The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling - Issue 14 - February 2018

GUIDE TO

Modelling FEBRUARY 2018, FREE

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Three layouts in one

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EDITORIAL | 3

February 2018

From the editor

GUIDE TO

Modelling

I

Staff

Editor Sarah Palmer RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk Contributors Tony Stratford, Nigel Burkin, Ian Lamb, Ian Holloway, Darryl Foxwell Production editor Pauline Hawkins Designer Holly Furness Picture desk Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield and Angie Sisestean Advertising manager Sue Keily Publisher Tim Hartley Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole Subscription manager Paul Deacon Circulation manager Steve O'Hara Marketing manager Charlotte Park

To advertise, contact: Lynsey Young 01507 529454 lyoung@mortons.co.uk Fiona Leak 01507 529573 fleak@mortons.co.uk

Where to find us

Editorial, advertising and administration Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel 01507 529529

Copyright

© Copyright Mortons Media Group Ltd. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, without prior approval in writing is prohibited. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

Printing

Mortons Print, Horncastle, Lincs.

Tel 01507 523456

Next edition

Find stockists online at

www.railwaymagazinemodelling.co.uk.

March issue of RMM is out on Friday, February 23, 2018.

Sarah Palmer Editor

don’t normally watch TV programmes in the format of The World’s Biggest Little Railway in the World, but as this particular one involves railway modelling, it would have been remiss not to!

In the first episode the premise of the project was announced as being to build a railway where no railway had been built before, i.e. along the Great Glen in Scotland, a feat that had defeated Victorian engineers. I’m not sure how much the project is an exercise in team-building, logistics and problem solving, rather than actual railway modelling, but the modellers involved are able to talk about their hobby and layouts, which is heartening. It will be interesting to see how the show develops, quite obviously a lot of decision making and design of the track had gone on before the show began – I’d also like to know more about how and why the track was designed and how the route was planned, for example.

It was interesting that within the first quarter of an hour the word ‘geek’ had been mentioned. If, according to the show’s presenter Dick Strawbridge, railway modelling is the country’s second most popular hobby then maybe we need to start dispensing with such disparaging stereotypes. After all in recent research modelling has been ranked as an important childhood hobby for fostering important technology and engineering skills in later life – I’ve written more about this in my feature on Room Top Railways on page 18.

I’d like to know what RMM readers think about this programme – is it good for bringing the hobby to a national audience, or is it not about modelling at all, and rather more of an engineering challenge?

Talking of challenges, we have a feature this month

by RMM regular Darryl Foxwell about how he creates three different layouts using the same track, baseboard and electrics.

If you’ve just started out on your modelling hobby, then don’t miss Nigel Burkin’s feature on essentials tools, and what pieces of kit you need in your basic toolbox.

We’ve also got your usual favourites including Blasts from the Past, Past and Present, and Third Rail, so I hope that there’s something useful for everyone in this issue.

Nigel Burkin offers some tips on basic modelling tools on page 26.

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February 2018

News

Have you got a story for us? Email: RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk

The Great Glen modelling challenge “We at Inverness & District Model Railway Club were approached early in 2017 to see if we would become involved with The World’s Biggest Little Railway,” says Gerry Parks, I&DMRC club secretary, about the

The model of Inverness castle built by I&DMRC members.

club’s involvement with the railway modelling project, filmed in the summer and currently airing on Channel 4.

“We all had our doubts as at the time the terrain had not been surveyed and we thought that they were setting themselves a task and a half, it being midge time in July when they wanted to film.

“Later in the year we were contacted again to say the project was on and that as the local club could we build them a layout of a station rather than the train just stopping on the track once it (hopefully) reached its destination. We were also asked to build a copy of Inverness castle.”

Club modellers were given seven weeks but the size of the castle

Getting started in modelling Nottingham MRS present the Nottingham East Midlands model railway exhibition every March and new this year is a Getting Started feature. This is aimed at getting new modellers into the hobby, either as new starters or as returners, inspired by our campaigning on this topic in RMM. “We have always tried to show visitors the very best layouts and demonstrations and have gained an enviable reputation as a quality show,” says Graham Clark, exhibition manager.

“However, we are aware that this might put off beginners, who think that they could never aspire to this level of modelling.

"Therefore, a new feature for our 2018 show is the Getting Started section.

"This will include demonstrations of basic techniques and hands-on exhibits where beginners, or hobby returnees, can have a go at making scenery, building a simple kit or even operating a layout!”

The Getting Started section of the show will include the following: building a simple plastic kit; building a baseboard; wiring the layout and layout operating.

In addition to the Getting Started feature there will be 29 layouts of all sizes and prototypes.

Nottingham East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition takes place at Harvey Hadden Sports Village, Nottingham NG8 4PB on Saturday, March 17, from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, March 18 from 9:30-4.30pm.

