability to run around a train.  Next month…

I carried on with building the Severn Models Semi-detached Houses (N7 in their catalogue) of which I obtained 8 examples as part of their Kickstarter Campaign last year.  I decided early on based on their published dimensions that they were more suited to terraces than semi-detached and so I am building them as a terrace of 2 up 2 down houses. 

So a very productive get together.  Next meeting is the 11th of July.  Hopefully I will have Swallow’s End running for that one so we will have two 2mm planks operational.

Toowoomba Model Train Exhibition 2015

Last weekend was the annual Toowoomba Model Train Exhibition.  We have been going up for a number of years now and always have a great time.  This year was no exception but it was notable for a couple of reasons.

 

Firstly we debuted Ben Lawson’s Sturminister Newton.  His blog is linked on the side bar to the right so you can have a look at what he has been doing. 

 

We also had two new members of the operating team join us.  David has been part of the LAG since its inception back in 2012 but was unable to join us last year when we returned to the circuit.  My eldest daughter, Hollie, came too.  She showed an interest in shunting which surprised us all although there were some rather heavy shunts from time to time and the occasional out of control locomotive (although this was ultimately traced to a loop in the controls which had the loco responding to two controllers rather than one).  Considering she hasn’t turned 9 yet, to last a day and a half with two very late nights before losing interest and playing with some of the other kids in attendance was very good.  Hollie was invited back next year – hopefully she will have her own loco to wear out rather than using one of mine!

Hollie hard at work

Exhibitions are an interesting thing.  Before we went, I had read Julia “Missy” Adams blog (also linked to the right) where she had asked if exhibitions are worth it.  I know there are a lot of differences between the Australian exhibition experience (well at least mine here in SE Queensland) and the reported experience in the UK.  Over here, you don’t get paid to attend a show as an exhibitor.  In fact, the Toowoomba one is one of the rare ones where, provided you are willing to accept the hospitality on offer, you can be out for as little as the petrol getting to and from.

 

Normally exhibitions will have unlimited supplies of tea and coffee (for given qualities of same – catering packs rather than freshly ground and made) and provide lunch and that is it.  Toowoomba does have accommodation (you get to stay in the hall – showers etc. are available) as well as a hot meal on set up night, continental breakfast (I think there was 5 different cereal boxes for those inclined with a BBQ plate provided for those wanting to cook their own hot brekkie), morning and afternoon teas along with lunch.  Dinner Saturday night was a three course meal for a tenner.  Obviously if this isn’t to your taste, then you are on your own. 

 

In contrast, my understanding of the UK scene is that petrol and hire of vehicles and accommodation are all reimbursed – I would imagine that presenting Ritz receipts may not get you invited back – and meals are supplied.  As such, a weekend playing trains, results in those playing not being out of pocket at all, or possibly less than the average Aussie enthusiast.

 

And then there are the punters.  Missy reportedly had a less than delightful experience at the hands of some paying customers who felt her efforts weren’t up to what they were expecting (dunno exactly what they were expecting – the photos of her modelling are inspiring enough.  Assuming it works as well as it looks…). 

 

In this respect we share something in common.  The punters here will also express disappointment that the layouts are not what they are hoping to see for a variety of reasons.  For example our layouts (mine, Ben’s and our third partner in crime, Greg’s) are all set at a height of 1200mm from the floor – plus levelling materials.  Sometimes this will put the layout much higher as some of the floors are less than ideal and the layout is over 10m in length.  Additionally, with a layout that long, and two 4m scenic sections broken by a 20 road traverser not to mention the run along the back of it all, there are times when there isn’t a moving train in sight.  Given that all three of our locations are based on real ones with tweaking (the chief tweak in all three cases being the introduction of duplication to the line – all were single line originally but are modelled as two track mainlines) it is a bit hard to give them the endless snake trains which many of the other N scale modellers seem to want to do.  However, we are still more than happy to go.

 

The main driving reason for going to a show is the opportunity to play trains.  All three of us are able to have our layouts set up at home – Ben and I have ours permanently up in garage and shed respectively.  Greg usually has his up under his house.  However, the opportunity to run them as designed with a lot more trains available to run through the seen is rare and tends to only happen at an exhibition.  We understand that some people don’t like what we are showing – it can be a variety of reasons such as wrong country (UK), wrong scale (N), wrong motive power (steam normally!) or lack of anything “interesting” running.  (We try to run typical British trains – as Stur is SDJR based, things like the Pines Express and Standard 5s were in evidence along with 4Fs and so forth.  We also try to run them at scale type speeds so it can take 2 mins for a lap – and that’s a 60mph express!)  So we get our fair share of sniffs, snorts and asides.  However, we also get a lot more people saying how good it looks, and, because we have pictures of the real place, lots of people are interested in how we have modelled something which, in all three cases, doesn’t exist anymore (well St Alban’s Abbey station does, but not like mine!).  All in all, we feel that it is worth going – and especially worth going up the hill to Toowoomba.

