Scattergun Distractions - Gadzooks, I appear to have gone normal

[Neil]

Distractions - let the train take the strain

You might wonder why my Francophile tendencies have so far only had concrete expression in the slow accumulation of stock and for that matter why a similar situation pertains to the Ganllwyd Tramway. You might reasonably have assumed that it's been scattergun modelling at its best. I have however been waiting for something suitable to crop up, yesterday on one of my regular trawls of the dog shop, that thing emerged. A brief check of the item confirmed my first criteria to be well met.



A brief visual check of its other attributes showed it should have promise, enough to part with asking price. A proper check once back in the playroom showed that it should indeed fill my need, and unlock the layout design process, both French and Welsh.

As the years go by I become less enchanted by driving, and more cautious of the whole business of getting myself places by car. Though I hugely enjoyed taking Shell island to Simon's grand shop opening the journey there on the motorway was a bit of a nightmare with fog, spray and driving rain. How much more pleasant I thought if I could have taken the train. Hopefully in the none too distant future I'll be able to do just that.

Gentlemen I present to you ....

..... the universal layout transportation pod.



Having a usable 27"x18"x7" internal dimension, it should be possible to design a variety of 4mm micros that would fit, to give some idea of this scope the scenic section of Shell Island would only need one and a half inches trimmed off the length, and a removable backscene for it to fit, there should even be space for its fiddle yard too. A bit immaterial as it's in retirement now but it does give an idea of what would be possible.

 

[iploffy]

Distractions - let the train take the strain

said in  Micheal Cane voice "it's a bladdy suitcase"

 

[Neil]

Distractions - It's electrifying.

I spent yesterday afternoon coaxing tiny bits of plasticard and microstrip into place on the Koppel electric. It now has a full complement of beading on the body, and instead of being plonked on top of the Japanese motor bogie, a very fiddly screw and tab fixing has been engineered. Couplers too are now present fabricated from thick blocks of plasticard and a section of cut off dressmaking pin.



Earlier in the week I made a start at the 11" pizza that it's to inhabit. Unfortunately my air dry clay road surface cracked (not a disaster for a third-ish world setting) and de-laminated from the mdf board surface. At least the clean up was easy. A test piece, something I should have done first, showed that a layer of pva put down first should avoid the de-lamination. Road surface mk 2 is setting upstairs as I type, but here's a final shot of the cleaned up board prior to the second layer of clay, the loco and a quickly mocked up structure to show the sort of colonial decay I had in mind for the layout.

 

[28ten]

Distractions - It's electrifying.

Is this going to be Cuban?

 

[Neil]

Distractions - It's electrifying.

Is this going to be Cuban?

Well, yes and no. It's pretty much impossible to make an accurate model of any railway system on something that looks like one of the asteroids from the British Gas ads. The loco is a bit of an amalgam of various Koppel electrics, only having partial views of a variety of machines in my collection of images. Likewise the layout (if a circle of track can be called that) will draw on influences from a whole range of Latin American countries. I like the decay of Havana and the fifties tin, but there are lots of other places south of Uncle Sam that have equal merit. There's a sprinkling of personal influences too; just after the war my Dad was tempted by a move to South America and my one of wife's uncles was employed by the railways in Argentina. I'm rather taken by this Bolivian system in Cochabamba, but I'm of the mind to take what I want from where ever I find it.

 

[28ten]

Distractions - It's electrifying.

I like the tramway, for me appeal is in the architecture, something your small captures.

 

[28ten]

Distractions - It's electrifying.

This might appeal http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=160604181154

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

This might appeal http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=160604181154

Nooooo! Not more distractions

So far I've managed to stick to task (no smart arsed comments about which one please) and after an afternoons bending and soldering the Koppel now has its bow collector fabricated and fitted.





Need to sort out some weights as it's phenomenally light and it'll be a trip into my cardboard box spray booth for a coat of primer next.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Nice piece of work, Neil - I was almost tempted to make a pun and use the bow-down emoticon...

I can see in the two pictures that you can adjust the angle at with the collector reclines, etc. Will this be fixed, will it sprung? Indeed, is your intention to have the trolley wire in contact with the collector, or to leave a slight gap and to rely on subterfuge?

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Thank you Simon.

For the foreseeable future the collector will rely on the friction generated by out of alignment locating holes to hold it up. The adjustment feature will be well handy when it comes to packing it away in the stock box. As for contact with the overhead it'll be subterfuge all the way.

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Been playing some more. Have a photo.



