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6^th September 2023 ‘What is on your Workbench’

Just over twenty members brought something along to show the meeting.

Peter Cox brought the sad remains of his GWR layout including a very nicely scratch-built turntable constructed from brass and plasticard.

Roger Grizzell has assembled and painted a dozen or so 7mm LMS platform gas lamps and a Peco signal box with very nicely laser cut steps.

Howard Mainwaring also had a 7mm laser cut signal box, this time built from an LCut kit.  It is based on the Bewdley North and South ‘boxes on the Severn Valley Railway.

Reg Dixon showed us a beautiful LMS (ex L&Y?) 2-4-2 tank in 0 gauge.

Phill Yeend is building a 7mm scale London E1 tram from an etched kit.  He had made the two halves and has still to fit the seating and steps before final assembly.

Andrew Vaughan brought along the latest additions to his Severn Models range of etched kits.  These included some beach huts in 2 and 4mm scale and very tall yard lighting towers, also in 2 and 4mm scales.  For his own modelling, he is making a load of WDLR track panels for his display of Great War models.  These were originally of pressed steel sleepers with light rail clipped on.  His etched brass models used code 143 flat-bottomed Peco rail and looked excellent.

David Baxter showed us some DCC components used to protect anything that might short across the track.  There were horror stories of melted coaches which had shorted DCC track!  This system is designed to prevent this by lighting up bulbs to dissipate the current.

Vernon Larcombe is researching Dawley and Stirchley station building on the LNWR Coalport branch.  He has noted the similarities and differences with the other stations on the line including Madeley Market which is still there.  He has made a portion of the model in 2mm scale using plasticard to demonstrate it would work.

Mike Bennett has been experimenting with magnetic couplings.

Mike Wakefield, apart from rebuilding his garden layout, showed us a servo-driven 009 point.  He controls it with an Arduino-type minicomputer which allows him to adjust the speed and distance the point rods move.  It is not expensive and allows you to ‘tweak’ as necessary.  It certainly seemed to work very well.

Neal Cooper has been building 0 gauge 3D printed kits from Skog Carriage and Wagon Works.  These included a couple of Hudson tipper wagons, a GW Open C and a Whiting S&T wagon.  He also had a Peco pig iron wagon with green lentils for pig iron and an Intentio GW ‘Pagoda’ shed.

Christopher Williams is building a baseboard for his and Michael’s 00 layout.

Graham Betts brought along a model of a pump house and ‘Davenport’ wooden cooling tower for his power station model.  It was typical of the type of cooling tower made in the early 20^th century made from pressure treated timber.  There were 12 such a cooling towers at Bradford power station.

Andy Butler mentioned he has installed a 6 foot LED strip light diagonally across his work bench which cut out shadows.  He brought along a card mock up of an Art Deco, flat-roofed running foreman’s office from Liverpool Street station which was hard up against the 60’ turntable.  He has been experimenting with brick papers.

Sam Ryan has also been experimenting; in his case it is how to paint locos.  He has some 00 locos which have acted as guinea pigs and he thinks he prefers brush painting to spray.  He uses Citadel acrylic paint.  He is working on a model of Peter Sam in 009 which looked very smart.

Paul Bowen also models narrow gauge but these are 4 times bigger: 16mm to the foot. He had three part  built plywood models from Tenmille.  They are all Lynton and Barnstaple Railway; a bogie coach and two wagons. 

Dave Angell had a 1952 early Triang ‘Jinty’ which he is restoring after the body shrank due to the type of plastic used in construction. 

Stephen Duffel is moving house and dug out a New Zealand Railways 3 foot 6 inch 4-6-2 AB class loco.  It is a whitemetal kit built to S scale running on 00 track.  He is frustrated by the poor instructions which do not help in assembling the Walschaerts valve gear!  He has replaced a neoprene transmission joint with a u/j.

Chris Kapolka has been building a model of Wadebridge for 40 years!  He brought along his 4mm model of the engine shed.  It is made from card with card stones applied to the walls and painted and tinted.  He also showed off a new set of LSWR coaches by EFE which looked lovely in LSWR livery.

As ever, an interesting and very varied range of railway modelling.  How do we do it!?

Nick Coppin