South East Queensland Area Group Meeting – 11 April 2015

First up an apology – I managed to leave my camera at home so no photos for this month.  At least I am getting the report in on the day of the meeting so that’s a plus.

 

We returned to Ben’s this month to see progress on Sturminister Newton.  He has gone back to work in the last week but managed to get quite a bit done on the scenery  and what not since January and the first visit, as recorded in his blog (link to the right of screen).  A couple of the group members hadn’t seen Stur for a few years so were very impressed with how it has developed.

 

There was 6 of us present today – Anthony had made it up from Sydney for the week so joined us but we had a couple of telegraphed absences to New Zealand and the Sunshine Coast.

 

I was working firstly on finishing the two tar wagons I was building for two of the group members (fitting couplers and spoked wheels).  Once this was done, I got stuck into the LMS Gannets Ben and I kick-started for County Rolling Stock in 2013 – they’ll be the subject of their own post in due course so I won’t say too much.

 

Ben was working on his signal box for Stur – again, I won’t say too much as he is likely to be putting a post up of his own in due course.  He wasn’t alone in the signal box game with Barbara building the Ratio Midland one – much to the bemusement of the gathered as she and Don model GWR.  They do, however, have a junction station and decided to make it at Midland/GWR junction so the Midland box was justified.  The interest in signal boxes prompted Anthony and Ken to have a discussion about leavers and box diagrams particularly as Anthony is trying to work out how many leavers Conwy Signal Box had – if anyone knows, can you please get in touch with either me or Anthony on his RM Web blog.

 

Don was working solidly away at the Etched Pixels GWR Milk Brake – which reminded me I have two somewhere in the UFO drawer which need attending to as well.

 

All in all, a very productive meeting for those who attended.  The catering was to a high standard – whilst the baked goodies on offer were welcome, it is setting the bar a bit high and SWMBO reckons on resumption back here later in the year, the standard will revert!

 

Not sure where we will have our next as by that stage the long planned house renovation here will have started (fingers crossed – due for 28/4 but…) and there are a few who already know they will be interstate. 

New Farish Duchess

I have been impressed with the various versions of the new Duchess Bachmann have released under their Farish brand for the N Gaugers for a while.  I have seen a number of them, belonging to fellow members of the SEQ Area Group but have only recently obtained one myself via eBay. 

I picked up 46229 “Duchess of Hamilton” in maroon for a good price – more so when I consider that the local Australian price if one does support the Local Hobby Shop is $420.  Given Hatton’s and other sell for half that (and I got mine less than that again) you can see why we generally don’t buy our locos out here.

The latest NGS Journal arrived today (10 April) and it had a letter from a bloke “over the ditch” in New Zealand enthusing about two examples which have made it to the Land of the Long White Cloud.  According to the letter, they haul 15 and 19 coaches.  This is pretty good and allows for prototypical haulage.  We put mine to the test on Sturminister Newton last week and it didn’t have any trouble with 25.  The train was made up of 13 Farish LMS coaches and 12 Farish Mk1s as shown in the accompanying video.  All in all, very happy with the purchase.

I have since renamed and numbered it 46245 “City of London” and retired my old Poole version of the same name/number.  I know London is available but not at the eBay price Hamilton was.  Now all I need is to get my hands on a green one (46253 “City of St Alban’s) and a blue one (46237 “City of Bristol”) and all my old ones will head out onto the Bay of E and to new homes.

South East Queensland Area Group Meeting – 14 March 2015

As one of my former Heads of Department was wont of saying when time got away from her, day late, dollar short.  So it is with this report on our Monthly Meeting.

 

Once again we were on the road for this months get together with the hoard descending on Graeme’s house.  As it happened, we had almost a complete attendance with only Anthony (stuck in Sydney – at least his digs have great views) missing in action.

 

Ken brought along his wharf again – this time with the controller.  He has fitted his stock with DGs so a healthy discussion ensured about how well they travel (not as well as we thought it turns out!) as there is some debate about moving over to this style from a number of us.  As Graeme uses DGs on his layout, there was plenty of experience to put ideas forward for the enlightenment of those interested.

