Finally, I had a result, buying this boxed example for less than a very modest round of drinks. As you can see, it's pretty complete, apart from the clip-on motor unit.
It's even got fish in the hold, and a compass on the bridge roof.
All of which means the first example is very ripe for detailing one day. However, the range still fascinates me. Maybe one of the tug boats will join the collection one day? There is no rush...
Picked up at Smallspace - this double-sided door hanger made me chuckle.
Well worth a donation to Models for Heroes, who do such amazing work using modelmaking as a treatment.
Before doing this, plastic bearings are forced (I put them in a vice) into holes. They don't need any glue, as they are a nice, tight fit.
Bufferbeams glue onto the ends, motor supports are fitted because I'm building this to 45mm gauge, and we are ready for a bit of paint and then mechanical bits.
This year, I managed to bag one, and looking for a simple project, it's landed on my workbench.
It's time for the annual sci-fi fest in Buckinghamshire. There were Daleks, full-size and model, replica Anderson puppets, and all sorts of good modelling.
I've tried to capture the best bits over on Flickr
Oh, and a little exclusive video:
Stand by for action!
OK, I know that was Stingray, but this is an interesting documentary about making Captain Scarlet, which doesn't reflect well on 1960s America...
When I say complete, I mean a frontage. And it's in N gauge. However, this 9cm long version still has a place in the collection.
According to the box, this is a "Low Relief High Street Store". Produced by Graham Farish as part of the Scenecraft range, I'm not surprised the store is a Beatties. I'm sure it was influenced by Bachmann Europe CEO David Haarhaus, who worked in the store earlier in his career, and has a firm belief in the value of physical model shops.
Perhaps I need to have a 2mm scale Phil printed, so I can go in and browse. Maybe with some 2mm money to finally be able to buy all the good things on the shelves!
Another issue is that the boxes the kit came in. These have survived decades, so it seems a shame to condemn them to the recycling box.
Then it occurred to me. The models will fit in their original boxes with a little bit of modification.
Better still, I don't need to label the boxes, as the contents are plain to see!
Spotted in York earlier a few months ago. A nice little building that is anonymous enough to fit in anywhere.
I think it's an electricity substation. Much prettier than the exposed ones you normally see, with some nice decorative brickwork on the corners.
Proximity to the railway makes it an even better option for modellers. Doubtless, someone could 3D print this easily enough, but as a traditional scratchbuild, I can't see anything trickier than the louvred doors.
While preparing my Lady Anne for its second run, I couldn't get the gas to light. There would be the occasional pop when holding a flame over the chimney, but this wasn't followed by the roar of a working burner.
My guess was a blocked gas jet, and I initially decided to leave well alone. But a few minutes later, something in me persuaded me to have a go at fixing it.
The working area on Andy's line is pretty good. High enough to be comfortable, and with plenty of space. I had tools in my flight box, so started to poke around with the cheapo spanner set in there.
To my surprise, I got the jet out pretty easily. The pipe from the tank was disconnected with one spanner (sorry, I forget the size) and then the jet itself was removed. I did turn the tap on for a fraction of a second, to make sure gas was coming out of the tank, and confirm my diagnosis.
Health & Safety fans look away now, because I cleared it by blasting gas through the tiny hole - basically in the opposite way to the way it would normally flow. In my defence, I was outside, and well clear of running locos. Everything being a bit damp only reduced the chance of a major confligation.
After a couple of goes, gas was going through properly, so I reassembled the system, and hooray, the loco would light.
It was at this point I discovered the battery box for the radio control was playing up, so my efforts were wasted, but I'm still pleased. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this steam stuff after all.
Before taking Ragleth to Andy's layout, I needed to perform a little fix. You see, last time I'd run it at railway club, there had been a little oil fire underneath it. And after that, the regulator servo stopped working.
Of course, I'd meant to do something about it, and yet nothing had been done until a few days before the event.
Still, I managed to remove the loco body, and quickly identified the problem. Those wires are a bit cripsy!
The servo casing was somewhat distorted to.
The solution, dig out my last spare full-size servo, and swap it out. About half an hours careful work, and all was well.
It was too. We steamed perfectly for a single trip. And then the servo stopped working again. Time for another look...
Tweed on, for a trip to this month's Garden Rail feature layout - Andy Christie's Olive Branch Tramway.
The day didn't start too well. We just managed to erect the newly bought gazebo, before the heavens really opened.
After half an hour though, the sun started to shine, and the steam locos took to the rails.
I managed a couple of runs, but both Ragleth and my Roundhouse developed radio control faults, so a single run of each was all I could manage. A great shame, as both locos steamed well and I'd liked to have put them through their paces for longer. And got a photo of them in action!
For running trains, we were fed generous quantities of pizza, and there was, of course, cake. A couple of slices took a trip around the line, before I enjoyed the Victoria sponge.
The coffee cake stayed in the wagon, and went back in my box, for consumption later. Sadly, Poppy fancied it too, and after she'd taken a chunk out, I didn't want the rest!
All in all, an excellent day. Money was raised for charity, and dozens of visitors enjoyed the garden, and the railway. While I might have enjoyed limited steaming, I did grab lots of photos, and even shot a short video.
"An enthusiast? Certainly. A fanatic? Perhaps. An eccentric? Maybe. But this man's complete devotion to one thing - trains - gives him a peace of mind and an independence that most people will never begin to know."
I am a terror for anthropomorphising things.
