The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling - Issue 10 - October 2017

GUIDE TO

Modelling

OCTOBER 2017

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AIRBRUSHING

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EXHIBITIONS: WHAT TO EXPECT AS A VISITOR P24 AND OPERATOR

BASIC LOCOMOTIVE DETAILING

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local modelling club

BLASTS FROM THE PAST: MAINLINE

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October 2017

EDITORIAL | 3

From the editor

GUIDE TO

Modelling

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Staff

Editor Sarah Palmer RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk Contributors Tony Stratford, Lucian Doyle, Nigel Burkin, Ian Lamb, Matt Wickham, Graeme Simmonds, Ian Holloway Production editor Pauline Hawkins Senior designer Holly Furness Picture desk Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield 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.

November's RMM is out on October27, 2017.

Sarah Palmer Editor

his month I’ve heard a couple of people commenting on what inspires a layout to be built with someone describing modelling as encapsulating an experience.

And when I went to visit Spalding MRC, its secretary was talking about the differences between what younger and older members wanted to model, with steam being popular with older members who remember it and diesel layouts being what the juniors want to create, as it’s what they know. Turn to page 14 to read more about this visit.

This got me thinking about train travel in my car-less childhood, where family holidays down to Norfolk were taken on diesels.

To this day when I travel by train I panic about missing a connection, haunted as I am by the sight of my dad dragging our one family suitcase (those were the days!) over a footbridge as we huffed and puffed to not miss our train. Being BR days I can

remember that during one nearmiss my mother was eternally grateful as the train was held for us to clamber aboard. My dad used to pass comment on the passengers who would alight at each station, making a comment about Spalding that tickled my brother and I as we sat in our compartments with overhead netted racks for our bags. Even now when travelling on preserved lines the feel of a certain upholstery, the sound of a train window being pulled shut, or the rhythm of a diesel engine takes me back to those happy days, and my dad. I’d love to hear more about the stories and memories that inspired your layouts.

This month we’ve got lots of interesting features including Tony Stratford’s on Mainline Railways – his pieces on famous names always seems popular and bring back lots of memories. If you’ve always fancied trying your hand at weathering then Graeme Simmonds has some great advice

What will my son recall of rail transport as he gets older? The steam engines of the preserved lines and railtours that we’ve taken him on, or the trips we've taken on the East Coast Main Line up to Edinburgh?

on airbrushing and cleaning your kit while we have Ian Lamb on page 38 trying out simple printed kits on a friend to see how easy it actually is to build an arched bridge. As the exhibition season gets into full swing as the nights pull in we’ve also got a story on what makes a good show, and what to think about if you’re thinking of taking your layout to your first one.

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October 2017

News

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

APT-E – Revolution Trains’ announcement Revolution Trains – the company set up to use crowdfunding methods to bring niche models to the British model railway market – is to offer the iconic APT-E prototype train in N gauge.

The model will be manufactured

by Rapido Trains of Canada, whose model of the same train in 00 was voted 2016 Model of the Year.

In the first instance Revolution is seeking expressions of interest, since while the APT-E is a stylish and iconic train, it may not enjoy enough support to be commercially viable as a model.

REVOLUTION TRAINS.

Kettering says goodbye to Carl

Kettering and District Model Railway Show took place on September 16. The show is the last to be ‘exhibition-managed’ by Carl Ward, who has decided to step down. On behalf of all members and visitors, we would like to thank Carl for his sterling efforts. The public

Best in Show award produced a clear winner with Re-United Biscuits taking the honours! The layout is the work of Mike Biash (bottom right) and son, Robin.

Please send any news relating to club exhibitions to rmmodellingeditor@mortons.co.uk

The Wishlist Poll takes a holiday

The annual Wishlist Poll – which normally runs in October – is ‘taking a holiday’ this year but plans to be back in 2018.

The Poll Team feels that this short break will be helpful as the results have been consistent over the past few years and some manufacturers are in a ‘catch-up’ situation with their programmes.

The Poll Team can be contacted at: thepollteam@gmail.com

Rail expert publishes his ‘magnum opus’

Legend of the rail industry David Maidment OBE has produced his latest locomotive book, The Development of the German Pacific Locomotive, and dwarfs all his previous books.

David said: “This one really is my magnum opus. It is 400 pages long and includes 500 photos, half of which are in colour – but this is the one I’ve been wanting to write for years. I’m really pleased with how it has turned out and it looks great – a real coffee table book that would make a great gift for a train buff – and a valuable reference book for model-makers." Royalties from David’s books go to the Railway Children charity, which he founded.

To order a copy of David Maidment’s book visit the Pen & Sword website or email Maidmentrail@aol.com.

The International N Gauge Show

Visiting the Kirklees Light Railway for its September 9-10 steam gala was a pair of early Bassett-Lowke Henry Greenly ‘Little Giant’ Atlantics. Caledonian blueliveried Prince Edward of Wales was built in Northampton in 1909 and became the first locomotive at the newly opened Rhyl Miniature Railway. The dark blue Synolda was constructed in 1912 for the Sand Hutton Railway near York but normally resides in the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway museum. DAVE RODGERS

The International N Gauge Show took place over the weekend of September 9-10 and was a tremendous success with more than 3000 visitors attending.

Featuring the very best of N gauge, this dedicated show featured 31 layouts and more than 40 specialist suppliers showcasing their latest models and products.

The joint organisers, Meridienne Exhibitions Ltd and the N Gauge Team, are delighted to announce next year’s dates, which have been confirmed as September 8-9, 2018, again at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre. To express an interest in exhibiting your layout at future shows please email the exhibition organisers at info@ meridienneexhibitions.co.uk or telephone 01926 614101.

Ben Ando from Revolution Trains said: “For many railway modellers, this train still feels like the future even though it last ran at speed more than 40 years ago. There was only one, and only four cars, so in some ways it is the perfect ‘rule 1’ model and we are hoping that will be enough to ensure it reaches minimum order numbers.

“Exact specifications (including whether or not it will tilt) will not be known until we begin serious design work." The price is likely to be similar to the £225 of the OO model. www. revolutiontrains.com.

Lynx Models’ move Wheel Lynx Models, manufacturers of specifications for white metal detail castings and accessories for 7mm (1:43 scale) the modeller standard and narrow gauge

modellers, has moved to larger premises. In addition to supplying detail parts for model railways, Lynx Models also produces motorcycle kits, architectural parts and more than 60 different types of wheels ranging from horse drawn and motor vehicle wheels to small wheels for barrows and trolleys, hand wheels, valve wheels, etc.

All products are available by mail order or from our stand at selected O gauge shows. www.lynxmodels.net

New locomotive arrivals

Hattons has announced two brand new, exclusive OO-gauge locomotives, the SECR P Class 0-6-0T as well as Andrew Barclay 14in and 16in 0-4-0ST. This is in response to increased demand from customers for small shunting locomotives, including industrials. www.hattons.co.uk.

Mike Sharman’s beautifully engineered locomotives and rolling stock performing on complex trackwork has inspired railway modellers for decades. Similarly his books have taught valuable practical techniques.

A new edition of Wheel Specifications for the Modeller has been produced in association with the Scalefour Society and is distributed by Stenlake Publishing: www.stenlake.co.uk

Railway Children Christmas cards

This year there are 10 rail-related designs to choose from in the Railway Children Christmas card range. The £5 cost of one pack of cards alone could provide school materials for a child in India. Buying six packs could fund first aid for 10 children on a railway platform or feed a child in Kenya for a month. To order Railway Children Christmas cards visit www. railwaychildren.org.uk/shop

Crafty Hobbies’ wagon release Dapol is producing a-OO gauge, limited-edition seven-plank wagon for Crafty Hobbies. The model is in Dalton in Furness Cooperative

Society Ltd livery, and is available only from Crafty Hobbies: www.craftyhobbies.co.uk.

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October 2017

in What's the shops

 2. The level of detail in the model of the original diamond-frame bogie is excellent, with in-line brake shoes and correct pattern axle box covers.

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1. Warwells have a long operating history spanning 75 years, having been introduced in 1942. Many remained in MoD use well into the Privatisation era.

Introducing the Warwell

3. Warwells in MoD use retained the stabilising screw jacks located at each end of the wagon.

They are fitted as separate mouldings to the main superstructure of the wagon.

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This month Nigel Burkin reviews Hattons Models’ OO gauge Warwell.

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ell wagons were constructed for the transport of freight that would foul the loading gauge if loaded on regular flat wagons. The well was located between the bogies resulting in a loading deck fixed as low to the running rail as possible. Typical loads for well wagons included large engineering assemblies such as boilers and transformers. Vehicles are also a common load for well wagons today, including military vehicles and civil engineering machinery, usually destined for work sites on the railways.

Large military vehicles and equipment were transported on specialised well wagons called Warwell, which were introduced during the Second World War for the transportation of Sherman tanks built by the Americans and shipped to the UK in preparation for the Normandy landings. The wagons featured a lowered floor between diamond-frame bogies, which allowed the large tanks to be moved within the restricted railway loading gauge in the

UK. The wagons were strengthened to accommodate the heavy load and fitted with screw jacks to stabilise the wagon during loading. A total of 200 were ordered by the Ministry of Supply and constructed by three manufacturers: Gloucester Carriage & Wagon built 100 wagons; Head Wrightson assembled 75 while the remainder were built by the Southern Railway.

The design was a success and continued to be used by the MoD into the Privatisation era with around 50 remaining in traffic. The surviving Warwell wagons were significantly upgraded with new bogies, air brakes and safety enhancements. Adaptations were made including improved securing points to accommodate different vehicles including special cradles to load ‘warrior carriers’. A number have been preserved and are often used to move equipment around heritage railway sites including boilers from locomotives undergoing restoration.

It has taken a long time for the unique Warwell to be produced as an OO-gauge model and its complex curved well shape may have been a factor in it not being offered until now. This is despite the fact that the wagons have a very long working life and also were used in large numbers for industrial purposes after the war including railway engineers’ wagons and internal use within large industrial sites.

The Hattons Models’ Warwell model was announced in October 2016 and is offered in 20 different versions spanning the wagon’s history from 1942 to present day including the classic Warwell (H4WW-001) and as general railway vehicles with bolters and flat floors (H4-WW-009 and 012). The modern version of the wagon is also represented with GPS bogies and modern green liveries as applied to those wagons in MoD use.

Two models were kindly loaned

by Hattons Models for review: No. M360329 finished in gulf red (H4-WW-017) representing a model

transferred to general railway use and No. MODA955539 in MoD general olive livery representing the modernised variant of the wagon (H4-WW-016).

Superstructure The body has a complex shape and very little space to hide adequate ballasting for good operations. This has been overcome by the careful combination of plastic body mouldings and a die-cast metal underframe, both of which have very high levels of crisp detail. In terms of detail definition, the edges of the outside framing and the rivet heads are particularly sharp and well defined.

Everything from the planked floor to the deck plating, track grips on the sloping section of deck and rivet detailing is fine in appearance but with enough cut-in depth or raised relief to be clearly seen.

Product details: 50t Warwell tank carrier wagon.

Scale: 1:76 scale, OO gauge.

Era: From 1942 to present day, depending on the design.

Price: £33 for pristine models. £37 for weathered models.

Web: www.hattons.co.uk www.hattons.co.uk/ warwell#ordervariations

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WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS | 7

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5. There is a good level of detail on the underside of the model with rivet detail well defined and a number of individual components used to recreate the brake cylinder and brake linkages.

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4. Warwells are a complex shape, which has been faithfully captured in the Hattons Models’ OO gauge model using a combination of die-cast metal and plastic toolings to complete the highly detailed superstructure.

Turning the model over, the underside of the model also has a great deal of detailing, including rivet heads and correctly modelled reinforcing angle plates together with the brake equipment, which includes linkages, both vacuum cylinder and what appears to be an air-receiving tank for air brakes (which should be applied to the modern GPS bogie version of the wagon only).

Body fittings are individually moulded including sprung buffers, brake wheels and the screw jacks fitted to the headstocks. Assembly of the body is neat, with a good feeling of weight and durability to the model.

Bogie, couplings and wheels Two types of bogie are offered, including the original diamond-frame bogies, which are correctly modelled with the sloping axle box covers, spring detail and brake shoes, which are moulded in line with the wheels.

The modern bogie type is the GPS design which also enjoys well cut-in spring and frame detail together with bogie-mounted

brake wheels. GPS bogies are discbraked – there are no brake shoe mouldings on this version of the model.

Wheels are metal and 10.5mm in diameter, which is correct for the Warwell. Wheels roll very freely in both types of bogie, making the 90g wagon very free-rolling indeed.

Bogies are neatly fitted to the body with cross-head securing screws and they rotate freely with sufficient swing to comfortably run round second-radius curves.

Standard OO-gauge tension lock couplings are supplied, clipped into NEM coupling pockets. Removal of the pockets allowing the use of scale screw couplings requires the removal of the leading axle of each bogie. The pockets are fitted to the bogie frame itself and rotate as the bogie rotates into curves.

Painting and finishing As difficult as it is to research colours for older versions of models (paint references are not always available) the finish to the review models is accurate and well applied. The paint is dense,

6. Wagons retained for use by the MoD were modernised with GPS bogies replacing the original diamond-frame design together with air brakes.

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opaque and covers the not-inconsiderable amount of sharp raised detail well. Both models loaned for review are finished in pristine condition and they had a distinct sheen to the paint, particularly the black finish on the underside. One of the first jobs for the weathering enthusiast to contemplate will be to apply a coat of eggshell or matt varnish before applying weathering colours. Weathered versions are different, with a distinctly matt finish to the dirt and grime. Lettering is crisp, sharp and opaque, including that applied to the modern GPS bogies.

The paint finishes are resistant to scratching and neither review model had any blemishes or marks on the livery colours.

Different versions Twenty variations of the Warwell are offered by Hattons Models spanning from 1942 to the postPrivatisation era including pristine and weathered finishes. The first three represent models in

original condition registered with the GWR, LMS and LNER. The next two wagons to be represented are 1970s-condition wagons as used by the MoD, fitted with diamond frame bogies.

A fair spread of Warwells, transferred to ordinary railway use, followed with eight of the range representing wagons in departmental, electrification and general use. Many of the models are equipped with flat floors, bolsters and other fittings, all of which are separate mouldings.

The remaining seven wagons of the range are registered for MoD use and represent the wagon in modernised condition with GPS bogies and air brakes. Liveries range from 1970s olive green, the lighter 1990s olive green and the 2000s versions of MoD livery of dark green with yellow painted fittings. 

Several versions of the same livery are offered with weathering priced at £37 regardless of fittings, while others are finished in pristine condition at £33 each, again with no pricing differences for separately fitted rail carriers, bolsters or deck conversions.

Prices compare well with other OOgauge ` wagon models and especially those produced for the European HO-scale market.

Further reading

An excellent online resource is the Rail Album website, which has some very useful detail on the Warwell wagons: http://www.railalbum. co.uk/railway-wagons/military/ ww2-50-ton-warwell-1.htm

7. The underside of the modern GPS bogie with brake linkages and detail. The bogies are secured to the model with neat cross-head screws and rotate freely in the mounting.

8 | WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

October 2017

in What's the shops

Bachmann SE&CR Birdcage coaches

Pre-Grouping coaches in the form of the 60ft SE&CR Birdcage coaches by Nigel Burkin.

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he South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SE&CR) was formed in 1899 and was found to be in need of new coaching stock as a matter of urgency. The iconic Birdcage coaches, constructed primarily at Ashford during the early 1900s, were designed by Harry Wainwright and built on several lengths of underframe, including 60ft frames as represented by the brand new models recently developed by Bachmann and released in September 2017.

SE&CR 60ft Birdcage coaches were formed in fixed three-coach sets, which were regarded as more or less permanent. The set formation of the coaches was rigidly adhered to owing to the sharing of a single dynamo and battery set for coach lighting. The battery boxes and dynamo were fitted to the composite lavatory coach, which was the middle coach of a three-coach formation. Such an arrangement

Model details: SE&CR 60ft Birdcage coaches finished in BR crimson.

Manufacturer: Bachmann Europe Plc. Scale: 4mm (1:76) scale, OO gauge.

Era: Era 4: 1948-1956 for the models featured in this review.

Web: www.bachmann.co.uk Suggested retail price: £59.95.

worked well when the stock was used on mainline services. Upon cascading to lesser duties, the arrangement had to be enhanced by fitting an additional dynamo and batteries to the Brake Third coach to retain a sufficient charge to keep a three-coach set fully lit when on frequent stopping services.

The coaches gained their name from the raised guard’s lookout fitted to the end of the brake coaches. The design was very distinctive, with small windows giving the raised section the appearance of a cage. It afforded guards an excellent view along the train and good sight of signals and other lineside features. The coaches are of wooden construction with flat-panelled sides except for a slight tumblehome at the base of the sides, a profile called Ashford Gothic. The passenger door drop light windows were of a distinctive shape too, square at the bottom and with curved upper corners

panelling with round-topped windows.

They formed main line services on the SE&CR and the Southern Railway before being cascaded to shorter-distance and branch line services.

The coaches enjoyed a long life, surviving well into the 1950s with stock being painted in BR crimson as represented by the three coaches described in this review. They saw numerous modifications including a change to the roof ventilator design, additional generating equipment after around 1931 in the form of an additional dynamo fitted to the Brake Third coach to supplement the one fitted to the Composite Lavatory coach.

