Newsletter of the
PORT ELIZABETH MODEL RAILROAD CLUB Every gauge welcome! July 2022
Celebrating 100 years HO - pioneers Bing and Märklin
IN THIS ISSUE: PEMRC Committee
Calendar Market Place
100 Years HO
Club Library
Layout Visit
Holstein Live Steam Railway Club
Hornby Models
Queens Jubilee
Optimising your Newsletter Märklin Layout
Purple
Narrow Gauge Live
Ways To Turn A Train
Gallery
Father's Day
PEMRC Layout Visit
PEMRC Meetings/Workshops
PEMLS Event
Father's Day
PEMRC CALENDAR Date 18
Time
June
Detail PEMRC layout visit at:
9:00
2022 25
June
Mike Parsons, 18 Mowbray St Newton Park 9:00
Workshop at Mike van Zyl
2022 Sun
July
3
2022
9
July
13 Lionel Rd, Walmer Downs PEMLS Public running day
9 - 13
P E Model Locomotive Society Londt Park, Sunridge Park PEMRC visit at:
9:00
2022 23
July
Mike Parsons, 18 Mowbray St Newton Park
2022 30
July
PEMRC layout visit at:
14:30
Mike Smout, 5 Cheshire Village, Gomery Ave. Summerstrand 9:00
2022 Sun
Aug
7
2022
13
13 Lionel Rd, Walmer Downs 9 - 13
Aug
9:00
Aug
PEMLS Public running day P E Model Locomotive Society Londt Park, Sunridge Park
2022 20
Workshop at Mike van Zyl
PEMRC visit at: Mike Parsons, 18 Mowbray St Newton Park
tba
PEMRC layout visit at:
2022 27
Aug
tba 9:00
2022
Workshop at Mike van Zyl 13 Lionel Rd, Walmer Downs
COMMITTEE 2022: Chairman: Mike Smout
ma.smout@mweb.co.za
082 801 1347
Treasurer: Attie Terblanche
terblalc@telkomsa.net
082 532 3670
Clubhouse: JP Kruger
juanpierrekruger@gmail.com
082 321 2233
Editor:
pemrailroadclub@gmail.com
082 739 7679
Workshop’ & Shop: Mike van Zyl
carpencab@gmail.com
073 374 3280
Layout visits: Graham Chapman
chapman22@telkomsa.net
072 103 4625
Library:
Roel van Oudheusden
Pierre van Loggerenberg pierrevanloggerenberg3@gmail.com
084 802 3831
Subscriptions for 2022 are R500 p.a. for full membership and R100 p.a. for Country members. EFT is preferred, but the Treasurer may accept cash. Bank account: FNB Walmer Park, branch code 211417, Account no. 62386122057
MARKET PLACE Send your detailed adverts to the editor @ pemrailroadclub@gmail.com for free publication in the next issue. Advertisers are expected to donate a % of the proceeds to the Club for this free service. Mike van Zyl runs the PEMRC Shop and assists Christopher Beling to sell the model railway collection of his deceased dad Mike Beling. Contact Mike van Zyl on 073 374 3280 to view and make your offer. Contact Roel on 082 739 7679 for any of the vast HO LIMA collection Megan Richards is selling of her late dad, Wayne Richards. Most SAR items have been sold but there is still plenty other rolling stock, MORE THAN ILLUSTRATED HERE: Detailed Adverts on Gumtree here: LIMA sale on Gumtree
Pierre van Loggerenberg 084 802 3831 has a Fleischmann-ROCO Z21 Digital Controller for sale. See the video how to set it up here and a product review here
Go and explore in the Club Library, for reading, viewing, how to and inspiration!
Books, magazines, manual etc. are here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1OFewVfzrfKekPSV-oVSuFDQRIZihP_Z9
Videos are at 3 collection addresses due to capacity constraints: Collection1: Collection 2: Collection 3: There is no space to list everything here. Save to say that you will not be bored on any day.