Prices are £8 for adults, concessions £7, children £2, family (2+3) £18.

build meant that this was cut back to the front section and part of two sides otherwise it would not have been ready, this alone took 70 hours as everything had to be made from scratch.

Gerry continues: “The modellers in the project faced a mountain (excuse pun) of difficulties as some of the terrain is very steep hence the need for carpenters/engineers to assist. Four teams of tracklayers were involved, each laying the next section as they progressed along the route. The track was moulded plastic in three-metre lengths and the loco used was a Roundhouse 0-6-0 Silver Lady live steamer. The project also involved 100 volunteers working to take the track from Fort William to Inverness.”

Special open day Spring may seem a long way off, what with the howling wintry winds and icy pavements, but for our railway lines there are plenty of things planned for when the days start to warm up.

Bredgard and Wormshill Railway near Sittingbourne in Kent, home to Invicta Model Rail, is hosting a special open day and model railway show on Sunday, May 6, which as well as a model railway includes a bluebell treasure hunt and railway rides.

The model railway show starts at 10.30am and closes at 4.30pm. Cash entrance fees on the gate are £10 for adults, £4 for children (four to 15), under 4s free and a family ticket for £25 to admit two adults and three children.

For more information visit www.bwlr. co.uk or telephone 0622 884254.

New world record set by miniature locomotive team in South Africa A South African engineer and his team have smashed the world record for the longest distance covered by a coal-fired miniature steam locomotive in a 24-hour period.

On December 10, Andries Keyser, from Pietermaritzburg, and nine friends set a new record of 205 miles – beating the one set in the UK in 1994 of 167 miles.

The 30-year-old’s attempt to break the world record started the day before at 3pm at the Pietermaritzburg Model Engineering Society’s multi-gauge track.

His team reached 167 miles four hours ahead of time, completing 881 laps and averaging about one minute and 49 seconds per lap.

The team used a one-third scale replica of a locomotive that ran between Beira, Mozambique and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1895.

Andries, a professional miniature train maker, built the 400kg locomotive over five years.

He is now compiling paperwork and video footage to submit his team’s feat to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Andries said he believes that a team in Britain is planning an attempt to take the record back.

Members also built a station for Silver Lady’s arrival at Inverness.

Fountain to herald Rocket’s North East homecoming A 260ft fountain on the River Tyne will form the centrepiece of the launch of the £5-million Great Exhibition of the North, which will see the original Stephenson’s Rocket return to its birthplace.

The fountain will be situated between the Tyne and Millennium bridges, which span Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides, with the first display on June 22. It will be

soundtracked by three specially commissioned pieces of music.

After the launch, the fountain will run several times each day with evening performances including a light display.

Rainhill Trials winner Rocket will return from the Science Museum in London especially for the event.

The full list of events will be published at the end of February.

Could Dinting Railway Centre be revived?

A GROUP has been looking into the possibility of reviving the long-closed Dinting Railway Centre, possibly as a replacement for Coventry’s Electric Railway Museum.

The Friends of Guide Bridge Station have been given permission

by Network Rail to open the station building as a railway museum, mainly to be dedicated to the history of the Woodhead route.

However, they have also been looking at reopening the nearby Dinting Railway Centre, according to

Manchester alderman Keith Whitmore, the new chairman of the Bahamas Locomotive Society.

They have been in discussion with the landowner, the local authority and the residents group, as well as Network Rail, about possible reconnection of the site.

The centre was formed by the BLS after it bought LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45596 Bahamas in 1967. It closed in 1991 and the collection moved to Ingrow West on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

Help Erlestoke Manor return in 2020 THE Erlestoke Manor Fund has appealed for £35,000 to complete the restoration of the popular GWR 4-6-0, which was withdrawn from Severn Valley Railway traffic on December 31.

The fund has contracted Tyseley Locomotive Works to carry out the

overhaul of 1939-built No. 7812, which is expected to take two years.

Fund officials have appealed to supporters to help cover the shortfall, either by buying products from its shop or by making a direct donation.

More details can be found at www. erlestokemanorfund.co.uk

Can you help?

The Aimrec project aims to create a national centre for railway models, on the lines of the National Railway Museum in York, but based at Ashford in Kent. It’s a grand ambition and as such is in need of volunteers

and donations in order to raise the necessary funds to create a purposebuilt building on the old railway works site. For more information about the project, or to make a donation, visit www.aimrec.co.uk

Read more at www.railwaymagazinemodelling.co.uk or find us on Facebook @RailwayMagazineModelling

February 2018

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| WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

February 2018

in What's the shops

DJ Models' OO Gauge Class 71 The result of a very successful crowdfunding exercise, the D J Models’ Southern Region E5000 Class or Class 71 is described by Nigel Burkin.