Exterior lighting conduit was relocated under the roof panelling too.

The coaches were operated in fixed formations and the Bachmann models sent for review make up one three-coach set numbered 595 and consisting of

Completing a three-coach set is the Brake Third coach, which has no lavatory compartment. Latterly, an additional dynamo and battery boxes were fitted to this coach to supplement the ones on the Composite Lavatory coach and it is in this form that the Brake Third is modelled (39-622).

Brake Third Lavatory coach No. S3500S (39-602); Composite Lavatory coach No. S5468S (39-612) and Brake Third coach No. S3428S (39-622).

Bachmann has earlier versions of the Birdcage coaches in production too, with release dates later in the autumn including models finished in Southern Railway Olive Green and SE&CR Dark Lake. N gauge models are also in preparation for release under the Graham Farish label.

Body shells The nearly slab-sided (but not quite) panelled body design of the Birdcage coaches is well captured by the toolings with subtle panel lines and a nicely profiled roof. The raised guard’s section at the end of the two Brake Third coaches is well represented and all three models are nicely enhanced with separate hand rails, commode handles

and end detail. The flush glazing fits the window openings well and is flat and shiny as would be appropriate for a model in pristine condition. The real coaches did become pretty tatty in later service and grimy too, despite the best efforts of the railway cleaners.

The toolings look almost too sharp and pristine, particularly the roof.

Underframes Some very fine detailing parts have been used to build up the underframes including truss rods, brake details, battery box and dynamo equipment.

Foot boards are continuous along the length of the sole bars and are commendably thin toolings. On the ends, the underframes are fitted with sharp plastic buffers of the correct profile and separate screw couplings are supplied in the box for the modeller to use if desired.

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WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS | 9

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 Bogies and couplings The bogies are new toolings with stub axle electrical pick-ups installed for those who may wish to install interior lighting. The wheels are metal with insulating bushes on the axles together with stub ends running in the end of axle current collection strips. The bogie side frames are fine mouldings with the correct foot board arrangement for the stock and in-line brake blocks.

Close coupling cams are fitted to the model and are equipped with NEM coupling boxes and standard tension lock couplings. A variety of different couplings can be used with the coaches to semi-permanently couple them together – Bachmann could have considered supplying a coupling bar to look like joined screw link couplings for this purpose.

39-602 Brake Third Lavatory coach The Brake Third Lavatory coach is numbered No. S3500S and features the iconic raised guard’s roof section at one end. This is the one vehicle of set No. 595 that is not equipped with a dynamo and battery boxes. It consists of seven compartments and lavatory compartments, which are modelled to be accessible from a limited number of the compartments. A raised guard’s lookout is fitted at one end.

39-612 Composite Lavatory coach A Composite Lavatory coach No. S5668S makes up the middle coach of set No. 595 and has both first-class accommodation in a mixture of compartments and a form of an open saloon area together

Composite Lavatory coach No. S5468S.

1. The end detail includes separate water tank filler pipes and some fine tooling of the end panelling.

with third-class compartments at the opposite end. The lavatory compartment is located between the two first-class sections of the coach.

Originally, the centre coach was the only one to be equipped with dynamo and battery boxes to supply all three coaches with power for interior lighting.

2. The fine tooling for panelling and door details is apparent in this view of the Brake Third Lavatory coach.

Commode handles are separate fittings and neatly applied.

3. A Bachmann Class E4 tank locomotive is a good match for Birdcage stock.

39-622 Brake Third coach: Eight compartments make up the third of the three coaches of set No. 595 – the Brake Third coach, which is numbered S3428S. It has no lavatory and features the raised guard’s lookout.

In conclusion The three coaches are being made available separately, even though they make up a complete three-coach set.

They are nicely finished in a slightly dull interpretation of BR crimson livery with yellow numbering and lettering, which is very neatly applied.

The finish has a dull sheen to it, including the mid-grey roof. Details are picked out in various colours including the separate wire commode handles and the side grab rails. Black is applied to the end panels, bogies and underframe.

The models are an ideal companion for the recently released E4 tank engine model and would have worked with other stock including the Southern Railway PMV which also makes up part of the Bachmann range. The models are complex in design thanks in the main to the coach panelling and numerous compartment widows.

The long wait for the appearance of SE&CR Birdcage stock has certainly been worth it.

4. The separately fitted roof vents are a key feature of Birdcage stock together with the raised guard’s lookout on the brake coaches. Both of these characteristic details stand out when the stock is formed into a train.

 PRODUCT DETAILS:

Separate hand rails and commode handles.

Details specific to the coaches in BR condition.

Dynamo and batteries fitted to two of the three coaches making up a ‘trio’ set.

Flush glazing.

Accurately modelled interiors.

Sharp printing of livery details.

Metal wheels with end-of-axle pick-ups to assist with interior lighting installation.

Close coupling cams.

NEM coupling pockets.

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October 2017

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12 | WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS

October 2017

in What's the shops The popular Graham Farish LMS/BR Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 tender locomotive model has been reissued in both pristine condition as No. 46443 (372-628) and weathered as No. 46460 (372-629) as shown in this picture.

Dirty LMS/BR Ivatt 2MT The N-gauge Ivatt Class 2MT tender locomotive model is one of the smaller tender engines in the Graham Farish range and comes with an amazing level of detail, writes Nigel Burkin.

D

evelopment of the Graham Farish N-gauge Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 tender locomotive (or ‘Mickey Mouse’) spanned six years from the first announcement until its eventual release in the summer of 2013. The small size of both engine and its tender prompted Graham Farish to look for a different motor design of sufficient power and torque that would fit the model and deliver the performance required of this type of locomotive. Modellers concurred: the wait was well worth it, with a highly detailed model equipped with a compact high-powered coreless motor being the result.

The full-size LMS-designed locomotives were small, light, mixedtraffic locomotives perfectly suited to railways with low axle-loading limits and sharp gradients. The locomotives weighed in at around 48 to 49 tons for the engine and 37 to 38 tons for the tender. They were built for duties including pick-up freight and branch line work, a task for which they were ideally suited with their 60in drivers and relatively low axle load of 13.5t.

The 2MT was intended to be a direct replacement for a mixed bag of ageing LMS 0-6-0 locomotives used on light branch line duties; the single axle front bogie being added to the design to improve the locomotive’s ride at higher speed which could be as much as 70mph and with sharp acceleration.

Ivatt 2MTs were modern by the standards of the time, with

attention paid to driver comfort and ease of maintenance. The tender was equipped with a cab to facilitate tenderforward running; the coal bunker being narrow with inset sides to allow good vision for the driver and fireman.

A total of 128 locomotives were built at the end of the Big Four period with construction spanning Nationalisation.

Initially, 20 were built by the LMS at Crewe Works in 1946, numbered 64006419. Further locomotives were built for BR at Crewe (46420-46464) between 1948 and 1950. Locomotives were allocated to the North Eastern Region too (46465-46502) and this batch was built (appropriately) at Darlington between 1950 and 1952, some of which replaced ageing steam locomotives in use on the sharply graded lines west of Darlington for which the Ivatt 2MT’s small driving wheels made it a perfect locomotive. Swindon Works built 25 locomotives in 1952 and 1953 for Western Region branch duties (46503-46527). The original batch of LMS-built locomotives was renumbered in the 46xxx number sequence upon Nationalisation.

Classified as 2MT under the BR system, they gained the nickname ‘Mickey Mouse’ along with the similar BR Standard Class 2 locomotives, which were derived from the Ivatt 2MT design.

Despite its small size, the model is equipped with a powerful coreless motor, which makes the model smooth running and controllable. Do not use on a DCC layout without a decoder.

In common with many locomotive classes built for branch line and secondary duties such as pick-up freight, the Ivatt 2MT soon fell behind the times as dieselisation and line closures wiped out its reason for existing. Withdrawals commenced in 1961 and within a mere six years, the class was extinct on the national network.

Thankfully, no fewer than seven examples of this very popular locomotive have survived to see preservation.

Its light design makes it a

Ivatt 2MT No. 46460 is finished in light weathered condition and carries the shed plate ‘64A’ for St Margaret’s, Edinburgh.

very useful locomotive for heritage railways. Two are located in Scotland: Crewe-built No. 46464 may be found at Bridge of Dun and Swindon-built No. 46512 is currently located on the Strathspey Railway. In England, the East Lancashire Railway is host to No. 46428 while No.46441 is located on the Ribble Steam Railway. Both locomotives were built at Crewe, as was No. 46443 based on the Severn Valley Railway, and No. 46447 located on the West Somerset Railway. The heritage round-up concludes with Swindon-built No. 46521 located on the Great Central Railway. No examples of Darlington-built locomotives survived the cutting torch.

The model The Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 represents the perfect ordinary working locomotive and will appeal to modellers more interested in the fascinating subject of branch line and secondary railway operation. Such engines worked to and fro on pick-up freight, engineer’s trains and other light duties on a daily basis, often becoming quite dirty at times and surviving on light maintenance. There was nothing particularly glamorous about them.

Model details: LMS/BR Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 tender locomotive as built at Crewe, Darlington and Swindon.

Manufacturer: Bachmann Europe Plc under its Graham Farish label.

Catalogue number: 372-628 BR lined black with late emblem as No. 46443 (preserved on the Severn Valley Railway).

372-629 BR lined black with early emblem and weathered as ScR No. 46460.

Scale: British N gauge, 1:148 scale to run on 9mm gauge track.

Era: 1946 to 1967.

Web: www.bachmann.co.uk Suggested retail price: 372-628: £129.95.

372-629: £139.95.

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WHAT'S IN THE SHOPS | 13

Designed for light mixed-traffic duties, the tender was designed to allow tender-forward running with a cab to protect the crew in poor weather.

Lining and printing is razor sharp and toned down with a light application of matt-finish grime, which is evenly applied over the body, tender, wheels and chassis parts.

N-gauge modellers will welcome the latest releases of this popular model, which includes No. 46443 in pristine lined BR black (372-628). This is an interesting choice as the full-size locomotive is preserved on the Severn Valley Railway in the same lined BR black livery as the model. The second model of this batch will be of more interest to 1950s modellers of the Scottish Region.

No. 46460 is finished in weathered lined BR black (372-629) and is the model featured in this edition of What’s in the Shops. The model carries shed plate 64A, which makes it a Scottish Region locomotive based at St Margaret’s shed (Edinburgh), which closed in 1967, around the same time as the last of the Ivatt 2MTs were finally withdrawn from service. The letters ‘SC’ are to be found below the smokebox door.

Engine With the motor size issue resolved, Graham Farish was able to produce a beautifully proportioned model that compares well to photographs of the prototype. Subtle lines such as the tapered boiler (look down on the model to see the taper clearly) are well represented. Mouldings are very refined with tiny but well-defined rivets, wash-out plugs and crisp boiler bands.

Small parts include metal safety valves, whistle and wire hand rails supported by tiny hand-rail knobs. A pack of add-on parts for foot steps and cab doors is included in the box although the supplied foot steps may interfere with the leading bogie. The cab shape, including the roof, is a very good match to photographs of the full-size locomotives. The cab interior has some lovely detailing even though the back head protrudes slightly into the engine cab to accommodate the motor. There is

The number board, ‘64A’ shed plate and ‘SC’ markings are clearly seen on and below the smokebox door.

All of the model’s wheels are ‘see-through’ featuring finely tooled spokes, including the wheels fitted to the tender.

no sign of unsightly moulding lines in any of the mouldings and assembly is neat and seamless.

Model features:

Tender A part cab is fitted to the tender of this locomotive class to protect crews in poor weather and when running tender-forward. The tender cab fittings together with inset coal bunker sides are faithfully modelled, including detail on the inside of the tender cab. Some detail appears to be absent from the rear face of the tender cab, including rivet detail, coal guard rails on the rear facing windows and glazing. The tender has a full load of coal, which was glued in place on the review sample.

The moulded water tank ladder is a fine-looking detail together with the rear metal hand rails. Detail has been included on the inside of the tender where it is coupled to the engine including the pair of miniature buffers and cab floor drop plate.

Wheels and couplings NEM coupling pockets are fitted to both the tender and the engine itself together with standard N-gauge couplings. While the train couplings are unremarkable, the coupling between the locomotive and tender is well designed, producing a close-coupled appearance and simple separation of engine and tender by gently pulling apart. It conceals two electrical contacts from the current collection pick-ups fitted to the tender. Two wires also link locomotive and tender together, which are a little awkward with respect to separating the tender from the locomotive for repairs or enhancement, even though there appears to be sufficient slack in the wires.

All of the model’s wheels are ‘see-through’ featuring finely tooled spokes, including the wheels fitted to the tender. Two of the driving wheels are fitted with traction tyres while the tender wheels have split axles with current collection through the axle ends.

The front bogie wheel set is spoked and fitted with a conventional steel axle.

Electronics The electronics are relatively sophisticated, with a six-pin DCC interface socket fitted to the tender. The tender body simply pulls off the chassis to reach the socket, making decoder installation very simple. The tender also features all wheel pick-up through

The valve gear is fine and delicate-looking for such a small model. It runs smoothly and is surprisingly robust.

end of axle bearing cups and the aforementioned split axles. Current is conducted through to the engine using spring contacts in the engine to tender coupling, together with connecting wires.

Mention should be made of the model’s instruction sheet, which has some very important information regarding the operation of the model.

The refined coreless motor is not designed for use with traditional analogue electronic track cleaners, which will damage it. Furthermore, the motor can be damaged by DCC track power unless fitted with a decoder. This is one model that cannot be run as an analogue model on address No. 1!

Drive mechanism and performance Somehow, a small, but powerful, motor has been squeezed into the boiler and firebox assembly without impacting dramatically on the cab interior. Gearing and the valve gear ensures that all the driving wheels are powered by the motor. All locomotive models received by The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling for review are tested on a layout and examined for hesitation, binding and other imperfections in operation after a suitable period of running-in.

No. 46460 was no exception and ran with a smooth action of the valve gear and motion, showing no signs of binding in either running direction. Little noise was produced by the mechanism after a short period of running-in. Slow-speed control was excellent and the motion moves smoothly throughout the speed range including some quite slow-speed operation.

The model was found, during tests, to be able to comfortably negotiate curves as little as 12in despite the close coupling between tender and engine.

The instructions advise that the absolute minimum radius of operation is 10.5in and the front foot steps will prevent operation on sharp curves.

Leave them in the packet if planning to run the model on a layout with tight curves!

 Coreless motor installed in the engine, not the tender.  Traction tyres applied to two driving wheels.  Six-pin DCC interface socket.  NEM coupling pockets.  Detailed cab interior.  Detailed tender cab interior.  Cab doors and other details supplied in the box.  Flush glazing.  Correctly proportioned body shell.  Fine wire hand rails, hand rail knobs and tender ladder.  Subtle tooling of small details such as rivets.  Even application of light weathering.  Close coupling of engine to tender with little slack between them.  Current collection from both tender and engine wheels.  Electrical connections between the tender and engine.  Small printed details such as shed numberplates and builder’s plate.

Paint colours and finish The review model is finished in lightly weathered lined BR black with strawcoloured numbering and the early BR lion and wheel emblem. Lining and printing is razor sharp and toned down with a light application of matt-finish grime, which is evenly applied over the body, tender, wheels and chassis parts.

Little shine is apparent on the coupling rods and valve gear – the metal has been blackened chemically, while the layer of grime applied to the chassis and wheels has further toned down the metal. While photographs show that the Ivatt 2MTs did not seem to become particularly dirty, they became terribly run down in their last few years of operation, which will offer weathering enthusiasts the chance for some creative work!

Overall, the model is well presented and neat, with no signs of adhesive used to apply the various details, the weathering seems resistant to rubbing and assembly is solid and robust. Its shape is very pleasing and photographs of the full-size engine show that Bachmann has created a lovely replica of a particularly distinctive locomotive. Just take care of the delicate tender ladder when removing the body to fit a decoder!

The tender cab fittings, together with inset coal bunker sides are faithfully modelled, including detail on the inside of the tender cab.

A six-pin DCC socket is fitted to the tender. The body has no retaining screws but simply unclips from the chassis.

The model is fitted with a number of small components including metal safety valves, whistle and wire hand rails supported by tiny hand-rail knobs. The tapered boiler is a subtly tooled sub-assembly too – just right to the eye.

The narrow-sided coal bunker allows better forward visibility for driver and fireman when running tender forward.

14 | OUT AND ABOUT

October 2017

Reasons to



join your

local MRC Sarah Palmer went to visit Spalding Model Railway Club to see what benefits joining a club brings to modellers.

A

s I enter the club room a detail sander is buzzing away while a couple of members are chatting as they work on a baseboard. I’m instantly offered a cup of tea. I’m here at the Spalding Model Railway Club for one of its club days to see why it’s a good idea to join your local modelling club.

I’m introduced to Graham Blumire, who has been at the club for three years and is now the club secretary. I ask him about the sort of people who have joined the club in the last few months.

“Most newcomers tend to be people who have worked all their lives and are coming up to retirement with a little bit of cash to spend, but you do get a mixture and certainly as far as the juniors are concerned we’ve got quite a few young ones. We do have open days and our November exhibition tends to bring new people in, there’s also word of mouth.

