Carrying model road vehicles

 

I've never been a fan of fixing road vehicles to model railways. For a start, it allows me to use the models on more than one layout. 

Then, it means that the models will "move around" between shows, so the display looks slightly different each time. I've usually got too many models anyway, so the changes can be rung. We don't want visitors to see the same thing each time. 

Finally, I quite like the process of placing each model. It's a sort of ritual, an indication that the set-up is nearly done. Quite therapeutic. At least if we aren't in a rush because of traffic delays...

But the models need a home off the layout, and for the Melbridge Dock set, this is a figure carrying case from Games Workshop. Sadly, this is so old, I can't find it for sale, but there are lots of options on eBay, for a lot less money than buying through the shops.

The foam holds each model securely, but without damage, even after a lot of miles. OK, the catch that holds it shut has broken, but a luggage strap (useful things these) does that job perfectly well. 

My Dad used to have the job of putting vehicles back in the box at the end of a show. He always managed to pack them in really neatly, a trait I didn't appear to inherit!

Titch

 

I'm pretty sure that if you'd asked my Dad which was his favourite of the Melbridge Dock locomotives, he'd have plumped for "Titch". 

Not really a serious loco, as far as operating the layout goes, Titch is a petrol-powered LNER shunter.  

Built from a Branchlines etched brass kit, because it looked interesting, I think there is definitely something attractive about this little model. Unlike the GWR version, modelled on a shed, the LNER had these nice curved ends - whitemetal lumps on the model that add valuable weight. 

Only powered by a single-axle drive, this isn't a powerful model, but it can haul the odd wagon around, usually out of the permanent way siding at the front of the board. It's quite handy for testing to see if electricity is reaching all the rails as the wheelbase is so short. 

One issue is that the unpowered axle, despite being compensated, sometimes is reluctant to rotate. If it didn't have to have pickups on it, I'm sure this would be less of a problem, but we need all the electricity-gathering we can get!

Not sure why Dad loved this model so much. I suspect novelty value, but it doesn't matter. On his celebration day, Titch did a turn around the layout in his memory.  

The ancient art of Kintsugi

 

Always aware that Melbridge Dock might have to be carried out to the car when rain was falling, I brought home a plastic bag to enclose the layout from work. It arrived wrapped around a filing cabinet, delivered to the Ministry of Agriculture in the mid 1990s. 

Since then, the bag has travelled many thousands of miles, and performed its role admirably. Along the way, it's picked up a few battle scars. 

Repairs have been effected using gaffer tape. Not pretty, but effective. In Kintsugi, the Japanese art of making and celebrating repairs, they use gold, but my budget doesn't run to that. 

In 2026, the bag is really looking a bit sad. Some of the tape has peeled off, but I can't bring myself to do the sensible thing and throw it away. The internet would surely furnish me with a replacement, but I think it might be unlucky to replace it. 

So, more tape it is. I wonder if orange would be better than silver? 

The missing seagull

 

Written in permanent marker on the back of Melbridge Dock, are the words "7 seagulls". 

Pretty soon after the layout appeared at shows, people took to counting how many of the birds were on the model, and so I jotted it down so we didn't have to remember. Later, when the information boards were added to the front, seagulls became part of the spotting list. 

Remembering this, I checked how many gulls were on show, and there were six. 

Disaster!

Fortunately, in the bolt box, there is a little jar of details. I keep these handy in case something is damaged, and we need to stick a box or pallet over it. In there was a seagull, who was quickly superglued to a rooftop. 

I'm not sure if anyone counted over the weekend, but at least if they didn't, the numbers were correct. 

Oh, and if you are interested, the 4mm scale birds are whitemetal models from the Springside range.  

Not in the stock box

Not all my loco fleet made it to the weekend. A week of testing at home persuaded me that there were a couple of models that would be more trouble than they would be worth, So, they stayed at home, and also missed out on a proper photo, having to make do with mobile phone shots. 