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ne of the more remarkable model releases of 2017 was the DJ Models’ Class 71, a model of a small but particularly interesting class of electric mixed-traffic locomotive built for operation on the Southern Region of British Railways. Introduced in 1959, the Class 71 was a very successful development of the booster generator concept first used in the three Southern Railway 1470hp Co-Co booster locomotives designed by Alfred Raworth, which were introduced during the 1940s and survived into BR ownership as Class 70.

Class 71s were remarkable locomotives, being built solely for use on Southern Region third-rail routes, particularly the Eastern Section where they operated anything from local freight trains to Channel boat trains together with the prestigious ‘Night Ferry’ and ‘Golden Arrow’ train services. A total of 24 Class 71 locomotives were built at Doncaster with English Electric equipment, numbered E5000-E5023, becoming known as the E5000s. Latterly, and for the record, E5000 was renumbered E5024 making the number range E5001-24.

Class 71s displaced steam locomotives on mixed-traffic duties as the third rail was laid along the principal Kent main lines to the Channel ports in the late 1950s as part of the BTC’s 1955 Modernisation Plan. Initially, the E5000s or Class 71s were based at the then new electric traction shed at Stewarts Lane.

However, the class found work all over the Eastern Section and were stationed at various locations such as Ashford Chart Leacon and Hoo Junction. At around 2400hp and weighting in at 77 tons, the Class 71 possessed an excellent power-to-weight ratio, making it a remarkable locomotive capable of outstanding acceleration and the ability to run at consistently high speeds over the Kent Coast main line via Ashford on heavy trains. It was rated with a maximum speed of 90mph but was capable of so much more, if anecdotal evidence is to be believed.

MODEL FEATURES IN A NUTSHELL: Quiet coreless motor for fine operation and control.

All wheels are powered.

All driving wheels have electrical current collection.

DCC-ready with 21-pin DCC interface.

Space allocated for installation of a sound decoder.

Detailed cab interiors.

Working cab lights – fully switched with a decoder.

Working head and tail-lights with underframe switches to control head code lighting.

Detailed bufferbeams and accessory pack with brake pipes.

Fill-in panel for the bufferbeam valence for display models.

Correct pattern windscreen wipers.

Highly detailed bogies fitted with numerous separate details.

Correct pattern of pantograph, which may be posed to suit.

Fully detailed and finished cab interior.

Flush glazing fitted in every window aperture.

Etched works plates depending on the model.

Correct pattern of spoked wheels to RP25-110 standards.

Correct pattern of head code lettering depending on era of model.

A choice of simple-to-fit head code blinds, including white and red, are supplied for the modeller to fit.

Model weight: 350g.

The Class 71 has a distinct rounded shape, which gives the locomotive a most unusual appearance for a British electric locomotive.

The distinctive lines, particularly around the cab front, have been perfectly captured by DJ Models.

As EMUs took over many of the duties of the class, its use on freight and mail traffic increased with duties performed mostly at night. Unfortunately for the Class 71, it relied wholly on electric current taken from the conductor rail (and trolley wires via the roof pantograph in some yards where a conductor rail was a danger to ground staff). The class slowly ran out of work and given that the Class 73, with its auxiliary diesel engine, was more flexible, those Class 71s that were not converted to Class 74 electro diesel locomotives were withdrawn in late 1977.

One can only wonder how SR push-pull adapted Class 71s would have performed on Gatwick Express services had they survived to see the 1980s. A single Class 71 survived to see preservation as part of the National Collection.

Mention has to be made of the

unsuccessful conversion of 10 Class 71s to Class 74s for the Bournemouth line electrification scheme. Introduced in 1968, Class 71s were equipped with a 650hp auxiliary diesel engine designed to power the locomotive away from the conductor rail – the pantograph being no longer required as a result. The standard Southern Region high-level brake pipes and multiple working equipment was fitted making Class 74s compatible with Southern Region Mk. 1 EMUs. The use of then new solid-state electronics proved to be the undoing of the class and they were found to be too unreliable.

Withdrawal of the Class 74s took place

at about the same time as the Class 71s.

It should be noted that DJ Models has announced a Class 74 model, which is in development at the time of writing.

The model DJ Models funded the development of the Class 71 model through crowdfunding and what a successful venture that turned out to be – being the first fully crowdfunded locomotive model to reach the UK

Electric current drawn from the Southern Region conductor rail is the only source of power for Class 71s. A pantograph was fitted to allow the locomotives to draw current from a trolley wire installed in freight yards and terminals where a conductor rail would be a danger to staff. The one fitted to the model is finely sprung and may be positioned to suit.

WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

February 2018

market. With only 24 locomotives in service during the 1960s and 70s, the model represents a locomotive with a limited geographical use and a relatively short life. However, like all Southern Region locomotives, the Class 71 has a strong following among modellers and enthusiasts alike, making the model worthwhile developing. It has 40 years between withdrawal of the class in the late autumn of 1977 and recent times to see commercial models of the Class 71 to appear in OO gauge. The DJ Models’ Class 71 is available through a number of stockists, including limited-edition models for Hattons and Kernow Model Rail Centre.

