Finishing all those projects #1

Posted on March 18, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Looking at all the projects that I have started, and need to finish, I’ve decided to have a few weeks of trying to finish a few things – before returning to the Minories.  Of course, I may decide to build another plastic kit, as well, for a bit of light relief.

Regular readers with a very good memory will remember how, nearly three years ago, I posted this picture of some Messerschmitt bubble cars on flat wagons parked near Brighton.

And a few days later Duncan found a 3D file of an Isetta bubble car, and offered to print me off a few to see how they came out. Here they are, nicely printed in clearish resin.  The print was blown up a little in size, and has a few angled planes rather than curves, but you have to look closely to see this.

So, at last, here’s the first complete wagon with three bubble cars aboard.  I’ve quite a few more to do, but I need to paint a few in different colours to give variety to the train.  And I need to add the tiny transfers to the Lowfit wagons.

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The camera, as is often the case in N gauge, is cruel, but I’m pleased with the first wagon and hope that my painting (and dusting) will improve with the next wagons.

And the other projects to be finished?  All may be revealed in future posts (if my patience doesn’t run out by then.)

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ESNG meeting – 15 March 2023

Posted on March 16, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Seven members again tonight, and a relaxed evening playing trains.  The treasurer returned after a touch of covid, but it must have affected him as he forgot to collect the subs from two members.

It doesn’t take long to set up a small layout, and the new fiddle yard seems to ensure that the boards fit together without a 3″ gap to close between the last two boards.

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British goods trains were the theme of the evening, at least until Graham ran some US stock.  A contrast from Sunday, when European trains ruled.  It just shows the variety of interests in the club, and the strength of a modular layout, where it’s all Rule 1, and anything goes.

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There was also some loco testing, including this Poole Farish ‘Crab’.  One of their best early models, that really caught the proportions and character of the real thing.

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ESNG meeting – 12 March 2023

Posted on March 14, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

A reasonable turnout of seven members on Sunday, especially considering that a number of people dropped out from illness and other problems.  We soon had a circuit up and running, and having Neil, Sean and Lucas attending meant that there were plenty of trains to test.

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Richard had yet another Swiss train on show….

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Allan had two ICE units on the rails….

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So plenty of high speed running took place….

Two generations of locomotives….

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The PW train….

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I’ve got a Tiger on my Train (or maybe it’s a Leopard?)….

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It looked like a European afternoon, but Lucas saved the day with a couple of British items!

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And the year is rushing by.  It was still light when we closed the hall and set off for the inevitable curry. 

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A completed (non-railway) project

Posted on March 12, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

I’ve been taking a break from railways finishing this WWII German command car, Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf.B.

Wikipedia tells me…

Daimler-Benz built 58 of these in 1941—1942 on a four-wheel drive heavy car chassis (s.Pkw. Typ 1c). The front-mounted engine was an 8-cylinder, 3.823-litre (233.3 cu in) Horch 3.5 petrol engine, giving it a road speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). It had a maximum range of 400 km (250 mi).

The Sd.Kfz. 247 had an open-topped, thinly armored body mounted on a wheeled chassis. It was unarmed as its six-man crew was not intended to fight; rather, it was intended for use by the commanders of motorcycle and motorized reconnaissance battalions.

It’s an ICM 1/35 injection moulded kit, made in Ukraine, so it’s a worthy purchase.  Incredibly detailed, especially the chassis, and the interior, with seats and radio equipment.  It all fits together almost perfectly, though there are a couple of seams I should have filled.  I’ve learnt a few new tricks building it, not least washing and priming the plastic parts, then thinning the acrylic paint for a better finish.  I’m not really keen on an airbrush, but the finish isn’t too bad on this kit.  The next one I build will be weathered and washed to pick out the detail.

There will be a next one, but it’s (probably) back to railways now.

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Excuses, excuses….

Posted on March 11, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Trigger warning – serious modelling posts will follow soon.  At the moment I’m on strike supporting Gary Lineker.  Agree with him or not, he should be free to speak (and I agree with him.)

But talking of excuses, at least German railways are honest….

Whereas over here in the UK, it’s different, though perhaps not as bad as this satirical ‘News Thump’ article suggests…

Weird smell, bee on the line, ugly hats – train companies announce new season of delay excuses

Train companies have announced the new list of excuses for delays to services during the coming season, including weird smell, ugly hats, a bee on the line, ennui, and an unstable black hole.  “I think it’s important to give passengers a firm idea of the excuses they will be hearing this upcoming season,” said Jeremy Lunchbox, a spokesperson for the industry.

“We’re pleased to say that these are all new excuses. All last season’s excuses –ghosts, bears, bear ghosts, alien invasion, an unstable government, an apple on the line, the ravages of time, a disturbance in the force, Iggy Pop – all of those excuses will be retired. The excuses we use will be 100% brand new this season, which is the first time we’ve ever achieved that.”

A particular highlight in the new season of excuses is ‘disappointment with the lack of young British tennis players making a significant breakthrough’.  “Yes, I think that’s something that’s really going to hit the service hard over the coming months.

“You’re there, in the cab, you’ve performed that normal safety checks and are about to move the train onto the mainline and into the station, and then you realise that Emma Raducanu hasn’t really pushed on from her astonishing success at the US Open.

“I don’t think any reasonable person could expect that service to now run to its timetable, so hearing ‘This service has been delayed due to disappointment with the lack of young British tennis players breaking through’ will be something that commuters are likely to hear quite a lot.”

