Saltford on hoppers

 

This is a venerable Saltford Models Simplex kit that I built a few years ago. I've always been a fan of the range, even though at the time they were still out of my grasp financially. A Ruston for Christmas was the only chance I had, and now they are seriously collectable, I doubt I'll ever have the chance of trying some of the odder locos in the catalogue. 

Made of Plastikard with whitemetal fittings, the model is a little fragile, but seems to run well and isn't too heavy. Speed can be set to either high or low, acheived by switching two of the four AAA batteries in and out of curcuit. The live under the bonnet, a tight fit. I'd love to cover the motor in the cab, but there's not enough space to fit even a heavily modified driver. 

The hoppers are repainted Tri-ang "Big-Big" models, and even without extra weight, rattle around the track very reliably. Maybe not the most glamourous of trains, they are realistic, and I like them. 

At the show: Suprisingly good. Ran nearly three hours hauling a couple of wagons, on a single pair of AA batteries. No problems with trackholding, so a real success.

Red passenger train

 

As part of the preperation for the NGRS, I've been sorting through the 32mm gauge stock to assemble a (hopefully) reliable collection for the day. I'm going to run through the trains, as much as an aide memoire for myself as anything else. I plan to update these posts with details of how reliable each loco was, so I can remember to do something about it.  

First up, the IP Engineering passenger train. I built most of this in a weekend at Peterborough show year ago, then finished it for the NGRS years later. On its first outing, it ran perfectly, and for a long while on its single pair of AAA batteries. 

Emboldened by this, the next year I tried again, and the coaches kept leaping off the track. Adding weight by pouring stones from the ballast in through the open windows helped a bit, as it did the following year, but we really need proper weight. I've now stuck sheet lead under the floors to see what difference this makes. 

The loco could do with some better switch gear, all we have is an on/off on the battery box floating around in the cab. That will have to wait as I can't work out where to mount an easily accesible switch yet, but it would make operation a little easier. 

At the show: Not good. The guard's coach kept hopping off the track, for no obvious reason, so the trains spent the day in the box under the layout. I'll need to have another serious look at this coach. Maybe it's unsavable? 

The loco on the other hand worked well. Towards the end of the day, we put it on some Big-Big skip wagons, and it handled six of these with ease. One of the axleboxes is delaminating, but that's an easy fix with PVA another day.

Farewell EiM

 

So, Engineering in Miniature magazine has reached the end of the line. This is a shame, but not a great surprise. 

I have an affection for the publication, because I edited it for six months, back in 2017. At the time I did my best, but knew I wasn't the right person for the job, Andrew Charman, who took over the editors' desk was a far better fit. 

During my time, the biggest struggle was to find people willing to write for the magazine. Repeated enquiries at shows were met with very little success, and not a few rude responses as though it was wrong of me to even ask. Andrew enjoyed more success, but the regular appeals for new content in the editorials, suggests it was hard work. 

One problem is that this isn't a big market, and it's not growing, but is served by three magazines. EiM, Model Engineer and Model Engineer's Workshop. I suspect that very few people subscribed to all threee, yet there were a trio of outlets looking for content every month. Content that is highly technical and often needs to include working drawings. 

So, while I'm not privy to all the details, my understanding is that the magazine was losing a little money, and no one could work out how to reverse the decline, not helped by the readership (judging by the attendees at the Midlands show) being on the old side, so it was time to close. At least there was suficient notice for Andrew to wrap things up properly, something that the publishers didn't have to do, but care enough to do so. 

Hopefully, the readers will transfer to one of the remaining publications. Perhaps it might even remind the market that if you don't use it, you lose it!

Saturday Film Club: A tour of Killybegs model railway

Large scale? Unusual? My sort of layout!

Off to the NGRS

 

 

This weekend, it's the biggest garden railway show in the country - and handily, it's moved just down the road from me!

This ought to be good news. Normally I have a bit of a drive with a van-load of material to build our "Garden railway in a day" display. Sadly, the limitations of the venue mean I can't get the van in the building, never mind to the stand for loading and unloading. 