First up, the Garratt. No great surprise here, it's always been a problem child. We have shunted with it in the past, just so I could say I had, but the front power unit seemed to have an aversion to some of the points, and there is still a stick spot in the mechanicals. With more time, and more shows lined it, I'd have it on the bench and work out if the running maladies are mechanical or electrical. I suspect a bit of pickup tweaking would help, but that's for another day. Let's face it, this isn't exactly the perfect shunter for a 6-foot layout!

The other was the Lewin shunter. 

To be fair, this has never been part of the Dock loco fleet, but as it's a very appropriate model, I decided to try it out. 

There are a couple of reasons it wasn't practical. The first is that the model runs on Gibson wheels, and these are a little finer than the Romfords the track is built for. Matching track and wheel standards are a must for reliable running, and this wasn't happy with a couple of the points. 

A bigger problem though, is that massive dumb buffers. The gap between them is a pretty small target for the Sprat and Winkle hook to find, and coupling up was more miss then hit. I'm not sure what I could do about this, those buffers are a bit part of this model's look, replacing them with something more conventional would ruin it. 

Fortunately, I'm not short of rolling stock, so this isn't a problem, but it shows that you have to make hard decisions sometimes in the name of reliable operation. 

Locomotive stars of the show

 

Among my worries about hauling Melbridge Dock out for a weekend, was how well the locomotive fleet would work. After all, they had been in store for a decade, and maybe my memories of their operation were rose-tinted after all this time? 

I shouldn't have worried, in the stock box, I still have a selection of reliable workhorses, four of which I feature here. 

Starting with the 02 diesel. My model pre-dates the RTR version by many years. It's a Craftsman etched brass kit with a Mashima motor inside, and probably Romford gears. The class is a favourite of mine, I've built this kit at least three times, plus my original DJH version, and the same companies O gauge model. There is a TT:120 loco sitting awaiting building too!

Moving up a number, we have the ever-reliable Mainline 03 diesel. 

By tradition, this always works the first train of the day, retiring to the display cabinet after this so the kit-built models can show off. My reasoning being that people haven't paid good money to come into a show just to see things running that have come out of boxes. I'm a bit old-fashioned in that thinking, but when the layout was in its prime in the 1990s, you didn't buy a shunter that worked, you built it. 

Yes, I know that the Bachmann model is more realistic, the bonnet is narrower for a start, but I don't think this looks bad. It resembles the 03 enough for me. At the time, it was a huge leap forward in model shunters after all. 

Talking of shunters you still can't buy RTR, the 06 diesel. 

Hornby make one, but it's pretty terrible, and no amount of detail can make it worthy of a place on my layout. This version, from a Judith Edge etched brass kit, is pretty perfect, though. It runs a lot better than I recall, but then it's a late addition to the fleet, so perhaps it never enjoyed the chance to impress me in the same way other models did. 

Finally, some steam. A Y8. 

The Y8 is our passenger locomotive, and so modelled reasonably clean. It's a K's whitemetal kit on an etched brass chassis (sorry, I can't remember the maker, but I doubt they exist now). The train is based on the Davenport Dockyard set of coaches, and photos showed it hauled by a small loco, and this is as small as they get!

Each of these models behaved impeccably for me and my operators all weekend. Running locos that I've built myself, reminded me just how much pleasure there is from seeing a model I've built with my own hands working properly. If you've not done it yourself, I heartily recommend having a go. 

Will the trains run?

 

The layout has sat idle for a decade, and so the locos have done the same, so the first job was to set up the wheel cleaning station, and give them all a good polish. While I was at it, all the bearings received a drop of Loco-motion, as I think this does what it says on the bottle. 

First impressions were good. OK, a couple of models took a little while to wake up, but that's to be expected. Given a dose of God's own 12v DC, they were soon turning over. 

Tradition demands that the first loco of the day is my Mailine 03 diesel. And so it was on this occasion. 

It trundled around nicely, and revealed the electrical gods weren't completely on my side, as I found a couple of dry joints in the track. Soldering iron out, these were quickly dealt with (I found another a couple of days later) and we were running. 

This was all good fun, so each loco in turn, was driven around the runround loop. And to varying degrees, they all seemed to behave. 