He continues: “If you start a hobby you can do it by yourself, but it’s like all things, when you start a job you won’t know anything about it, but in 10 years you’ll be an expert. It’s the same thing here. You learn from other people. There’s always conversations going on and there’s always someone who can help.

“Whereas if you’re struggling at home you can sometimes make expensive mistakes. When you read the pamphlets about DCC for example, it’s all about two wires and that’s it. There are plenty of people into DCC and digital and if someone has a problem with electrics or a wiring problem then someone can advise them, but if you’re stuck at home you can’t always get the answer you want and the internet doesn’t always have the answer. Electrics is a whole new world if you’re not into it, but at a club there’s always someone who can show you how to do it, even something as comparatively simple as soldering can still be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

The membership of £50 a year for adults would seem like a small price to pay to have such a wealth of knowledge, and cups of tea, on tap. The club currently has no female members, but Graham is at pains to point out that it’s not because the club doesn’t encourage females. “We’ve simply never had anyone approach us. The opportunity is there, but for some reason no one takes us up on it. A lot of wives and partners do help with their husbands’ layouts, particularly on the scenery. My wife loves doing the scenery, our chairman’s wife does N gauge, but isn’t a member.

So there is an interest there but for some reason we’ve not got any female members. We’d welcome them with open arms, it’s not a male-oriented club by any means, far from it.”

Spalding MRC’s current home is on the first floor of Pinchbeck village hall but before this was housed at the railway station, which is a listed building.

Unfortunately that building developed structural problems and dry rot and so the club had to find a new site in 2009.

They were fortunate as one of the club’s



former members lived in Pinchbeck and found this village hall site, which the club rents. During open days both the upstairs and downstairs of the building can be utilised. Although the venue is too small for its annual exhibition, which is held each November at Springfields Events Centre in nearby Spalding.

“This works as a venue for us as people can shop and visit the exhibition. Springfields is great for us, we have a good relationship,” continues Graham.

I can testify to the family-friendliness of the show. Myself, son and husband visited last year, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and then went for a shop and something to eat at the nearby outlet afterwards.

Says Graham: “Our sponsors are very good. The big companies don’t control what we do. We control what we do and that works for us. We have enough traders, and enough demonstrations and we get enough people through the door. Sometimes we think we could do with a bigger venue, but there isn’t a bigger venue. Our exhibition programme is 72 pages, which we try to make as interesting as possible with relevant advertising. The exhibition is hard work but it’s quite rewarding to see people with little children and adults walking round enjoying what they’re seeing. It’s not just people in the hobby who come, it’s local people and people who’ve travelled from away, but they’re all chatting. I think it’s brilliant.”

During my visit I look at the club’s Gosberton layout, which is an ultrarealistic representation of Gosberton station and its environs in the 1950s.

Gosberton is on the Great Northern/ Great Eastern Joint Line which ran from March to Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln and Gainsborough.

It is still open for passenger and freight except for March-Spalding which closed in 1982. Gosberton station closed in 1961.

The buildings and detailing on this layout really are exquisite and were created by Howard Leader. “Even the mortar is correct,” says Graham. “The flower heads are made from chinchilla sand. I don’t know how he does it – I wouldn’t have the patience!”





 1. David Ray is in charge of the club’s sales and on the right is Graham Blumire, club secretary.

2. The layout is modelled around Gosberton station, which closed in 1961.

3. The Gosberton layout is set in the 1950s.

4. The flower heads are created using chinchilla sand.

5. The details by Howard Leader on this layout are exquisite. The washing on the line just looks as though it’s drying in the breeze.

October 2017

The club, which has been running for 47 years, has three main layouts, Gosberton, which is OO, an HO, an American layout, plus a six-track test track. It meets three times a week, during the day on a Tuesday, and Wednesday, evenings with the main club night on a Friday being the busiest, with both juniors and seniors in attendance.

The club’s junior section is something Graham is very enthusiastic about.

“When the juniors first come they want to play trains, but as they progress they start to learn how to do trees and scenery, and this excited running around sort of thing seems to slow down. They seem to move from playing with trains to modelling with trains and the trains don’t run as fast as they did before!

“The juniors in a way are the heart of the club because they’re the future. If we can keep them interested at that age then the hobby will carry on. Since I’ve been here I’ve been really impressed with the standard of the juniors. They are really fantastic. The club has about 50 members, a quarter of that is junior members between 14 and 18. The numbers are encouraging. We have a very enthusiastic junior section.

“We’ll lose some of the juniors when they go off to university, but hopefully they’ll take what they’ve learned here with them,” says Graham. The key word of the day from everyone I speak to on this Tuesday club day is ‘knowledge’, and the sociability side of club membership aside, this seems to be a really important reason for members to join, whether it’s juniors taking their new-found knowledge away with them, or older members sharing what they’ve learned along their modelling journey.

“We have people who just want to run locomotives and those who want to build.

We have doers and we have runners.

Some are quite happy just to run their locos and there are others who actually

OUT AND ABOUT | 15

want to build things from scratch, which is what I like to do,” adds Graham.

I ask some of the newcomers, who are working on an N-gauge baseboard, why they joined the club. “They make a nice cup of tea!” jokes Steve, continuing: “A few of us used to get together once a week and one of our number died, leaving a big gap, and we came here to get the knowledge that we lost through losing him.”

Another newcomer, Nigel, adds: “We joined to pick up knowledge from other members. My daughter calls it dad going to day care. This isn’t the closest one to where we live but we knew it had a good reputation.”

Spalding Model Railway Exhibition takes place on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12. For more information visit www.spaldingmrc.co.uk 



6. This O-gauge layout has been rebuilt by a couple of members of the club’s junior section.

7. The Gosberton OO-gauge layout is one of three main layouts that the club runs.

October 2017

LETTING OFF STEAM | 16

This month Lucian Doyle ponders how tools designed to make modelling easier can be viewed negatively by others.

Letting off

steam Fear of change?

C

hange just for the sake of it is not for me, which is not to say I don’t like change, I just like to be sure it is justified. For example, when my youngest son visits he always complains that the TV in our lounge does not have a USB port.

Why he thinks we should replace a perfectly good TV with a new one just so he can plug his laptop into it I have no idea. Therefore, while the existing TV carries on working I see no need for a replacement. On the other hand when it comes to my modelling I do take a slightly different approach.

As far as I am concerned modelling is a great pastime with the emphasis on ‘passing the time’ and this is why I am very happy to spend hours making a tree or building a hedgerow, but there is one task that I find quite boring and that is ballasting track. Over the years I have tried all sorts of methods to make the job easier but no matter what process I use I find it to be the most tedious of jobs, especially when I am never really happy with the results. Consequently, since my first attempt I have kept telling myself that there must be a better way, and last year at the Warley Model Railway Exhibition I saw it.

Attached to the Bachmann stand was a counter area manned by a very charming gentleman who told me that Bachmann UK distributes the products his company, Proses, produces. What first caught my eye was his flexible track holder that I thought was most ingenious. I find laying flexible track a bit tricky but I could immediately see that by using the holders how straightforward it could be, especially for those who

lack the experience. However, what really got my attention was an amazing piece of equipment that he next demonstrated, and that was a ballast spreader.

How simple it was. The man from Proses just positioned on a length of track what seemed to be a clear box-shaped receptacle, filled it with ballast and then ran it down the track, and hey presto, perfect ballasting. I told him how impressed I was but added there was still the frustration of fixing the ballast.

With that, he pulled out from beneath his counter another clear receptacle, which he filled with what I assume was glue, placed it on the ballasted track and pushed the unit along the full length. He said that if I was to come back in less than an hour he would be able to show me how the ballast had been fixed in position. I was totally impressed but as I was about to leave a gentleman standing next to me, who had witnessed the whole demonstration, exclaimed that what we both had seen was not ‘proper’ modelling.

I am not usually inclined to be rude when someone offers their unsolicited opinion so I mumbled something along the lines that the same thing was probably said to Frank Hornby when he threw the key away and went all electric and walked off, having said thank you to the man from Proses.

On my way home I pondered what had been said to me concerning the ballasting ‘tool’ and I remembered something that my local model shop owner had told me years before about modellers not liking change. He told me that when Airfix launched its range of model railways it fitted narrow couplings

to its locos and rolling stock. The problem apparently was that because they would not easily couple to Hornby wagons or locos the modellers of the day were not keen on buying them. Nowadays, owing to the demands of the modeller no self-respecting manufacturer would produce locos or rolling stock that did not have the facility to fit narrow couplings.

Similarly the same could be said about DCC where change is concerned.

When Hornby in the very late Seventies launched Zero 1, the first commercial digital controller available, it appeared to me that rather than be welcomed by the established modeller they seemed to go out of their way to find reasons not to convert from DC to DCC. I completely understand why because back then such control was very much in its infancy but nowadays with numerous and reliable systems available I cannot really see why anyone would want to stay with DC. Of course, it might be that they enjoy the trials and tribulations of using an enormous amount of wiring and an equally high quantity of switches just so that they can have a series of isolated track sections. To be honest I am astounded when I visit exhibitions and see the majority of club layouts still working with DC. Occasionally I ask ‘Why?’ only to be told, ‘Well the committee feels more comfortable with DC,’ which I translate to, ‘They don’t like change’.

I am aware that initially DCC is more expensive because each locomotive has to be fitted with a decoder but balance that with ease of wiring and the operation of a layout and for me it would be money well spent. Having advocated DCC I can certainly see a place for DC but really only for someone who is just starting in the hobby with an off-the-shelf train set.

Although I am told I am a traditionalist I like to think where model railways are concerned I am actually forward-thinking. I embrace change in the hobby while others may not be quite so liberal. I salute Hornby for fitting to its Pacifics a more detailed fixed rear pony truck while others are not similarly minded. I am equally in favour of Hornby’s RailMaster and Bachmann’s Dynamis RailController, both of which take DCC control to another level of realistic train operation, but for some, like my friend at the Warley exhibition, that may be viewed as not being real modelling.

Personally, I beg to differ.

By the way, the Proses track ballast spreader works amazingly well. A positive change from the alternatives.

Proses track ballast spreader: I came across the Proses ballast spreader at Warley, but a fellow bystander dismissed it as not 'proper' modelling.

17 | THE THIRD RAIL

October 2017

Progress Products’ vehiclecarrying wagon with etched chassis, sliding chocks, British Hornby couplings and fitted ‘cosmetic’ brake levers.

Super-detailing tinplate stock Ian Holloway talks about super-detailing his O-gauge models of yesteryear.

I

enjoy operating my model railway using O-gauge tinplate stock. This can be obtained inexpensively, particularly when in ‘used’ condition, and reflects the fullsize vehicles on my North Sunderland Railway. The Hornby items, in particular, are sufficiently rugged to see service outdoors and by choosing carefully it is possible to avoid the most toy-like vehicles, and many Hornby No. 1 and Hornby No. 50 items look realistic when running.

We now have manufacturers such as ACE and Darstaed providing modern versions of ‘vintage’ model railway locomotives and stock at prices, while not insignificant, similar to mint Hornby collectibles and to some current OO items, while the company, Merkur, produces excellent robust continental outline stock. I enjoy using these new O-gauge items on the well maintained and smooth running three-rail electric club track but I find myself holding my breath as these fine models bounce and sway over the uneven track on my North Sunderland Railway in somewhat prototypical fashion. It is certainly less stressful to run my well-used but robust Hornby items – scratches and all.

Should the opportunity arise to purchase at minimal cost some heavily used Hornby O-gauge items then consider using the shells as a basis

for some ‘almost’ scratch building.

Some modellers clean up the shells by removing the remainder of the original tin printing and then use adhesive to mount coloured printed card or paper overlays on to the original surfaces.

Others take overlaying a stage further by adding layers of card, thin wood or plasticard to form a semi-flat/3D laminate, while the ultimate is to use adhesive or solder to fix brass flat, angled and curved strips to build up an accurate 3D surface to the model, which is then painted and the wooden parts stained to give a realistic finish.

Work can usefully be done on the underframe to add detail and three-link couplings may replace the original items. For enthusiasts wanting to model narrow gauge railways in the popular 16mm/1ft scale then the Hornby items can again be used.

Locomotives can be rebodied using cardboard, plasticard or metal while the rolling stock can be changed using complete vehicles or just the chassis and wheels.

Recently I decided to super-detail some of my stock by adding brake levers to some Hornby No. 50 wagons and vans where these were either missing or heavily corroded, and to fit them to some No. 1 vehicles for greater realism. I was aware that there are a number of suppliers catering for the enthusiasts who seek to restore O-gauge

items of yesteryear and by using a search engine I chanced upon the website for Derek Strickland’s Progress Products (www.progress-products. co.uk/current/), where Derek writes: “Progress Products… does not aspire to the realism of finescale models, yet conveys ‘traininess’ very effectively.

Think of them as solid impressionism; modelling in broad strokes. While collector prices spiral skyward, we offer new products at affordable prices.”

This sounded the right note for me and the discovery that he produces brake levers in both bright steel and in blackened steel prompted a small order being sent. I am delighted with the products. Within his range Derek produces two versions of a chassis. One is completely etched while a less-expensive version is slightly simpler and has a laser-cut deck. I like the representation of the springs and axle boxes and Derek will supply the wagons with the option of various couplings, plastic or metal wheels and either bright or blackened brake levers.

I look forward to running a Progress Products’ vehicle-carrying wagon both indoors and out coupled between a Hornby No. 50 brake van and a clockwork No. 1 Special locomotive so that once again a goods special will run to North Sunderland, if only in model form.

Progress Products’ simpler laser-cut chassis with Metcalfe replica plastic Hornby wheels.

Progress Products’ laser-cut chassis, powder coated.

18 | STARTING OUT

October 2017

A beginner’s guide to

AIRBRUSHING Introducing airbrushing and cleaning techniques for modellers interested in weathering, by Graeme Simmonds.

Y

ou open the box and there is your shiny new airbrush.

You’ve also invested in a compressor to give a constant reliable air supply, in fact, let’s assume you’ve gathered the equipment you need to get started, as this article is about the first experience of using an airbrush and, of vital importance, how to look after the airbrush so that it works reliably in the future; that said, I will be checking to ensure you’ve got some things as we proceed.

I know you’re keen to start using your new airbrush; you want to spray something and see the result. First I will take you through the initial stage of weathering a simple box van. I’ve chosen a bauxite version because bauxite is more forgiving than freight grey. Next I will take you through cleaning and looking after your airbrush: don’t skimp this or you will suffer, from the outset learn the importance of good cleaning, a good workman or workwoman will always look after their tools.

Straight in here, you need to mix paint to the right colour, and the right thinness to pass through the airbrush nozzle. We are using Humbrol Enamel 50ml (No.2) tinlets because nearly everyone can get hold of these through model shops, some art shops, and online; also it is forgiving,

 produces a good finish and dries slowly, this allows you more time to think while you are learning.

Here’s a widely used standard mix for the wagon wheels and chassis: Humbrol number 62 matt leather, and Humbrol number 27004 metalcote gunmetal; if you can’t get 27004 substitute it with matt black 33, as the objective is to get you painting. You will need a thinner; I use Artists Low Odour White Spirit 500ml from an art shop, it is refined and doesn’t offend your nose – or the nose of your partner.

You will need a measure. I use glass pipettes available on eBay with a rubber bulb on the end; some airbrush kits include a plastic pipette, some have a scale on the side, if not simply mark the side with a felt-tip pen so that you get equal measure; you will need three pipettes at least in order to work cleanly, plus some spare ones. You will need some small glass paint jars with a screw lid, these are also available on eBay; I also use glass 5cm tall crab-paste pots with a twist screw lid – I like crab paste on toast.

A plastic stirrer is a good idea, or an electric one with a paddle; I’ve been known to use a knitting needle in an emergency. The kit is simple and straightforward, and you soon learn to improvise: you’d be surprised what you

can find in the kitchen drawers, but negotiate with the kitchen authorities first otherwise you may get your knuckles rapped or your hand shut in the drawer!

Okay, that was the sobering warning: it should have pulled you up a bit and made you think about the long-term effects of breathing in atomised paint and fumes. Additionally, food and drink do not belong in the paint spraying area, and always wash your hands and face after a spraying session, especially before food and drink. Some things in the hobby are the same as the real railway: personal safety is one of those common areas.

Right, take your two tinlets of paint and stir each, reaching right down to the bottom of the tin, making sure all thickened paint is stirred until it drips nicely off the end of your stirrer; with time you will develop an eye for paint consistency, but stir it for at least three to five minutes: as in all things preparation is everything if you want a good performance.

Now take a small glass paint jar and your measuring pipettes, we want a very simple mix of 50% paint and 50% thinner that, when stirred together, will produce a grubby brownish paint colour of roughly the consistency of milk – I’d go for semi-skimmed; not whole milk.

1. A display of the items I’ve mentioned, note the goggles included in the packaging are separate to the face mask; note also the brass-looking item in the centre: the shaped nozzle cleaning tool, and below it the tube of blue lubricant gel. The black object with magnifying lens is supplied in the Iwata cleaning kit – powered by a battery, it illuminates the airbrush needle point for close-up examination when checking for damage or paint adherence preventing proper seating in the nozzle.

