RIP Classic Train & Motor Bus

 

We start the week with some sad new - my local model shop has closed down. After 25 years, the owner has retired. 

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To be fair, the shop never recovered from Covid. Tiny, they never engaged with online sales and so there wasn't much in the way of new stock much of the time. That said, they could get stuff in, and seemed to have a healthy number of locals who would drop in and buy ordered items from them. They also offered a service where you could put things away in a box, and pay for them as and when you could afford to. 

I always got the feel that the shop was a bit of a social service. Aside from the railway enthusiast hangers-on, various locals, I think living in the attached flat above, seemed to drop in and bother the owner, who was IMHO a bit too nice to them. 

That said, I managed to leave money there over the years. 

I bought my APT set from there. There was also the purchase of a Hornby operating accesory, the blog post for which I can't find, even after 20 minutes searching. I bought this the day they reopened from Covid closure. 

I'm sure there are other buys, on the rare occasion I bought big ticket items, I tried to do it at the shop. 

There were also a few occasions when I'd drop in there looking for an emergency project. Something from the second-hand pile to turn into a magazine project. 

Like all shops, sometimes it even surprised me with something random and good tucked in the back, including a tea pot that had, I was told, been around the West Midlands in a Class 37!

Sadly, I didn't know about the closure until someone mentioned it at the railway club. Pity, as I'd liked to have dropped in on the last day, for one more purchase, just for old times sake. And a final chat. There was a lot of chatting about trains, and I'll miss that. The scuffier end of Leamington is worse for the passing of this little shop.

A cab ride along the Kent & East Sussex Railway

A trip to Kent a few days ago gave me the chance to reaquaint myself with the K&ESR after many years away. Since I was nice and early, I enjoyed the trip to Bodiham from Tenterdon on the 8:45 train. Arriving at the terminus, I wandered around a little and then returned to the train. 

"Hello Phil. Would you like to ride up front?"

Of course I would! So, here is a sequence of photos taken along the line from the back (which was leading) of a Class 20 diesel. 

What impressed me was the professionalism of the crew. Every signal was confirmed, probably vital when travelling nose first, but still important. Every token, and there are many, was aknowledged. They might be volunteers, but they operate like regular drivers earning thier keep. 

 Of course, I need a model of 20 087 one day as a souvenier of the terrific day out.

Saturday Film Club: Talking model railways with Pete Waterman

Recorded during the L&WMRS reopening weekend, an interesting interview with Pete W. He was on good form that day, we'd already enjoyed a bit of banter over a cup of tea, but this is a proper interview.

Driver Phil

 

What should I get someone for their birthday? How about a little model of me. 

Obviously, this is what everyone wants, especially my friend Ken. This isn't ego on my part, but simply when we'd been running on his line, I gave the Rob Bennet make mini Phil I carry around at all times (that's not weird) a trip around the line in his AnDel Models gas-mechanical. 

Little Phil fitted in the cab perfectly, and Ken decided he'd like one as a driver in the diesel. Now, we can't have Editor Phil getting his tweed jacket dirty, what is required is Driver Phil

I had a couple of spare models, and so quickly painted one up with something a bit closer to enginemans overalls, and a suitable wash of dirt. 

As expected, Driver Phil is a perfect fit, and Ken is delighted. The figure is Blu-Tacked into the cab, carefully positioned to allow access to the on/off switch. 

Now, where can I get one of those locos? Ken's is a really lovely performer with its remote control. Time to start watching the second-hand market. At least I know where I can find someone for the cab!

A family affair in October's Garden Rail magazine

 

Grandpa William enjoys a fine-looking garden railway, and so do three generations of his family who are now taking the time to share it with the public to raise money for charity. Our photos transport you back to sunny days as you read how this lovely line was built.

On the workbench this month:

• Building a Boot Lane Works tram kit
• Laser cutting to produce bespoke nameplates
• Building skips wagons
• Free files to produce LNWR water cranes and towers
• Horses for railway trains

We also take a look at the Bachmann G scale loco that changed the world, as well as all the latest news for large-scale model railway enthusiasts.

Warehouse Wednesday: Tenterden Town Signal Box

 

My favourite signal box. I've loved it since I first saw it as a kid in the 1980s, and it's still pretty much perfect as far as I am concerned. 

According to an online history:

On 27th October 1968, the Saxby & Farmer signal box at Chilham, on the Canterbury West to Thanet line, was decommissioned. The timber cabin was subsequently dismantled and moved to Tenterden Town, where it was re-erected upon a new red brick base at the southern end of the layout in 1973, ten yards from the level crossing. The cabin’s 23-lever frame, also an original relic from Chilham, was interlocked to operate a host of recovered Southern Railway-designed upper quadrant semaphore signals.

So, it's older than I am, and has spent nearly my whole life in position on the K&ESR. 

To me, the proportions are spot on, and the size ideal. I don't know why I like it, but I do. How about a kit someone? 

 

Rubbish. I bought rubbish

 

Angry Phil. My old lighters for steam engines had pretty much packed up. So I went to The Range and bought three more. 

Took them to a steaming session in the afternoon. None lasted more than dozen clicks before we were getting no flame out of the top.

Yes, I know I should take them back and not break the tops off in frustration, but somedays I can't help it. 

I now have a blowtorch lighter. We'll see if that lasts longer.

Steam loco repair - with cardboard

 

Sunday - The Merlin Mayflower would raise steam, but struggled to move. We trundled back and forth a bit, but there wasn't any power, and the loco ran out of puff pretty quickly. 

