Sunday 9th December 2012

Well, another year almost over and how are we doing?

At today's meeting we concentrated on the framework for the lighting rig.

The full set of supports were fitted and a front beam prepared.

The layout is off for its Christmas holiday in Halesowen now, in preparation for the Mickleover exhibition in February.

Have a great Christmas!

Sunday 4th November 2012

Well, it  has been a very long time since last we posted any news about the layout.  With the summer holidays various other activities we have had few meetings recently.

Next Tuesday will be Allen's birthday and he arrived with a fantastic birthday cake.

It tasted even better than it looked.  Many thanks Mrs Law.

This week we got down and dirty!  It was time to cover the polystyrene scenics and we began with strips of newspaper stuck down with PVA glue.  Once this was set we painted it in a glutinous mixture of dilute PVA, filler powder and brown paint.  The resulting mixture was applied liberally by Allen and Dave, and has smoothed out the contours.


Now all we have to do is wait for a couple of days for the mixture to set.  Hopefully the colour will improve as it dries.

Sunday 22nd July 2012

Another Sunday meeting has come and gone but this time we do have some clear evidence of the work done. 

Allen installed the final "lifting" magnet for the un-couplers and has got them all working.  Next time we must try a proper running session to really test them out.

The rest of us turned our hands to the scenic items.  Hunks of polystyrene were hacked about and then glued down; it looked like a snow-storm at some times, but the end result was worth it.

The landscape is starting to take shape.

Sunday 1st July 2012

One problem with meeting just once a month is that progress can often seem slow on the layout.  For about a year we don't seem to have made much obvious advance in the look of the layout, although we have been busy with improvements to the running and uncoupling on the layout.

Well, this month's meeting changed that.  Since first made, the boards have been just flat slabs, so we decided the time had come to add some scenic elevation.

Front boards have been cut and fitted to give an idea of the undulations at the front edge.  In future meetings we will "back-fill" behind these to give some contours to the layout.  It is amazing what a change these boards have already made to the look of the boards.

One unexpected problem they have caused is the increased difficulty in putting bogie vehicles onto the rails now that you can't get your eyes down to rail level, but this can be solved by using a railer.

In addition, we have added some crossing points to the layout near the station area.  This has given a route for our proposed road across the board - with a suitable cut-out in the front board to match (just visible in the picture).  Again the crossings have been made with wooden coffee stirrers; what would we do without them!

This month we welcomed another new member.  Miles has moved up to the area from Kent and brings his enthusiasm for the Maine railroads.  Welcome Miles.

Most of the mechanisms for lifting the magnets have now been fitted and just a few bits of wiring to complete before they are all working.  Each mechanism requires a big hole in the baseboard, but we have managed to cover the completed mechanisms.  Next meeting should see them all completed, and ballasting repaired.

More Civil Engineering

Another month, another meeting and yet more holes appearing in the base-boards!

This month we continued to fit the lifting magnets for operating the Kadee couplers.  Allen has produced a new etch for this, which he was fitting into the existing holes.

Meanwhile Dave and Ken were excavating more holes for the remaining magnets.

Here is a short video showing the magnet at work.  Look out also for the three-way stub point at the end.



Dave brought along his Bachmann Rail-bus, which is very impressive, with tremendous details. The fairly long, 4-wheel chassis did show up some unevenness in the track-work, but it looks superb.  The rail-bus only has a driving cab at one end, but luckily it fits onto the turntable.

Post-Exhibition review

Ever wondered who else reads this blog? Well we met him today. Dave ventured all the way from deepest Birmingham to join us and was good enough not to laugh at our efforts. Apparently he recognised Andy and Allen at Shepton Mallet show "from the photos on your blog!".

 Great to meet you Dave and we hope you will join us.

Although it seems a long time since we were at Mickleover, this was our first meeting since then, and so we began with the traditional review of what had worked well (and what had not). We had some problems with derailments from our flatcars and with unexpected uncoupling of the Kadees as they passed over some of the fixed magnets. One particular instance sticks in my mind......

 Someone (well, OK, to be honest it was me!) forgot to take a spirit level to Mickleover, so we used the time-honoured technique of "up a bit, stop" to align the boards by eye. Obviously our eyes are not that steady! At one point I was reversing two coaches stereotypically slowly into the depot. They unexpectedly uncoupled themselves from the loco and ACCELERATED into the depot area, coming to rest level with the platform.....

So we spent much time today leveling the boards, checking Kadee heights and alignments, plus the freedom of movement of the bogies and the back-to-backs on the wheel-sets. Andy produced seemingly endless amounts of flatcars from his box - he must have been building them continuously since Mickleover. At one point we had one of Allen's much-modified Shays pulling and pushing ten flats the length of the layout, which made a fine show as they snaked across the turnouts.

Dave was treated to an example of our haphazard building techniques when we decided to convert one of the fixed uncoupling magnets into a "moveable" one. This meant digging up the ballast, dragging the existing magnet out and then cutting yet another hole in the baseboard (I swear the boards are only half the weight they were when we started).

 Then Allen fitted the magnet onto a flap, which is closed by yet another servo motor. This being the prototype, no doubt Allen will bring an improved version to the next meeting, so hopefully pictures next time.

 Somehow the meeting after Mickleover always seems to result in digging up track, cutting holes and generally making the layout look less ready than it did before. Oh well, here's to the next 11 months!

Mickleover exhibition 21/1/2012

Can it really be a whole year since we last took Anderton to the Trent Valley group's Mickleover Member's day?  Of course, since we only meet once a month it is only "12 days" since we were last here.  Always interesting to see how many people can see what we have done in the time.

Thanks to the Trent Valley group for their hospitality and to the ladies in the kitchen for the tea, bacon butties and baked potatoes.  If you have not been to the exhibition do try to get there next year.  It is a really friendly, low-key exhibition, with some great models, traders and a good chance for a chin-wag.



Anderton
Here are some photos of the layout at the exhibition.

	The layout, resplendent in its new skirt. Thanks to Mrs Law for the sewing!
	The smaller fiddle yard, at the Station end of the layout.
	The large fiddle yard, loaded with rolling stock.
	The box cab waits to shunt the timber yard
	Allen's scratch-built timber loader, with timber stacks. Coffee stirrers have so many uses.
	Double heading from two (almost) twin diesels. Allen doesn't like to make two identical locos.
	The rail car awaiting a clear run into the station.
	The West Midlands Group pose proudly with the layout. From Left to right: Peter, Ken, Andy, Allen.

Minimum Gauge Models - Allen Law
As well as being a member of the Anderton team, Allen is the owner of Minimum Gauge Models, which produces brass kits for

• 09 (7mm to the foot on 9mm track) and
• Gn15 (1/24th scale)

He brought along his demonstration 09 layout, which exhibits his range of locos, rolling stock and scenic items, including wrought iron tables and chairs and the foliage in the borders. He also supplies the 7mm kit for the engine shed and his latest is the splendid greenhouse kit.

The "Minimum Gauge Models" demonstration layout. All rolling stock, buildings, foliage and furniture are from their range.
Close ups of some of the models available
Another view of the Minimum Gauge models, all available as kits (except for the figures).

"Henmore Vale" layout from the Trent Valley group.
Our hosts were once again showing their layout, Henmore Vale, which is a masterpiece of modelling.

	Henmore Vale: the turntable.
	Henmore Vale station
	Some of the scenic features on Henmore Vale.
	Henmore Vale timber yard