The hottest day of the year and only three of us ventured to the rather warm clubrooms. Mr Chairman gave some attention to laying the newly completed turnouts on Cwm-Carno and reviewing our options for plain track.
Wagonman completed the construction of a LNER-design Goods Brake Van, modified by BR as it was running in the Forest of Dean in the ’60s.
The Peco200 bug hasn’t affected everyone, but both Luke and LBH have decided to have a go. Both are being built to a scale of 7mm/ft and the available footprint is footprint is 750mm x 305mm.
Luke plan makes great use of the very limited space available combining both narrow gauge (16.5mm) and standard gauge (33mm) sections.
The design has its basis in the transfer facility at Tywyn on the Talyllyn Railway and rejoices in the name of Queen’s Wharf.
LBH’s use of the baseboard is much more modest as he is using his board as a test bed for 3d-printed COT (Chairs On Timber) track work. So far no more has been done than obtain the printed base.
The plan is to add some of the ScaleSeven Ready-to-Lay track when it becomes available.
Elsewhere, Mr Chairman was working on the turnouts for Cwm-Carno and Andrew J on scenery for Lyne Road.
Wagonman has made good progress on his GWR GBV side we saw it last month. The roof is loose and yet to be attached to the body.
Little construction work remains beyond adding the whitemetal fittings.
Mike E continues with the Depot for his Hogwash and Balony short line.
Discussions covered the colouring for the walls and the most likely prototype roofing material.
A delayed update on the Hogwash and Balony follows;
At the start of June Mike E confessed to a tracklaying error that led to the destruction seen in the 1st pic. The sweeping curves of the replacements show a great improvement.
Elsewhere on the line the tracks span the hog-wash on a typical wooden trestle structure seen in the later photos.
This is all built from basswood sections.
Peco200 mania, etc. Read More »
Five of us made it to the club on Monday. Paul 🏅🏅 fitted a DCC socket (there’s no doubt a better name for it – I probably should have said fascia panel) on TyCc, Mr Chairman continued with the track work on Cwm-Carno fitting the inside halves of the chairs and LBH assembled a Loading Gauge kit, also intended for TyCc. Andrew J and the Wizard continued with their own projects, but away from the camera.
Monday we welcomed a rare visit from Bernie, and the rest of us remained shy of the camera
Tuesday saw Mr Chairman fitted some Masokits stretcher bars to on of ABB’s turnouts.
and Luke sorted out the electrical connection in his railcar in anticipation of the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association Exhibition & AGM on Saturday.
Meanwhile LBH fitted a paxolin drawbar to his mogul and it no longer shorts out. Hurrah!
Friday proved to be a quiet night with only Andrew J, The Wizard and LBH in attendance.
LBH wrestled with a Severn Models bike kit, he hopes to get the handlebars on eventually, but the brake calipers he’ll omit.
Our Wizard worked on Taff Vale Models kit for a Sharp, Stewart 2-4-0 which we hope to transform with the use of a few alternative etches into Usk of the Brecon & Merthyr.
STOP PRESS Saturday 14 June
At the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association Exhibition & AGM today, Luke’s Railbus won Runner Up in the Internal Combustion/Electric Locos category.
Congratulations Luke
Week Ending 15 June Read More »
After a slight break in continuity, hopefully full service will be resumed.
Its now Monday 2nd of June and there’s not much to report from the previous week. Today work continued around the workshop with planking applied to the inside of the door and more paint. Behind the workshop site the hedging was looking a little thin so more was stuck on. Some autumn colour now needs to be added.
Tuesday was the Zoom session for June and we had an update on the Hogwash and Baloney short line from Mike E. This was followed by pictures from Steve B of railway installations found on the French MOD archive website featuring WW1 photos of very good quality from behind the front lines. Lots of temporary track and lashed up stock. We ended with a collection of pics selected by Rod from around Wales, including some B&M stock of course. (but no photos of Machen)
Friday saw LBH replace a broken plasticard drawbar on his newly-acquired ScaleSeven ex-GWR mogul with a more resilient one in brass, only to discover that he had installed a short circuit. Further investigation, assisted by Mr Chairman and our Wizard, revealed that pick-up was by a form of the American system where loco and chassis are each live to the track on opposite sides. The pick-up was unusual in that the loco could run independently. A piece of paxolin has been set aside to form a new insulated drawbar.
Elsewhere on Friday Mr C continued working on the garage for ABB, Mike E in his Hogwash and Balony Depôt, our Wizard on a Coal Tank and Luke on Cwm Carno trackwork.
Saturday saw a rare outing for LBH’s Crindau Pill as a photographic backdrop at the Welsh Railway Research Circle’s AGM. Here seen with a variety of pre-grouping rolling stock.