Enjoying progress so far. Building part way through detailing. Got to finish for bank holiday. Got to go, can't hang around here all day chatting. Oh all right have another pic.



TTFN[/attach]

 

[28ten]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Thats certainly capturing the look  how are you disguising the 'back' or are is it a 360 view?

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Thats certainly capturing the look  how are you disguising the 'back' or are is it a 360 view?

Apologies, I should have replied earlier, the answer is both. I'm aiming for a diorama in the round, but I'd like to disguise the circle so at the left side of the main building the line will curve under an overall roof covered platform and at the right it will enter a corrugated iron workshop/shed. The back end of overall roof and workshop will butt up to each other. I've not yet started on either roof or workshop, it has to be ready by next Friday; will I have it ready in time?

 

[Purple-haze]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Does your cook know you've pinched the whisk's from her mixer?
I'll get me coat----

regards

Rog

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Bo Colecta

Does your cook know you've pinched the whisk's from her mixer? ....

Oh b*gg*r, I knew there must be an easier way of doing it. Mind you I've no time to look back, model making is (and has been) at max chat with this weekends deadline set by the Corris exhibition. Here's where I'd got up to last night.







These are now 'historical' images as I've already started to add vegetation this morning. Would love to linger and chat but I've lots more stuff to stick down.

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Fifteen minute finescale

I'm a bit bogged down with a kitchen makeover at the moment, with working well into the evenings I'm too knackered to enjoy a demanding project so retail therapy to the rescue. On Wednesday at the market I picked up this rather charming wagon. Just the job for the Isle of Avalon Tramway I thought.



To be honest I'm not sure of the wagons fidelity to prototype, but it looks good out of the box ...



... with some semblance of detailing when inverted.



So off with the tesion locks and on with some three links with a shortened shank.



The three link intrudes into the hole that the dowel on the end of the wagon plugs into; snip off the dowel.



Remove the wheels, re-gauge to EM and clip back in.



Voila!



Next stop paintshop for a touch of weathering, time elapsed so far - fifteen minutes.

 

[Pennine MC]

Distractions - Fifteen minute finescale

To be honest I'm not sure of the wagons fidelity to prototype, but it looks good out of the box

I've never troubled myself to measure one of these, but it has a convincing look of a  generic* pre-1923 PO; with certain prototypes, I'm increasingly favouring that sort of representational approach.

*  can I say that word here?

 

[Jordan or Plymouth Mad]

Distractions - Fifteen minute finescale

... and to think EM used to be seen as some kind of Dark Art... :scratch:  8)

Hornby's underframe detail has come a long way recently by the looks of it , though you've gotta love the thickness of the brake lever, though...!!! 

 

[Neil]

Distractions - Fifteen minute finescale ?

I've never troubled myself to measure one of these, but it has a convincing look of a  generic* pre-1923 PO; with certain prototypes, I'm increasingly favouring that sort of representational approach.

*  can I say that word here?

Oh I think you can. I've an idea that the 'finescale' part of the hobby we largely do for ourselves, because it satisfies us to know we can; whereas it's the arty stuff that the spectator notices and appreciates. The Isle of Avalon Tramway is uber-freelance, and in that context I'm happy with models that give an impression of reality; micrometer perfect specimens would seem a waste.

... and to think EM used to be seen as some kind of Dark Art... :scratch:  8)

Hornby's underframe detail has come a long way recently by the looks of it , though you've gotta love the thickness of the brake lever, though...!!! 

I'm beginning to wonder if EM isn't an evolutionary dead end, an awkward half way house between the hyper accuracy of P4 and the open the box ease of OO.  Then again if your going to build your own pointwork, it's little extra effort and in most cases no extra cost over OO yet resulting in a more accurate gauge. Maybe it made a bit more sense in the days when locos (unless one wanted a Jinty, B12 or Albert hall) had to come from kits.

Fully agree with the assessment of the brake lever Jordan; gruesome. I have re-punctuated the title to reflect all these thoughts.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Distractions - Fifteen minute finescale

I've never troubled myself to measure one of these, but it has a convincing look of a generic* pre-1923 PO;

The length looks about right for a 1907 spec wagon, assuming it has a 9' wheelbase. If 10', then probably a 1923 spec 5 plank wagon. Lack of a top through plank suggests it wasn't primarily a coal wagon, although there would be no reason per se why it could not be used for this traffic.
It has either-side independent brakes, which suggests a post 1911 build.
Nice colourful livery - just crying out to be painted weathered wood inside and weathered outside!

If it wasn't too hot, I would already be wearing my anorak...