Body shell One of the notable features of the class is its rounded shape, together with a wealth of grille work on one side of the locomotive, both of which have been nicely represented in the plastic body shell of the model. Around the cab front, the slight ‘peak’ in the panelling above the middle cab window as well as the subtly sloping front have both been captured well on the model. Looking at the roof, the pantograph well is both correctly shaped and detailed on the inside while the curved roof profile matches photographs and drawings well.

Overall, the body shell is well moulded with good cut-in detail and the right shape for a Class 71.

Fine details Fine details are a feature of the DJ Models’ Class 71 despite the plain appearance of the locomotives themselves. Roof-mounted whistles, a feature they carried until the end, together with cab-roof ventilators are separate mouldings alongside the roof panel lifting lugs and etched works

plates. Separate wire hand rails and clear flush glazing add to the overall fine appearance of the model, together with individual windscreen wipers of the correct pattern and lamp irons which are separately applied to the cab fronts.

A pantograph assembled from numerous components is fitted to the roof well and is of the correct pattern for a Class 71. It is lightly sprung, allowing it to be posed to suit the need of the modeller.

It opens up the opportunity to model a freight yard scene with an overhead trolley wire where a conductor rail would be considered to be too hazardous to be used for traction current.

Underframe and bogies A great deal of attention has been paid to the bogie moulding to ensure that the complex detail is well represented.

Rather than rely on one-piece mouldings, DJ Models has achieved a depth of detail with the use of individual components and fine wire for pipework. Individual details include the speedometer drive cable, correct pattern of footsteps and the separately applied shoe beams, which are supplied in the detailing pack for the modeller to fit.

The same level of detail is apparent on the underframe, including wire pipework and individual components for underframe boxes and tanks.

Bufferbeam fairings are securely screwed to the underframe and feature a gap to allow the use of tension-lock couplings.

The add-on detailing pack includes a fill-in piece allowing the complete bufferbeam to be modelled and detailed using the brake pipe details supplied in the add-on pack. Some of the brake pipes and electric train heating jumper cables are factory fitted to the bufferbeam together with the correct pattern of sprung buffers.

The head codes slide neatly into the head code frame located behind the middle cab window – there’s no need to remove the cab assemblies or electronics to fit them.

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MODEL DETAILS: English Electric E1500 Class or Class 71.

Manufacturer: DJ Models Ltd. Scale: OO gauge, 1:76 scale.

One side of the Class 71 showing the finely moulded side grilles.

Electronics and lighting Internally, the model features some sophisticated electronics starting with a 21-pin DCC interface socket, which allows the independent control of marker lights, cab lights and the head code panel. LEDs are used throughout for all lighting including the head code panel – switches on the underside of the model permit further control of head code lighting. A choice of clear head code inserts is supplied in the add-on pack, which are easily fitted to the frame located behind the centre cab window. There is a gap between the cab assembly and body to allow the fitting of the head code inserts without having to dismantle any of the cab assembly wiring or having to remove the cabs themselves.

Drive mechanism A powerful coreless motor fitted to the frame of the model powers both bogies through drive shafts and gear towers – all of the wheels are powered. The quality of running after a short period of runningin is quiet and smooth. At 350g overall weight, the model has sufficient traction to operate a sizeable van train. No traction tyres are fitted to the correct pattern spoked wheels – they are not necessary.

The wheels are bushed in brass axle bushes rather than running directly in plastic bogie frames.

Overall Class 71s are, at least as far as Southern Electric enthusiasts are concerned, an iconic class of locomotive, which would translate into a lovely model. Despite their plain outward appearance, the Class 71 has a charm about it that has been well captured by DJ Models. For those who like complex detail, the bogies have the depth and complexity of the full-size locomotives while the spoked wheels are a nod to an earlier railway era. It is a perfect Southern Region transition-era locomotive, which has a great deal of appeal for those attracted to the Southern Electric system.

Era: 1958-1977 depending on the livery and fittings.

Review model represents the class in interim BR green livery seen in the 1960s.

Web: www.djmodels.co.uk Suggested retail price: £139.95.

Included in the accessory pack is a selection of head code blinds printed on clear plastic including red and white blanks.

The loco body simply unclips from the underframe allowing easy access to the DCC interface and to insert the head code blinds. Space is available to fit a digital sound speaker at one end of the chassis and two solder pads for the speaker leads are located on the circuit board.

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| WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

February 2018

in What's the shops

Bachmann OO gauge WD Austerity 2-8-0 Only two WD Austerity 2-8-0 locomotives remained in WD ownership after the war including No. WD 79250 (LMR401) Major-General McMullen, which operated on the famous Longmoor Military Railway until it was scrapped in 1957.

