RAILWAYMagazine The
GUIDE TO
Modelling JUNE 2017
REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS, NOSTALGIA, ADVICE
Modelling on a budget MAKE GOOD USE OF HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
SOLDERING TIPS S AND TRIC CKS S
MEET ‘C CARDBOARD JOHN’ FROM CARDBOARD WORKS
LETTERS || LNWR COAL TANK REVIEW || ADD PEOPLE TO YOUR LAYOUT
CONTENTS
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Contents 12 ON THE COVER Stonedale layout by Ken Davis from the
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Chesterfield Railway Modellers. See page 62 for full
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feature.
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WHAT’S IN THE SHOPS?
Bachmann’s LNWR coal tank, N gauge digital sound review, dairy vans and a GWR Toad in N gauge, Bachmann’s OO salt wagons.
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STARTING OUT
Get to grips with track work, points, motors and soldering this month.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST
Tony Stratford brings the Graham Farish story up to date.
LETTERS
June’s RMM mailbag. ASK A DAFT QUESTION
A look at crowdfunding with Revolution Trains.
STOCKISTS.
Where to get your copy of RMM.
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46 48 50
LAYOUTS WE LOVE
RMM reader Adrian Taylor’s Calne layout.
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MODELLING ON A BUDGET
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INTERVIEW
with Matt Wickham. with ‘Cardboard John’. USING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS IN YOUR MODELLING
with Phil Parker.
STONEDALE LAYOUT
PAST AND PRESENT
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LETTING OFF STEAM
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DIARY DATES
Putting people in your high street with Ian Lamb. with Lucian Doyle.
by Ken Davis from the Chesterfield Railway Modellers. What’s on this month where you are. June 2017
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Staff
Editor Sarah Palmer RMModellingeditor@Mortons.co.uk Contributors Michael Watts, Bernard Gudgin, Tony Stratford, Simon Kohler, Nigel Burkin, Ian Lamb, Phil Parker, Matt Wickham Production editor Sarah Wilkinson Senior designer Kelvin Clements Designer Libby Fincham Picture desk Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Advertising manager Sue Keily Publisher Tim Hartley Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole Subscription manager Paul Deacon Circulation manager Steve O'Hara Marketing manager Charlotte Park
To advertise, contact: Lynsey Young 01507 529351 lyoung@Mortons.co.uk Fiona Leak 01507 371075 fleak@Mortons.co.uk
Where to find us
Editorial, advertising and administration Mortons Media Group Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel 01507 523456
www.railwaymagazinemodelling.co.uk
Copyright
© Copyright Mortons Media Group Ltd. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, without prior approval in writing is prohibited. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements, or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.
A collection of Cardboard Works' scratchbuilt O gauge engines. See page 56.
Printing
Mortons Print, Horncastle, Lincs. Tel 01507 523456
From the editor
Sarah Palmer Editor
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June 2017
R
ecently I came across the Heritage Crafts Association website, on which was the Radcliffe Red List of Endangered Crafts. It made for quite depressing reading if I’m honest. I’d come across the site after my four-year-old started pointing at household items and asking ‘who built/ made this?’ Mumbling while explaining that I didn’t actually know who had woven the fire basket he was pointing at made me feel a bit disheartened at
the sheer number of things we don’t make ourselves these days. But then I read through Phil Parker’s piece on making things from household items and I recalled my chat with ‘Cardboard John’ at the Lincoln and District Model Railway show who makes beautiful O gauge engines out of white card, and it made me feel a bit more hopeful. The Stonedale layout created with a ‘make do and mend’ approach by the Chesterfield Railway Modellers featured on the front page also shows that
we can successfully upcycle and recycle in this hobby. I did check, and railway modelling isn’t on the Red List, possibly because it’s not considered a craft (why not?) but we do need to think about passing on skills to children and grandchildren to ensure that it doesn’t start becoming an endangered hobby. Thankfully I’ve heard from quite a few grandads since we launched RMM, who are sharing their skills with the next generation, and long may it continue!
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News JUNE 2017
If you have any news please email RMModellingeditor@mortons.co.uk
Mystery 1950s terminus to go on display A 65-year-old wooden model terminal building is to be exhibited this summer at two major train collector shows. The first in Alresford, Hants, and the second in Milton Keynes. Bob Leggett is presenting his Silver Anniversary Alresford Festival of Toy Trains in June. He says he is delighted to be the first to be able to feature this early 1950s OO gauge terminal station in a new operating layout. The station was possibly built by Bertram Otto for London department store AW Gamage, perhaps for use in the store’s annual Christmas model railway display, or for a customer special order. The station, constructed
with balsa wood, has been dated by experts as 1952. The current owner of the station is keen to hear from anyone who can offer any information about the history of this station. The Alresford Festival
of Toy Trains is at Perins School, Alresford on Saturday, June 17, and the TCS All Trains Great and Small Show takes place at Stantonbury Arts & Leisure Centre, Milton Keynes on Saturday, July 15.