I noticed that the drain plug on the lubricator was spewing out a watery oil mix. It's always been a weepy loco, but now things were getting messy. I wondered if that was where all my pressure was going. 

Monday - Thinking that there bolt needed an O-ring on the back, I searched the local stores. Halfrods sold me something that was close, but nowhere near close enough in size. 

So, I make a hole in a bit of Daler board, put it over the bolt, and tightened it up. Things felt good, so it was back to the track for a test. 

Result - it worked!

No more goo dribbling out of the lubricator, although the card gradually soaked up oil and became discloured. The loco was back to its free-steaming best. After a few circuits, I had the regulator barely cracked open as any more and the thing would run like a rocket. 

So, the next job is to stock up on proper O-rings. Something else for the travelling toolbox.

Planning, grass and welding in BRM

 

October's BRM includes the start of a layout build project for me. I'll be putting together a simple NG7 line, in the space you might consider too small for a OO one!

I take a look at ground cover, suggesting options for the modeller to use. 

And finally, the garage I built many months ago, is upgraded with a working welding light. 

On the DVD (newstand copies) there are a couple of features. 

I give the Proses track cutter a test. 

And Andy and I take a stroll around Highley on the SVR, to look at some modelling posibilites. 

All this in the October 2024 issue of British Railway Modelling magazine.

A BIG Eagle transporter

Some projects, I just have to doff my cap to. The Eagle transporter from the TV show Space 1999, is the bext sci-fi spaceship ever. There have been many models made, but none as massive as this 25-foot long version. It looks amazing.

Duck done!

 

It ducking well works!

The one and only disapointment with the Tamiya kit is the stickers provided for the beak and eyes. They don't stick to the plastic, and even if they did, the result would look rubbish. A few moments with some pots of orange and black paint gave a much better effect. This IS finescale modelling after all...

On land, the duck scampers around at great speed. Steering works, although not that well. You need to be alert to the progress of your waterfowl. 

On the water, the swimming is more leisurely, but just as effective. Not suitable for a stream, there's no way the duck would fight the currents, but idea for a pool. At some point, we will try the boat club pond, but only on a still day. And with a net handy to retrieve the bird from a random part of the bank!

A great fun kit, that goes together nicely, and if I'm honest, would take about an hour to assemble.

Feet on

 

I love how this kit prety much pushes together. The plastic feet slot into place on the yellow plastic curved things (I don't know that they are called, look at the photo) which also hold the foam circles that act as both wheels and floatation devices. It's all so well designed. 

The head and neck are articulated so they can bob back and forth. Although everything pushes together, I glued the two sides of the head as the halves didn't seem to want to stay aligned properly. ABS glue was required for this, Revell Contacta not being potent enough for this very hard plastic. 

The bobbing action is driven by a fork on the side of the unit being activated by a cam on the wheel, which is why it's important to get them on the right side. To be fair, there is a step in the instructions for each side, even though they are very similar. Another occasion when it pays to double check you have the right parts in your hand before assembly. 

Underneath there is a tail wheel to allow the duck to steer when on land. Another neat bit of design, which incorporates a tiny O ring to keep the until pointing in the direction you set it.

Duck motorising

 

Hello. This isn't what I was expecting when building a silly duck kit. That's quite the gearbox. 

I assume these gears are shared with other kits, as there are far more on the sprue than used here (spares for the box - hooray!). Identifying the correct ones take a bit of paying attention - no counting teeth, but when you look closely, there are differences between the face of the gears, which are replicated on the instructions. 

Everything slides onto stainless steel rods, the main one being octagonal to enusure the gear doesn't move on it. No lubrication required, this all turns lovely and smoothly. 

Tools required  for the build are limited to those for removing parts from the sprue, and a couple of cross-head screwdrivers. The battery box and motor cleverly clip together, although feeding the wires that take power from the AAA battery is a little fiddly. Once you get the clip on the face of the motor, it's all held securely in place though. 

The finished unit. Turn the pointed back end to turn the motor on and off. Unscrew it to change the battery. An O ring keeps water out, along with a bit of (supplied) grease. A little tweaking to ensure the output shaft sticks out the same distance on both sides, and we are ready to start building the body.

Tamiya Motorised Duck kit

 

OK, this is one of my silly projects. When I saw this video, I knew I wanted to build the kit. 

A quick trip to the Plaza Japan website, followed by a three-week wait for the post, and one was mine. 

 

As with all Tamiya kits, the contents look impressive. Mostly plastic, but with mechanical bits in metal, and some foam parts too, there's quite a bit for your money.  

This is going to be fun.

Mannin Middle for sale

 

So many temptations with my job. Visiting the Llanfair show last weekend, I chatted to Pete Cullen, who tells me that his layout "Mannin Middle" is up for sale. 

This 6ft square model was originally built by Hugh Freeman, but for the last few years, Pete has exhibited it. I took a set of photos for the August 2020 issue of BRM. 

Obviously, I really love this layout. But I know if I bought it, it would sit in storage and do nothing. There's no time in my schedule to go back on the exhibition circuit.

All of which is frustrating, as the price, £500, is a bargain. For the money, the new owner getts the stock, but no electrics, legs or lights. None of the latter is a real problem as the layout is very simple. 

If any blog reader fancies taking this on, drop me an email, and I'll pass your details to Pete. 

Unless a Premium Bond comes up big, in which case, I will find a way!

L&WMRS clubrooms update

This time next week, it will be the grand re-openning of the L&WMRS clubooms. To help you get ready for the model railway event of the year, here's the latest video featuring some special "Yate's Wine Lodge" sticky floor paint...

Check out the club website for more details.