October 2017

STARTING OUT | 19

2. Three compressors standing on the studio floor; the left-hand one is set to a higher pressure for bottom feed airbrushes; the middle one is for top and side cup airbrushes; the blue diaphragm, having no air tank, is used for spraying varnish and fixative where the slight pulsing effect does not affect finish.

3. The extraction spray booth, with the florist’s turntable and pizza polystyrene affixed on top; practise the moves first, sweep your hand left to right with the airbrush moving away from you; then start spraying just before reaching the van, and continue to spray until beyond the van. Make several light coat passes until the paint has built up to the degree of coverage you require; never attempt to deliver the coverage in a single pass. When spraying the wheels you need to co-ordinate the movement of the van with the movement of the airbrush: your hands will soon work in concert with each other, and you’ll be merrily spraying wheels easily; any overspray bounces up underneath the van and helps coat the under floor area.

Take three pipettes all marked to the same level up the body of the pipette, use one of these pipettes to draw up a measure of number 62 and squeeze it slowly into the paint jar, then repeat with a second measure of 62; now, using a fresh pipette, draw up the same measure of the 27004 or matt black 33, whichever you are using, squeeze that too into the paint jar, and then repeat a second time. You should now have four measures of paint in the jar: two 62; two 27004 or 33, this is 50% of the mix. Now take your third pipette and draw up an equal measure of low-odour thinner and gently squeeze into the paint jar, repeat this up to four times gently stirring in the thinner between shots: I want you to check as you add thinner that you do not thin the paint too much, by the time you are adding the third dose of thinner the mix should be getting very close to the milk comparison. Do it slowly, take your time, have a good look at the consistency, there’s no rush – remember you can’t take the thinner back out, and adding paint to an overthinned mix seldom seems to work very well. With experience you will carry out this task surprisingly quickly, it is largely about developing judgment, and an eye for the paint mix, both in colour and consistency: this skill will come.

When you’re ready we’ll move on.

All done? Okay. Before we grab the airbrush, make sure the box van is not covered in hairs and dust specks, so give it a brush off with a clean soft brush or paintbrush; big makeup brushes are good for this, especially a fan brush, as it does not damage fine detail if used softly.

Place the box van where it is going to be sprayed, ideally upon a turntable or raised flat surface: a block of wood will suffice.

My preference is a florist’s raised metal turntable with circular pizza polystyrene affixed to the top, rolling stock wheels sit in the polystyrene dimples.



Back to the paint, using either of the paint-contaminated pipettes draw up and express back into the jar the paint mix several times until the paint inside the pipette is flowing smoothly, then draw up enough to roughly half-fill the paint cup on the airbrush – I’m assuming a top feed, but it could be a side feed cup, or you may be using a bottom feed: in which case a bit more air pressure may be needed to lift and atomise the paint; be prepared to adjust the air feed pressure.

Unlike most I prefer a bit more pressure in my air tank, around 2 Bar, and then I make running adjustments at the airbrush end while working, either using an inline adjustable valve or the air valve on the airbrush itself if provided by the manufacturer. Being able to balance the air flow/paint flow mix with the doubleaction trigger mechanism again is a skill that will come with experience.

You’re probably feeling a bit nervous by now, I know I was when I first started using an airbrush; try to relax and cancel any temptation to feel hurried: remember, you’re in charge of the airbrush; not the other way round.

Put on your breathing mask. Start by holding the box van in one hand: wear a protective latex glove on the hand holding the van. With the airbrush ready in your other hand, run the van along the flat surface so the wheels turn and at the same time pass the airbrush along the length of the chassis, making sure you are spraying paint both before reaching the van and continuing to spray paint until beyond the van. The idea here is to coat the revolving wheels with an even coat of paint; do the same for the other side of the van. Now spray with sweeping non-stop movements that begin with paint flow before the van and continue with paint flow beyond the van: spray all remaining areas of the chassis including the bufferbeams and buffers: don’t forget the underside of the buffers.

 Be careful not to soak everything, build up the paint thickness with numerous passes that deliver a thin coat each time until the desired level of coverage is built up; if it starts to look very wet, stop spraying and give it a chance to dry off a bit before paint runs start to develop.

Now you see why I asked you to mix so much paint in the jar: you need enough paint to play with, enough to start getting a feel for your airbrush. You can practise on as many wagons as you like if you’ve got a few to spare. Don’t worry if you get a bit of mild overspray over the lower body sides and ends: so much the better for later; but we are not spraying the roof in this session, just the chassis, and lower body sides in overspray will be fine for this first experience.

When you have finished experimenting with your first spraying experience you will need to thoroughly clean your airbrush, the pipettes, and everything else; except that, if you have any paint left over in your air-tight jar it will keep for a day or two, but no longer.

A good cleaning kit is essential.

I invested in an Iwata cleaning kit contained in a plastic box, plus the addition of a shaped nozzle cleaning tool, which has proved invaluable for keeping nozzles clean. Work over a lipped tray rather than risk dropping minute components on the floor. After painting wipe out the paint cup with tissue and put some neat low-odour thinner, or airbrush cleaning fluid if you prefer, into the paint cup and blow this through, preferably into a special airbrush cleaning pot to remove most residue.

Next take a small glass dish – mine used to contain a chocolate pudding – and put enough low-odour thinner into the dish to just cover the nozzle parts of your airbrush. Refer to the exploded diagram of your airbrush: there should be a leaflet enclosed with it. Unscrew the rear barrel of the airbrush, unlock

the needle clutch and carefully withdraw the needle; this may make the trigger loose: don’t panic if it drops out, it will go back. Carefully wipe the needle clean with thinner-soaked kitchen towel, always work towards the very fine point; never move your fingers toward the point: it is very sharp!

With the needle clean, lay it carefully flat upon a clean piece of kitchen towel. Lay things out in the order of disassembly, that way you know the order they go back together. Unscrew the nozzle parts where they are knurled together, they should only be finger tight, place the nozzle parts in a glass bowl and submerge the parts under low-odour thinner.

Take a pipe cleaner, dip it into some low-odour or airbrush cleaner, and work it in through where the nozzle would screw on. Be careful not to dislodge or damage any rubber O seals in the passages, it may follow the path where the needle goes – never force it further than it wants to travel. Examine and clean everywhere that paint residue can be seen, and use pipe cleaners and cleaning brushes until clean. I then wash out the body of the airbrush under warm running tap water to remove cleaning chemicals off the rubber O seals. Dry off excess water with kitchen towel, connect to the airline and blow out moisture until dry, then lay aside with needle and barrel.

Use tweezers to pick up each nozzle part in turn from the glass dish, clean out the pointed nozzle very gently with the pointed nozzle cleaning tool: hold the nozzle while doing this to prevent it unscrewing – removal of the minute fine nozzle should only be required in the event of serious blockage. Work all parts of the nozzle assemblies with pipe cleaners and brushes supplied in the cleaning kit, then wash out with warm water, dry and reassemble using on the

threads a smear of the lubrication fluid found in the cleaning kit; never tighten threads beyond finger tight as they screw back into the barrel. Put the trigger back in if removed, place a thin smear of lubrication fluid along the length of the needle, then with extreme care to avoid point damage slide the needle back into the body. You may need to depress the trigger slightly to allow passage of the needle until it seats home in the nozzle, lock the needle clutch. Test the airbrush with air to make sure everything moves correctly and any remaining moisture is blown out, then refit rear barrel. Keep the shiny body clean by removing any paint smears and wiping over with a soft cloth.

Clean glass pipettes with thinnersoaked pipe cleaners, wash out with warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, put to dry, and you’re done: allow 30 minutes for cleaning.

The principles of usage, safety, and cleaning apply to all airbrushes, and through experience you will learn to adapt to your own airbrush, develop an understanding of its internal workings, and become familiar with disassembly, cleaning and reassembly. You will take pride in maintaining your airbrush in a presentable condition. When things go wrong take the time to stop and think, by a methodical process of elimination work out what has gone wrong, and then with patience put it right. There is little that cannot be put right, and every problem brings with it experience: the one thing that cannot be taught.

Look after your lungs

Now, very seriously, you need an extraction spray booth or spray outdoors in still warm air, and you must wear a face mask of the type for spray painting: a common sawdust mask is not going to save your lungs. Do not enjoy your hobby at the expense of your health, there is no excuse.

20 |

October 2017

October 2017

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22 | ASK A DAFT QUESTION

October 2017

Locomotive detailing What can a modeller do to their models to make them a bit more special, or make them look the part? Matt Wickham provides some answers.

B

uying a ready-to-run model is exciting, when you just can’t wait to put it on your layout and run it with your own rolling stock – but sometimes it’s not just about buying a model, but making it special to you, knowing you have added something to the model to make it your own.

Manufacturers will make a few thousand of each model as well as smaller production runs such as commissions at usually around a couple of thousand, but that means there are other modellers with exactly the same model. So, what can be done to make a model a bit different?

BR black locos Most BR locos were lined black. Of course there was the odd occasion where they weren’t, but a model can look very flat with all the surfaces painted satin black. So, what can be done? Let’s take a look at an Ivatt tank in BR black. As you can see it’s lined out and in black. At my local model club a fellow Southern modeller who models a period where most locos were black, showed me what he does to make all-black locomotives a bit more interesting to look at.

If you look at an all-black locomotive in the real world, you will see that areas affected by heat, ash, dust or dirt have a more matt look to them, for example the T9 I photographed three years ago.

Number being carefully removed with cotton bud and thinners.

Although the Ivatt has been converted into a standard 2MT, you can see the roof and smokebox has been toned down using the matt black and making it look a bit more prototypical.

Renumbering a loco Giving a loco a new identity is usually down to an individual’s attachment to a loco, or possibly a modelling location where a particular loco was based or visited. I model the Bluebell Railway during its preservation so I can run or model a loco from the past, present... or possible future.

For this renumbering I undertook the work on a Hornby Bulleid, a rebuilt Merchant Navy. I won’t go into the minefield that is tender types and variations so I will stick to simply renumbering and renaming the model. There are a number of ways to do this but this is the method I use the most.

When applying the numbers start from the middle and work your way outwards, the number for this is 35027, so we start with the zero and work away from it. Then you should have a nicely centred number.

What will you need:

T9 30120, pictured at Didcot in 2014. You can see the smokebox and its saddle is a matt black and the cab roof, running plate and the back top of the tender are the same.

The Bachmann Ivatt tank in satin black, looking very plain and two-dimensional.

I was shown this little tip; using a tin of Humbrol Matt black (33) with a brush and a tiny amount of thinner, just brush on to the smokebox, top surface of the running plate, cab roof and top of the tender. It helps break up the solid satin black rather than it being absolutely pristine. This also adds a touch of realism, takes only 30 minutes and is very straightforward to do.

Enamel thinners Cotton bud Transfers Nameplates All-purpose glue (Bostik) Satin varnish

To start, you need a cotton bud and thinners.

There are a great many ways you can renumber a model; I have tried most of them, and always come back to the way I have been shown. I do not mask the area around the number as I found the thinners seep underneath the tape and take off the lining.

Instead I use a small amount of thinners on the cotton bud, and dab it on to the numbers. Leave the thinners to soak into the print for a minute or two, again use a small amount of thinners on a cotton bud to soften the number’s print.

Rub away on the numbers and the print should lift. Some print is easier to remove than others, like Bachmann for example, as well as some of the more recent Hornby models. Go carefully and slowly, removing the numbers and trying not to rub away the paint, as it can be a bit thin. Once the number has been removed the surface will be shiny, which is great for adding transfers to.

Etched plates I usually go for Fox Transfers’ etched plates – they can cost quite a bit but they are worth it. You can also purchase shed code plates as well as loco smokebox numberplates. I required nameplates for the renaming of this Bulleid, going from No. 35028 Clan Line to No. 35027 Port Line. I ordered both nameplate and loco smokebox number from Fox Transfers as I know they are a perfect fit to the moulded plate on the Hornby model, so no modification required. The plates for the name are etched brass, and painted with enamel paint, and finished by hand, and look far better than the printed version currently on the model.

To attach the plates is quite straightforward. I use an all-purpose glue applied with a cocktail stick in small amounts and accurately to where I want it. It is best not to use any Superglue products, sometimes it can react and when it dries leaves a white haze over the model; although that can be dealt with, it’s best not to use it.

Other alternatives are using varnish to attach plates, mainly from tins like Humbrol paints.

Number completely removed.

There are various providers of transfers for these models. Some do loco identification packs such as Modelmaster, but I feel the transfers tend to let down the model, being waterslide and having a coloured background, which doesn’t match the loco colour, but they do come with nameplates and a smokebox numberplate. Fox Transfers does some very high-quality plates and also waterslide numbers, which have clear film, but I tend to steer clear of waterslides owing to the film and possible yellowing of it in the long term. I usually use a combination of suppliers, for transfers I use HMRS Pressfix transfers; these are historically accurate, BR Sheet 14 holds enough numbers for quite a few locos for various regions. These transfers are slightly sticky hence the name, they have a backing paper which comes off once water is applied, so you score around the number with a craft knife and lift off the thicker backing paper.

Be careful with numbers. A number one does alter the spacing of the numbers. Why can’t I just replace the last two numbers? When I first started I asked the same question with another Bulleid, but I was told the printed numbers are slightly larger than the transfers, which is noticeable, so do a proper job and replace the whole number. Once you have applied your number you can leave their numbers unvarnished, as the Pressfix ones will stay where they are placed, but for peace of mind I would much rather lightly varnish the area. I use an acrylic varnish by Humbrol, which is satin, in a spray can. To avoid the problems I had, I advise you to warm the can under warm tap water, I say this because I didn’t and it turned into a white haze. Warming the can avoids this problem.

Other varnish is available such as Vallejo, which is another acrylic resin varnish.

Number applied using HMRS Pressfix transfers, ready to lightly varnish with satin varnish.

Before, the normal printed plate.

Attached a new etched plate from Fox.

The smokebox door plates are very much the same as the nameplates: add a small amount of all-purpose glue, add it in the place you would like it and add the plate to the model. The door numberplates from Fox are made from stainless steel and are very good quality and a good fit also.

Old printed number of Clan Line.

New etched plate for Port Line.

October 2017

ASK A DAFT QUESTION | 23

Smokebox dart To give your model the look of a loco that is ready to go and pull service trains, there are some other items you can add that are not too expensive and can be done over a weekend or some evenings.

Although most models these days have separately fitted details these can occasionally get broken mostly through handling, or maybe you have an older model with a moulded-on smokebox dart, which looks rather cumbersome and out of place among your other models. Replacement is very easy and straightforward; you can purchase turned brass smokebox darts from Alan Gibson or Markits and small private model shops such as Nairnshire Modelling Supplies. You can remove a moulded door dart with a sharp craft knife using either a light needle file or the knife to remove the leftover material. Next you will need a miniature drill vice and a 1.2mm drill bit. Drill a hole in the centre of the smokebox door, which will be the new mounting point for the new turned brass dart.

Small weekend/evening detailing For those who just want to spend an evening doing small things to improve the look of their models for a pocket-money budget there are a few simple things you can do costing between £5-10 and £10-20.

You can pick up various loco crew figures from Bachmann Scalescene range, Scenecraft, ModelU, P&D Marsh, to name a few, in various positions, some will need painting while others are ready to be fitted to the footplate of your locomotive. You can easily fit them to the model by using a small amount of glue.

I usually use an all-purpose glue, which is quite easy to use and doesn’t damage the model too much. I would suggest adding glue to the locomotive crew’s feet, and add them using some tweezers. It certainly adds some life and realism for not too much money.









Useful links: http://fox-transfers.co.uk www.modelmasterdecals.com/ www.hmrs.org.uk www.humbrol.com www.springsidemodels.com www.modelu3d.co.uk www.pdmarshmodels.com www.trainshop.co.uk www.nairnshire-modelling-supplies.co.uk/

Add crew members for extra realism.

Adding real coal Adding some real coal to your model’s bunker or tender can improve the look quite a bit, as the moulded plastic coal load can leave a lot to be desired, and certainly can be distracting.

If your model has a removable load, which quite a few models do now, it can be quite easy to add a scattering of coal over the moulded plastic. I recommend using a tray before starting as it can be quite messy. Apply a thin layer of PVA over the plastic coal. I usually break up my own coal into suitably sized lumps to my own personal preference, and then just scatter it over the PVA, wait 24 hours for the glue to dry, then refit to the loco.

Route discs/lamps With models having more detail on them these days, a model with lamp irons but nothing actually on them does make the model appear a bit naked. Some usually don’t put anything on either because they do not know what head code to give it, or just want to leave their options open. If you want to use lamps, then you can get some nice white-metal ones, painted with a rhinestone in them so they glint in the light. These are produced by Springside, are quite nice to add and come in different regions, as each region has a different style of lamp, and are around £6.50-£7. For the Southern modellers, of course, there are lamps – but what about the route discs?

Well there are a couple of suppliers. Fox Transfers does a pre-painted set, or Roxey Mouldings does a nice little etch, which you can solder together to slot over the holder on the bufferbeam. These do require painting, but some white primer is usually absolutely fine.

PVA glue, and crushed coal.





Light coat of glue applied, coal applied after.

1: File, knife, mini drill vice, new smokebox dart, 2: Moulded dart, 3: Old dart cut away, 4: Drill hole 1.2mm dia.