Vandals cause miniature train to crash with passengers on board HOOLIGANS who derailed a passenger-carrying train on Southport’s Lakeside Miniature Railway, causing it to crash, are being looked for by police. Wood and a large rock were thrown on to the 15in gauge track at around 5pm on Saturday, May 13, and the train carrying families came off the track by the Marine Lake. In previous years, staff of the railway had reported
incidents whereby teenagers had hurled bricks, stones and bottles on to passing trains, and had also been placing objects on the track. The railway reopened earlier this year after a major investment by new owner Norman Wallis, who also owns Southport’s New Pleasureland. The railway, which was laid along the seaward side of the Marine Lake, ran its first train on May 25, 1911. Former
postman and gramophone dealer, Griffiths Vaughan Llewellyn, had persuaded four local businessmen to stump up funds for the project and the line; built with materials from Bassett-Lowke, it was initially known as Llewellyn’s Miniature Railway. The line has boasted that it is the longest continually open 15in gauge line in the world, having operated every year since it opened, including during both world wars.
4Ground launches new platform canopy models NEW laser-cut kits from 4Ground are available as either a single platform cover or double. The single platform canopy, when assembled measures 170mm x 54mm x 54mm and although
the canopy is designed to fit with 4Ground’s own platform sections they can be used with many other proprietary platforms. The double platform canopy utilises a double-
span construction measuring 170mm x 124mm x 54mm. Each pre-coloured lasercut kit is delicately packed in 4Ground’s eco-friendly packaging and is supplied with full assembly instructions.
Spa Valley brings back steam galas AFTER an absence of several years, steam galas are back on the Spa Valley Railway. April 22-23 saw the Tunbridge Wells West line host a steambased special event featuring home-based RSH 0-6-0T No. 7673 Ugly and Vulcan Austerity 0-6-0T No. 72, which has been on longterm hire since 2015. Steam engineering assistant Matt Dives said: “After a number of years off the scene, we are using 2017 to reinvigorate steam on the Spa Valley, by bringing back such enthusiast events. The weekend was a great morale booster for the volunteers and we hope it is the start of more things to come.” The July 1/2 summer steam festival, will star summer visitor Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 1982 Ring Haw from the North Norfolk Railway.
GWR transfer range grows Precision Labels has expanded its range of transfers for the current Great Western Railway green livery to include the Class 153s that are now receiving repaints at Long Marston. Including all the necessary elements, a 2mm pack is priced £15.99 with 4mm at £24.99. www.precisionlabels.com
Highland ‘37’ from Mickleover club IN a novel piece of fundraising, the Mickleover Model Railway Group has commissioned Bachmann to produce a limitededition Class 37 in OO gauge, the proceeds from which will help to pay for a new clubroom. The group is currently housed in a pre-fabricated building but this is now in poor condition and needs to be replaced. The exclusive model will portray Inverness’ No. 37114 Dunrobin Castle in BR largelogo blue with Highland stag emblems, a livery that has long been overdue for production on the current Class 37/0 tooling. This will be priced £149.99 and is expected to be released in late 2017 or early 2018.
June 2017
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What's in the shops
SPONSORED BY
Bachmann’s LNWR coal al tank The elegant lines of the Webb coal tank are faithfully re-created in OO gauge by Bachmann, writes Nigel Burkin.
A
total of 300 LNWR Webb coal tanks were constructed at Crewe Works between 1881 and 1898, to a design by Francis William Webb and based on his successful 0-6-0 tender coal engine, a locomotive with a reputation for excellent performance on heavy freight trains in its own right. The Webb coal tank featured two side tanks and a coal bunker to the rear of the cab. Its wheel arrangement of 0-6-2 included a radial axle truck located under the coal bunker. The wheels were of cast iron with a particular shape to the spokes to save money, a particular spotting feature off th he locomotiive. Unfortunately, they did not live up to the performance of their stable mates. They were (or rather became) mixed-traffic engines, in effect, owing to their lamentable braking capability ty, y which precluded their use on heavy vy, y unfitted freight trains. While Wh h the
power range of the class was also considered to be unspectacular, they were flexible and rugged maids of all work; carrying out those workaday duties that make up the bulk of a shed’s allocated toil. Webb coal tanks found their way into LMS ownership with only a handful falling to the wayside. Of the original 300 locomotives, 64 survived into BR ownership to be allocated numbers BR 58880-937, although early withdrawals of such a locomotive were inevitable. One of the once 300-strong class has survived to see preservation: LNWR No. 1054, which is a very popular exhibit on th he Keiigh hley and d Worth h Valley Railway (KW KWV WVR). V It has been painted in a variety tyy of liveries following its restoration, including plain unlined black LNWR livery as represented by one of the three brand-new OO gauge models of the locomotive, released in the spring of 2017 by Bachmann. It is the model of
The review model is finished in unlined LNWR black with dull silver beading and red numberplates. Etched numberplates are provided in the box to fit over the printed ones.
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June 2017
LNWR No. 1054 (35-050) that is i the subject of this review. Twoo other models were released at the same time: LMS No. 7841 (35-0 051) and BR No. 58900 (35-052). Model details The review model is finished in unlined LNWR black with dull silver beading and red numberplates in the same manner as the locomotives would have been operated und der LNWR ownership (35-050). Numbered No. 1054, this is the number of the only preserved example, which wass built in 1888. It is detailed with h individual components specifi fic to the locomotive in preservattion incllud ding th he buff ffers; smokkeb ff box wheel (replaced by darts later in their working lives); LNWR pattern lamp irons and ‘Ramsbottom’ safety tyy valves. Body The elegant lines of the locomotive are faithfully captured in what is a lovely
Assembly and finishing of the model is neat with the various standalone parts securely fitted.