Wharf shunting puzzle.  Get the 16t minerals to be in the same order as the cards.  Takes a lot more thought than you’d think at first glance, as the head shunts aren’t that long!

 

Ben kept working on his Victorian Railways coaches – up to transfers.  A kit with transfers available.  Can’t be.  The coaches are coming along nicely and he may have to consider a layout for them in due course.

 

I built a chassis for a Tar Wagon – which I was supposed to have done on Thursday night (spent it doing stuff for uncoupling on Sturminister Newton – hence the discussion of DGs) and I was also supposed to take progress photos for an article and advice page for the lads in the UK.  Managed to take zero photos but have 6 more to do – and Ben offered to let me build his pair if I needed to do more for the photos!  Nice of him.

One I did earlier.  The transfer looks straight when viewed side on in real life.  Honest.  This one is getting Rapidos as it isn’t mine!

 

David speculated about the use of a Dukedog on his embryonic GWR 2mm layout.  This speculation was moved along by the news that he could get one, with 2mm wheels in it, painted etc. from eBay.  Apparently we could have a new toy at our May meeting.  Ben had opted for an N wheeled Midland 0-4-4t.  I am watching with interest.

 

Graeme had his layout “Thornbury” up and running and has even started on his Archive Box Diorama.  Not only has he picked a spot, he has built boards.  Currently heads the leader board as I think everyone else has only really thought about it, although Ben has started assembling models to place on his.

 

Photos of “Thornbury” below:

Full length of the layout.  I forgot to ask Graeme how long it is, but the Royal Scot and three in the platform is about as long a train as will fit on the sliding traverser at the far end.  If it is longer than 8 feet I’d be surprised.

Thornbury has similar buildings to the S&C – same designer apparently.  This means the Metcalf offerings are perfect position holders until the more accurate ones are built.

 

The Engine Shed won Graeme a couple of trophies in modelling competitions in years past.  You can’t see it, but it has the full interior treatment, including all the roof trussing.  I know it’s there, as I have seen it so take my word for it.

 

Despite the narrow board Graeme has managed to get the “train in the landscape” feel.  He did comment that he felt it was too sleepy but given the branch was a 7 mile “one engine in steam” (yet we had 4 at the terminus on Saturday!!) affair I reckon sleepy is spot on – and he has got it so, so right.

 

Whilst built to N gauge (i.e. 9mm) all the track is hand made in 60’ lengths using components from the 2mm Scale Association.  The only real give away is the flange ways on the points (which I noticed I didn’t photograph) and the lack of replacement wheels on the stock.

LNWR D6 3D Print from Shapeways

At the end of 2013, I was asked if I would be willing to teach a Technical Drawing class in 2014.  Now as someone who did it to Senior, I wasn’t especially fazed and agreed to teach 8 Graphics to help out.  The biggest issue I faced was time had moved on and more of the course was now done with a CAD program than it was back in the late 80s/early 90s of my school days.

Nevertheless, I sallied forth and had AutoDesk Inventor 2013 (which was what we had at the time at work – we’ve since upgraded to 2015 for the students, but not me!) put on my computer.  I attempted some bits and pieces on my own, using a couple of YouTube video tutorials but it wasn’t really until I sat down with Phil Badger of Gopher and Ixion (along with BadgerBits) at the Toowoomba Model Train Exhibition last year that it all started to click.

By June, I had developed enough skills and insights to have a go at drawing a wagon.  I settled on the LNWR D6 2 plank open as my first attempt as it wasn’t too big, I had a decent set of drawings in LNWR Wagons Vol 1 and, importantly, some pictures as well.

After a few nights work, it looked like this:

I designed it in a similar way to putting together a plastic kit – one end, one side and a floor then assembled it all – two sides, two ends and a floor.  The assembly was the easiest part as it happens.

I was pretty pleased with it and uploaded it to Shapeways and got a print sent out (along with a bunch of other stuff – so the postage was defrayed).   I wasn’t disappointed with the initial print, but I was not surprised that there were a couple of areas which needed tweaking – principally the buffer hole spacing.  Since then I have received two more prints (which have gone slightly banana shaped since arriving but flex back under pressure.  I presume once I build the chassis and fit, this won’t be a problem.  Not sure if it is climatic or something else) and had a few people buy the model.

I know that the cost of the model is far greater than the price of the materials for scratch building or even the time involved (by the time you allow for the time drawing).  However, the time drawing was useful as it was learning and any new skill takes time.  Further, if I want more than 3 of them, I can get more which will be identical – something I doubt my scratch building skills will allow for at this time!