This means a much reduced garden this year as lugging half a ton of material the length of the building on my own isn't an option. Even if it was, the job would take so long I'd not have time to build the layout!

Never mind, I'll still be around to chat all things garden railways, and be really pleased to see anyone who drops by. The show looks like it will be as terrific as ever - loads to see and buy!

Full details of the show on their website.

Selly Oak lives!

 

Long term readers will remember my Selly Oak project - a commission from Rapido during lockdown, that gradually became a burden to me, rather than a joy. When I delivered it to them, and then the person whose garage it was in left the company, I assumed that would be the last anyone would see of it. 

But no! Looking in the latest newsletter, there is a Fleetline bus posed on the model. 

It seems that the layout is now safely in Kent, and should be seeing more bus action later in the year. 

Wanted: Hornby Church R599

 

Having built one of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" range, I want more. Specifically, I fancy the Hornby church that was still part of the catalogue in the 1980s and beyond. The model was R599, and I think, related to the 1963 model. 

The older kit was available with and without chimes, but these were dropped long before the more modern packaging. 

Needless to say, when I didn't want one of these, they were everywhere. You couldn't pass a second-hand stall without at least one. Now, nothing. I've searched the web to no avail. 

So, does anyone have one of these stashed away that they don't want?

Tri-ang shop in "The Collector"

 

The latest issue of the Hornby Collector's club house magazine drops through the letterbox, and in it is my contribution, a build of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" Hardware store. 

I'd never heard of the range before, until I found this kit on Cheltenham Model Centre's stand at a show. I picked it up out of curiosity, and it's sat on the shelf ever since. Then I started building retro kits for The Collector, and it seemed like an excellent subject. 

If you'd like to know more about this range, I recommend this website. It allowed me to date my kit to 1962, as the range changed name in 1963.

Having built one, I'm now on the lookout for more, so if you have anything tucked away, and don't want huge amounts of cash for it, I'd be interested. More on this tomorrow. 

 

(Cake)boxing clever

 

For work, I produce a lot of dioramas - most of which have to be stored for future show use. In the distant past, this resulted (and occasionally still does) in a shelves full of odd shaped boxes in our storage unit. 

Once the idea of the Cakebox competition came up though, I realised I could standardise on these containers for my builds. Most of the time, an 8 inch scene is big enough for the article to showcase a series of techniques. As I say to people regularily - ballasting produces three photos, whether I do six inches of sixty feet. But the later is a month's worth of work that doesn't generate enough material for an issue. That's why I build little layouts...

Anyway, with a couple of dioramas to box, I searched around Leamington town centre for cake boxes. Nothing. 

OK, online, where it turns out I can buy 10 for a tenner from The Craft Company. There is now a stack of flat-packed boxes in the office, which will gradually find themselves filled, sadly, not with cake. 

With a bit of fiddling and glue, it's easy to reduce the height of a box too, making better use of the storage space. Handy things these.

Statfold Barn 2024

A few photos from last weeks' show. 

Bachmann launched their NG7 (7mm scale on OO track) range with some Quarry Hunslets. First impressions are that they are as good as we'd expected (the models have been rumoured for a couple of years, and much anticipated) and will convert a number of people to the scale. I am angling to do a magazine project with one...

 

 

I don't think I can use this in Garden Rail!

 

 

Filming The Titfield Thunderbolt. 

 

 

I'm not one for 3D printed locos, but this Russell looks really nice to me. 

 

 

I snagged the last piece of cake on Saturday. The barman was amazed to have gone through five during the day. I could have told him better. I should be a cake consultant. 

 

 

Nice 5 inch gauge Ruston 48DS.

 

 

Finally, my favourite layout at the show, a difficult choice as there were many excellent models on show. Look out for this in BRM in a few months time. 

Saturday Film Club: Let's look at a Black Five

The latest in the "Curator with a camera" series, looks at the ubiquitous LMS "Black Five" locomotive.

Not painting

 

Sunday afternoon, down to the model railway club to help out on the work there. For the last few weeks, the jobs for unskilled idiots involved putting paint on the walls or ceiling. 

