Saturday morning

 For the first time in a very long time I'm up before 10am on a Saturday. I've even started on the Johnson A boiler and am about to have a fosick through the brass dump to see if I can do a footplate and cab sheeting.

 Another (pleasurable)  task I've been going through is to go through my Railfan Collection compliling a very rough content system. I finally completed the set a month ago (thanks to Ann and Floyd of the Railway Enthusiasts Society) and sat down to go through them. I'm not blessed with my brothers "photograpic" memory and a hunt for a picture I know I've seen degenerates into a desperate search through a variety of books and the inevitable sidetracks which just makes the whole process either longer or grinding to a halt. I refuset to touch a spreadsheet system as I'm a much more analog kind of guy and so I came up with....Post-its.

 

Stuck on the cover with articles of interest written on and space to add more notes as required. Also colour coded by month of issue. The whole process has been pleasurable in that I've reaquainted myself with the 25 year collection of articles and photos and am reminded just what an amazine resource it actually is.

I have noticed that there are 2 missing so will have to go back into "der room" for a hunt. they rare probably buried under a pile of The Linesider.

And the Blog turns 15

    15 years ago I put fingers to keyboard and tapped out my first attempt at blogging. The rest is history witth bonus poor spelling. Looking back on the number of posts per year, things went down hill after we brought a house (and I have a stack of beams to clean up and varnish this weekend) and have never recovered. The wargaming doesn't help.

    The scale has certainly come on in this time. Gone are the home cast resin models of our youth, replaced with 3d printing. I don't think its a bad thing. Casting your own models required the skills to make a master (assume you are good enough to do that), find and then mix and pour the rubber(after working out just how your masters and models were going to come out of the mold), then finally mixing and casting the resin.

Mastering

Mixing

Pouring

 

 

 

 I don't seem to have a resining picture anywhere

    And don't forget that those mixing steps involve toxic chemicals which even the experts "glove up" for. Oh and for most of the process you are outside the house even if you have an understanding family. Those that talk glowingly of the old days and how much better off we were when craftsmen took pride in their work often forget or neglect to mention just how dificult, laborious and downright miserable some of the work was. However we did what we could with what we had. Etching and laser cutting had some time in the sun, but I feel that they were in the end cul-de sacs which we went down, turned around and came back from. they still have there place, but as support for the main events rather than the be all and end all.

    Contrast this with sitting at a comfortable desk with a cuppa and a stack of reference materials to hand while you potter away with the 3D CAD program bending it to your darkest desires. Surfaces that would defeat the most cunning of master makers are but a trifle. Then press a button (or 4-5 and then swear at yourself for not setting the print bed right again) and wander off to peruse Facebook for a bit while the magic elves do whatever it is they do. Far more civilised and far less labor intensive. There will be some that point out (and rightly so) that some of the chemicals involved are also a bit on the toxic side, but they would not be selling them and advertising the process if it was that dangerous. Remember they do it in the US where personal harm lawyers roam the streets look for lawsuits..

So where will we be in 5 years. I'm not in a position to make any guesses or predicitions. Is the scale locally big enough to support its own wheelsets, or do we carry on as we always have, at the whims of larger markets and their fickel model production cycles (now, if I won lotto it would be a no brainer to solve thsi issue but....). Will we see more layouts in the press or online (theres remakably little out there to see tahts not buried behind the Facebook wall) and could we see a slide towards operation rather than roundy-roundy.

I'll finish up with a photo of the only models I still have from the Dunedin days more than 30 years gone. Cast resin and soldered brass. I doubt we will see their like again.

I wish I still had the mold

I'm melting.....

 While setting up the models for previous post I came across the following in the bottom of the wagon storage. The top is a Bond original. The bottom was Peco with Parkside Dundas wheels

 

I'm notr sure what happened, possiblty solvent leaching from the resin top, I have never seen anything like this before.

Enforced layoff

 I had to take last week off work due to a visit from the Covid fairy. I was lucky in that it was an extremy mild case with only some issues with my sense of smell.

So being under house arrest for a week I had a chance to go through "der room" and do some stocktaking. A hunt through the various boxes gave up this collection.

The line on the left have been or are being covered on the blog. I must see if the Da's are still runners.

The other row is a bit more interesting. At the front is a Kato RSD-12. Bogie wheelbase (outer wheels) is 9' so no real use for anything. Behind is a DL-109 which has Dg bogies but not much else of use. The Da is Phase 2 1431 as TMS 345 after it was Dc'ed internally in the 1980's. It just needs the running boards added along with some handrails. Last up is a lifelike SD-9. While I could use this for the Da, its also the correct bogie wheelbase for a Standard railcar.