5: Dart test fitted, then the handles soldered in position. 6: Smokebox and dart painted/blackened.

Finished and coal load fitted.

Route discs added to the model. You can glue these in place or use some Blu Tack so they can be removed or changed.

24 | ON SHOW

October 2017

The 'exhibitionalist'

As the model railway exhibition season revs up again as the nights pull in, we look at what makes a good show and how to get the most out of exhibitions, both as a visitor and a layout operator.

M

Warley 2016: plenty of seating is always a winner at exhibitions!

odel railway layouts have changed dramatically over the years that I have been attending model railway shows both as a visitor and as an exhibitor, writes Ian Holloway.

Pre-1970 layouts were dense in track and sparse in scenic detail. During the 1970s scenic layouts were developed by modellers who made most of the features from ‘scratch’ often using simple, and sometimes unusual, materials to create a living landscape in which to run their trains. These were the days when a builder’s style and methods stood out almost as a signature on a work of art. Today realistic industrial and rural landscapes can be constructed but with some sacrifice in the originality of the scratch-builder’s craft.

Some things have not changed. It remains exciting to see a new layout from an established railway modeller, to view a layout that has featured in the model railway press, to see new people exhibiting their railway or to enjoy the company of fellow visitors and exhibitors.

I hope that the following paragraphs will encourage people who have never been to a railway show to attend as a visitor and for people who have a layout, which is portable, or transportable, to consider joining the exhibition scene as a model railway operator.

Let me first of all discuss visiting a model railway exhibition. These range from the small local show,

often organised by a model railway club or by an organisation seeking to raise funds for a cause, through to the huge international class of exhibition.

All have much to offer the visitor and there is almost certain to be a local show close to most localities, while visiting a larger exhibition may involve travel and an overnight stay. Model railway magazines and the local press give dates and details.

I choose to highlight, as a small show, Scout Rail held occasionally in the idyllic village of Wylam-onTyne in the North East, to raise funds for the local Scout troop. As well as viewing model railways the visitor can enjoy being in the locality of William Hedley and his early steam locomotives, see the birthplace of George Stephenson, view the blacksmith’s shop where people such as Timothy Hackworth worked to build and repair the early steam locomotives that developed into such railway icons as Mallard and Flying Scotsman. The delightful Wylam Railway Museum, housed in the library, has much for the railway enthusiast to enjoy.

On returning to Wylam Institute a modest entry fee enables the visitor to view the layouts on show. Most will be the work of individual modellers as home projects and for many this may be their first show.

How welcoming is your exhibition?

When you go to a railway exhibition you go to enjoy yourself. However, there are two sections of the community who are sometimes let down by organisers; children and the disabled.

Darryl Foxton has some thoughts on what can go wrong and how it can be put right.

You are six years old and have been taken to your first model railway exhibition. You walk in and can see nothing because all the layouts are too high. You are surrounded by adults, get pushed about, squashed and sometimes tripped over. There is nothing to do and so the next time you are asked if you would like to go you say ‘no’.

On the other hand. As you arrive at the entrance you are given a quiz sheet to do with a prize at the end. The organisers loan you a plastic stool to make sure you can see the layouts. Several layouts are designed to let you have a go.

People on the layouts talk to you and answer your questions.

The refreshment stall has a good choice of soft drinks. You ask your parent/carer/ aunt/uncle etc. if you can go to another show tomorrow.

Quiz sheets

The exhibition organisers put a small animal on some of the layouts. Children have a sheet so they can match each animal to a layout number. Each sheet that is returned when they leave gets a small prize, for example, a chocolate bar.

Thomas

A simple layout featuring Thomas and Friends always goes down well, especially if children can operate it. Ditto Lego or Brio, if children can ‘have a go’ they enjoy themselves so much more.

Layout operators

Get ideas from the people operating the layouts as to how children can get more involved.

Encourage them to have layouts no more than 3ft high so that wheelchair users and children can enjoy the layouts. Over all the years that I have been exhibiting I have let adults and children take the controls and have never had any serious problems. Once or twice I have wished I had a cattle prod but so far have avoided the temptation.

Shunting layout

A shunting layout goes down well with all ages. You number some wagons, one to six, place them on a simple layout with a few sidings and then the public are given the controller with the aim of assembling a loco and wagons in the order one to six. This photo (below left) shows a typical track layout with numbered wagons with the idea being to move the wagons into the sidings on the left to match the numbers on the right. It is great fun and always attracts people aged from three to 93 who want to have a go.

Tank transporter

My layout, The Desert War 1942, has both standard and narrow gauge track with the addition of RC tanks. Next to the layout I have a separate piece of desert with a tank transporter and an RC Sherman tank. Visitors are asked to get the tank on to the transporter – it seems easy but few manage it – see photo.

Disability access

Disabled visitors can equally be treated well or badly. For example, some things to think about are:

• Are the disabled car spaces well marked?

• Is a member of your team free to advise disabled visitors about access and toilet facilities?

• Do you let disabled visitors in 30 minutes before the main rush to give them a chance to see some of the exhibition before the crowds arrive?

• Do you encourage exhibitors to have their layouts no more than 3ft off the ground, at wheelchair height?

• Do you have first aid provision and a defibrillator machine?

• Do you have plans in place to cope with accidents, heart attacks, lost children, and does everyone know what the plans are, and where they are?

• In case of the fire alarm going off have you organised building evacuation procedures?

• Do you have the directions so that visitors could find the local A&E department in case of an accident needing hospital treatment?

• Is there a rest room and somewhere for breast feeding?

The following are a few experiences I have had while at exhibitions: • At a recent show I spotted a three-year-old child that had got behind the barriers and

was looking at the layouts with a smile on his face. You can’t really blame him or his parents and no harm was done but please remember if you bring a child to a show they are your responsibility 100% of the time.

• Recently a friend of mine was exhibiting his layout at a model railway exhibition when a disabled visitor driving a mobility scooter lost control and hit the layout with such force that it lifted the front of the layout off the ground and a number of locos hit the ground and broke. The scooter was pulled out and the driver drove off and vanished without so much as an apology.

• Some years ago I was helping park cars at a show. A woman lost her temper when told that she could not park in an area reserved for disabled drivers. She tried to drive off at speed and ran over the foot of one of the other helpers. The foot was not broken but was badly bruised.

• While I was working (I am now retired) I was one of the qualified first-aiders and so used this qualification at shows. I always wore a bright jacket so that I could be easily found in case anyone was injured and am pleased to say that a few cut fingers were all I had to deal with.

October 2017

Look at the scales. OO gauge is likely to be the most numerous with N gauge a close second. There may be an O-gauge model running and, if you are in luck the Hornby Railway Collectors Association may be attending with either a ‘retro’ Dublo or O-gauge layout.

You will see both end-to-end and tailchasing continuous-run layouts. If you are considering entering the wonderful world of model railways, take this opportunity to view the layouts and decide which scale you prefer and what type of layout to construct.

Ask questions. The operators will, or should, be delighted to pass on their knowledge and skills. Perhaps take some photographs, having first asked the operators if you may do so.

You may realise that you could build a model railway similar to the ones on display and if tempted then do not delay in making a start! Also you will see the pleasure the operators are having and the idea of being an ‘exhibitionalist’ may appeal to you.

ON SHOW | 25

You are unlikely to be hemmed in by crowds at these local events although, typically, a Thomas layout or a Hornby tin plate O-gauge layout will draw people towards them.

Before leaving enjoy some refreshment, usually served at bargain prices, and reflect on an interesting and inspiring day out.

It is well worth making the effort and paying the entry fee to visit one of the larger exhibitions, which will be well advertised. Here you are likely to see railway modelling at its best. The organisers will have chosen layouts in the usual scales and also included some less well-known ones. There will be trade support and large layouts specially designed for exhibitions and often featured in model railway magazine articles. Do not be overawed! It will often have taken a group of experienced railway modellers a long time to construct the layout, at considerable cost, and it is a privilege to enjoy seeing these in operation.

Ian Lamb’s top tips for shows Manufacturers get a lot of information and guidance from talking to the public at shows and exhibitions, so make your voice heard and ask questions.  Greet people with a smile if you are on a stand.

Visitors, whether experienced or newcomers, want to see model layouts and learn.  A display of any work-in-progress models is always a talking point.  Interaction between operators and public is a must as is constant action on the layouts. Some people may have travelled a long way to visit the exhibition and it’s beholden on the operators to create an air of approachability and willingness to talk to the public and deal with questions, however trivial they may seem to the operator. Operators of layouts are ambassadors for the hobby and could make the difference between someone wanting to take it up or being put off by a rude or dismissive attitude to enquiries.

Modelling doesn’t have to be complicated, writes RMM reader Steven Hughes. I have been attending model exhibitions, firstly as a spectator, and more recently over the last two years as an exhibitor and you often see crowds of people around the big tail-chaser layouts. I have a number of layouts myself including a well-regarded one, Midsummer End, which is a DCC N-gauge layout that has appeared all over the country including at the International N Gauge Show, however, recently I attended a model exhibition in Woodbridge (Suffolk) with three of my small N-gauge layouts, Circleton Village, Tivvy Vale and St Stevens. As usual there were crowds around the big tail-chaser layouts, however, I also gained a crowd of people around my layouts. All three were built using rather cheap folding picnic tables as a base with a polystyrene sheet to add a layer of depth to the board before being scenicked and turned into exhibition layouts.

They were all built with detail in mind so have everything from platform signs to lampposts and even TV aerials or satellite dishes. On Circleton Village you will even see a lady hanging out her washing or people in their gardens growing giant sunflowers. One thing I heard remarked a number of

 Provide entertainment in the form of constant movement.  When crowds are gathered around layouts, it won’t be possible for every exhibitor to be able to answer all questions about the layout, so an information board that can be read at a reasonable distance is helpful, as is the name of the layout, displayed clearly.

Also include the layout’s gauge, and also any interesting features of the layout, i.e. scratch-built items.  Conversations at exhibitions are the most substantial thing that sends visitors home inspired and also where they find out how it was done.  Rear or central well operation can create a psychological barrier between visitor and operator, it is best to have someone out front.  Railway modelling is, among other things, an art, and when exhibited is performance art.

times at this show, and others to which I’ve taken these layouts to, is visitors commenting: “I can build something like this.” It always gives me a warm feeling to hear visitors saying this as you know you are inspiring other modellers and with three layouts on display, each built on tables 3ftx2ft and on display in an area 8ftx3ft, you never hear visitors saying they don’t have space.

My layout Circleton Village was the first of the small layouts I built, being designed around a small loop of track with a village in the middle. A pretence of the layout being a heritage railway means the obligatory Day out with Thomas can be put on to bring out the smiles of the younger generations. I always look forward to the next show with the layouts and the collection tin we put out alongside Circleton Village for the local Air Ambulance always ends up full after the smiling young, and young at heart, go away happy.

For me this is what railway modelling, and model exhibitions, are all about. Showing people how simple a model railway can be, while still giving plenty of fun for young and old, is key to keeping this hobby alive and I am sure my display at exhibitions certainly goes some way to doing this.

26 | ON SHOW

October 2017

RMM’s Martin Wicks shares his exhibition experiences: One of the best exhibitions, in terms of the quality of the layouts and demonstrators, that I attend, is Railex (Aylesbury/ Stoke Mandeville) – it also has a lot of suppliers/traders that focus on the ‘doing’ and thus creative side of the hobby. It’s quite a finescale exhibition, yet is still very open, friendly and far from elitist.

In terms of more generalised exhibitions the better ones have something for everyone, so the layouts are wide ranging, from something for the threeyear-old visitor right through to the expert modeller. The more forward-thinking exhibitions will have hands-on demos (for ALL ages) and layouts whereby younger visitors can operate a layout/the trains (i.e. perhaps a Thomas The Tank Engine type layout), and there will be a good selection of traders and suppliers et al. Abingdon MREXs I have been to in the past have often been very close to such ideals.

Exhibitions held within museums can often be very good too, yet they can become ‘samey’ year on year, if the museum fails to rotate/renew its exhibits and they can be costly too when the museum and exhibition entrance fees are combined, thus perhaps offputting for year-on-year visits (i.e. if the museum remains the same as the previous year).

Seating for watchers and partners alike is always most welcome and perhaps small foldaway portable steps for youngsters to be able to use so as to be able to clamber up and thus view the layouts.

I won’t go into the ‘correct’ viewing height for a layout as that means different things for different people.

Food at STEAM in Swindon, last year, was very good too – and as some travel far and wide to an exhibition a good cafe and refreshments are a must, as are decent clean toilets.

Although not ‘prototypical’, layout operators are there to entertain – so trains need to keep moving. I liken such to the old BBC ‘MO’: ‘Inform, Entertain and Educate’. Friendly layout operators are also welcome too.

For operators, a simple layout is easier to disassemble and pack up at the end of a show.

The joy of trains in motion on a variety of layouts appeals to people of all ages.

Look for details that you could use in a smaller layout. Ask questions and again, with permission, take photographs. Notice how the exhibits are presented. Look at the backscene, the illumination and the viewing height for example. There may be a layout that stands out from all the others. Over some refreshment try to work out why this is, so that you can build the features into your layout. Then view it again before leaving.

There is, however, an aspect of large ‘shows’ that can detract from their enjoyment. They are often very crowded and it can be difficult moving close to the exhibits. A prior email to the event organiser could establish the likely less-crowded periods.

If you want to become an ‘exhibitionalist’ one route is to go as a member of the operating team from your local model railway club.

It is great fun taking part from the moment the layout sections are being set up to the time when the railway is returned to the club room. Being in a team will give you time off to enjoy seeing the other layouts, trade stands and demonstrations. Seek to enjoy the experience. Sometimes it can become fraught, particularly if technical hitches mar smooth running. Do not become involved in an argument!

Sometimes altercations can be ‘funny’ but they are detrimental to the image we are endeavouring to create, which is that of a hobby worthy of being involved in.

If you seek to exhibit your home layout, or one constructed for an exhibition, with yourself

as the only operator then do go ahead. My advice would be to keep the trackwork simple and if the technology fails wire in a simple analogue loop or single track using a connector or soldered wires and keep the trains running. Most visitors will enjoy your layout and move on without realising you are having problems – but do take a spare power supply and controller. I found that DIN plug wired connectors between the layout sections gave greater reliability for electrical continuity than to rely only upon fishplates as section rail joiners.

If you have a layout then consider exhibiting it, having given thought to transportation and presentation.

Lighting is also important and some layouts may need more illumination than the natural lighting at the exhibition venue, which can be unflattering, so supplementing the lighting will show your layout off, quite literally, in the best light.

The viewing height is also a question without a simple solution.

Often at small exhibitions tables used at the venue for several purposes will be pressed into service.

Their height is ideal for younger viewers but adults may enjoy viewing your model from a vantage point nearer their eye-level.

I prefer to have a continuous run layout at exhibitions. These are more relaxing to operate and allow time to chat to visitors and answer their questions without stopping the trains, which is necessary on an end-to-end model.

October 2017

ON SHOW | 27

Going solo I am going to write a few paragraphs on being a lone person taking a model railway layout to exhibitions, writes Ian Holloway. I hope that what I am about to write encourages people to become part of the ‘entertainment industry’ if only for one or two days. Please do not regard what I write as the only way to be part of this scene and if you pick up on even one feature that assists you to have an enjoyable experience rather than a stressful disaster, then I shall be pleased.

You will learn most of what you need to know by joining a model railway club and assisting at exhibitions with a club layout, but it is possible to omit this valuable apprenticeship if, as can happen, you receive a request to take your home railway layout along to a show.

If your home-built layout runs well, then please do not change anything. Simply pack the layout for transporting it to the venue.

My personal view about being an exhibitor is that I seek to entertain members of the public and that means my layout must work RELIABLY. The paying visitor may not be a railway enthusiast but they expect to see trains running regularly, if not continuously. I realise that this is not prototypical and stations such as Deadwater on the England/Scotland border never had an intensive service, with only three trains a week, but Deadwater makes for a

Do not be put off if your layout is not as ‘perfect’ as others at the show. Let me end by describing two layouts, which were far from finescale but were being proudly exhibited by their owners and were much enjoyed by visitors.

One was a continuous-run layout built by a young teenager.

The curves were too tight, overhangs on the stock too great, the buildings too glossy and not finely detailed. I could go on being negative BUT this layout had trains running all the time. It was ‘busy’ just as many people expect a full-size railway to be. It was ‘alive’ and was being appreciated by a large audience.

The other layout was an end-to-end street scene based in France. The stock was realistically weathered but the buildings were, at first glance, somewhat unrealistic in the way they were presented. The style was ‘French’ but they were painted as though an artist had quickly brushed on colour to capture a moment

superb model so, if I were to exhibit this, I would compromise on fidelity and run a far from realistic service so that people, who may spend less than three minutes looking at each layout, see a train running and do not move on, thinking that my layout isn’t working.

The possibility of technical problems increases enormously as track work becomes more complex so for greatest reliability go for a simple track plan. If you are faced with the scenario of a layout that worked perfectly at home but is not working 20 minutes before the show starts then neither panic nor attempt to repair the whole system. Calmly put stock on to the non-operational lines and wire in an analogue 12v supply to one line. This means, of course, taking along an extra power supply and controller but I find this essential anyway for peace of mind.