Which is why I own this locomotive. A sensible person would realise it is junk. I am, as you've probably worked out by now, not a sensible person. The good news, is it didn't cost me anything.
Basically, there was an estate sale at Tony Green. Piles of American G gauge models being sold of for very reasonable prices. It seems that the owner liked to leave his trains outside, to weather naturally. Most of the wagons needed a good clean, but if you can work some washing up liquid, and a toothbrush, bargains were to be had.
This poor little locomotive had stopped working, and been left to weather. And get broken. All the waggly bits are missing, as is a big chunk of the smokebox. But, it has gained some googly eyes.
The moment I saw it, I felt sorry for it. Priced at a tenner, I'd have paid this just to give it a good home.
But, by buying this loco:
Now, this isn't a panacea. The new loco is complete, but non-working. A quick look suggests the motor has given up the ghost, and a replacement will cost me the same as the loco. I knew it was faulty, and have ideas for a new control system for it one day. I like chunky prototypes anyway, and you do have to buy something from a model shop when you visit.
As for "Happy Train", I've no idea. Maybe, in the long-term, a partial restoration is on the cards. But that might be too much change. For now, this little model is smiling at me, glad to have been saved from the bin.
And that makes me happy. Possibly, a bit weird (would anyone else have saved it?) but happy.
I mentioned earlier in the week, that I'd hoped to combine a visit to Tony Green, with a look in the transport museum next door, but it only opens in Sundays. Well, thanks to my celebrity status, someone arranged for me to have a quick look around anyway. There were some volunteers on site, and as the doors were open, they were happy for me to have a poke around.
It's certainly a tight squeeze! The two large garages are stuffed full of exhibits. Mostly buses, but quite a few earlier cars and bokes too. The most modern I could see were a couple of Rover Maestro's an a Ford Capri. Other than that, it was vintage all the way.
The Chevrolet coach caught my eye, as did the displays of road signs and advertising. From a modelling point of view, a few photos of these printed out, could be ideal for a steam era layout.
A charming, friendly museum, stuffed full of interesting things to see, and with a model shop next door. What could be better?
People know what I'm up to. Walking along the side of Tony Green's premises (see yesterday), I spotted these interesting buildings. "Those would make good backdrop buildings", said the person accompanying me. And he's right. Plenty of character, not too difficult to build, and anonymous enough that they could appear on any layout.
Some might say they are dull, but we know better, don't we?
A visit to Tony Green Steam Models has been on the cards for several years. I see them at every garden railway show, and have been invited to go up and take a look around, but the timings never worked out. Ideally, I wanted to time it so I could visit the transport museum next door. Well, I had a free Saturday, to coincide with their open day. Cake was promised, and although the musem only opens on Sunday, this didn't matter after all.
Obviously, there isn't just large-scale stuff. A small selection of OO and N gauge second hand can be found, as well as paint, plastic sheet and shapes, balsa and other materials. The owner is aiming to build up a good general model shop, and it's certainly worth a visit for this alone.
Finally, boats!
All in all, well worth a visit if you are in the Lincoln area. There is parking outside the shop, which makes it very handy. Not too far to carry that big box back either...
Full details on the Tony Green Steam Models website.
Of course, there is mail order. My Mum used them a few years ago for my Christmas present, and said the service was excellent.
First up, a roll, and I can't resist tool rolls, of BA sockets on long extensions, plus their handle. There's no makers name, but they run from 0BA to 4BA. Since many nuts and bolts on larger scale models, such as the retaining nut for boat props, are BA, this is much better than messing around with pliers! The nuts on the back of 16mm scale couplings are BA too, which is where Iver used this set.
Useful too. Ideal to get into the smallest spaces on models. Whowever JW was, I hope they are happy that I'm giving this tool a good home.
All for a fiver - not bad!
Of course, there was cake. Mountains of it. Plenty for the weekend, and several Thursday evenings as well. However, I spent most of the day on the outdoor track.
My Peckett enjoyed many circuits hauling the new good stock.
There was plenty more action on the track too.
Indoors, all the layouts that could operate, were working, and enjoyed by a lot of visitors.
If you'd like to know more, visit the Leamington & Warwick MRS website.
Lovely, atmospheric paintings, using some interesting pens. I wish I could doddle that well!
One of my roles at BRM, is to take on some of the less common projects, and nowadays, making track fits into that category. I've provided a little taste in a four-step project, using C&L parts. Obviously, there is a lot more that can be writen on the subject, at least two books for a start, but maybe this tempts a few to have a go, out of curiosity.
The camera has been out again. At Glasgow, I shot Dingymere Works.
This EM layout finally appeared after years of procrastination, and mikey taking from the builders' friends. The result is modest, but really well made.
Then in the middle of summer, we find the wintry Hounslow Sidings.
Another micro, but one that is deceptive, thanks to the clever use of mirrors at each end.
On BRM TV, I'm unboxing some Accurascale wagons.
BRM is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our online store.
What do you bring back from your summer holiday? Andy Christie came back with the inspiration for his garden line – The Olive Branch Tramway. The 45m gauge railway now basks in his Midlands garden, looking stunning, and appreciated by his friends.
With summer upon us, we also take a trip to Bekonscot to enjoy their huge Gauge 1 railway, which runs among the amazing miniature buildings. Just the place for a day out with the family.
In the rest of the magazine:
There's also a tiny, but very satisfying layout from the USA, and all the latest Product News.
Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, or the World of Railways store.