Of course, even though the light was rubbish, I took photos on my phone, and shared them on social media. 

 

The only loco that wasn't playing was the Portescap-equipped 07 diesel. This needed the body lifted off, and a bit of poking around to turn the gears over. Back on the track, it lumbered into life, but quickly improved as the lubrication of the metal gears and bearings took effect. 

 

Point power ON!

 

OK, first an admission. I hadn't squeezed all the layout bits into the Berlingo. Once I got home and unloaded, I found that the essential little box of bolts wasn't with me. Good job the storage is only 5 minutes drive away!

Back home, I was amazed to be able to remember how to set the model up. OK, years ago I'd had a lot of practise, and it's not difficult, but half an hour saw everything erected, and ready for a test. 

Prepare yourself reader, for a very smug Phil.

Every single point worked. All of them. Maybe a little lazy in a couple of cases, but I pressed the buttons and they worked. 

The fiddle yard was a little different, but after reseating (plugging it and unplugging it) the power lead from layout to fiddleyard a couple of time, it leapt into life. 

Basically, I dun a good job with the wiring all those years ago. Phew!

There were a few issues. The minic panel seemed a bit scruffy, and one of the buttons had lost its top. 

Scencily, the water looked a bit scummy. 

My mum diagnosed a bit of mould, and a light wipe of anti-mould stuff cleaned it up perfectly, followed by some furniture polish for a bit of a shine. While I was at it, the panel cleaned up using the same techniques. 

As you can imagine, I was pretty pleased with myself at this point, but would the trains run?  

Melbridge Dock emerges from storage...

 

Doncaster 2016. Melbridge Dock and Ruston Quays set up next to each other to celebrate 25 years (I think) of the show. The Dock had appeared at the very first one, and here it's displayed with my (then) latest layout, serialised in BRM. 

After that, the layout went into store, and was never seen again. 

But, for my Dad's celebration day on Sunday 31st May (all welcome), I really wanted to bring the layout that we built and exhibited for many years, out of retirement. There is a lot of him and me in this model. Arguably, without it, I wouldn't be doing what I do now for a job. 

Best guess is that Melbridge Dock appeared at over 100 shows, from small local one-day events to the biggest in the country. It even managed a trip abroad once. This layout has always meant a huge amount to me, and my Dad, which is why it deserves to be at the day to celebrate him. 

Of course, a layout that has been stored in an unheated shipping container for a decade stands a good chance of having some issues, which is why it came out a couple of weeks early for a check over. 

First question: Will it fit in the car? The chances of getting it on my Peugeot 2008 looked slim, but the Berlingo, no problem. 

I'll be honest, this isn't the best layout packing I've ever done. I haven't had a chance to practice. Each time I loaded the model in the past, the space required reduced as I worked out the best way to assemble the 3D jigsaw. Still, it's all in there, time to take it back home. 

The Melbridge Dock display case

 Last week, Woz commented: "You mentioned "it looks terrific in the display case" do you have an overall picture of the display case showing the goodies inside ?"

Here's a view of the business end from the layout's last appearance at a show - Doncaster in 2016. 

The display case came about early in the models' life for a couple of reasons. 

First: People kept looking over the top of the fiddle yard to see what else was in there. I'd already built more locos than we needed and visitors wanted to see what else there was. With only one loco in use on the layout at any one time, you could wait a long while to see a selection. 

Second: The layout is 9ft long, and 3ft of that is fiddleyard. Basically, a third of the frontage was "wasted" as far as the public was concerned. 

Adding the display case solved two problems. People could see those locos not in use, and it added more display. Better still, the fiddleyard was clearer, leaving more space for tea and cake. 

The downside was that the layout no longer fitted in a Mk1 Ford Fiesta and we had to hire a small van instead, pushing the expenses up. On the plus side, moving from a 957cc engine to something over 1 litre, made driving more pleasant. 

We pretty quickly settled down to a way of working that saw the really good running locos (02, 07, Y7) on regular shunting duties and everything else in the box. This suited the visitors as the workaday models aren't that exciting so the box had weird stuff in it. 