I also fit into each track on every board a power connecting clip and am prepared to drape the connecting wires to the back-up power supply from these if necessary.

Do not try to continue repairs when visitors are in the hall looking at layouts. Be thankful that you are running trains, if only on one track.

You may have time at the end of the first day, or before day two starts, to effect repairs.

Baseboard construction is worth considering. Much has been written about this and there is no single method that stands head and

in time. However, this was part of the reason for this layout’s appeal and success. There were a number of figures on this layout and although static they were posed in believable groups and all were doing something. This helped the model come alive.

By imagining the layout being full size, I was taken, in my imagination, into the scene and I was soon outside a cafe taking in the world as it went by.

While I admire fine detail and accurate modelling, the layouts I enjoy most are those with atmosphere. I am unable to describe what this is and how to achieve it but by being part of the railway show scene – an ‘exhibitionalist’– either as a visitor or as an operator you will form your own opinion as to what makes for a realistic and interesting model railway.

Whatever this is and whatever you do, take pleasure as a visitor and give pleasure as an operator as you enjoy our wonderful hobby.

shoulders above all others. It is, I believe, generally accepted that the maximum convenient size for each section is 4ftx2ft. This gives a board that is not too heavy to handle and will go up staircases and through doors set at angles designed to trap both layout and fingers.

Ensure that baseboard joints are accurately made and pull together firmly, giving perfect track alignment. Again, there is no single method for achieving this.

I favour substantial bolts running through metal tubes and track wired to DIN plugs and sockets to ensure electrical continuity. Track at board ends is vulnerable to damage while transporting the layout. My suggestion is to bolt faceplates on to the ends of each section for protection. Some modellers stop the track before the ends of a board and drop in a short length of track over the board joint adding temporary ballast for the duration of the exhibition, while others chance it and use only fishplates. Often this seems to work!

Some builders take the view that flimsy baseboards are all that is required for a short show and go for light weight and ease of assembly.

There is merit in this but I would not want to risk compromising on reliability if the boards were to twist out of alignment.

Moving on to the rail to use. I suspect that it is possible to obtain perfect reliability from finescale

track. I do not have the nerve to try it! So I use Code 100 setrack either from Hornby or Peco. This is robust, and because the curves are pre-formed, the track will expand and contract while contained in the chairs as temperatures soar ever upwards to volcanic heights during the day and plummet close to freezing point during the night at the exhibition venue. For my O-gauge models I use SM 32 Code 200 track and for N gauge I would again favour a coarse code.

As for the type of layout, the choice is between an end-to-end line often with a hidden fiddle yard or a continuous-run tail chaser. I favour a continuous run layout so that I can leave a train circulating while I relax or talk to people. Operating an endto-end layout with a self-imposed feature of intense operation can be somewhat monotonous and tiring.

Having said that I must concede that one of my simplest and most enjoyable layouts was a single-track with one siding and no fiddle yard.

It was less than six feet in overall length mounted on one narrow board and was a joy to operate during a one-day show.

By the end of a show you are likely to be tired and the thoughts of taking down the layout may be daunting. This is where a simple layout again comes into its own. It will then be quick to disassemble and pack up. Quite often the show organisers are keen to clear the hall

A Thomas or a Lego layout will always be popular with children. DAVEBLOGGS007/FLIKR/CREATIVECOMMONS*

and will appreciate this.

You may be wondering how much stock to take. I suggest that you take enough but not too much. Be sure to take sufficient locomotives to allow for breakdowns but remember that all the stock has to be re-packed at the end of the show.

Consider the presentation of your layout. Are you going to use tables provided by the organisers or will you take trestles or even an ironing board to support the model? Will you make do with natural light or will you have your layout illuminated?

Will you include a back scene and a fascia, perhaps with the title of your layout boldly displayed and with some notes on why you chose the particular scene to model?

Remember to take a soldering iron, solder, extension cable, multi-socket block, spare fuse, pliers, screwdrivers and a spanner to adjust the section bolts together with spare nuts and bolts. Take white glue, superglue, some ballast and a small quantity of touch-in paint. Do not forget a trackcleaning rubber, some emery boards and a small quantity of thin oil. Your layout may be operating for at least six hours on both days.

Make sure that the layout and all the extras will fit into your car, or you may find yourself having to hire a van or, like one of my chums – having to trade in your car for a Volvo!

Go to an exhibition well prepared and seek to enjoy yourself and give pleasure to others.

28 |

October 2017

The Model Stop Guide

Britain is blessed with a network of great model shops and outlets, who are always keen to help and advise. Here are some you can turn to... simply look for the number nearest you on the map, and find their details below:

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To advertise on the map please call Lynsey on 01507 529454 or email lyoung@mortons.co.uk 

27. DCC Supplies

Location: Unit 17A, Top Barn Business Centre Worcester Road, Holt Heath, Worcestershire, WR6 6NH Opening times: Monday to Wednesday 10am-5pm, Thursday 12pm-5pm, Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am-4pm

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www.dccsupplies.com 01905 621999

28. Alton Model Centre 1. Widnes Model Centre

Location: 128 Widnes road, Widnes, Cheshire Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am -5:30pm Wednesday late night 8pm closed Thursday www.widnesmodelcentre.co.uk 01514241196

2. Jacksons Models

Location: 33 New Street, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 9AL Opening times: Monday, Tuesday 9am-5pm Thursday 9am-6pm Saturday 10am-3pm www.jacksonsmodels.co.uk 01697 342557

3. Hattons Model Railways Ltd

Location: Unit 17 Montague Road Widnes WA8 8FZ Opening times: Monday to Sunday 9am-5pm

www.hattons.co.uk 0151 7333655

4. Chester Model Centre

Location: 71-73 Bridge Street Row East Chester CH1 1NW Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-5pm Saturday 10am5:30pm Sunday 11am-4pm

www.chestermodelcentre.com 01244 400930

5. Lendons Of Cardiff

Location: 192 -194 Fidlas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales, CF14 5LZ Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm www.lendonsmodelshop.co.uk 02920752563

6. Tutbury Model Shop

Location: 5 Tutbury Mill Mews, Lower High Street, Tutbury, Staffordshire, DE13 9LU Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-4:15pm Sunday 11am2:30pm 01283 814777

11. A C Models

Location: 7 High Street, Eastleigh, Hants, SO50 5LB Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm

9. Morris Models

Location: 80 Manor Road, North Lancing, West Sussex, BH15 OHD Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9:30am - 5pm www.morris-models.co.uk 01903 754850

10. Collectors Cellar

Location: 11 Hencotes, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 2EQ Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 4pm closed Sunday www.collectorscellar.co.uk 01434 601392

01472 859990

30. Edwinstowe Trains & Things @ Benhams

www.ks-models.co.uk 01438746616 Location: 1-2 Catherine Street, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1DA Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm

Location: 45 High Street, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire NG21 9QR Opening times: Monday 10:30 am – 3pm Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 5pm

www.fromemodelcentre.com 01373451468

www.benhamsonline.com 01623 822302

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13. Frome Model Centre

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14. The Railway Conductor

Location: Unit 2, The Old Dairy Craft Centre, Near Weedon, Northampton, NN7 4SH Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10:30am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 4 pm

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www.railwayconductor.co.uk 01327439736

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15. World Of Model Railways

Location: Meadow Street Mevagissey Cornwall PL26 6UL Opening times: Monday to Sunday 10am to 5pm Closed Saturday

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www.model-railway.co.uk 01726 842457

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16. Flair Rail

Location: Unit 7 Springfield Nursery Estate Burnham On Crouch Essex CM0 8TA Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am-4pm Saturday 9am-3pm

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www.flair-rail.co.uk 01621 786198

17. Crafty Hobbies

www.crafty-hobbies.co.uk 01229 820759

www.gaugemaster.com 01903 884488

Location: 8 Market Place, Caistor, Market Rasen LN7 6TW Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-3pm Friday late night 5pm7pm Saturday 10am-5pm

Location: 19 Middle Row, Old Town Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3AW Opening times: Thursday to Saturday 9:30am - 5pm Closed Sunday to Wednesday

www.digitrains.co.uk 01522 527731 Location: Gaugemaster House, Ford Road, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 0BN Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5:30pm Saturday 10:30am - 3:30pm

29. Caistor Loco

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12. KS Models

Location: 15 Clifton Street, Lincoln,Lincolnshire,LN5 8LQ Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am-5pm Saturday 10am-4pm

8. Gaugemaster

www.altonmodelcentre.co.uk 01420 542244

www.acmodelseastleigh.co.uk 02380 610100

Location: 54 Cavendish Street Barow In Furness Cumbria LA14 1PZ Opening times: Monday to Friday 9:30am-5pm Closed Thurday and Sunday

7. Digitrains Ltd

Location: 7A Normandy Street, Alton,Hampshire, GU34 1DD Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 9am-5pm, see website for Sunday opening hours

www.airbrushes.com 01903767800

19. Buffers Model Railways

Location: Colston Cross Axminster Devon EX13 7NF Opening times: Tuesday to Friday 10am - 4pm, Saturday 10am-1pm

www.buffersmodelrailways. com 01297 35557

20. Time Machine

Location: 32 Westborough Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 4AR Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 11am - 5pm

01628622603

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18. The Airbrush Company LTD Location: 79 Marlborough Road, Lancing Business Park, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8UF Opening times: Monday To Friday 8am – 6pm

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  

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25. Sawyer Models 21. Mac’s Model Railroading

Location: 4-8 Reform Street Kirriemuir Angus Scotland DD84BS Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10:30am - 4pm Closed Thursday www.macsmodels.co.uk 01575 572397

22. The Sport and Model Shop

Location: 66 High Street, Dingwall, Ross-shire, Highlands, Scotland, IV15 9RY Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9:15am - 5pm www.sportsandmodelshop. co.uk 01349 862346

23. Shady Lane

Location: 11 Grenville Street, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 2EA Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9:30am - 5pm Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm www.shadylanemodels.co.uk 01237238872

Location: 119 Bradshaw Gate, Leigh, Greater Manchester, WN7 4ND Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm closed Thursday and Sunday www.sawyermodels.co.uk 01942202334

26. Edwinstowe Trains & Things @ Benhams

87 St Clair Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, KY1 2NW Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm

Location: 45 High Street, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire NG21 9QR Opening times: Monday 10:30 am – 3pm Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 5pm

www.scoonie-hobbies.co.uk 01592 651792

www.benhamsonline.com 01623 822302

24. Scoonie Hobbies

31. Culcheth Model Railways

Location: CPS Shopping Centre, Common Lane, Culcheth, Warrington, WA3 4EH. Opening times: Mon-Sat 9.30am - 5pm www.holdercollectables. co.uk01925 899959

32. SCC 4 DCC

Location: Sunningwell Command Control Ltd, PO Box 381,Abingdon SO, OX13 6YB Opening times: 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday www.scc4dcc.co.uk 01865 730455

October 2017

BLASTS FROM THE PAST | 29

Mainline Railways Tony Stratford tells the story of the company that took the model railway industry in the mid-1970s to a whole new level.

N2 Class locomotive originally designed by Airfix but not released until after the Mainline takeover.

T

he Palitoy company was originally established by Alfred Pallet as Cascelloid Ltd in Britannia Street, Leicester in 1919. He was just 18 when he set up the company, which began by manufacturing soap boxes for FW Woolworth.

In the 1920s the company produced a growing range of products for Woolworth including baby rattles, egg timers and hairslides. In 1925 it entered the toy market, initially producing a celluloid windmill of the type still found in toy and seaside gift shops today.

At that time the company employed 60 people and had also started the production of the first of a series of dolls for the wider toy market.

In 1927 the company lost its premises, stock and equipment in a fire, which also resulted in the death of one employee. As a result the company moved to a new site in Cobden Street, Leicester, becoming the Britannia Works.

British Xylonite Company Ltd took over the company in 1931, Cascelloid now being a subsidiary company with 250 employees.

It was not until 1935 that the name Palitoy was used and two years later the company moved to Coalville in Leicestershire.

Pallet retired in 1943 but lived for another 40 years, much of his retirement being spent as a director of Leicester City Football Club.

During the Second World War the company produced a wide range of products to support the war effort before returning to normal work in 1946.

The company was at the forefront of plastic design and moulding innovation. In 1947 Bill Pugh joined the company as chief plastics designer and he went on to develop, among other things, the Jif lemon squeezer, the Domestos bottle and the tomato-shaped ketchup dispenser.

By 1965, Coalville was involved purely in toy production and became the Palitoy division of British Xylonite. A year later Palitoy announced the development of its doll range. It had acquired the rights to the Hasbro GI Joe soldier figure for the British market and produced its own version; Action Man. It was

highly controversial at the time as boys were not traditionally seen as part of the target audience for dolls. Other popular brands at the time were Tiny Tears and Tressy, which took on the American Sindy in the shops.

Three years later British Xylonite sold the company to General Mills, a large American company that began by milling flour in Minnesota in 1866. It later expanded into the food market and then diversified into other areas including toys, engineering, aerospace and submarines. After expanding into Canada in 1957, General Mills acquired 37 companies during the 1960s, many outside the USA and most of them outside the food business. Its first toy acquisition was PlayDoh in 1965, Kenner in 1967

Illustration from a 1979 catalogue featuring one of the Royal Scot Class rebuilt locos.

– which produced the Star Wars toys in the 1970s and 80s – and Parker in 1968, manufacturers of Monopoly. It also purchased Palitoy at the same time.

The first train sets Toy trains were extremely popular after the Second World War and a number of companies entered the market to challenge the Hornby O gauge and Hornby Dublo (OO) trains produced by Meccano and those of Trix (OO) in Northampton.

Several of these companies have already appeared in this series.

Palitoy did not have a train in its range, so in 1949, Bill Pugh set about designing one. He chose not to follow traditional O or OO markets but instead settled for S gauge (1/64th scale). This scale was initially known as half 1 scale

Class 45 as illustrated in the 1976 catalogue.

(Gauge 1 being 1/32nd scale) and it was developed commercially in the USA during the 1930s.

The main range was American Flyer, produced by AC Gilbert, which also manufactured a Meccano-type product known as ‘Erector’. After Gilbert went out of business in 1966 the range became part of Lionel Trains in 1967 although it concentrated on its own O gauge products and did not produce S gauge items. Ironically Lionel was also owned by General Mills from 1969 to 1984. American Flyer S gauge production restarted in 1979. The Lionel company was subsequently sold again in 1986 to an American businessman and leading toy train collector.

The first electric train set had a locomotive that picked up from the track and was powered from a battery controller. The locomotive with a tender was based on the A3 Class Flying Scotsman but was named Flying Scot, which was released in 1950 with two coaches and an oval of track.

This was followed by the release of a Prairie tank that continued to be available in the set until 1959. Although wagons, points and crossings were planned they

never materialised and the Palitoy sets are today highly sought-after collector’s pieces.

While the company continued to develop its core products, its flirtation with the train set market would be invaluable almost two decades later.

The move into OO gauge Bob Brechin was the company’s chief designer and second in command to the design/ development director, Bill Pugh, who had been the originator of the S scale train set in the 1950s. Bob joined Palitoy in 1967. Having qualified in industrial design at Manchester College of Art & Design and after a brief spell designing products for the motor industry, Palitoy employed Merl Evans in October 1974 as a general product designer.

He was immediately put to work on a board game and later worked on a number of Action Man accessories.

30 | BLASTS FROM THE PAST

October 2017

Catalogue covers

1979

In the mid-1970s, Bill Pugh explained to Bob Brechin that the company marketing manager, Nick Farmer, had identified an opportunity and was keen to get into OO-scale train sets. The market at the time was dominated by Hornby, which was without any serious opposition following the collapse of Hornby Dublo in 1964 and the withdrawal of Playcraft at the end of the 1960s. While Wrenn and Graham Farish provided some competition by the mid-1970s, the latter were concentrating mainly on N gauge.

The only other threat came from the Italian company Lima, which began supplying N gauge to G&R Wrenn in 1967, and then entered the British market with a range of very cheap HO sets in 1973. HO, while popular everywhere else in the world, was frowned upon in the UK, where OO dominated.

Lima would abandon HO in 1976 too and turn to OO. We shall

1980

take a look at the Lima company in a future issue.

Palitoy was required to develop some models that would be manufactured for the company by Kader in Hong Kong. Kader is, of course, known today as the owner of the Bachmann brand. Three options were available to Palitoy. It could use the American outline trains already being produced for Bachmann by Kader, fit British bodies to existing HO scale chassis or start from scratch and produce a bespoke British range of trains. The latter option was chosen but what the company needed was someone who could not only design them but understand the needs of the British marketplace.

Unknown to the company at the time was that the answer lay within its own development team in Merl Evans, who was equally unaware that such a project was being discussed as it was known to only a few senior managers.

1983

1981

Shortly after the meeting, Bob Brechin was in the office when he noticed a copy of the Railway Modeller on a drawing board.

Enquiring as to its ownership, he was told it belonged to Merl, who had bought it during a lunchtime visit to a newsagent and had gone to make a coffee before using the rest of his break to begin reading it.

When Merl emerged from the kitchen, Bob asked him if he was interested in model railways.

Merl affirmed he was more than interested and had long been a railway modeller himself.