Although the Bachmann WD Austerity 2-8-0 model is one of the older models in the range, the latest releases, particularly No. WD 79250, will be popular with modellers. Nigel Burkin takes a close look at this highly regarded model of a wartime heavy-freight engine.

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very large number of 2-8-0 heavy-freight locomotives based on the LMS Class 8F design were constructed for the War Department (WD) in time for the invasion of Europe.

Designed by R A Riddles, the design became the WD standard heavy-freight locomotive and had economy rather than longevity behind the concept.

In total, 935 locomotives were built between 1943 and 1945 by the North British Locomotive Company and Vulcan foundry. The WD Austerity 2-8-0 locomotive, like the Class 8F, was built for heavy-freight traffic. Small driving wheels over four axles placed a lot of traction on the rails, making them suitable for lifting heavy-freight trains at relatively low speeds, making the design ideal for use in Europe in the latter stages of the Second World War. They were designed to be cheap, austere locomotives with few frills – the boiler was a parallel design with no insulation lagging; the firebox was constructed primarily of steel rather than copper and was round-topped rather than of a Belpaire design.

Consequently, there were problems with this cut-price design, highlighted by the Big Four railway companies, particularly the LNER, which used them on loan from the WD until the Normandy landings, when most of them were shipped to Europe between June 1944 and February 1945.

Once the war was over, the locomotives were repatriated to the UK, except 184, which remained in the Netherlands. The WD either sold or loaned repatriated locomotives to the LNER (becoming Class O7) and the British Transport Commission. They survived to see BR ownership, being numbered 90000-90732.

WD Austerity 2-8-0 locomotives were withdrawn between 1959 and 1967 with only one locomotive being preserved: No. WD 79257, which was one of the locomotives left in Europe after the war and survived to see service in Sweden. Sadly, none of the LNER Class O7 type survived to see preservation.

Of the locomotives returned to the UK after the war, only two remained in WD ownership: No. WD 77337 and the featured model, No. WD 79250.

Named Major-General McMullen, the locomotive was used on the famous Longmoor Military Railway (LMR) in Hampshire and was repainted in an attractive livery of dark blue with red lining. Sadly, this locomotive was scrapped in 1957.

For more information on the LNER Class O7 locomotives, it is worth visiting the LNER Encyclopaedia at https://www.lner.info/locos/O/o7.php

The model Bachmann offers two WD Austerity 2-8-0 locomotive models in its 2017 OO-gauge catalogue. One is finished in plain LNER black as No. 77003 (32254A), which was released earlier in 2017.

The second model, kindly supplied by Bachmann for review, is of No. WD 79250 (LMR No. 401) (32-250A) due for release in the first quarter of 2018. The review model is finished in pristine condition with attractive red lining and valve gear, con rods and coupling rods picked out in red. The model represents No. WD 79250 after naming (etched nameplates are supplied with the model) but before the LMR number was applied.

The Bachmann OO gauge WD Austerity 2-8-0 model has been issued in various guises in the past including LMR No. 400, Sir Guy Williams (32-250); War Department green as No. WD 79257 and also a version finished in desert sand livery. It was first released in 1999 and has been a popular model in the catalogue.

There have been significant upgrades made to the model since 1999 including a new chassis, mechanism, an adjustable drawbar, tender-to-engine wiring and a 21-pin DCC interface socket. Since its release, it has become a firm favourite among modellers and is held in generally high regard.

Engine A well-proportioned engine body shell is matched by a high level of detail throughout including a wealth of separate details ranging from pipework to wire hand rails together with separate hand rail knobs. The running plate is well detailed with sand-box detail and pipework too.

Etched nameplates are supplied for the modeller to apply to the running plates.

Safety valves and whistles are turned metal, and metal sprung buffers are fitted to both tender and engine.

A moulded cab back head is a feature of the model with pipework and regulator picked out in different colours.

Glazing is applied to the forward-facing windows but not the cab-side ones.

There is no fall-plate covering the gap between the engine and the tender, so cab detailing appears a little more sparse compared with more recent Bachmann releases.

Model details:

Model features:

Motor installed in the engine, not the tender.

21-pin DCC interface socket located in the tender.

NEM coupling pocket fitted to the tender.

Coupling screw fitted to the front bogie.

Manufacturer: Bachmann Europe Plc.

Detailed and painted cab interior.

Removable coal load.

Catalogue number: 32-250A

Adjustable tenderto-engine drawbar.

Sprung front bogie.

Scale: British OO gauge, 1:76 scale to run on 16.5mm gauge track.

Era: 1943-1967 (1945-1957 for the featured model).

A well-detailed eight-wheel tender of the correct pattern conceals a 21-pin DCC interface. No current collection is fitted to the tender wheels.

The tender is enhanced with a wealth of separate details including brake stand, hand rails and ladders. A NEM coupling pocket is fitted to the tender.

