The future? Or just a touch of the vapours...

On the list in the last couple of days; rapid prototyping is back. While no real progress in NZ120 has been reported, Paul has at least done some work, and having seen the bits for a 9mm dubs A, I must admit I'm impressed. However I'm still fighting the urges to learn CAD quite successfully. It will be interesting to see how the La he's planning pans out.
As an offshoot of this the possibility of making a De has reared its head vampire-like again. We will now proceed over the next week to hash out the best mechanism options. There are none. The Farish class 20 is too expensive to start with,and both it and the Minitrix FM12-44 have the wrong bogie's and underframe(Ahhh, that feels better out). Now, just between you, me and the lamppost, there seems to be a blindingly obvious solution. Its easy to buy the wheel's, gears and worm drives from KATO and Atlas, and it should not be beyond the realms of possibility to put these ready made bits into a RP chassis with correct bogie's etc. It doesn't seem like a big jump, but maybe I know nothing.

How to make home chores more fun

By building a layout on them of course!


Bored with ironing the clothes. With a little work, you to can make this a chore worth doing.
(Layout still in its early stages, and is already threatened by a rebuild. The builder still refuses to admit that he will not be able to run the item behind it, despite obvious scale problems)

Not much on

Well, have not really managed to do anything in the last 2 weeks modeling wise. The Ja tender has a footplate and the bogies are attached, but as my Wife is home from Uni for 2 weeks, not much is getting done in the evenings as she doesn't like the sound of filing metal.
I was going to post a pic of my bothers new layout base, but appear to have deleted the picture.
(and I see I'm up to number 8 on the google search).

Now you see it

Discussion on the NZ120 list in the last couple of days has been on modeling catanery. Now, since I'm going to have to bite the bullet and actually do this at some point, I've done a bit of thinking about this. My premise is that most of the wires blend into the background due to the mute colours. In the following photo you can see what I mean.

From a practical point-of-view, the wires will gather dust, and get in the way of any derailment fixing.
My plan is to model the carrier wires (the ones running across the tracks) and leave the main wires out. It's easier to trick the viewers eye into perceiving whats not there rather than modeling everything in the scene

On the workbench

I've been trying to come up with a solution to the scales biggest problem; a free running wagon/bogie underframe. I had recently purchased some top hat bearings and correct sized wheels from the UK ( www.markits.com). However, doing the math reveals that there have to be some big cutouts, and the bearings must be right out in the axle boxes to accommodate the longer than prototype axles. The answer came to me in the shower yesterday morning; inside bearings. Guy Williams ( GWR loco builder extraordinaire and sadly deceased) came up with this for locos 20 years ago, and its also been used in the railmaster 3-point wagon suspension system. Basically the axle runs inside a brass tube of the correct diameter and the solbars/bogie sideframes are just cosmetic. the only hard bit is filing down the axles to the right length. I quickly knocked up a jig and soldered up the bogie innards for the Ja tender.

I've also added some copper clad board so that I can attach some pickups (when I find my tin of phosphor-bronze spring wire, which I've yet to locate after out move 8 months ago. Maybe its sitting in the same box as my S scale A and Ab).
Also note in the background a test mech for a De. I still have some work to do on this, and will comment when it actually runs OK.

Thursday Night Show

Its that time of the month again, and it was time to go to the NZR railway modelers group local. I brought along the pair of Da's, and this provoked an interesting question and answer session on the differences between phase I, II and III models. After this had finished, the minute keeper duly informed us that this was the first time in 26 years that the group had had a discussion on Da's. Important information that, I've never broken a long standing record.

There has also been some interest in the Air portable layouts, with some interesting suggestions being made. I've also come across a website which has some interesting links on module construction; http://www.hotrak.com/?cat=3. Its in HO scale, but I've not managed to come across anything equivalent in N scale, which given the popularity of NTRAK is rather strange.

I've also wondered about getting a blog hit counter. I know of about 6 people who have found this blog, but I'm still only #25 in the Google searches. Maybe I should do a post with NZ120 repeated 500 times to skew the results.

To finish, something completely different. Comedian Eddie Izzard routine with Lego. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVjKlBCvhg

Wrong Again

ECMT has again steeped up and proved me wrong (its like I'm at home with my wife). The second NZ120 local rag cover was October 2001 with this shot( heads up to www.kiwibonds.com, one of the best train photo sites on the net. The latest 1980 stuff is fantastic). This is a far better shot than last weeks. Makes me wonder just what Brian was on that night....


On a different note, the brains trust discussions have been meandering over the last couple of days, and the question now is,; can a layout be designed that's air portable (and I don't mean delivered COD out the back of an RNZAF Herc. For one thing they are not that reliable, and the lead time to get them is quite long).
the AirNZ website stipulates a luggage size limit of 25Kg, and combined dimensions of 158cm/62". A second piece this size is $15 extra and a 3rd piece $50.
So here's a challenge then; design a layout that fits these dimensions. I'd offer a prize, but due to funding issues(like none) this won't happen. Maybe I should get sponsored by someone. A brewery would be good. I should approach Emmersons (Richard is a train geek as well as being an excellent brewer)