Some people just can’t resist a purchase. The Wickham trolley and trailer from Ellis Clark in 7mm scale certainly looks tempting and Wagonman did succumb. Its finely detailed and surprisingly, very fast. Its definitely not DCC controlled – where would you put the chip?
Well, there really is a version sold that does have DCC and sound!
Week ending 12th May Read More »
Taking Bwthyn y Rhosod (TLFKAByR) to the Thornbury Show went well, though the start was a bit eventful. After assembly we couldn’t find the cassettes for the fiddle yard – and yes, we’d left them behind. So LBH volunteered to go back to get them. Preparations continued until we found that there were more items we didn’t have. By this time we calculated that LBH would be on his way back with few chance to turn around so SteveN set of on another trip to collect items.
With nothing else missing Bwthyn y Rhosod was ready to go and was soon attracting plenty of attention.
The view the visitors don’t get to see is the one from the fiddle yard through onto the layout. We didn’t have any major problems, though Paul W had to tie the hook back onto the crane.
We were over-staffed on Saturday with about 10 of us present. Could it have been because no show is complete without a meal on at least one evening? We patronized the Wheatsheaf on the town.
Thornbury Two Trips Read More »
Modern technology has played a part in railway modelling at the Newport club for quite some time, going back to things like diode matrixes to control movements. The trend continues with Templot being used for layout design and resin parts being used to provide the required result. Here Rhobat is converting a L&Y 2-4-2 tank into a Barry Railway class J, which was very similar. There is also a different cab needed, to come later.
Preparations for moving Bwthyn y Rhosod over to Thornbury for the show were largely completed on Tuesday. Here the gang are separating the boards and packing them together ready to transport.
This week we have been preparing Bwthyn y Rhosod for its trip to the Thornbury Show. It is successfully erected, connected up and tested. The stock is now being trialled and coupling settings adjusted.
Also Morgan has been putting together some 4mm Dingham couplings for his 00 stock.
Luke’s Mainline and City stock converted to P4 has been put together as a rake and decisions made on couplings and the right gap between the coaches. Unfortunately the rather neat magnetic couplings provided too big a gap. We settled on the medium gap.
Week ending 28th April Read More »
Monday TAFKATYS came with a loco under repair for Luke. It is now running better and needs pick-ups. This provided a lot of online discussion about suitable pickup material and we even wandered as far as harpsichord strings.
After a couple of fruitless searches the running in boards for ABB have finally been found. They were inside one of the villas which had been packed away. Obvious when you think about it !!?
Wagonman has now completed the Birdcage brake coach. It is finished as in departmental use.
On Friday more coaching stock from Wagonman appeared. The first is not a model of Australian stock but a Slaters Midland coach pose to show the fiddly brake blocks so far fitted to only one axle. Earlier thoughts of producing the fully lined MR livery have been abandoned and this coach will appear in Departmental colours. Below are two shots of the nice handrails on the GN full brake last seen 7th April – more fiddly work.
The roof of the GN full brake also provided challenges. The brass had to be cut out for the lights to be fitted, then filed individually to size to take the castings which were not quite identical.
Luke’s shunting puzzle layout was brought to the club as it needed to fiddle yard attaching, Resident wood guru Paul🥇 provided the necessary skills.
The fiddle yard is a sector plate with a traverser at the end for running the loco around.
Week ending 21st April Read More »
Pavilion End made its third appearance at NEWGOG but improved by additions to give more of a South Wales feel since its first outing. The coal train is headed by 4248, shedded at Ebbw Jct, the mixed freight is behind 666, and ex-ADR Victory tank, and the workman’s train now has three 4-wheeled coaches with real (or dubious) stories.
Ty’n-y-Coedcae was also at the show and also sported a Victory tank from an earlier era (and dubious colour). There is plenty of stock to make the yard look busy. What is stored in the fiddle yard is always of interest, particularly the Cambrian brake van – a very nice model.
And the surprise event of the day was the 1200 mm free-fall plummet.
The Ty’n-y-Coedcae entry was a Minerva Victory tank, which despite the fall, the most serious damage was this dent to one buffer. It says volumes for Minerva’s build quality.
Reports this week might well be minimal as layouts are prepared for the NEWGOG show on Saturday. And what is more typical of preparations than grovelling under the baseboard trying to find out why it’s not working properly. This was Tuesday and the drive to the point blades was eventually fixed by careful adjustment.
By the end of Wednesday the electromagnets for uncoupling were operational too.
Friday before the show and some last minute preparations. The GWR autocoach is without a bogie as it is being fitted with Scaleseven wheels. The other bogie has already been done but work has stopped on the second as one of the wheel bearings is missing. A search of the floor and clothing, by a couple of people found nothing. The bearing is a special shape so TAFKATYS started to bodge one out of brass tubing and a Dremel. On asking ‘Show me what the wheel looks like’ the missing bearing was revealed. The coach from Dapol is a cracking model.
Are you sitting comfortably . . . Read More »
This week the trackwork challenge was more conventional with plastic sleepers and chairs being glued in place. More gluing took place on Lyne Road as the platform surfaces were being fixed down. (cue – joke about a long weight) The NE 6 wheel brake progresses for Wagonman with footboards now in place and handrails added. And Mr Chairman started to re-vamp more shrubs for ABB by removing the old foliage and adding bark colour and texture to the trunks.
Week ending 7th April Read More »
This Tuesday was a Zoom session with assorted subjects as usual. Somehow at the start we had quite a discussion on various Australian snakes, as you do. Then there were a collection of recently uploaded pictures featuring places in Scotland with both steam and diesel traction, ending with some pannier tanks in South Wales. Then Albyn talked about Timothy Hackworth who worked with the early steam locomotives in very primitive conditions. He is credited with introducing sprung safety valves, also springing axles among other things, and he was largely responsible for the success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Mr Bell had photos of Rhymney/ADR and B&M tickets that provoked discussion and pictures of various contractors locos.
Although we had three sessions at the clubrooms not a lot of note or photo-worth appeared. Under the guidance of Mr Chairman, Luke started making some plain track using soldered construction. This is preparation for the possible Jubilee Challenge layout and general skill-building. He then moved on to using the fold up etched chairs, as used on LMJ. Meanwhile Mr Chairman fettled some buffers for the ex H&B 4 wheeled coach, among the last items to add to the build.
After a rebuilt gearbox and various bits of chassis work 4248 is running fairly well and has been successfully tested at home on Pavilion End including through the crossover.
Week ending 30th March Read More »