Correctly proportioned body shell.

Fine wire hand rails and hand rail knobs.

Subtle tooling of small details such as rivets.

Web: www.bachmann.co.uk

Correct pattern of driving wheels.

Electrical connections between the tender and engine.

Suggested retail price: ÂŁ159.95.

Etched nameplates.

Weight: 362g.

WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

February 2018

Standalone details include pipe runs, hand rails, air pump lamp irons, whistle, safety valves and etched nameplates.

Tender An accurately modelled eight-wheel tender is supplied with the locomotive, which has an adjustable drawbar. The tender has some fine detail including wire grab rails, sloping axle boxes and detail applied to the cab end of the tender. It is partially loaded with coal and can be fitted with additional detail supplied with the model.

Fine details WD Austerity locomotives were not renowned for their good looks – they had to be rugged and easy to maintain, being intended for a relatively short but hard operational life. Consequently, not too much thought went into the final appearance of the locomotives, resulting in equipment being fitted wherever it worked best. The air pump was attached to the side of the smokebox, marring the front outline of the locomotive. It is represented with a nicely moulded component along with the associated pipework. Other fine details include the cast driving wheels, lamp irons and the locomotive’s motion.

Electronics The WD Austerity 2-8-0 is a wellestablished model in the Bachmann catalogue, which has seen a number of improvements since its first release in 1999. One of those is the fitting of a 21-pin DCC interface socket to the tender.

This is connected to the locomotive with four wires and a convenient plug-andsocket arrangement allowing the two to be separated. Current collection is made through the locomotive’s eight driving wheels – the wheels in the tender are not fitted for current collection.

Although first released in 1999, the model is highly regarded by modellers and is well detailed throughout including the cab back head area.

Drive mechanism and performance Reports from modellers over the years indicate that the WD Austerity 2-8-0 is a fine running model and the review sample was no exception. It was very controllable and could run at very low speeds even before being run-in according to the instructions. Care has been taken over the fitting of valve gear and rods to make the model run well with a lovely motion. The coupling and connection rods picked out in red make it all the more interesting to watch. Most of its 362g of weight is concentrated in the engine over the eight driving wheels where it is needed most, making it a capable model for hauling long freight trains. The model has enough current pick-up over the eight driving wheels to negotiate complex junctions without stalling.

Paint colours and finish The blue and red scheme applied to the two LMR WD Austerity 2-8-0 locomotives was both striking and a pleasing change from the plain black found on the LNER Class O7 and BR black locomotives. The finish is clean with crisp printing and well-defined colours. Lining of the tender and cab sides is level and without blurring along the edges. The locomotive’s number is neatly printed on the forward bufferbeam. The finish is pristine and from what I can tell from published photographs, the LMR maintained its stock in good condition until the last few years before its closure in October 1969.

Modelling potential The Longmoor Military Railway was conceived as a training railway for the

military and consequently, a wide variety of equipment graced its sometimes very temporary metals to give trainees as wide a range of experience as possible. It had a very diverse and varied collection of locomotives and stock on its roster at one time or another which makes it very attractive to modellers seeking unusual prototypes to model. Spread over a wide area, the railway was changed on a regular basis and boasted as much as 70 miles of track at its peak. Although No. WD 79250 was scrapped in 1957, more than 10 years before the closure of the railway, such a prototype is open to all manner of interpretation for a layout theme.

Around the mid-1960s, the railway had more than 10 main line standard locomotives and survival into preservation was pretty good, including a number of stored WD Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotives together with the large 2-10-0 No. LMR 600 and Class 8F No. LMR 500.

Ready-to-run LMR stock produced

by Bachmann has appeared from time to time including LMR No. 400, Sir Guy Williams (32-250); an 0-6-0 diesel shunter No. LMR 878 Basra, offered as a ModelZone limited-edition model (32-102U); A Bachmann USA 0-6-0T tank locomotive (MR-105LN); LMR blue Mk. 1 suburban coaches by Invicta Model Rail (34-625Y) and a 20t brake van (37-357X). D J Models produced LMR blue WD Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 196 Errol Lonsdale in partnership with Kernow Model Rail Centre in 2016.

The round-topped firebox, parallel boiler and slightly smaller smokebox give the class a unique appearance compared with many other main line steam locomotives of the era, which may feature flat-topped Belpaire fireboxes and tapered boilers – a character that is well captured in the Bachmann model.

A key feature of the class is the pattern of the cast driving wheels, which is nicely represented on the model, together with the valve gear and motion.

Since its release, the model has been upgraded with a DCC interface socket located in the tender and an adjustable tender-to-engine draw bar.

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| PAST AND PRESENT

February 2018

‘Our hobby is getting too expensive’

My ‘scratch-build’ East waiting room sits in harmony with manufactured structures.