Other new excuses include mouldy vegetables, a wave of mutilation, dinosaurs, Sir Geoffrey Howe, vampires, a really big hole, poor skiing conditions, the Proclaimers, a leaky flask, Thanos, and not enough pie. The full list can be found online.

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More IOW

Posted on March 8, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Now this photo is enough to get ones mojo working!  Posted on Facebook by David Goulty.  There are just so many interesting details in the photo….

From Flickr – superb photo of ex IWCR No 12 in SR colours – clearly in the 1920s – note the track and signalling, with no SR influence. No 12 was painted in early olive green in May 1925 and then in darker Maunsell green in August 1927 (if we could see the colour of the lining it would help!) The wagons appear to be two ex IWCR (originally Midland Rly) vans with goods’ brake IWCR No 5 (SR 56037 – later rebuilt with a second balcony). The brake has white handrails, so may already be in SR colours. The two wagons under the works’ water tower are both in SR livery, and the open wagon may be an early SR import. If the car-truck/machinery wagon flat is SR it can only be 1927 (when the SR modernised the layout and signalling at Newport and the first of these were transferred). The train is being shunted from the down line across to the up loop. There is a lamp over the right buffer (Sandown line) but this couldn’t be accessed from the loop (only the Ryde line), neither is the brake displaying running lamps and a member of staff is walking alongside; so my guess is that it is a shunting move and the wagons will end up in the ‘up’ sidings alongside the works. Wish I could step inside the photo and look around!

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ESNG Open Day 2023 – a month to go

Posted on March 8, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

The modelling mojo has been rather low recently.  And as regulars here will notice, I’ve been a bit short on ideas for posts.  I need to rearrange the railway room, I think, so I can find things.

But I have managed to do a (hopefully) final floor plan for next month’s ESNG Open Day.  A few changes from our original ideas, due to availability, but we should have a fun day running trains.

And I hope that a few people will turn up to socialise with us!

Opendayplan

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Meanwhile, Wednesday’s running session included a slight problem away from the fiddle yard.  Note the slight step in the rail in the extending joiner between boards.  A quick repair needed….

And here’s another bit of bad tracklaying….

And let’s finish with the ultimate prototype for everything!

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IOW photodrop

Posted on March 6, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Short of inspiration for the blog and modelling this week, so here’s a photobomb of some Isle of Wight photographs.  I’m sure I should have recorded the photographer in places here, so apologies to all.  If nothing else, this is why the IOW is such a lovely system to model.  Station names are in alphabetical order!

Alverstone

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Bembridge

Brading

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Cowes

Newport

newport

Ryde St Johns

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St Helens

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Sandown Junction

sandownjunc

Shanklin

shanklin

Smallbrook Junction

Ventnor

Ventnor West

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And finally, Wroxall

It’s almost enough to get me out my armchair and making a model!!!!!

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Potpourri #1067

Posted on March 4, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

Just a short post today – I’ve had a busy week, ending up with a day’s Safeguarding training for church.  Necessary, but slightly mind-numbing.  I did come across these two videos.  One, the original O’Dell County Traction layout.  This was a project layout in Model Railroader way back when, and it’s good to see the layout still functional.  It’s a good example of how a lot of trams or traction can be realistically fitted into a small space.  It would need a few changes to fit into N gauge, as the curves would become too tight for most of the commercially available trams and interurbans.

And here’s a smaller and simpler layout design based on O’Dell. This has real potential for an N gauge version on a small baseboard. 

A clever automatic uncoupling mechanism.

James Hilton put this photo on N Gauge Forum.  It does show what a difference Code 40 track makes, and also how inconspicuous DG couplings can be.  I must have another go at making some up….

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I had to look at the map reference provided to work out where in the world this is.  Turns out it’s NW of Sydney, Australia, but it could almost be somewhere in the Mendips.  (Photo James Tailby.)

The loader at Martins Creek Quarry.  The quarry is either side of the sidings however this view shows only the loader and a simple scene to model.

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ESNG meeting – 1 March 2023

Posted on March 2, 2023 by snitchthebudgie

We met for another pre-meeting work party, and the five of us sorted out a number of odds and ends on the fiddle yard.  In particular, we think that we have fixed the microswitches that were playing up, and added a second screw to fix them tightly in place.

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We began to work on, or at least discuss, the trackwork for Mr Atfield’s club corners.  We should be able to get these completed in good time now.

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Then Mr Apps produced this wonderful piece of work!  A ship in a bottle made some 50 years ago.  We understand that (1) the ship hull is in four parts, to get it into the bottle, and was glued together in the bottle, (2) Mrs Apps went out due to the language required to get the ship suitably launched, and (3), Derek didn’t first drink the contents of the bottle.  It’s a beautiful little model that we can appreciate even if we prefer things that run on rails.

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We also discussed the need for a new N-club fiddle yard, but decided that actually, we had enough built or half built, boards not to need a new one.  Job done!

We finished the afternoon with the chairman visiting the chippy, and supper together.  We waited for more members and had given up on running when two turned up shortly before 8.  So we had a chat with them and packed up anyway.  Sorry, folks!

I’ll finish with a few gratuitous pictures.  Nice shot of LSWR B4 shunters in Southampton Docks, two of them with the original small cab.

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Another picture of Allentown in 1954.

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And for the aircraft modeller, Croydon Airport control tower in 1920.  Now that’s what I call basic!

AHFJN8 Croydon Aerodrome

AHFJN8 Croydon Aerodrome

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