Back in the saddle

 Hmm, nearly 3 years away. So what did I miss.

Its been that long that I can't remember why I stopped updating the blog. I have done virtually no railway modeling over that time, apart from a few bits and pieces on the On30 layout. I have done a fair bit of painting/modeling for my wargaming interests. Theres a pile of terrain done for 28mm steampunk skirmish and I'm almost done with my Germany 1813 project (which has involved painting a few thousand figures). I've also started painting 10mm DBA 15th century eastern european armies.

Anyway recenty I went to Railex in Palmy. I've been to a couple of gaming conventions in the last year but this was the first Model railway show. I offered to give Grant a hand with his new layout, 3 Mile Bush.

Now this is another Grant Morrel magnus opus. He is phenominaly good at observing scenes and his bush modeling is up there with the best. He's also really good at engaging with the crowd, whch might explain his laissez faire approach to crowd control. Now when I operate a layout I tend to concentrate on the driving. Having to also attemp to do crowd control while engaging with the punters is a bit beyond me, especially in the mornings. So my 4 hr stint was not earth shattering.and I managed to run locos through stop blocks several times.

The Tauranga group was down with their NZ120 layout and I brought along some of my old models. The twinset railcar had been in the box 8 years without a run. A tweak to the internals and it was off like a Swiss watch.

The Ed's also got a leg stretch on the Saturday night, and I resisted offfers to sell them. It's the effort to replace them that makes them irreplaceable.

A request

Does anyone out there have the August 87 journal?
I'm after one (or a scan) of the Ds article and plan.

Planning a loco roster

While hunting for other things related to Cross creek I came across the Loco planning for Paekakriki.
Somewhere (from Fetler D'amatuer possibly)I had a list of the Steam locos alocated to Palmerston North in 1964, as no locos were allocated as such to Paekakariki. I was interested in having a mix of types, hence breaking it down to trainspotters differences (though why a K funnel is that diferent from a Ka funnel at 2' is beyond me). I would probably include a K as well for something different.

Of the more modern models, only the Ew is not available on Shapeways. I included a Tin hare as they were used for a short time after the closure of the Rimutaka incline. The D/Dm/D sets would have to come up with a mech of some sort.. And while you can buy the tops for the Ka and Ja's the under frames are a different matter (and shall we have a discussion on wheel sizes again?)

I then included a selection of passenger trains to model. Its possible to buy all of these.. Last up was a list of number plates to order from Coln Mcharg. having not seen an obituary anywhere I assume he is still alive.

Completed

At the weekend I finally secured  the final item in a collection that I have been building for a while.
Its taken many evenings checking Trademe, buying small collections just for 1 or 2 items, and passing the unwanted on to others.

So, what have I got?
A complete collection of Railfan magazines. 20 years of railway history, both old and modern.

38cm high, which does lead to a bit of a storage problem, if one requires quick access to any article, for which I will have to develop an index of some sort. No doubt the editors will now release series collection books (which i think would be a great idea. The collected branch line articles would be brilliant).

Can anyone point me at a set of plain magazine binders?

A surprise

While down south I was asked to help identify an NZ120 collection as part of an estate. While a large porton of it was Japanese wagons and locos, there were a handfull of gems. these included;
- A zinc etch Dx (2nd batch ) assembled by Kelvin barry.
-A John Rappard resin cast Dx.
-An RB Resin cast DFT.

There were also several Japanese steam locos.the standard 2-6-0 and 4-6-2 and then there was this.....

Now, this is a beast I've never seen before (which is saying quite something), and some research reveals that this is a B6 by kawai Shokai which unfortunately is long out of production.
The mech also shows that it is not a normal Japanese N scale loco as the motor looks like an old Bachmann 3 pole from the late 80's

Of real interest is the wheel diameter (8.5mm or 3'4") and the wheel spacing (12.5mm +13mm) which is not far off useful.
Unfortunately it is one of those things that is long out of production, and since this one is the first I have ever seen its probably as rare as hens teeth.

On the Buses

The rest of my Shapeways order was made up with an old NZR road services bus.

Apart from being a bit on the thick side, its a good model. I think that the glazing should be put in but quite thin so that the people who want to be able to see into their bus can remover it, and the rest of us can just paint it. My pan for this model is to trundle round a road somewhere on a MMW module.
 So, will it fit on the Tomytec bus chassis?

"Just about'

The rear end is OK (width wise as well) though the wheels are a wee bit small. the steering bit at the front is a problem, but a look and a think reveals that I should be able to modify it by separating it from the rest and doing some surgery.