An opinion offered to me by quite a few people at the autumn Bachmann Collectors’ Club Members’ Day on the Mid Hants Railway, and additionally by others since then in general conversation, says Ian Lamb.

H

owever, I say, “Is it really?”

Such ‘complaints’ have always adorned the hobby, and in a copy of Railway Modeller many years ago it was stated: “I feel that the limits have been reached, and model firms must find ways to hold prices or suffer as people leave the hobby in droves.” In an even older magazine I noticed a ‘letter to the Editor’ comment by a person complaining that entrance fees to exhibitions had gone up from 50p to 60p, so surely this would mean fewer visitors. Try telling that to SECC or Warley!

Richard Foster, editor of Model Rail magazine states that: “We should celebrate technical innovation and recognise that we have to pay for it. The hobby can’t survive if it can’t attract new blood, and young modellers raised in a 21st century world won’t be satisfied with 1950s technology.”

As I stood in Ropley shed and admired the immaculate Standard 4 2-6-0 No. 76017, for a moment I thought I was back at Thornton Junction more than 50 years ago watching sister engine No. 76109 (modelled by Bachmann) being prepared for its Fife-based duties on that day.

Hornby's superb model of the main Dent station.

You do not get detail and quality like this on a model cheaply for such a very high standard. I can’t remember what it cost me to purchase No. 76109 some time back, though I am aware that today’s equivalent loco will probably retail at around £160. Personally (if as a pensioner I could afford it) I would willingly pay double because trying to create such a model from a kit or other source would cost just as much; and there’s no way I could match the quality of finish or running performance reliability.

In my view, it is not so much a case of the hobby becoming too expensive, but that certain aspects of it are. For instance – if you can afford it – by all

means pay £50 or more for part of a station, but I have tried to show you in past issues of RMM that a good alternative is to build one ‘For a Fiver’, and still have great fun in the process.

However, I would not recommend compromising on the purchase of your locos and rolling stock.

Perhaps it’s just an old man speaking, but I was brought up on the view that you cut your cloth accordingly, and if you wanted something better then something had to be sold to pay for it.

I never have had much fund-money to spend on the hobby so have always been careful regarding what I obtain in progressing with whatever layout I am working on at the time.

This is where ‘swapmeets’ and second-hand outlets are a godsend to cash-starved modellers. Apart from my original Christmas present of a HornbyDublo BR Standard 2-6-4 tank loco plus three tin-plate suburban coaches, most of my initial further purchases were second-hand. As an example of ‘progress’ and upgrading, I was never happy with the realism of the tin-plate coaches, and greatly admired the more realistic plastic Tri-ang version, so eventually sold on the Hornby Dublo items for two second-hand Tri-ang ones, which (if I remember correctly) left some money in my favour! After at least 30 years since conversion and painting, lining, etc., they are still in use.

PAST AND PRESENT |

February 2018

Original Tri-ang Suburban and Hornby Thompson coaches still in use after some conversion. IAN LAMB

I doubt if I could undertake painting by hand the lining on these coaches today, but there are small manufacturers who provide such transfers, especially relevant numbers – something I’ve yet to do!

The major work (for good running) on both sets of coaches was the wheels; the suburban coaches had very thick ones while the Thompsons had plastic representation. Once more modern metal wheels became available, they were appropriately fitted. The Springside lamp on the suburban brake coach, and the corridor connections (handmade) on the Thompsons really set these models off. Cost – at today’s money – less than £20 for the lot. Obviously they can’t match the quality of currently available coaches at around £40 each, but they can do the job until such time as you can afford the latest model versions, which I have been able to do in recent years.

The same principle applies with locomotives. The first engine that I purchased new was the Hornby Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0, which I renumbered as 46464 because at the time it was

a Strathspey Railway engine, and I worked on the tender of the real thing ready for final paintwork.

To all intents and purposes the model did the job, but I was never totally happy with the body moulding and the poor valve gear, therefore when the Bachmann model came along it was purchased new, and the Hornby one sold off. Concerning that second-hand sale, I got almost as much as I had paid originally many years before, though I’m sure the youngster concerned bought it because that class of locomotive was nicknamed by rail enthusiasts as ‘Mickey Mouse’!

When Hornby brought out its set of Dent buildings, I couldn’t resist obtaining the main building, as there was no way that I could have created such a quality structure, so willingly acknowledged the expense.

The problem came when I tried to purchase the matching waiting room, it just could not be obtained anywhere in Britain, so I had no option but to construct one myself at next to nothing as far as materials were concerned.

Bachmann BR Standard 2-6-0 76109 halts at Leven station with a local train from Crail to Thornton Junction.

If you’re thinking of post-Christmas purchases, choose wisely! If possible, try to create your own.

Metcalfe Models has recently brought out a fine kit depicting a beautifully designed replica of the standard small stations found along the Settle to Carlisle route.