Not this week, it's all about preparing the floor for paint, which means hours of scraping, and then sanding to get the blobs of paint and plaster off the chipboard. 

Why can't we use a machine? It seems the chipboard floor surface isn't that tough, and a sander would eat through it, so hand sanding it is then. To be honest, it's a hateful job, but essential, so we just have to get on with it.

My arms hurt.

Water, signal levers, wagon loads and a photo plank in the May issue of BRM magazine

 

When I'm exhibiting, the area that seems to interest most people is how I made the water on my micro layout. Well, wonder no more, there's a tutorial in the latest issue of BRM. 

I've painted and fitted out the Intentio Models signal box I started a couple of months ago. The brickwork is some of the best I've ever managed, I look at the model and can't quite believe I did it!

A simpler project is filling a wagon with coal, using a Peco kit. The sort of thing anyone could do, and an easy starter fro a newbie. 

Over on BRM TV, I build a 009 photo plank. This one was fun, as I planned it while hardly able to speak thanks to an ulcer on my tongue! By the time I filmed it, this had got better, but for the fun of it, I've still make the video without speaking. 

Update: I forgot, the camera has been out again to bring you some cracking layouts. 

In N gauge, Chieftain Place. 

And in S gauge, Trowland.

Warehouse Wednesday: York's mystery road tracks

I don't know. It's just that while strolling around York before breakfast, I noticed that there are stones laid along the roads. They are about four and a half feet apart, and presumably there to stop carts creating ruts in the roads. 

I know no more, and I can't even work out where to go looking, so I toss this out to you lot for ideas. 

Ivor's splashers part 1

 

"Hmmm. That's not right", I thought as I tacked the first one of Ivor's spalshers in place. The footplate, not a strong structure at this stage. After some head-scratching, I realised that I'd miss-read the instruction about a half-setch line at the back of the piece. I doesn't line up with the cab floor, but something else exciting, yet to come. 

A bit of desoldering, which is why I tack things together to check the fit, and all is now OK. I just need to fit the other side. 

Tipper repair

 

At least I managed to recover all the bits from the gravel. At one point, when back at the workbench, I wasn't quite sure that the jigsaw was complete, but after a bit of puzzling, it is. 

Assembly of this kits was with Revell Contacta, which sticks the ABS material, but weakly enough that the joints break cleanly. This makes reassembly a lot easier. The clean breaks extend to the paint, which won't need a touch up either.

Half an hours work, and everything is as good as new. I've used Contacta again, with the odd wash of ABS solvent to speed up the joint drying. 

The thing is, I really liked the look of the train behind Ragleth. Which is why there is a box with some more of these kits in the office now...

Steam on Saturday

Last Saturday, we were due to have a steam session at the club, but the morning dawned bright, but very, very windy. Most people cried off, but I took Ragleth down as he's a good solid loco that I thought ought to be OK if the breeze dropped a bit. 

Obviously no coaches, but some Binnie tippers have low down weight. And they look good. Up to the point a gust of wind deposited them on the ground! Some glue repair time is called for. 

We were joined by David Viweing, and some of his amazing G1 3D printed vintage stock, which managed a few circuits before the wind got back up and tipped the coaches on their side too.

Saturday Film Club: Weather an N gauge wagon

Another BRMTV video released to the wider population, this time weathering an N gauge wagon.

Painty feet

 

My imagination has let me down for a post today, so have a picture of my painty feet after another session slapping trade emulsion on the walls and ceiling of our clubrooms. I've graduated from white paint to magnolia!

An American theme to May's issue of Garden Rail

A 100-year-old model railway? The Fairplex Garden Railroad was established in Los Angeles in 1924 as part of a model boat display. Now it is home to over 10,000 feet of G gauge track, and some stunning scenery, operated by a trained team of volunteers.

On the workbench, we have:

• Building a trestle bridge
• Anglicising Bachmann's “Big Hauler”
• 3D printing an Irish railcar
• Making a DHR van
• Painting people
• Scratchbuilding GVT coaches

Plus, all the latest Product News for the garden railway enthusiast.