Saturday Morning

The suns up, the birds are singing (the cat got 2 yesterday so I can't imagine what they would be happy about), and the lawns call out to be mowed.
So the best spot is hiding in front of the computer.

I've started making some movements towards getting my NZ120 modeling back on track. Last night Shapeways and Kiwimodels (in that order) made some more money off me in the form of an EE Df top and an NZR bus. It will be interesting to see how the Tomix bus chassis can be shoehorned into the top. I suspect it will take some serious surgery along the lines of just what does the damn thing need to actually work. The Df should be a bit easier depending on whats been done to allow it to fit on a KATO mech. At some point I'll also have to take stock of the stock, just to see what runs and what doesn't, and what bits I have lying round.

Also I finished up some work yesterday on a few other models that had wandered across my workbench (for one of Am Fets mates). NZ12 I believe.

Hello again.

 Not dead just..... not.....

My it has been a long break hasn't it. I have just really not been in the mood to put finger to keyboard. Maybe I've just run out of things to say.......

 Anyway, just to report I'm still alive, there have been no family crises etc.
Also, the MMW crew will be at the Masterton model railway show this weekend. I'lll be there on Sunday with the track making fired up, just in a slightly larger scale.

And just to add a picture, heres something that wandered through the inbox a while ago (thanks to Michael Kilsby).

 

Is the show draging?

If things are getting a bit slow at the train show  (just after lunch on Sunday) then here is something to keep the operators awake. ( From Alan Cox via the 2mm mailing list. apologies Alan)

There is always shunting scrabble (usually played at shows to avoid
boredom)

Wagons have a letter tacked on the non public visible side. Trains of
wagons arrive and the goal is to send back completed words with the
highest score. Wagons are also arranged so that common wagons have common
letters while Z, Q etc are unusual one offs.

I'm sure that there would need to be a few more rules than this (I've been informed that this is about it). Maybe the scrabble set to draw the letters out for the incoming train.

Boating part II

(No we are not turning into a boat blog)
A knock playing social football on Wednesday night meant I was not keen to drive 4 hrs to Railex today. Instead I got some modeling in (quite honestly a first for a long time).

I started assembling one of the card ships I had purchased last week. These models are not for everyone. a steady hand and a sharp knife is required to cut the bits out. The instructions are pretty basic ('Assemble the model in part number order' is all well and good, but it would be nice to know that tehre are a,b anc c parts without me having to hunt all the sheets for them) and the pictures leave a lot to be desired. Having said that, it takes me back to building Superquick buildings in the early 80's, as well as doing a few castles for wargaming last century
The main frame is laminated onto thicker card (possibly too thick) and then assembled. The rest of the bits are then added (in order. Very german)

The bits are supplied to buld a full hull model, or a waterline model. I will probably add a slice of the red hull just to add a bit of colour and height to the front of the scene. The is to have the ship at the front, then the wharf and then a warehouse of some description.

Only a progress shot.......

Its not perfect, but it looks the part, and size wise its spot on compared to the W wagons I've posed in front. Did I say the price was excellent as well?

Down to the sea....

Well, after the posts from our roving international reporter (unpaid) its back to the blogsphere for me too.
I've been looking into TT scale models from overseas for use. Others have concentrated on plastic and metal models, but these tend to be on the small and expensive side. However there is a sizable range of models avaliable in the ancient medium of card. My interest was raised by a selection of model ships avalaible from Schreiber-Bogen. I've had some previous experience with this companies products in that they do a range of european castles which build into very nice models. A few clicks and a week later the package arrived in my mailbox. 3 models and postage for 40 euros.

 The scale for the first 2 is 1;100 (close enough) and the bark (sailing ship) is 1:200, which we will get back too. So what do the insides look like.

3 Pages of instructions and 8 A4 pages of parts, all nicely printed and coloured. The models can be made as full hull or waterline models.. The instructions are not overly clear (but workable) and some considerable dexterity with a knife is required. The overall size of the Sirius is 51cm long, 7.5cm wide and 22 cm high, all for the princely sum of 13 euros. A model in any other medium that size would set you back 5 to 10 times that. the detail is a bit flat in places, but 3D details can easily be added.

The bark in 1;200 scale I will scan and get printed out at a larger scale on A3 (1:160) or A2 (1:100) sheets. They will need to be laminated onto thicker cardbefore assembly. There are also more modern models for those of you with different tastes.

One of the problems I have just thought of is that having large delicate models on a layout will provide the operators with quite a few chances to damage them. Not sure how I will get round this, unless the masts are made from sharp stainless steel needles.