Apart from being reasonably easy to construct, the kit features fine laser-cut window frames, bargeboards and ridge tiles – very much in the style of the existing full-size stations today. Additionally, this kit costs about a quarter of the ready-made model (if still available).

These alternative suggestions all help to keep the overall cost of our hobby less expensive.

Do you have any tips on keeping the costs of modelling down? Email RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk Bachmann Ivatt 2-6-0 No. 46464 rests at the entrance to Superquickton Goods Yard.

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| WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

February 2018

in What's the shops

EXPO’s ‘Easy Clean’ airbrushes

Model AB800 with small 2ml colour cup making it ideal for fine painting work where only small quantities of colour are needed, thus reducing paint waste.

Economical and simple-to-use airbrushes by Expo Tools are investigated by Nigel Burkin.

E

xpo Tools now offers two airbrushes with excellent specifications for their relatively low price, which will be attractive to modellers. Both models are outwardly the same except for a different size of colour cup, making them ideal for specific modelling tasks – identified by the colour of the handles. The airbrushes were tested with railway modelling in mind and the spraying tasks most commonly undertaken by railway modellers. They can include the application of enamel paints to models; matting down of structures and features on a layout; scenery work, the application of primers to plastic models before painting and, of course, weathering effects both on the layout and models.

I tested the airbrushes with Tamiya and LifeColour acrylic paints, particularly Tamiya matte varnish – varnishes can be tricky! Also tested were Phoenix Precision paints and ‘Liquitex’ matte medium. The airbrushes performed well with all media, but appeared to be particularly well suited to modellers’ acrylic paint, which is coarser than enamel paints and inks, and often will not perform

well when applied through more highly strung airbrushes.

With this in mind, modellers should avoid the temptation to buy very expensive airbrushes believing that the more money you throw at spraying equipment, the better the painting finishes will be. That is not always the case and really expensive airbrushes intended for particular artistic applications may not be as effective for railway modelling and layout work.

Achieving good paint finishes is more a matter of technique and practice than expense, and a rugged, budget design, which will be easier to look after, is often a better choice. The two Expo airbrushes fit this bill perfectly and are of rugged construction with solid nozzle assemblies and a sturdy cap to protect the needle. The needle cap may be removed for spraying fine lines.

During testing, I found the design lived up to its ‘easy clean’ billing – they were very easy to clear of surplus paint using thinners and, in the case of acrylic paints, water. Dismantling was simple to do and the nozzle was found to be simply fitted to the nozzle cap rather than being screwed into the body of the airbrush.

One task that Model AB900 was tested on was the application of artist’s matte medium for the application and securing of static grass.

Liquitex matte medium was the product used, which the AB900 sprayed well and without clogging or splattering, despite it being quite a heavy medium to spray.

Model AB800 This model is fitted with a 2ml colour cup with lid and is identified by having a blue handle. Many modelling applications require the smallest amount of paint colour to complete a detailing task or to add to a weathered model using a different colour. Small quantities of paint can become lost in a larger colour cup, making Model AB800 perfect for modellers completing fine painting effects where only the smallest amount of paint is required before changing colours.

Removing the nozzle cap will allow the modeller to spray very fine lines with this design of airbrush.

Both the Model AB800 and AB900 are of the same basic design with dual-action trigger and gravity feed. The design is rugged, making it ideal for the generally heavier paints used in railway modelling.

Model AB900 Repainting larger models and work pieces will be made easier with the large 7ml colour cup fitted to Model AB900. Larger quantities of paints may be mixed and loaded into the colour cup before fitting the lid to prevent spillage. The large colour cup is ideal for those repainting complete locomotives or rolling stock together with large weathering tasks on the layout such as track painting or structure finishing. During testing, I found the AB900 perfect for the application of matte medium when dulling down paint finishes on a layout.

The larger cup size limited the times I had to prepare and load mixes of paint during long spraying sessions.

Operation Both models of airbrush are dual-action designs with gravity feed. The trigger has two functions (dual-action), which control the flow of air and therefore the paint, together with spray line width.

The trigger is pressed to start the air flow and then pulled back to change the line width. Gravity feed means that the paint is fed into the chamber of the airbrush from the top of the body from the colour cup. There is no feed from below the airbrush for attaching a paint jar or cup.

On the end of the airbrush is a small thumbscrew that can be used to prevent the trigger from being pulled back too far and discharging too much paint on to a work piece. Modellers undertaking fine weathering effects or painting small areas of the model where flooding with paint must be avoided will find this feature very useful.

During tests, I found the airbrushes very easy to use and very refined in performance for the price. Both the Model AB800 and AB900 between them covered the wide range of applications I need of an airbrush and coped well with even slightly underthinned paints. The coarser-textured acrylic paints used by modellers presented no challenges to either airbrush and I was impressed by the ease of cleaning, rugged construction