Looking at the view above, I think we have the Crane tank, LMS Dock tank, Class 01 diesel, 03 diesel (which always works the very first train of the day), Class 17, Garratt, Not sure, Scratchbuilt Z5, Y8 and Fowler Petrol loco. 

Contents varied a bit. Now I wouldn't be so worried about the Clayton, but in those pre-Heljan RTR model days, it used to cause a stir. 

We'd happily do requests for specific locos if someone wanted to see then operating. Even the Clayton would make appearances to haul out the odd train. 

Having the models to hand meant we could swap things around a bit too. I like to rotate the reliable models so they all get a bit of wear over a weekend. And of course, if anything breaks, then a replacement is readily to hand. 

Mind you, by the time that photo was taken, I had too many locos for the display case..

Ask Phil: LMS Dock Tank

 

David asks:

 Having made a few kits, DJH and Ks mostly, I wanted to make an LMS dock tank and I know from your blog that you will understand when I say I wish I hadn't bothered.

Your blog has been a great help but I don't think I'll be attempting another all brass loco kit.  

Two Questions:  

1.What did you use to achieve the gleaming finish before painting? 

 2. How did you manage to paint inside the cab? 

At the risk of teaching you to suck eggs - When I solder nuts I thread the nut on a cocktail stick to hold it in position. In the worst case a few twists of a tap is enough to clear any solder. 

When making the waggly bits I just thread a piece of paper between the bits I want to stay free. Thanks for all the tips in your blog, I think I'll achieve a working dock tank though nowhere near as good as yours.

The Mercian LMS Dock tank isn't a beginners kit by a long way. Part of the problem is the prototype puts a lot of wheels in a small area, precluding much in the way of chassis strengthening where you need it. I recall putting bracing wires in in the same way you weld rods into car doorways when straightening the body, just to keep the chassis in line. 

Add to that all the waggly bits (never fun) and a cab roof designed to clip in and out that I've never made work, and this is a kit that requires a level of skill. Were it to be designed now, I suspect that most of these points would be dealt with. That said, it's quicker than scratchbuilding!

You can read one of my builds of this kit here. 

Anyway, the questions: 

1) Shiny locos come from regular application of Shiny Sinks cleaner. After every soldering session, I head down to the kitchen sink to give the metal a scrub with this followed by a nice clean with washing up liquid and plenty of water. Do this ever time and you remove flux from the hidden corners. 

2) The inside of the cab is black on my model. I know it probably should be cream, but I solder the roof wrapper into one piece, or even replace it with a plastic one, and that makes getting the brush inside a nightmare. I have done this, but it's fiddly, knackers the brush and to be honest, if you stand a crew in the doorway, you can't see in anyway!

Good point about the paper when making valve gear. I have used Rizla papers for this, but now prefer tin foil. It's tougher and yet repels solder. 

And don't think I'm a genius with the dock tank. Mind has more slop in the mechanicals than is really ideal, but I think that's why it runs well. I think I had to re-make the pickups at least once before I got there - but now it's a good-looking loco. It's a surprise that there has never been one RTR, but I'm not complaining. 

Incidentally, the kit isn't available in 4mm scale any more, but I'd love to build the Gauge 1 version one day. 

Coles Crane

 

Random picture time. This is a Coles Crane on my layout Melbridge Dock. 

Built in the old days when we actually made things rather than buying them, the crane part is from the Airfix Recovery Set with a cab made from Microstrip. 

It sits on a simple scratchbuilt base that uses whitemetal wheels bought from the Langley Models spares pots at an exhibition. 

I'm always been quite pleased with this model. It's not the first to be made from this combination of parts, and probably not the best, but I made it myself and that means a lot to me.

Throwback Thursday: Percy shunting

Looking back through some old photos this week, I found this one of my upgraded Hornby Percy shunting Melbridge Dock.

The loco has a Branchlines 2-stage gearbox, Mashima motor, Romford wheels, Gibson crossheads and runs as well as anything I've ever built. It really can shunt. 