With lunchtime over, Merl was invited to a meeting with both his bosses and emerged as the head of a model railway brand with no products. He had a blank canvas on which to work.

The new range did not even have a name – together with the marketing department three possibilities were mooted – Branchline, Mainline and Replica. While Mainline was

chosen, the other two have subsequently been used by others outside the confines of Coalville.

Merl was joined in the Mainline Railways’ team by Stuart Jesson. The two-man team of Merl and Stuart was responsible for every Mainline Railways’ release including the Modified Hall and B1 Class locomotives, which were not completed before closure.

Merl was later responsible for the marketing operation of Mainline Railways.

The launch of Mainline Railways Work continued throughout 1975 and towards the end of the year was well advanced, allowing the Railway Modeller in the pre-Toy Fair reports to reveal the new range to readers in the January 1976 issue. The stand at the January 1976 Toy Fair included samples of the LNER J72 0-6-0T, BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 and the Class 45 diesel. Also

announced were two versions of the BR Mk. 1 coach, a BSK (Brake Second Composite) and an SK (Second Composite). Freight stock comprised an LNER brake van, tank wagon, five-plank open, BR 16T steel mineral and a ventilated van. Six train sets were announced and these utilised the tooling available. Track was produced for Mainline by Peco in Devon – the company also produced it for Airfix. The Mainline track had a black sleeper base while the Airfix system was brown.

Unfortunately for Palitoy, Airfix had also identified the same opportunities and as we learnt last month, it chose to launch its model railway range at the same toy fairs in 1976. Airfix was, however, not so far advanced and it was Mainline Railways that stole all the headlines!

Initially the train sets were prioritised but it was decided early on that items would be made available separately if specialist model shops wanted them. At the Toy Fair launch the orders from model shops for the individual items far exceeded expectation.

The range went on to include 15 locomotives, 19 wagon types and 10 coach types. Products arrived at Coalville bulk packed in shipping cartons, which were then checked and tested before being packed at one of the company’s satellite buildings, a former Co-operative bakery, and they were then packed into their distinctive Mainline window boxes. They were then shipped to the main distribution warehouse in Glenfield for onward distribution to dealers.

Much of the detailed drawing work in the days before CAD (Computer Aided Design) was carried out in Leicester by an independent company. The work

for Palitoy included a number of projects that never saw the light of day including an 8F, Gresley coaches, ‘Black Five’, Ivatt 2-6-2T, LSWR T9 and the SR Q1 0-6-0. All are now available from other manufacturers.

Tooling explained One of the major costs in producing model railway products is the cost of the tooling from which models are made. These are normally large metal blocks produced to enable plastic or metal to be poured into them to produce the component parts and they cost many thousands of pounds.

Palitoy decided that rather than pay for the tooling upfront, Kader would produce the tooling and recoup the cost of the tooling by adding a charge (amortisation) to the price quoted for the manufacture of each item. The ownership of the tooling would remain within Kader.

Airfix/GMR acquired The failure of the Airfix company was dealt with in depth in the last issue. The first task was to amalgamate the Airfix/GMR tooling into the Mainline range and to ensure that the couplings were fully compatible, which they had not been under separate ownership. One of the other improvements necessary was to match the paint specifications so that the products were consistent – they differed under the previous regimes. Wheel standards were made uniform and the packaging and graphics reorganised.

Unlike Palitoy, Airfix owned all its tooling used in the Airfix and later the rebranded GMR (Great Model Railways) range. This was split between Sanda Kan and Cheong Tak. A further factory, Todco, was used for wagon production.

Merl Evans (right) and Stuart Jesson (left) on the Palitoy stand at the 1979 Toy Fair. The Warship diesel on the stand was a pre-production model. PHOTO BY BACHMANN EUROPE PLC EP Sample of the Class 45 and BSK Mk. 1 coach.

PHOTO BY BACHMANN EUROPE PLC

The EP sample for the Class 45 produced for Mainline Railways and released in 1976.

PHOTO BACHMANN EUROPE PLC

October 2017

BLASTS FROM THE PAST | 31

Merl Evans at Palitoy with the J72 locomotive introduced in 1976 on the drawing board. PHOTO BACHMANN ARCHIVE

Among the projects under way at the closure, two locomotives – the N2 and the Dean Goods locomotive – went on to be released under the Mainline label, not arriving until after the takeover.

Following the Airfix acquisition, management in the USA decreed that in future all new tooling would be owned

by Palitoy. The Class 56 is one

Merl (left) in his Bachmann days with Sir Richard Branson at the launch of the first Virgin Trains Class 220 Voyager at Bombardier’s Belgian factory in Brugge on December 6, 2000.

PHOTO BACHMANN ARCHIVE

such locomotive that fell into this category and was transferred with the former Airfix tooling when Palitoy closed down. It had not been produced by Kader.

Decline and closure By 1983 the American owners decided to withdraw from the UK market. One of the casualties was the research and development team that looked after Mainline Railways, which closed down in August 1983.

At the same time, ownership of Palitoy passed to another General Mills’ subsidiary company, Kenner Parker. One of the company’s first actions was to sell the Airfix kit range to Humbrol in 1986 and implement its policy of withdrawing completely from the model manufacturing business.

It left a number of projects unfinished and some would not emerge until after the sale.

These included the Modified Hall and B1 Class, which were almost ready for production, and will appear in a future part of this series that deals with Replica Railways.

Examples of Mainline packaging for coaches and wagons.

PHOTO BY BACHMANN EUROPE PLC

A year later Kenner Parker, including what remained of its Palitoy operation, was sold to Tonka. To purchase the company Tonka borrowed heavily and in 1991 was sold to Hasbro.

In May 1985, Palitoy ceased much of its manufacturing activity and 327 staff out of 585 were made redundant.

Many factory operations were shifted overseas.

The former Palitoy site closed in 1994 with the transfer of the last product to be made there, Play-Doh moving to Hasbro’s factory in Ireland. The site was put on the market two years later for £1.25 million with outline planning permission for housing.

Hasbro, based in the USA, is today the third largest toy manufacturer in the world.

All for sale In 1985, Dapol acquired the name Mainline Railways, remaining stock and tooling for the non-Kader produced items, which comprised mainly of the old Airfix tooling that had been purchased with the Airfix (GMR) range in 1981, following the financial collapse of the Airfix operation.

Following the sale it was discovered that the Mainline tooling in most cases was owned not by Palitoy but by the manufacturer Kader. The Class 56 diesel locomotive introduced in 1983 was not a Kader product, having been produced for Mainline by Sanda Kan, which produced much of the Airfix tooling. Another was the LMS 2P Class 4-4-0.

The Mainline tooling remained with its owners, Kader, in Hong Kong. Dapol went on to release many of the former Airfix models alongside some of its own origin and this will be covered in the next issue. Most of these tools were later sold on to Hornby.

The decline of Mainline was not the end of the story and the tooling in Hong Kong would initially emerge through Replica Railways. This element of the story will be covered in a future issue. Merl Evans, who left the industry in 1983 to join a company designing pointof-sale material in Leicester, would also return in 1992 as the

chief designer for the UK arm of Leicestershire-based Bachmann.

Next time We shall take the story forward through Dapol’s acquisition of the Mainline Railways’ brand name, former Airfix tooling and remaining stock.

The author would like to thank Dennis Lovett, public relations manager for Bachmann Europe, for assistance in compiling this article and for providing images from the company’s archive.

Colas Rail named Class 37/0 No. 37099 Merl Evans 1947 – 2016 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British railway modelling. The locomotive was named at Derby station on December 2, 2016 by his widow Maureen with the family and some former colleagues present.

PHOTOS BY DENNIS LOVETT, BACHMANN EUROPE PLC

32 | FEATURE NAME

October 2017

Dates for your diary MUSEUMS

Open Tuesday to Sunday Brighton Toy and Model Museum. 52-55 Trafalgar Street, Brighton, West Sussex BN1 4EB. www.brightontoymuseum.co.uk 10am-5pm (Saturday 11am-5pm).

See website for admission prices.

Open daily until October 1 World of Model Railways. Meadow Street, Mevagissey, St Austell, Cornwall. www.model-railway.co.uk 10am-5pm. Adult £4.50, concessions £4, child (5-17) £3.50, family £14.

Disabled access. Winter opening: Weekends only and Christmas and half-term holidays Open Saturday-Monday Famous Trains Model Railway.

Markeaton Park, Derby. Nearest postcode for sat nav users is DE22 3BG. www.famoustrains.org.uk. 11am-4pm.

Largest OO-scale model railway in the East Midlands plus other layouts. Famous Trains also has a shop in the model railway building, which has the same opening hours as the model railways. Members are present to give expert advice to visitors.

RM MODELLING LISTINGS OCTOBER 2017

Compiled by Jon Longman. Send details of your events to RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1

Wigan Model Railway Exhibition 2017 (organised by the Wigan Finescale Railway Modellers). Robin Park Sports & Tennis Centre, Loire Drive, Wigan WN5 0UH. www.wiganfrm.co.uk Adult £10, accompanied child free (0 to 16).

Online discount tickets £8. Free vintage bus service from Wigan NW Station to the exhibition hall. This service will start at 9.35am from the station. 30 layouts, 45 trade stands, demonstrations and society stands.

OCTOBER 7

Risborough & District Model Railway Club Annual open day. Community Centre (adjacent to Springs swimming pool), Wades Park, Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, Bucks HP27 9AX. www.rdmrc.org.uk 11am-4pm.

Admission free. The open day is an informal event with the opportunity to see the club’s current projects and to discuss all aspects of modelling.

OCTOBER 7-8

Open most weekends and bank holidays Pendon Museum of Miniature Landscape and Transport.

Long Wittenham, Abingdon, OX14 4QD. Features models to show life and railways of the 1930s. An invaluable resource for the experienced and new modeller alike.

Guides show railway operations; also audio guides and tea shop. www.pendonmuseum.com for more details.

Shildon Model Railway Club Autumn Exhibition. Locomotion, The National Railway Museum, Shildon, Co Durham DL4 2RE. 10am-5pm both days.

Free admission and free parking, more than 20 layouts and 30 traders, local groups and modelling displays.

Diesel and steam locomotive rides (small charge). Visit website www.shildonmrc.com/ to see the Science Museum’s full-size exhibits that will be on display.

CLUBS

OCTOBER 8

Amersham & Chorleywood Model Railway Society. Welcomes new members. The clubroom is located in Chorleywood with layouts in O, OO and OO N9 scales. Meetings on Mondays 2pm-4pm and Wednesdays 7.30pm-10pm. Please contact Roger on 01494 726449 for further details.

Gainsborough Model Railway Society.

Florence Terrace, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 IBE. www.gainsboroughmodelrailway.co.uk 1.30-6pm. Adult £4, concession and child £3, family £10. Layout: The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Leeds Central.

EXHIBITIONS

OCTOBER 7-8

SEPTEMBER 30

Bradford Model Railway Club Autumn Show. St Winefride’s Church Hall, St Paul’s Avenue, Wibsey, Bradford BD6 1ST. 10am4pm. Adult £3, under 16s £1. Selection of layouts including club layouts and invited friends in N, OO and O gauges, trade support, disabled access, free parking, refreshments.

Croydon Model Railway Society Exhibition. Warlingham School, Tithepit Shaw Lane, Warlingham CR6 9YB. www.croydonmrs.org.uk Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adult £6, child £2, concession £5.

17 layouts, six traders, two demonstrations and refreshments.

Contact: croydonmrs.org.uk@live.co.uk.

OCTOBER 14

Cradley Heath Model Railway Club Fifth Annual Model Railway Exhibition. Cradley Heath Community Centre, Reddal Hill Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands B64 5JG. 10am-4.30pm. Adult £4, child (4-14) £3, child (under four) free, family (2+2) £10.

More than 20 layouts, trade support, free parking, disabled access.

OCTOBER 14-15

Corby & District Model Railway Society Corby Exhibition. St Peter & Andrew Church Hall, Beanfield Avenue, Corby, Northamptonshire NN18 0EH. Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-4.30pm. Adults £4, concession £3, child £2, family £10.

Wilmington 2017 (presented by St Michael’s & All Angels Church in association with the Erith Model Railway Society). St Michael’s & All Angels Church and church hall, Church Hill (B258), Wilmington, Kent DA2 7EG. Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4.30pm.

15 layouts, trade support and other attractions.

Elizabethan Railway Society.

The Summit Centre, Lowmoor Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield NG17 7LL. www.elizabethanrailwaysociety.co.uk Adult £4, accompanied child free. Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4.30pm. 12 layouts, trade stands, free parking, disabled access.

OCTOBER 19-22

Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition.

The Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, The Fosse, Fosse Way, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV31 1XN. www.midlandsmodelengineering.co.uk Thursday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 10am-4pm. Booking online – adult £9.50, senior £8.50, child (5-14 years) £3. On the door – adult £10.50, senior £9.50, child £4.

OCTOBER 21-22

Birmingham Model Railway Club Exhibition. Arden Hall, Water Orton Road, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham B36 9PB. 17 layouts, three demonstrations, seven trade stalls and free car park.

10am-4pm. Adult £4, child £2, family (2+2) £10. Refreshments. Bus X12 passes door, X96, X70, 71 72 94 buses all near Water Orton station (two miles).

Call Bob 07766 923361.

Cotswold Model Railway Show staged

by Gloucester Model Railway Club.

Thomas Keble School, Eastcombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7DY. www.cotswoldmrs.co.uk Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adult £4, child £2.50, family (2+2) £10, Scouts & Guides in uniform free as event is in aid of Eastcombe Scout and Guide Group.

Contact: info@cotswoldmrs.co.uk or 01452 720599.

11am-4pm. Free admission.

Newbury Model Railway Club Exhibition.

St Bartholomew’s School, Buckingham Road (off Andover Road), Newbury, Berkshire RG14 6JP. www.newburymrc.co.uk 10am-4.30pm.

Adults £5, seniors £4.50, child £2.50, family £10. 14 layouts, 10 traders and society stands. Refreshments available.

Disabled access and free parking.

Contact Paul Leonard, 07590 429643.

Hartlepool Model Rail Exhibition 2017 (proceeds to Hartlepool Hospice and Great North Air Ambulance). Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool TS24 7LB. Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adult £6, senior £5, child £4, under 5s free. 22 layouts, 25 trade stands, demonstrations, disabled access.

Beckenham Model Railshow 2017.

St John’s Church, Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JN. 10am-5pm. Adult £6, senior £5, child £4, family £12.

Somerset Railway Modellers Club) Rail Ex Taunton Model Railway Show.

Taunton School, Staplegrove Road, Taunton TA2 6AD. www.somersetrmc.org.uk/Rail-EX/index Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm Adult £7, senior £6, child (5-16) £3, child (under 5) free, family (2+ 2) £15. 30 layouts, trade stands, disabled access.

33rd Uckfield Model Railway Exhibition.

Uckfield Civic Centre, Civic Approach, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1AE. www.uckfieldmrc.co.uk 10am-5pm both days. Adults £6, accompanied child under 14 free. 15 high-quality layouts in scales from 7mm/ft to 2mm/ft, portraying standard & narrow gauge British, Continental and American prototypes.

Demonstration and engineering stands with specialist trade support.

31st Cardiff Model Railway Exhibition.

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg (Glantaff High School), Bridge Road Llandaff North, Cardiff CF14 2JL. www.cardiffmodelrail.org.uk Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adult £5, child under-12 free. Free vintage bus to and from Cardiff Central (Saturday only).

OCTOBER 28

Felixstowe Area N Gauge Group.

Model Railway Open Day. Welcome Hall, Trimley St Mary, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 0NT. www.felixstowengauge.org.uk

Newtown Model Railway Society’s Mid Wales Model Railway Show. The Town Hall, High Street, Welshpool, Powys SY21 7JQ. 10.30am-4.30pm. Adult £4, accompanied child free.

Exeter Garden Railway Show. The Matford Centre, Matford Park Road, Marsh Barton Industrial Estate, Exeter EX2 8FD. www. exetergardenrailwayshow.com 10.30am4.30pm. Adult £7, child free, concession £6.

OCTOBER 28-29

Weymouth Model Railway Association Exhibition. Wey Valley School, Dorchester Road, Weymouth DT3 5AN. www. cotswoldmrs.co.uk Saturday 10.30am4.30pm, Sunday 10am-3.45pm.

Adult £6, family (2+2) £14, child (5-16) £2.

Free parking, disabled access, refreshments.

Contact 01305 778869.

Caistorail Model Railway Show. Caistor Town Hall, High Street, Caistor, Lincs.

Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4.30pm.

Adult £3, child under 15 and seniors £2.50p, family £7.50. Contact mikephill362@gmail. com or 07503 321510.

Hazel Grove and District Model Railway Society Model Railway Exhibition.

Hazel Grove High School, Jacksons Lane, Hazel Grove SK7 5JX. www.hgdmrs.org.uk Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Adult £6, child £3, accompanied children free.

Weymouth Model Railway Exhibition. Wey Valley School. Dorchester Road, Weymouth DT3 5AN. www.weymouthmra.org.uk Saturday 10.30am-4.30pm, Sunday 10am3.45pm. Adult £6, child £2, family (2+2) £14.

October 2017

LETTERS | 33

Concrete sleepers

Not Radial

Dear RMM, I am very pleased with your magazine, which I find most informative. I do, however, take issue with the article in September’s issue ‘Returning to the Fold’.

