Author name: David Hagger

Week ending 10th November

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This Monday saw some more progress on the short wagon. The buffers have been glued in place and the couplings attached. Unfortunately all the handling necessary to do this has dislodged the end handrail. Next it’s on to axleboxes – they are a bit skinny to fit well around the bearings and careful opening out will be necessary.

Further 3D small wagons have been started, though a couple needed some hot water to successfully straighten out the sides.

Tuesday was a Zoom meeting. Mike E took us for an enjoyable trip along the model ‘Amberdale’ using material from the book of the layout written by its creator. The quality of the scenic work and its photography was hugely atmospheric, the result of 62 years of work. We also viewed developments with the Jubilee layout, now named Cwm Carno (temporarily). A 1/8th scale baseboard produced by LBH was explained. The paper mock-up of it included levels and gradients. Luke produced a spreadsheet that will help organise which layouts are erected in the rooms.

Friday was occupied with preparation for the Open Day.

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Week ending 27th October

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During the week we erected Frecclesham in the Layout Room to check that all was working satisfactorily prior to the Open Day. Thankfully it was.

At the start of the week work started on this and other 3D printed small wagons in 4mm. Below is one of the prototypes.

As 3D prints they arrive with support structure as below. They clean up pretty easily though carefull filing is needed to finish off. They are small, the material is light and adding extra weight for an empty wagon will be a bit of a problem

The hand rails on the ends do not always print well, so some 0.33 NS wire has been used.

Also on Friday Luke was putting together DG couplings for his shunting plank. The Dinorwic quarry wagons are some of the latest releases from Bachmann.

Not to be outdone, LBH is also building some short wheelbase Welsh wagons, this time in Scaleseven.

They are from the same source, Andrew Smith (eBay 3D printolutions) and are in development.

Week ending 27th October Read More »

Pavilion End at the Pavilion End

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The Cardiff Model Show took place on the 19th and 20th October at Sophia Gardens Cricket Ground. We took the Chairman’s layout Pavilion End so that it could finally be at the . . . . . , well to be accurate in cricket terms, deep backward square leg.

Here’s the classic shot of the layout from the driver’s viewpoint. The coal train is departing now that the arriving train is in the platform. The pannier tank 5750 has propelled the District Inspector’s saloon up the branch and will now wait for a path back down to the main line.

At the back of the layout is the factory. Here the works shunter is delivering a new piece of equipment to the boiler house. A remarkably clean Iowerth Pritchard is having his morning tea and will leave the unloading to others inside.

Back at the platform the branch B-set has arrived.

Pannier 3603 has pushed the brake van right through the platform to get it behind the full coal wagons. The loco will next return to the front of the train and push it onto the brake van ready to carefully descend the valley.

Yes, the water crane is looking a bit droopy.

Finally a couple of shots of the cricket team itself. Late withdrawals have left just seven players, but it’s too late to cancel. Can they win with just seven? Yes, it can be done, ask Mr. Chairman. (Beware – a ball by ball account lasts 55 mins)

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Week ending 20th October

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Monday was a quiet afternoon following the trip to Statfold Barn. To keep himself amused Mr. Chairman painted up some 4mm figures to go on ABB. One point noted at Scaleforum was that some locos did not have a crew on the footplate, or even a cab floor. Some of those in the picture are not true enginemen but in the cab of a tank engine are you going to notice?

Tuesday was better attended and Wagonman brought along the latest project – a SR U class mogul from a David Andrews kit. As you can see the tender went together well. This will be one of those engines that ran on the MSWJ line wandering south down to Andover and eventually Southampton.

Turning to narrow gauge, Luke has worked on a couple of purchases. The tiny diesel has had new pickups and after a bit of fettling and track cleaning began to run very well. The Talyllyn loco, Dolgoch, has been stripped ready for a repaint, though there is still work to do. Both of these are to 7mm scale running on 00 track.