Holdy foldy

 

There's an odd pair of half-etched lines on the inside of the splashers. They confused me, and the instructions didn't really help much. Eventually, I worked out that the brass in the middle is at 45 degrees to the flat top, with the rest poking downward. Not seen this before, but as I've said before, this is an unusual design. 

Forming these also foxed me for a while. It looks a bit like a job for some thin pliers, until I realised that my Hold'n'Fold was within reach. It has a tongue that is ideal to hold them while bending. 

This is a useful tool, when it's useful. Most of the time I'm fine with some flat bladed, square ended pliers. They are less of a faff to use than the H&F where you have to position the part, screw the tongues down, and then do the bending. I mean, I've seen people using these things when demonstrating at shows, and think they use them all the time because they have spent the not incosiderable sum to buy the thing in the first place. 

But, it IS a useful too. Perhaps the other benefit is that it slows you down and allows thinking time, which will lead to better modelling. Apparenlty. Or maybe it's just a badge that says, "I am a SERIOUS modeller"...

Ivor's footplate

Yes, I've finally returned to the Ivor the Engine build, or at least managed to find an evening to devote to it. 

We're moving on to the body, I want to have some of it assembled to check the drive unit will fit inside, before putting the motor/gearbox into the chassis. 

This all starts by bending up the footplate. It's interesting to see how the designer has had to cope with this somewhat unconventional design. At this stage, it's all a bit floppy, apart from the buffer beam, which makes up into a nice box. Soldering with my 45W iron is going well, no need to resort to the gas iron yet.I think the amount of brass will demand this fairly soon though.

The garden railway lives!

 

While I was swanning around in York, my Dad got down the the job of track cleaning on our garden railway. After a bit of work, he polished the rail tops with a mild abrasive, enough that locos would move!

All the work clamping the track together really seems to have paid off. By Monday, we had a loco running around the full circuit. There is a bit of tinkering to do on the points, some rails aren't getting the electricity we would like, but nothing a bit of momentum from the loco can't solve at the moment. 

Hopefully, a little adjustment, and we can move on to ballasting, which will hold the track in place, and level, so I can run steam engines on it!

York 2024

York is a funny show. In many ways, the event I attended could have been from the 1990s, or at least 2000's. The feel would be similar, the trade not that different, and the quality of layouts, just as good. In many ways, York show is like a comfy pair of slippers. 

Which is why I make the effort to go every year. I love it. 

You could argue that although it's an important event, it's not a mainstream show. You won't find a big box-shifter for example. The local retailer, Monk Bar Model shop, provides the nearest to that role. 

It's not a specialist show like Railex either. The trade is mostly for the hands-on modeller, but apart from Connoisseur Models, there aren't loads of loco kit suppliers. This is a modellers show, but suitable for the average modeller. 

I arrived when the doors opened, and left 15 minutes before chuck-out time. Apart from a coffee break with a mate, where I ate the best custard doughnut I've ever consumed, I was walking, and looking, and chatting to people. For once, I was just a punter. I paid to go in, and felt I received excellent value for money. 

Layoutwise, lots caught my eye, but a couple of special mentions.

Trerice is the late Iain Rice's model of some Cornish clay dries. Dating from the 1990s, it still looks really good to me. Partly, this is because (as I bang on about a lot) the who layout is to a consistent standard. Those wagons, from his seminal books on the topic, aren't as detailed as a modern £35 one, but it really doesn't matter. 

The modelling is excellent, but close enough to my own, that I feel if I ignore the P4 track, I could just about do something similar. With a lot of care and work. But that's the point, and Iain's great strength, that he made you realise that YOU could build this. And make you want to too.

Hudson Street is the layout I'd like to build from the show. In fact, there is a very good chance I might do something along these lines later this year. 

It is a shrunken and slightly simplified model of the good fascilities found inside the York city walls - the entrance for which is still there. A cramped site, the model is full of action and life, which really appeals to me. 

All in all, another excellent show. Part of me would have liked more than a day to enjoy it, but I also relished the chance to spend a day in the city on the Saturday, with the trip to the show, and drive home, on the Sunday. All being well, I hope I get to repeat the experience next year. 