New in Collection 3 are the Queens Jubilee celebrations: Hornby and Severn Valley Railway 'Elizabeth II' Jubilee special - Driver's eye view
ROYAL JUBILEE SPECIAL (2
parts)
–
OO
with
animation
Dream trains No shipping costs for combined orders of R2000 or more. Shop online and fill your cart, even if less than R2000, then
contact PEMRC Mike van Zyl, to combine your order with fellow club members and all will save.
HM181
Hornby's
Taw
Valley
purple makeover
https://youtu.be/e1PRxRQ4pRI
Mini World Models Shop online and use this special coupon to claim your unique
PEMRC
member
HO Gauge turns 100 years old! Bing introduces its new OO / HO line in 1922. Initially clockwork, adding electrical trains in 1925; manufactured till 1932. Advertised as a table top railroad, 28" diameter, which was basically the same size as current tin plate O gauge trains. The Bing line was moderately successive
and
planted the seeds for the
giant
wave
of
miniaturization within the model train world that would emerge in the late 1930's. Bing made export models for America with cowcatchers (for miniature cows) and English Models with buffers. Ed Alexander lays claim for the first HO Gauge layout in America in 1925; he also carried the Bing line with his mail order business beginning in 1928. Bing electric American-type locomotive, circa 1914 Please see link for action packed video of "Clockwork HO" https://youtu.be/Uii9ywKAZ9I
HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced 16.5 millimetres (0.650 in) apart for modelling 1,435 mm (4 ft. 81⁄2 in) standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. The name HO comes from 1:87 scale being half that of O scale, which was previously the smallest of the series of older and larger 0, 1, 2 and 3 gauges introduced by Märklin around 1900. In most English-speaking markets it is pronounced /eɪtʃ oʊ/ and written with the letters HO today, but in other markets remains written with the letter H and number 0 (zero), so in German it is pronounced as [ha: 'nʊl]. After the First World War there were several attempts to introduce a model railway about half the size of 0 scale that would be more suitable for smaller home layouts and cheaper to manufacture. H0 was created to meet these aims. For this new scale, a track width of 16.5 mm was designed to represent prototypical standard gauge track, and a model scale of 1:87 was chosen. By as early as 1922 the firm Bing in Nuremberg, Germany, had been marketing a "table top railway" for several years. This came on a raised,
quasi-ballasted track with a gauge of 16.5 mm, which was described at that time either as 00 or H0. The trains initially had a clockwork drive, but from 1924 were driven electrically. Accessory manufacturers, such as Kibri, marketed buildings in the corresponding scale. At the 1935 Leipzig Spring Fair, an electric table top railway, Trix Express, was displayed to a gauge described as "half nought gauge", which was then abbreviated as gauge 00 ("nought-nought"). Märklin, another German firm, followed suit with its 00 gauge railway for the 1935 Leipzig Autumn Fair. The Märklin 00 gauge track that appeared more than ten years after Bing's table top railway had a very similar appearance to the previous Bing track. On the Märklin version, however, the rails were fixed to the tin 'ballast' as in the prototype, whilst the Bing tracks were simply stamped into the ballast, so that track and ballast were made of a single sheet of metal. HO scale trains elsewhere were developed in response to the economic pressures of the Great Depression. The trains first appeared in the United Kingdom, originally as an alternative to 00 gauge, but could not make commercial headway against the established 00 gauge. However, it became very popular in the United States, where it took off in the late 1950s after interest in model railroads as toys began to decline and more emphasis began to be placed on realism in response to hobbyist demand. While HO scale is by nature more delicate than 0 scale, its smaller size allows modellers to fit more details and more scale track distance into a comparable area. In the 1950s HO began to challenge the market dominance of 0 gauge and in the 1960s, as it began to overtake 0 scale in popularity, even the stalwarts of other sizes, including Marx and Lionel Corporation began manufacturing HO trains. Today, HO locomotives, rolling stock (cars or carriages), buildings, and scenery are available from a large number of manufacturers in a variety of price brackets.
HENK’S G-SCALE LAYOUT Very good progress has been made on this newest layout of Henk Grootendorst. He hopes to be ready in December for a public open day. He was also recently shopping for a real live steam locomotive! Not sure whether it is for this or a larger gauge.
