B&MR – Newport Model Railway Society

Week ending 1st December

25 November 2024 / ABB, B&MR, Llanastr, Loriot, Manning Wardle, Model T railcar, South Wales Wagons

Perhaps Storm Bert deterred a few this week, but we had four members present and two guests, Phil and Cory, good to see you.

Dave is still working on the short wheelbase coal wagons and we took the opportunity to pose some of them with LBH’s Manning Wardle Class I, the B&MR’s Lady Cornelia, which was built thirty years ago, on Llanastr.

Not entirely coincidently the image is not so different from this, taken at the Rhymney Iron Works probably in the 1880s

Operating Llanastr at the open day threw up some issues with the track alignment between the baseboards, so after 40 years we thought it might be timely fix some proper dowels. Here is Paul discharging the drill’s battery to this end.

Tuesday and numbers are up to 8 today. But despite the number of people there were periods of studious silence when we were just getting on with modelling. Perhaps that was due to the drill battery going flat so PaulS had less to do.

Luke continues work on his Loriot, now applying buffers and ABB was moved into the workroom for attention to the electrics by TAFKATYS. We are hopeful for some test running on Friday.

Friday and numbers were back to normal, with Fred, Paul 🏅🏅, Mr Chairman, Luke, Wagonman and LBH all making an appearance.

The operation of Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae’s fiddle yards at Statfold proved problematic, with the operators unable to view the front of the layout so see what was happening.

So we’ve decided to try operation from the front. This necessitated removal of the board on the front of the Fiddle Yard above approx 1″ the surface, which Paul did on Friday.

Having got the Loroit to the paintshop, Luke is now working on a model T railcar. Or more exactly a pair of them to work back to back. Here’s the result of the first 30 mins work.

The Southern U class progresses on Wagonman’s workbench. The smokebox, boiler and firebox are now joined as one piece.

Week ending 1st December Read More »

Week ending 24th November

18 November 2024 / B&MR, Loriot, Lyne Road

Another quiet Monday will only Andrew J and LBH in attendance.

Andrew progressed with his Signal Box for Lyne Road

In an attempt to model the August 1912 delivery of 12 axles of Mansell wheels from Pickering, Wishaw to the Brecon and Merthyr’s works at Machen in the Evans and Bevan coal wagons (numbers 1296, 1297 and 1298 if you must know), LBH has made a start by commissioning 3d prints of the wheels from Andrew Smith of 3D printolutions. Wagons to follow hopefully before too long.

Tuesday was quiet too, the cold snap not helping matter, but work continued on Signal box, goods shed. Southern mogul and antediluvian wagons, but all the efforts evaded the camera’s shutter (do they still have shutters?).

Friday was a tad busier with four members in attendance.

*Luke is making good progress with his 7mm GWR Loroit*

*And at last LBH has an accurate boiler thanks to the efforts of all round good egg Richard Spoors.*

*Thanks to his efforts a replacement etch was made, which LBH rolled on Friday.*

Elsewhere Mr Chairman continued with the short wheelbase wagons and Andrew J worked on the Signl Box.

Week ending 24th November Read More »

Week ending 15 September 2024

12 September 2024 / ABB, ADR, B&MR, Barry, Southern

With Scaleforum getting closer more attention to preparation of stock, getting the ground surface ready for the terrace and tweaking and practicing the timetable on ABB.

Meanwhile Rhobat made some fascinating finds among his late father’s model collection …

This whitemetal GWR ex-Barry Class G 0-4-4T in OO. Rhobat plans to repaint in Barry Crimson

See the 4 August post for more on the Barry G class or click on Barry in the tags above to get all the Barry related posts.

and this pair of GWR Steam Railmotors, also in OO. Little is known of their origins.

Five of us attended Guildex in Stafford, and LBH made a few purchases:

A pair of S7 wagons, which on later examination proved to be sprung but had become gummed up. A few minutes attention freed up the axleboxes and they ran well.

They came in LMS livery, which LBH is removing to allow repainting in Midland colours.

And this Brecon and Merthyr Composite, superbly painted by Dave Studley. Luckily the conversion to Scaleseven was a quick and simple wheel swap.

Paul S has been sorting out the ground levels in preparation for the planting of the terrace Mr Chairman is working on.

Thursday saw an extra session snuck in, again for preparation for ABB‘s trip to Scaleforum – the throws of signal arms were adjusted, wheels were cleaned, routing macros were corrected, a fiddle yard casette split into two match traffic demands

Friday and Mike E arrived with his latest bargain. Only three of these prototypes were built by the Southern, with both 3rd rail and pantograph pick-up. The pantograph does actually unfold. Also the cab lights turn on, though it’s not apparent in the shot.

Mike E has also designed and fitted laser-cut window frames on the ABB Villas.

Mr Chairman has spent a while on the window furnishings on the terrace to good effect.

Seeing LBH struggling with the boiler fittings on ADR 14, and knowing that it’d be great to run it at Warley at Statfold, our resident Wizard kindly offered to fit the fittings and has also done a wonderful job of cleaning it up and removing LBH’s extensive extraneous solder.

**Sunday** and Mr Chairman has completed a trial assembly of the terrace.

Week ending 15 September 2024 Read More »