Plenty of layout photos from York 2024 on Flickr. If anything catches your eye, drop me an email, and I'll try to provide more details.

Saturday Film Club: Modelling rope

The BRM DVD may be a thing of the past, but we still make videos for BRMTV, which subscribers get a link to every four weeks. Once in a while, one of the films is given a more general release, which is why I can feature it here.

Friday fun: Build the Flying Scotsman

Stuart at Locomotion knows me well enough to realise that if he stuffs one of their latest products in my hand, I'll go away and build it. The product in question being a Lego-style brick model of "Flying Scotsman". Which I built and videoed. 

I know "proper" enthusiasts will be up in arms, but this stuff pays for keeping the real locos in a way that people who wander into the NRM, take some photos and leave without making a donation don't.

A railcar tribute to John Webb

 

A mixture of circumstances, sees me add a GWR railcar from Kernow Models to my collection. The main driver for this being it reminding me of the stunning EM gauge Midland railcar, built by my late friend John Webb. His model was scratchbuilt, and the valve gear looked like something a watchmaker would put together. Now in the care of another friend, who has a suitable layout to run it on, a good home for it. 

However, I can now have something similar. It's even nearly the right livery - if you squint and lower your standards a bit. OK, it's maroon, but that's as close as I get. 

The model is very nice, and runs well on the little layout I've been taking to shows. 

In fact, I can see this being a reasonably useful model. When I need some passenger stock for a photo, it's going to be standing in!

The model is good, but not perfect. The buffers are sprung, but also rotate a little. Despite my best efforts, they always look wonky in pictures. A dot of superglue will fix this, at the price of unspringing them. I can live with that. 

There are some bufferbeam steps made from plastic which seem to stick out at odd angles. One of the front ones was really mad, but tweaking it back, the thing snapped off and now lives in the packet with the details. I'm not sure this can be fixed as there is little area for glue on the spindly support. Do I replace it with a metal one, or just cut the other off to match? 

For now, this is a lovely model. Yes, I still plan to finish the kit-built version one day, but that can be painted in BR blood'n'custard livery with some weathering. Not a paint job Kernow are likely to offer, along with Network Souteast. Yes, I did ask. 

Warehouse Wednesday: Woodsmill Quay

I can't go to York without admiring Woodsmill Quay. Other than being built in the 19th century, the internet seems light on history, or even old photos. A show of the building restoration that doesn't show much being all I can find. 

Still, it has potential as a model. I'd add some tracks along the quayside (ignoring the regular flooding) to make things a bit more interesting.

Spotting on York station

There's been precious little personaly modelmaking going on recently, but I have been up to York for the exhibition at Easter. More on this on Sunday, but in the meantime, a few random shots taken at the station on Saturday.

All are straight from my mobile phone, without tinkering. Impressive, as it was dark outside so we only had the station lights to work with.

These are, like every other photograph, moments in time. Five years from now, things may well look different, with new stock and liveries on show. York station certainly has changed over the period I've known it - less track for a start, and a lot more places to buy food. The only travel office is now a Sainsbury's, travel info now being available from an office on the platform.

Messy fun at railway club

 

"What did you do on Good Friday Phil?

I helped to paint the ceiling in our model railway clubrooms. And, as you can see, it was a messy job, or at least it is when I do it. 

When people talk about model railway clubs, they often assume that you need to be some sort of expert modeller to join one. That's not the case. Sometimes, the most useful person in a club, is the one who hangs on to the other end of a piece of wood while someone else is sawing it. Or, can work a roller when the ceiling needs painting. 

I've mentioned before that we are in the middle of a massive refurbishment. The ceiling in question is the underside of a whole new floor we are putting in to increase the space in our clubrooms. A situation forced on us by an expanding (in numbers, not waist sizes!) membership. 

Anyway, I've been ashamed that work has been too busy for me to get involved. Well, ashamed, and jealous of the team who got to put the steelwork in, 'cos that looked fun. At least I can put a few hours in with the paint, and feel I've done a bit. 

If you'd like to know more, we have a YouTube channel with some entertaining videos documenting the process.