I happily run Tri-ang Transcontinental locos from the 1950s, steam and electric outlines of American, Canadian and Australian prototypes.

These will not run on today’s modern track system e.g. system 6 standard, as deep flange wheels will bounce off rail fast enough. They will, however, happily run through old Tri-ang Series 4 pointwork and through its Peco concrete steepened flexi-track. My excuse is that in my yet-undiscovered part of the empire the local termites have developed a taste for sleepers in wood. I have the concrete sleepers for which there is historical precedent.

Dear RMM, In September’s edition of Blast from the Past regarding Airfix. The LSWR 02 Class 0-4-4T locos designed by W Adams were not the Radial Tanks. The radials were 4-4-2 tank locos, 415 class (0415 in SR days) by the same designer/chief loco engineer, so called because the rear pair of carrying wheels were mounted on a radial truck. This photograph (right) shows an early effort of mine from the 1960s at kit building an 0415 class in OO gauge.

I think the kit was by Messrs Ks. David Curtis, Falmouth

John Wills, Laleston

Ironing out a problem!

Dear RMM, I read, with interest, Martin Wick’s article on Supporting Your Layout, in the latest edition of RMM, and thought your readers may be interested to learn of the method I have used for my small exhibition layouts for more than 10 years.

I use an old ironing board, which I find is more than adequate for the job, and has the advantages of being adjustable in height, and light to carry. If necessary I have small ‘outriggers’ that attach to the feet to provide added stability.

Layouts are fixed to the board using captive bolts, the old iron rest supports the small control panel. An added advantage is that the whole thing takes less than 10 minutes to erect or dismantle.

I cannot claim to be the originator of the idea, but it

The LSWR O2 Class 0-4-4T locomotives were designed by William Adams as indeed were the 415 ( later O415) 4-4-2T locomotives referred to as Radial Tanks.

In our description the errant word Radial should not have been included in the description and we apologise that it was.

Tony Stratford

Beware chargers certainly attracts interest at model railway exhibitions, with many requests from members of the public to look under the layout to see how it’s done!

Should anyone require more information I would be happy to supply it.

John A Page, via email

Track-cleaning tips from New Zealand

Riveting role Dear RMM, I have been reading the Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling for July 2017 and in your editorial you ask did any one follow engineering drawings to the letter? The answer is yes. The riveter would only be able to put rivets into the holes that were already there.

As a time-served boiler maker/plater may I explain to you the process used to make boilers etc, as a short explanation may be of use. Drawings were drawn in the drawing office stating calculations as to the thickness

of the plate to be used and also the number, size and spacing of any rivets to be used.

The drawing was passed to the plater who then marked out the plates. These plates would then be sent for cutting, drilling and rolling as required. After this had been done the plater would get the plates back and assemble them so that they complied with the drawing. In some of the holes that would be riveted, nuts and bolts would be used to hold the plates together, these being removed as the plates were riveted.

Dear RMM, A friend visiting the UK brought me the June issue of RMM, here in far-off New Zealand.

I have enjoyed your down-to-earth, budget-conscious approach, particularly the article on modelling with household items. Having looked up ‘Cillit Bang’ on the web, I found we have it here under a different name, but then tried two cheaper ways to clean rails, if they are off the baseboard. One is good old baking soda, mixed with a little white vinegar, which gave good results. The other is Coca Cola, which worked a treat. I bought a long thin vase at the hardware store and was able to clean even long flex-track that was dull after languishing for 35 years. Half an hour one end in the vase, then rinse and half an hour the other end. They came out bright and now run well. Some of it had been removed from a layout and the underside

clogged with PVA glue. The Coke softened the glue so I was able, with patience, a screwdriver and fingernail, to clean it up nicely.

Regarding polystyrene sheet, it’s cheap and okay if you don’t plan to cut it much, but very messy to hack with a knife. If possible, use an electric heated cutter (like a fret saw), although watch the toxic fumes. I now use an insulating sheet of extruded polystyrene that is twice the price, but denser and clean to cut.

My current New Zealand Railways model is occupying my time just now but when finished, I have plans for an English one, based on the town of Verriwell on the River Twose. You’ll find neither on the map, but flights of fancy and perfect worlds are what modelling is all about. My tongue-incheek history of Verriwell runs to 12 pages so far!

Graham Densem, via email

Walter Turner, via email

Hand painted Dear RMM, I briefly worked for Airfix in February and March of 1980 after leaving Peco for what I hoped would be a better job in their design development department. Before I went there several friends asked me to find out why the Kitmaster Mk.1 coaches had never been reintroduced. I was told that in one of the periodic floodings of the River Wandle, which ran behind the factory in Haldane Place, the tool store was inundated and the tools on the lowest shelf were soaked,

Dear RMM, Your September issue made very interesting reading, you have got a very wide-ranging set of topics.

One point, however, that needs commenting on is the blueRailways' article, which mentions wall socket transformers.

These have to be used with extreme caution, never leave them unattended and never use one that has come from an unknown brand.

The reason I say this is that last year I was charging a battery for a remote-controlled ship using a socket in the back room. We

had guests and were eating in the front room. Suddenly there was a loud explosion, the lights flickered and, when I went into the back room the charger had blown itself apart and the plastic wall socket was on fire.

The explosion had tripped the fuse box so we were able to put out the flames.

I never thought it would happen to me but I was wrong. To come into a room and see flames coming out of the wall gives one a nasty shock. I think you have to assume that no unit is safe and so go back to the basic idea that you do not leave a wall charger on when you are not there.

Darryl Foxwell, via email

and being of steel rusted solid.

This included all the Mk.1 coach tooling. I spent much of my time in the short time I was there trying to iron out bugs in the Airfix electronic control system that was supposed to be a competitor to Hornby’s Zero 1. After being there for

three weeks there was a round of redundancies and 90 people were sacked on the basis of last in, first out and anyone over retirement age. A year later as soon as the accountants had seen the results of the 1981 London Toy Fair the receivers were called in. I had done three samples for their toy fair display of private owner wagons handpainted in the liveries of Avon Tyres, B.A.C., and Crosfields’ Perfection Soap. I know that these went into production later, but I never got paid for doing the hand-painted samples.

John Arkell, via email

We live and learn...

Excellent edition

Dear RMM, I liked your editorial about the Ch4 programme, Old People's Home for Four-Year-Olds, I think that people get lost in the whole consumerism/ possessions (or just struggling to stay afloat) type thing, we are all guilty of such to a greater or lesser extent. AND yet we are all still humans first and foremost and as such we are social creatures and in that respect not all that different from our ancestors, whoever they were exactly. In addition I very much like to hear about the railway modellers themselves, something that isn’t always fashionable these days. An old friend of mine, the late, great, Jack Ray, wrote several books, two of which spoke equally about the models and the people who created them, Model Railways and Their Builders and A Lifetime with O Gauge – Crewchester and Others. I have friends who say things like: “…I don’t want to read about the modellers, just the nitty gritty of the models...”. It is true to say that most of the time, they are correct, as that is exactly what is required, but railway modelling is a therapeutic, creative and often social activity and without people (humans) there would be no model railways. So seeing and hearing about young and old getting together and being creative, with skills and tacit knowledge being passed down is superb – that’s how I was taught.

Martin Wicks, via email

Dear RMM, I’m just letting you know that I have got the latest edition of RMM and I have to say it’s a vast improvement on previous editions. The photography is excellent in the current issue!

In previous editions it’s been very blurry. Let’s hope this month’s edition is the start of a long, long run of good issues. The content is very good too. I particularly enjoyed reading about Airfix. Keep up the excellent work.

Paul O’Gorman, via email

Write to us Get in touch by emailing: RMModellingeditor@mortons. co.uk or send letters to: The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR.Please include your name, address and email in all correspondence.

34 | LAYOUTS WE LOVE

Layouts

October 2017 We want to dedicate these pages to your inspirational, unusual, well-loved layouts and models. So please do get in touch with us by emailing RMModellingeditor@ mortons.co.uk or visit our Facebook page to like and share your photographs.

Find us at:

railway magazine guide to modelling

We love this layout by Robin Sharman. It’s a 6ftx2ft 3in one-piece portable N-scale layout named Fenny Hill. It is set in the present day, but with some anachronistic anomalies.

It contains many references to his life and interests as well as a number of witticisms.

Many of these are featured on the layout’s Facebook page (see www.facebook. com/fennyhillrailway) which is in the form of a story told from the point of view of a passenger who stops off there (think Alice in Adlestrop).

The layout was conceived as an experiment to find the maximum practical size for

a one-piece portable layout that could be handled by one person. Robin can move it himself when necessary, although it is fairly heavy. It had to be portable because it lives in a bedroom that the domestic authorities reclaim occasionally.

Fenny Hill appeared at two Nottinghamshire exhibitions earlier this year, and is booked for two more – Kirkby in Ashfield (Notts) in October and Braunstone (Leicester) in November. Only those onlookers with the keenest eyesight spot the 2mm-scale kingfisher that reflects Robin’s interest in ornithology!

October 2017

LAYOUTS WE LOVE  |  35

We want to dedicate these pages to your inspirational, unusual, well-loved layouts and models. So please do get in touch with us by emailing spalmer@mortons.co.uk or visit our Facebook page to like and share your photographs.

Tony Birch of Barton-onHumber sent in these photos of his model of Marchwiel station in Wales, which was on the Wrexham to Ellesmere branch line. The station area is true to the original, but outside this the rest is fiction. The model is in N gauge and the 14xx with auto coach is as he remembers it as a young lad living in Marchwiel. He says he loved laying the track and electrics but feels that he is not too good at modelling! We disagree!

I am a member of the Purbeck Model Railway Group, writes Robin Brasher, and we are building a model of the Swanage Railway in O gauge including Swanage, Harmans Cross, Corfe Castle and Wareham stations, Corfe Viaduct and Furzebrook. We also have a TT-gauge model of Swanage station on display and my OO-gauge model of Corfe Viaduct as part of a freelance layout.

I have also built a 12ftx4ft N-gauge layout of the Swanage Railway including Harmans Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden stations, Challow Hill cutting and Corfe Viaduct.

I wrote a Swanage Railway stock book with George Moon and he puts updates of locomotive and rolling stock comings and goings in the Swanage Railway magazines so I know what I can run on my layouts.

Site visits and lots of pictures help with details like the different types of stone used in the buildings. The original stations were built of high-quality Portland stone with red tile roofs whereas buildings such as the goods sheds were built of lower-quality stone with slate roofs. On the O-gauge layout we are building the stone walls with Das modelling clay and scribing the individual stones.

36 | LAYOUTS WE LOVE

October 2017

Layouts As October is the month of Halloween and all things spooky, we couldn’t resist this layout from Keith Coulson of Whittlesey, who writes: Railway buffs will know that the name of the station is still spelt Whittlesea, the old way.

I am a member of the March and District Model Club and I created this layout called Deadstone Valley for our open day show in 2015, which fell on October 31.

It’s a basic Hornby oval just like the one you get in that very first train set at Christmas when you’re seven or eight.

Question is, can you make a model layout with it? The answer is yes; by adding one point and a small curve.

This layout was sent in by John Clarke of Heckington Model Railway Club & Museum. The club was founded in 2004 by David Pagan and John Clarke who built the OO-gauge layout that, in fact, does not have a name, but is based on BR in the 50s/60s. Recently it has been updated by the addition of an extension employing a raised section that permitted the addition of an engine shed and farm buildings. The club has a collection of locomotives and rolling stock, but members often bring their own to run. The N-gauge layout was constructed around six years ago to provide visitors to the club and museum with an insight into how the railway at Heckington looked in the 1950s.

The overall size is 3ft 8inx2ft 11in or 112cmx89cm, if you use metric. It uses a Hornby starter set control. Tunnels, haunted manor house, Deadstone Valley Station and the four-arch viaduct are all made from polystyrene and painted with acrylic paint. A few cheap toys from The Works, pound shops, charity shops and car boot sales add to the atmosphere. I use a Hornby 0-4-0 saddle tank engine from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway but gave it a vampire’s face, arms and cape. With one old first-class coach with some ghost stickers on it, Count Dracula on a wagon and No. 627 Drax is ready to roll.

My layout may not be to everybody’s taste or idea of what a model railway should be but it does make a lot of people smile when they see it!

October 2017

| 37

BERKSHIRE

HAMPSHIRE

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

WILTSHIRE

SOMERSET YORKSHIRE

ISLE OF WIGHT CUMBRIA

STAFFORDSHIRE

LEICESTERSHIRE SURREY WEB SHOPS

DENBIGHSHIRE

LINCOLNSHIRE TYNE & WEAR

DURHAM

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE WEST SUSSEX

GREATER MANCHESTER

NORTHUMBERLAND

To advertise in the next issue

Call Lynsey on 01507 529454 Deadline for advertising is Wednesday October 18 Available from Wednesday November 1

38 | POCKET MONEY PROJECT

October 2017

ScaleScenes' bridge kits This month Ian Lamb turns his attention to downloadable builds and sets his friend a construction challenge…

A

part from the fact that for most modellers any fund money should be spent on things you can’t create, there is much more fun in creating something personal from an economic kit.

The ScaleScenes’ Arched Bridge kit comes in sheet form to be cut out using scissors or a craft knife, folded to shape and stuck on to card, reinforced wherever possible to give strength and longevity. Only two adhesives were used, PVA for the printed sheets to card, and UHU for securing the main structure and supports.

The ScaleScenes downloadable model kits business was started in 2005 by John Wiffen, an experienced graphic designer and keen model railway enthusiast, with the aim of reducing the cost of building substantial numbers of the same kit – such as terraced houses and retaining walls – and also to provide a range of material finishes that could be used to adapt parts of the kits to suit alternative locations.

Don’t just use any paper for printing downloads, and also be aware that colour deterioration can happen over time. Discuss the matter with your stationery outlet for relevant advice on this matter. Smart Models produces specific paper for this purpose.

In terms of general modelling, such a source is invaluable as ‘spares’ can be used in case of mistakes and

the error can easily be replaced. The ‘sting in the tail’, however, is that this source is more likely to appeal to the experienced modeller who has already created quite a few conventional card kit models, where most of the ‘difficult’ work – such as cutting square – has already been carried out, leaving the modeller to simply push out the pieces, trim up and construct.

The attention to detail is simply outstanding, and the instructions are among the best available. There is always the danger when you have been building kits for more than half a century, as I have, to forget what it was like to start off.

So, to show how easy it is to build ScaleScenes’ kits, I invited my railway friend Peter Holland (who had never built such models before) to construct this one while I simply looked on and photographed his progress. As always, it pays dividends to read instructions carefully, and even excellent guidance as that provided by ScaleScenes can be misunderstood. However, one of the advantages of ‘downloadable’ material is that should a problem arise, a replacement copy can be easily run off.

Working on the belief that you learn by your mistakes, one of the original buttress strips was not constructed properly, which necessitated a rebuild. Once the main items had been assembled, they were held in place with clothes pegs for

‘curing’ overnight.

Having decided beforehand where the bridge would be located, rather than simply make the road deck to the recommended size, a piece of card was cut to cover the whole width of the station model. Specific support formers were created and stuck in place, before securing the road deck into its final position. As for the road surface, the card deck could be left as it is in its natural colour or painted accordingly to represent Tarmac.

However, I prefer the ScaleScenes’ sheets, which are very realistic, even down to resurfaced patches!

To all intents and purposes the Arched Bridge is now completed and ready to be part of the overall station diorama. When satisfied – through a ‘mock-up’ – secure the whole model to an appropriately sized card baseboard.

At this stage a standard length of set straight track plus a Bachmann coach have been used for centring and checking clearance tests, before the rail is permanently glued into position and ballasted.

It will be obvious that the choice of whether or not the bridge has protective embankment ‘wings’ or side walls is very much up to the modeller.

Try to check out an appropriate prototype by looking through relevant books or magazines. In this case rightangled side walls were chosen, and the required card was cut to size.

 1. Basic assembly of the ScaleScenes’ Arched Bridge 2. Fitting the roadway 3. Finished roadway and surface

Matching brickwork was created from a reprint of the main ScaleScenes’ original sheet, butting on one cutting with another to cover the larger wall area. Topping off with parapet wall edging really sets off an already fine model.

There are various ways to make embankments, however, for me thick card formers topped with thin card patches is not only easy to construct but light and can be worked on almost immediately. To give utmost strength the upright formers are linked together with cross members, all of which will provide the ultimate profile for the rough grass base top.

Once the formers are ‘cured’, cut patches to size and glue on top of the formers. To ensure full adhesion, place weights (e.g. small metal tools) on top of the patches until the whole structure is dry.

The main scenic areas are painted matt black where they will reflect the eventual scatter material. Before developing the principal scenic structures, create a railway atmosphere by spreading some brown scatter adjacent to the track.

To complete the modelled Arched Bridge, liberally spread PVA on the embankment surfaces and sprinkle green grass scatter (I mainly use Javis products), patting down to help with permanent adhesion.

Now all that is needed to really bring this whole diorama to life are scenic fittings, hoardings, posters etc., but that is another story!

4. Bridge clearance test.

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Bridge side wall measurements.

ScaleScenes' model kit was provided free in Hornby Magazine, April 2010.

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October 2017

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October 2017