D6 was chosen as it had the right brakes for me to model it.  Only 60 odd D6 wagons were built but they were upgraded D2s – of which 14000 were built to a 15’6” length before another 4700 were built to 16’ length.  At least 400 D2s passed to the LMS in 1923.  I must work out how to model the brake rigging for a D2 at which point, this body becomes much more useful.

The picture shows the post Beta print.  I hope to have it on a chassis and painted (Humbrol 79 apparently is a reasonable match for LNWR grey – prior to weathering!).  Transfers – well, typically this is yet another kit where there isn’t any!  However, I am learning how to fix that problem as well.

I have started on another LNWR wagon – the D15 Beer Van.  As it happens, I can tweak that drawing to become the Grain conversion without too much hassle.  Those of you with LNWR Wagons Vol 2 can check it out.  The ends were the work of an hour – which I doubt I could scratch build in that time to be honest.

I am considering putting it up as a 3 or 5 body option which should bring the price down – if you are interested in getting more than 1, please get in touch and I’ll see what I can do.

Friday Night Update –20 February 2015

I thought I’d bring back the FNU owing to the fact that most Thursdays I get together with a couple of mates and we try to “get stuff done”.  This get together was initially organised by my wife along with the Thursday night host’s – they felt we were more bearable if we did modelling more regularly than our Second Saturdays and since Ben lives a mere 20 mins away (less if the lights are kind) it has worked out quite well.  Ben has a blog too but it is only fairly recent – you can find it here.

My initial thought on going over to Ben’s was it would be an opportunity to work through projects as against what tends to happen here at home – I start on something, get side-tracked and next thing I know, the UFO pile is growing and I am beginning to feel I am achieving nothing.  With the Thursday night working bee, I could have a box with whatever I was working on, with the tools for it and leave it in the car from week to week.  This has worked quite well.

So what have I been doing?  Well I obtained a set of the Etched Pixels Thompson suburbans – you got 4 in a set but Allan sent out a fifth coach as it was a loner and he was moving into 3D printing with these models.  I can’t remember how long I’ve had them but I suspect I was living in Longreach when I got them!

With a project in mind – get them built – I have been working away over the last few weeks since Christmas.  I have tended to get about 75-80% of the body done each night which now means all 5 were done a couple of weeks ago.  Last work evening I started looking at the door grab handles but got a little side tracked on my VR K and the latest purchase from Atso-Cad – a C12.

I am planning on putting these on some of the Atso-Cad Gresley bogies from Shapeways.  I recognise that the Dapol ones may be better, but I purchased a set of Steve’s previously and having fitted one at the end of the Dapol Gresley Brake following a melting incident due to a short circuit (stopping a train with the last axle in the non-isolated section – light bar ready bogie)  I thought they would do.  Besides, I figure if I buy Steve’s models (such as the N2) he might do some more!

The coaches are as follows: 2x D339 Thirds, 2x D340 4 Compartment Brakes and 1x D338 Lav Composite.  The copy I have of the LNER Coaches by Campling seems to be a bit over the shop when it comes to these coaches so I’m not sure if the extra goes in the rake or outside it as a strengthener – I’ll run it as shown below unless someone tells me otherwise!

Not the all time greatest shot but the weather has been rotten for the last couple of days – we’ve had over a foot of rain fall in under 48 hours and the overcast conditions haven’t suited photos at all.  I will take better ones once I have done something about door handles (lots!) door grab rails (also lots – I think more than the handles from the pics, especially on the Brakes) and do something about initial painting.  I also have to find the roofs!

South East Queensland Area Group Meeting - 14 February 2015

This months meeting was again a visit, this time to the local outpost of the SDJR - see Neb's blog to the side for more details.

We were well down on numbers this month owing to illness and work claiming a few of the regulars but some progress on UFOs was made by those who were there.

I got the transfers on my VR K class mentioned in previous posts and had it running hauling one of Ben's VR W cars from Spirit Design.  I also took the opportunity to run in my 128 as I knew Ben had cleaned his track for the meeting - mine hasn't been touched since New Year!

Graeme brought the Class 3 Std Tank he'd fixed for Anthony along and gave it a run too.  Ben had his recently purchased 4F circulating which prompted comments on how good RTR is v Kits and v Old time models (a significant number of members can claim to have owned a Lima 4F although "operated" was something different!).  Graeme was also working on an O gauge wagon...

Discussion was also had about transfer options - particularly the lack of LMS coaching stock transfers.  Hopefully a solution is near at hand.