Blogging hiatus

Well, its been almost 2 months since the last post around here. I was wondering where things were going to run out of steam, so to speak. I've tried to write posts but just have not quite had the energy to drive them through to posting. Much the same has been happening on the modeling bench as I have ha no energy at the end of the day to sit down at the modeling bench and pick up a knife or brush. rather oddly, things at work are rolling along OK so maybe I'm expending too much mental energy there (well, enough to keep myself in a job anyway).

I'm not sure when things will change as the in laws are visiting for the next few weeks and I am volunteered to indulge in a bit of deck building. Thus there will be little time for modeling.

One thing I have come across in my reading is a method of connecting motors to gearboxes that I had never seen before, called a dog clutch. a better description with photos can be found here, but it does not involve a hard physical connection between the motor and gearbox.

Right, time to get outside before the weather packs up.

Twice a month

Well, its been a while hasn't it. I wonder what its doing to my page hits...

Things have been a might trying at work this month. That and a few other things have meant that there has not been much blogging done.I've had yet more ideas for layouts from the comfort of my armchair, but nothing has made it to the work bench. I have been distracted somewhat by a small diversion to another scale as well. I have however got back into making beer, so the time has not been completely wasted.

The latest plan is  based on a photo out of the latest Railfan (which continues to be a source of inspiration despite its detailed discussion of the Auckland region rebuild).

Please acknowledge 'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 35-R965' when re-using this image. And done

A nice simple track layout with an interesting split level and no massive banks of ferns in sight. I think it could be made into a nice wee shunting layout, with the only problem being an empties in/loads out set up. Which leads me to my next point.

Something I have noticed is that all the track plans I have come up with are end to end layouts, with no provision for roundy-roundy running. Now I don't have a problem with this as running a train in circles for an hour or so bores me to tears. However I feel that I'm in a minority of 1 in the NZ120 community. Possibly why I'm having a flirt with a larger scale.

'Yes, I've gone mad...'

Saturday morning

Time for a Saturday morning post.
This mornings will be book review time.
First up the Railfan. This months (well, December) marks 20 years of publication. All the normal sections are there. There is some good coverage of the 150th anniversary celebration. The 3rd installment of the EE Df saga completes the story, and I'm now extremely tempted by the 3D Df top that's just been updated on shapeways.the ongoing passenger carriage saga continues with a look at early postal cars. There is also a collection of photos from the 50's to the 70's from another collection. Again I still wonder why we are not seeing more photos from unknown collections. I'd but a CD of scanned pictures for $20.
Next up the Journal. An excellent article on NZ120 (with photos) by Greg Keay. Some good pictures of some excellent models by Russel Jones and eter Bryant, along with some cruel expansions of some decidedly average modeling. An article on a lineside industry in Invercargill that would serve as an excellent MMW module subject. Several articles on the early G class locos (plans, photos and a model). An interesting pair of articles on tail lamps for models (in S scale). A write up of what could possibly be the last Pokaka meet. Oh, and my usual rant on the Chritschurch NZR modelers group page (and Peter Ross' increasingly rambling and indecipherable comment column). Overall a good issue.

A short post today as Ive been interupted by the cat, and theres holes to be dug outside.

Another year shot

Well, its that time of the year to take stock and set some targets for the new year.

This is going to be somewhat harder this year as my modeling is in astate of flux at the moment. The house purchase and move (and the associated work involved) has staled the modeling entirely. I have not even set up the work bench properly yet.
So, what are the plans for the year?
Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't seem to have the space for Paekakariki at the moment (unless there is some major surgery outside). The model room has space for an end to end layout, but I'm not sure what form it will take (including scale). I'm leaning towards something freelance (location wise) with a port at one end, and a fiddleyard at the other. epriod also to be decided.
I must also have a crack at teaching myself CAD this year, if only for the big bits. I can see a few purchases of 3D tops from Shapeways coming on, especially after the 3 part Df series in the Railfan last year. Theres also the fell loco's to sort out.

Just pondering after I've writen this, and re reading some old posts, maybe its time this year to make a more concerted drive to get our free-mo layout up and running. Despite a few teething problems last year with it ( I always get to odd module set), things worked well enough.
Would there be interest in a module 'kit' of a fixed size (say 3') long?

Moving on

Its the last night here at Schloss Dandruff. Everything has disappeared into boxes or a bin.

Packing is one of those interesting times where it should be a chance for a clean slate. Every item can be assessed for its future utility and an informed decision made on its future utility.

OK so I'm not fooling anyone. Everything gets kept apart from bits of scrap wood, and even those are only thrown out after some soul searching.

(I tried to find a picture to convey the mess having neglected to take one during the packing process. nothing came close to the horror....)