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Week ending 25 August 2024

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Monday, and after wheel cleaning and track cleaning last Friday it was time to get the stock onto ABB. The fiddle yard is looking quite full.

Tuesday evening was enlivened by this delicious home made orange and almond cake from Luke, which, as you can see was very well received.

Friday morning saw the latest Scalefour News flop onto the front doormat with a view of ABB on the cover. Only four weeks to go now until we take ABB to Scaleforum.

In the evening Luke was preparing his Pos Siyntio for the forthcoming Open Day, Fred and LBH were grappling with a misbehaving 0-6-0 tank mechanism and Mr Chairman was readying stock for ABB.

On ABB in the train seen above the long parcels van is not well suited to the formation. It is tail traffic which moves to the shortish bay behind and it’s a bit too long for that, its colour is too different to the other coaches, but worst the corridor connections make uncoupling with a Dingham loop unreliable. The replacement is shorter without corridor connections, though we might opt for an even dirtier version.

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Week ending 11 August 2024

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Monday and the wall and fence in front of the semis has been tried in place. It looks best at this level so there will be a bit of filling in of the ground to do. I should have made the walls deeper.

Freshly returned from a Missenden Modellers week, LBH has actually cleared space on his workbench so that his work tray can fit in. How long will it remain this tidy??

Tuesday we were meeting on Zoom. We started with discussions on the new test track and entries for next year’s exhibitions.

Later Steve Bell described the George Bennie Railway in Milngarvie outside Glasgow. It was a prototype, powered by electricity and though abandoned pre-war was not removed until the 1950’s. A kind of halfway towards a guided aeroplane, or maybe HS 0.5?

Friday was a quiet evening in the clubrooms, Andrew and Luke working on their respective layouts and Fred preparing to kick off a build of an A4.

LBH did a little on his ADR 14 with is getting close to needing a coat of paint.

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Week ending 04 August 2024

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Monday and the quest for a Barry Class G continues with a Midland 0-4-4T as another possible candidate. You can make a comparison between the two in the picture.

In case you’re wondering what the Barry Class G looks like, to save you googling it here’s a pic.

For more info on Barry stock look here.

Work has resumed on some fencing for in front of the semis on ABB. The view in the pic is from the back. The fencing has been attached to the front brickwork and brass wire glued in to help locate the assembly in position.

Tuesday and the inner face of brickwork now has been trimmed to match the step down in the fence and then stuck on. Some primer next, then attempt to install it.

Luke has had the privilege of wielding Thor’s hammer to persuade the T nuts into these wooden blocks. They are to take the adjustable feet for a set of legs. Then he used it again to get the blocks into the ends of the legs themselves. The modified legs are the further set. With a little adjustment the baseboard was level.

With ABB set to go to Scaleforum as soon as next month, it was time to get it erected in the layout room. Of course we chose the bit where the floor is not completely level so some packing was required.

Week ending 04 August 2024 Read More »

Week ending 28 July 2024

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Destined to be a Barry Class G

Another model to be added to the Barry Railway roster. This is destined to be modified into a class G.

LBH’s TVR Iron Van in S7 has at last sprouted buffers and will soon find its way to the paintshop.

Friday

The legs for Luke’s shunting layout are too wide for the baseboards so eventually we came up with this solution – insert two new lengths of aluminium inside the existing legs, screw them in place retaining the structure, then cut away the excess. We’ll see next week how successful it is.

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Week ending 21 July 2024

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Monday and a select few at the club. Rhobat continues with the Barry class J fitting a replacement cab and bunker. The first version was rather flimsy and a poor fit but the new one is a bit better. It’s not yet glued in place.

Tuesday was a quiet evening. Away from the clubroom I have been painting the doors and windows for the terrace, adding variation in colours. Some of them need toning down.

TAFKATYS’s latest offering is an ex-NER J23 in 0 gauge based on a Gladiator kit.

Also on display this week we had a lovely Black 5 that The Welsh wizard has for sale and a Saint belonging to Don. Yes, we know the tender is wrong.

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