Usual lunch enjoyed supplemented by Mrs Neb's Brownies and Muffins.  Owing to the late start on my renovations safe to say we'll be back!

Class 128 Parcels Railcar

In March last year I made my first purchase from Shapeways.  Regular readers will have seen my post about the Atso-Cad N2 which I obtained along with the Patriot kit from the same stable.  I also purchased the kit for the Class 128.  I mentioned at the time that it would go in the queue until such time as a chassis was obtained.
 

The initial idea of getting a cheap 121 or 122 from Hatton’s never came off – there wasn’t one cheap enough for me to be willing to chuck the body.  I am not a big fan of having bodies lying around with no wheels.  So I was stuck in a bit of a quandary.

A period trawl around the web thinking of useful search terms resulted in me finding that DCC Supplies had spare chassis.  I guess that is one of the things spending time on the likes of RM Web or the N Gauge Forum will get you – but it doesn’t get a lot of modelling done!  Still, I purchased a chassis and it turned up about a month ago.

Since then, I have been working on the model on and off with an eye to entering it in this years BRMA (Q) Modelling competition.

Initially the model got a good scrub in some warm water with a bit of kitchen sink cleaner.  This got rid of the wax former which had stuck in the various corners.  Then a coat of primer was sprayed on.  Turns out primers aren’t primers and a plastic primer works better than my normal cheapie rattle can stuff.  Still, job done eventually.

 

Then the annoying bit.  I prefer to airbrush enamels.  Problem is I have run out of my preferred Precision Paints BR Blue and as this model is going to be used on a 1975-1982 themed layout, that’s what I needed.  Much stuffing around, including taking a Farish Class 47 to get colour matched (smallest they’d do was a 1 litre tin – that’s a lot of N Gauge models!) and help arrived in the form of some Railmatch Acrylics. 

Now I have had bad experiences in the past with both Railmatch (enamels – hence my preference for Precision) and acrylics – Tamiya in my case but a fair few years back.  So I was naturally hesitant.  However, having given the Humbrol Rail Blue Acrylic a go (and finding that my attitude towards acrylic was confirmed) I figured the situation couldn’t be any worse.  Happily, it worked out very well indeed, although I didn’t attempt to use the airbrush.  Thinned with a bit of filtered water and about 4 coats later:

Next problem was the yellow – the photo above was taken after this had been sort of solved.  I tried a novel approach, which involved painting some Humbrol 63 Sand on the ends.  It looked pretty good, until I put it next to a Farish 101.  Then it looked pretty ordinary.  Still, I figured as a base coat, it should improve things.  It did, sort of.

Yellow is one of “those” colours really.  Still, weathering it should work out.

The next problem was what number.  I model LMR generally but the kit is for a WR example.  The LMR ones didn’t have gangways, but had a third window (and there was only 4, which seem to have been the first four scrapped).  So a couple of evenings were spent trawling the web.

Turns out a 128 in Rail blue with gangways, head code boxes and round buffers is a bit of a difficult combination to source but I ended up very lucky and found this picture © David Hann (link):

Bingo I thought.  However, it raised another issue.  The model has holes for the Dapol lights to shine though into the head code boxes.  As it happens, they are for the inside boxes, where as you can see in the photo the dominos are on the outside.  Still, don’t have to have working lights. 

A bit more of a trawl around David’s photos on Flickr and I was lucky enough to find he had taken a picture of the arrival (the photo above shows the departure of W55991 and W55020) earlier the same day – which happens to be September 11, 1981(second bingo as it fits my time period).

I’ve cropped the photo down to just show 55991 – it’s still David’s © (link to original). 

(As an aside, I have tried to find out on Flickr how to get in touch with David to seek his permission to publish his photos here.  I couldn’t see how to so if someone could tell me, I’d appreciate it.   As it isn’t for commercial gain, and I have acknowledged Copyright, hopefully there isn’t an issue.)
 

So this is what I am trying to achieve with my model.  I have noted the half open window on the middle loading door.  The driver is clearly seen in the cab door window too.  And the leading end doesn’t have the exhaust (which I haven’t fitted to mine)  There is also the weathering pattern.

My model has progressed, based on the second photo, to this:

Arrows put on, as has the number.  I don’t have Parcels Service transfers, but I believe they are, unlike a lot of transfers, obtainable so I will have to get on and do that.  I won’t glaze it until the handrails have been added, the exhaust pipes are on and footsteps are put under the doors, along with the final transfer.  Once all that has been done, and it’s been glazed, then weathering.  I have until November 21 to get it finished.