To be honest, had the Bachmann version been available as a grey import at the time, I'd probably not have bothered, but then it was a fun project and that's what it's about isn't it?

Fork lift truck build

Gordon Asks:

I notice from a web site that you built a fork lift truck from a Viking model. Could you be kind enough to send me details.

The model I am building - Burnden Park (was featured in your magazine) is circa late 50’s, and we are looking to for a fork lift truck suitable for that era. Any help would be very useful.

 

My model was built around 2 decades ago so the methods might be a bit out of date. I think you have a better chance of buying something suitable now from Base Toys or Noch. None of that was an option back then, so I started with a plastic model from Kibri. 

Looking at the photos, I needed something from the days when we didn't care if people died when the trucks tipped over. That meant the safety cage had to go. 

 

The modern prototype was also too long so I cut the model in half and stuck it back together. Yo9u can see the join under the model but by cutting along an obvious join, this was hidden. #

Fork lift trucks are a vital part of the indusatrail scene, or at least they have been since the 1950s. Early models were quite small though, like this one:

Consistancy

 

One of the regular comments we receive about Melbridge Dock is that people like the way everything is weathered and fits in with everything else. 

While the layout might not be the greatest model in the world, no single part stands out as either really good or really bad, and that's what gives the best overall effect. 

I'm inclined to suggest this is the same for all the best layouts. Yes, there will be brilliant modelling but the key is all the modelling will be brilliant. The modeller has developed and standard and stuck to it. If they don't then the model won't (IMHO) look as good because the good/bad bits will stand out and catch the eye. 

Which makes me wonder about modern RTR models. While the keyboard warriors howl for ever greater detail, you wonder if the layouts the models run on are to the same standard. If they are then there are some seriously impressive models out there. 

I suspect not though. Most stock will run past crudely assembled card kit buildings through faded flock-covered hills along track ballasted with rocks. 

On one hand this is fine - it's their model after all - but as the demand is for perfection, are the "builders" realising this? In turn does this drive the "I can't build stuff good enough myself so I'll just buy everything" mentality? 

Was the "golden age" of models sometime in the 1990s before RTR quality soared to levels that most of us can't hope to match? 

(Photo: Andy York. From the 2016 BRM layout special)

What a difference 19 years makes

 

Lead photo in the Melbridge Dock article in the current BRM is this shot by Andy York showing the Y7 shunting behind Dougie and a seagull. 

Back in 1997, Tony  Wright took a very similar photo.

 

Andy's pic was taken on a digital camera. He's post-processed it to make sure everything is in focus and then delivered it to the editor via the Internet. 

Tony took his on a medium format camera which had an adjustable back to improve the depth of field - the first model railway photographer to use this sort of kit. Photos were taken on transparency, 72 by 60mm. He would take three of each shot - one for the mag, one for his records and the third for the layout owner. Transparencies had to be scanned in for use. All the work had to be done "in camera".

Andy does take more than one shot, or at least his camera does. Most photos are now made up of multiple images taken with different focus points - and staked to produce the infinite depth of field required by today's mags. Fiddling with images to remove dust or unwanted backgrounds is standard practise.

Digital has certainly accelerated the work though. Tony produced 12 images in half a day at my house. Andy shot 34 in about an hour at the show.

I wonder how things will change in the next 19 years?

Melbridge Dock in BRM

 

While we exhibited Melbridge Dock at Doncaster earlier this year, Andy York took the chance to point his camera at it. The results can be found in the September "Layouts Special" issue of BRM.  

Since the rest of the magazine is full of normal layout articles, this one is heavy on pictures and captions. I've tried to show that building a small layout means plenty of chance for details. It's true, only around half of Andy's photos have been used as he snapped so many- more will be on RMweb for your enjoyment plus the two here which I've nicked from his secret store of images. 

Inspired by Melbridge Dock

Look at this:

Above is the stone warehouse on my layout Melbridge Dock. Now look at this:

Mike Hunter bought this layout from eBay and the builder has obviously been influenced by our layout big time.

He's also picked up on our green, curved top gates straddling the baseboard joint.