Lost and Found – one cap
Week ending June 8 Read More »
Monday was very lightly attended with quite a few people gallivanting around the country.
The garage / workshop as had some colour applied to the side and roof, and the fence stuck in place. We now need some debris and junk to go in the corner around where the tree will go.
On Tuesday the workshop had more paint applied and it was turned around with the doors at the correct end.
The good looking 82xxx from Lionheart is having some attention from the Welsh Wizard. The handrails are very fragile so will be removed and replaced with nickel silver wire.
The station building for Mike E’s Hogwash and Balony short line continues to take shape with the windows going in today.
For Cwmcarno the second turnout is nearing completion and is being tried in place on the layout with the one made previously. The first shot looks down the valley with the mainline curving to the right. The second one looks out from the exchange sidings.
Friday was extremely lightly attended – just myself and Robert making his second visit to the club. He came with some electrical questions that I was unfortunately unable to answer.
Having decided to have one of the doors on the workshop in the open position, I tried to carefully cut it out. However, it broke at the weak point where the windows were, so I made a replacement out of plastikard. To make the doors into a pair I later removed the window bars from the other one.
Week ending May 25 Read More »
Back to normal attendances this week and eyes are turning towards ABB’s visit to Scaleforum in Crewe with practice running sessions being run.
Mr Chairman fabricated a recycled sleeper fence to fill in the ugly gap between the garage and the chippie lean-to.
LBH has been messing around with laser-cutting again. First he purchased a Peco Rail 200 baseboard (despite him knowing perfectly well that this year we are celebrating the 218th anniversary of rail passenger transport). He also got three sets of stockbox inserts cut to his designs.
Then over a couple of days various circumstances changed the availability for the Crewe show. After a discussion on Friday we had to decide to withdraw ABB from the show – we just didn’t have enough bodies. It was not a decision taken lightly. At least we were able to give 3 weeks notice to the organisers.
Meanwhile over the last few weeks Wagonman has been getting on with this early GW brake van from a kit picked up at the Kettering show.
LBH is making progress with the cart for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae. It seems a pity, although necessary, to cover up all the cart underframe detail.
Getting ready for Crewe – or not Read More »
Most of us will be modelling at home this week. With Monday being yet another Bank Holiday and with some of us busy at the Bristol Show over the weekend it was time to miss this session. And Tuesday will be an online meeting so we’ll be at home with a screen (and liquid refreshments).
On Zoom we asked Steve B to ‘Carry On’, so we were entertained by ‘Further Up the Cambrian’. This session included Manors, Dukedogs and concrete signal posts. We ended with an impromptu visit to a 3 ft 6 ins gauge heritage railway in Tasmania thanks to Paul W.
Friday and back at the club where improvements to ABB continue. We now have a track power indicator next to the signalman – green is good, nothing means a short circuit.
At the end of the terrace the 3D printed workshop or garage has arrived and tried in place. Work on a proper tree has started but with still some way to go as you can see. Ground work will be necessary and a fence along the back too. Perhaps crack open on of the doors?
We seem to be in a bit of a quiet patch between shows at the moment, but Monday we welcomed Rhobat back after several weeks away.
Tuesday was quiet too, but LBH did manage to assemble some barrels from the Miniart range, they are actually 1:48 but will look ok on Tŷ’n-y-coedcae’s 1:43.5.
On Friday we were better attended. ABB was erected using the modified toblerones with support over the top of them, to provide an improved bearing surface. This was better but it made access to the joining bolts and electrical connections more difficult.
The persistent problem of how to finish off the end of the terrace may be coming to an end. The garage/workshop mock-up is a better size than previous suggestions, having the doors nearer the terrace makes sense and positioning it away from the line of the terrace looks better. Obviously we need an improved tree.
A lull between shows Read More »
This week was a bit quiet; Monday we decided not to open up on the Bank Holiday – deciding in the way of politicians being hounded out of their jobs to ‘spend more time with our families’.
Tuesday someone else will have to talk about since I was otherwise engaged . . . . . So Tuesday was quiet with a select few getting on with stuff including the next turnout for Cwmcarno, – but no pics.
Friday saw Paul make substantial progress on the modifications to the ‘Toblerones’ to make them more stable prior to ABB’s visit to Crewe, while LBH amused himself building a kit for a flat bed cart destined for Tŷ’n-y-Coedcae.
Away from the clubrooms Mr. C was working on a Bachmann Coal Tank for ABB and CC (so two bodies). The bearings have been reamed out to 1/8th, set up in a chassis jig and the coupling rods checked. These had previously been bushed, so were carefully opened out to align with the chassis. Postings on forums had noted that there were variations in some models.
Post-Easter blues? Read More »