I'm really flattered by this. For someone to have looked at something we built and think, "I fancy making one of those." and then actually go away to have a go is a real compliment. It's also nice to know that people looking at layouts on display at exhibitions are taking away more than just the contents of their carrier bags. The stuff in their heads is probably more valuable...

Doncaster 2016

20 years ago last weekend, the very first Festival of British Railway Modelling took place at Doncaster Racecourse. We loaded up my campervan and headed up there with Melbridge Dock. As I recall, a good weekend was had apart from a quickly solved issue with the expenses where they wanted to pay by cheque in the post and we preferred cash in the hand (and soon in the traders tills).

With the anniversary of the show upon us, I found myself loading up a hire van with two layouts, Melbridge Dock and Ruston Quays. I know I still have the camper but it's off the road and too small for 3 operators and 2 layout. In the middle seat was Chris Mead who had also been to the first show and was part of the group explaining how expenses are paid.

Because it was an anniversary, the first thing we found on arrival was cake. Quite a nice sponge washed down with a cup of tea. We set up in the foyer and then headed for the hotel. Doncaster always seems like the proper north to me but is only 2 and a bit hours from home. Even the traffic and collecting Chris only extended this to just over 3, so long enough to feel like a proper travelling show but close enough for a pain-free journey.

One slight snag was that I'd managed to leave the RQ control board at home. This isn't the end of the world as it only holds the point levers (still no practical DCC system - told you analogue was better) but still a little embarrassing. A couple of phone calls and we'd made arrangements for it to be brought up by a fellow club member visiting the next day. Thanks Steve. 

Saturday opened with excellent crowds in front of both layouts. It might quarter of a century old but the Dock seemed to have at least ten people in front of its 6ft scenic section. My dad and Chris were kept busy all day talking about Sprat & Winkle couplings and Clyde Puffers.

Over on Ruston Quays, I left the shuttle unit to run trains and talked. Continuously.

My session in the lecture theatre was attended by around 50 people and quite a few found their way back downstairs later to ask questions.

By the end of the day we were all tired and headed back to the hotel and adjacent pub for refreshment. Main course eaten, Chris and I had to try the monster deserts on offer. Quite why a gooey cake thing 8 inches tall needs to be accompanied by two piles of cream is a mystery - almost as much as how anyone could finish a portion!

Day two was much like Day 1 except with less voice for me. I was very croaky by the end of the day and glad there wasn't a third.



Before the crowds arrived, I managed to borrow a non-working APT-E pre-production sample to pose in my station where it looks rather nice. Despite not being a production example, and lacking rivets and details, it felt well assembled and surprisingly heavy. 

Shortly after the opening, I found myself presented with a Hornby HST power car which its owner said was squeaking on curves. The back to backs looked a little narrow on the problem bogie but when I went to fix this, one of the tyres came away from the plastic hub. A little superglue sorted this out and hopefully the model is now back in service.

All this means there was very little looking around the show on my part. I did manage a couple of trips out and took some photos. The layout selection seemed varied. One visitor angrily complained that nothing was moving on any layout but I suspect he was unlucky as even at the times quiet enough for me to get out I saw plenty of movement.

My favourite stand wasn't railway related - it was a hedgehog rescue group. Andrew the hedgehog was amazingly cute. He was born blind and so can't be released back into the wild but is quite happy to sit on the stand in his bed occasionally be handled so we could stroke him.

Trade seemed good and I left having spent some money. One stand I didn't get to was the Really Useful Box Company one which had a few boxes that looked good for potential micro layouts. They seemed to good business without me though.

So, a busy weekend but a pleasant one. Loads of chat and an elegant sufficiency of cake. If you dropped by to say hello, thanks very much, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

More photos on Flickr.

Daventry tomorrow

 

Today, or at least the later part of it, will be taken up packing Melbridge Dock up for it's trip to Daventry Model Railway exhibition tomorrow.

 

We don't get the chance to take the Dock out for shows very often now so if you fancy some shunting action then please come along. From what I remember, the cakes are pretty good too!