Track gauges used in HO/H0 scale modelling
Track gauge
NEM
Prototype gauge
NMRA
Notes
The most common gauge. The 16.5 mm (0.65 in) gauge is additionally used for standard gauge trains in British 16.5 mm (0.65 in)
H0
HO
Standard gauge
1:76 OO gauge, and for narrow gauges by 1:64 Sn3½, 1:48 On30, On2½ and 1:22.5 Gn15. Metre gauge is common in southern Switzerland, west and east Africa, parts of other countries and many tram lines.
Metre gauge and 12 mm (0.472 in)
H0m
HOn3½ 3 ft. 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge
3 ft. 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge is used in southern Africa, Australia (Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia), New Zealand, and also nonShinkansen JR lines in Japan. H0m and HOn3½ use commercially available TT scale track. 3 ft. (914 mm) gauge once common to American mining
10.5 mm (0.413 in)
HOn3
3 ft. (914 mm) gauge
railroads and short lines, particularly in the Western States Typically used for lines in
9 mm (0.354 in)
H0e
HOn30
2 ft. 6 in (762 mm) gauge
2 ft. (610 mm) - 2 ft. 6 in (762 mm) gauge. Uses commercially available N scale track. H0f uses commercially available Z scale track. Defined
6.5 or 7 mm (0.26 or 0.28 in)
H0f/H0i HOn2
15 in (381 mm)– 2 ft. (610 mm) gauge
in NEM 010 for modelling 400–650-millimetre (16–26 in) gauge including Feldbahn and 2 ft. and 600 mm gauge systems. HOn2 uses 7 mm (0.276 in).
4.5 mm (0.177 in)
H0p
12 in (305 mm)‒ 15 in (381 mm)
"Park". Defined in NEM 010 for modelling 300–400millimetre (10–15 in) gauge ridable miniature railways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HO_scale
OPTIMISING YOUR PEMRC PDF READING and VIDEO VIEWING This document was sent out on email on 29 Dec 2021. Judging from recent comments heard, very few have read this document. It can be found here and covers Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Edge, ISSUU, and YouTube; explains the embedded links in the newsletter and access to our digital library. Do read it to ensure you get the most of our newsletter and your online viewing of any videos! Please call, email or WhatsApp me for assistance - Roel
LAYOUT VISIT - Michael PARSONS Mike is a master in creating realistic models out of card. Did you see the detailed cameos on his layout? In his workshop he has built a true replica of all the Kaaimans River bridge piers in HO scale measuring about 1.6m in length. Now to find the layout and room to use them….
HOLSTEIN LIVE STEAM RAILWAY CLUB in SCHACKENDORF The Holstein Steam Railway Club facility in Schackendorf has existed since 1981. The grounds of the garden railway are around 8,000 square meters and include around 1,200 meters of track. There is a three-part lattice bridge over a large pond, a 32 meter long tunnel and a turntable with a roundhouse.
A public driving day takes place every first Sunday of the month. Many live steam locomotives in gauges 5 and 7¼ inches are used.
Every year the "Insider Meeting" takes place in Schackendorf, where steam locomotives from Germany, Denmark,
Sweden,
the
Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium and Switzerland can be admired. This steam meeting will feature around 50 Live Steam locomotives on the railway layout. Track plan:
Video of the garden railway of the Dampf-Bahn-Club Holstein
WITH ATTENTION TO DETAIL
As so often, the little things make a big difference. Highlights of the new layout proposal: - The train station is approached via a bridge and a long panoramic route for extensive train journeys. The love of detail begins with the planning of a model railway layout. Why? Because we don't want to leave anything to chance when we have planning software with as much detailed equipment available as in the case of the Märklin track planning 2D/3D (item 60521) or Wintrack. First of all, the route is already optimized through extensive planning. Secondly, you can save a lot of money here if you don't have to dismantle it just because it just didn't fit.
The layout at a glance: - Single-track main line in a slightly hilly landscape - Three station tracks - A siding for both directions of travel for assembling trains - Sidings for the freight hall, depot and factory or sawmill - Parade route
The full article was published on pages 68-73 in the Oct/Nov 2021 Issue #5 of the Märklin magazine and can be accessed by clicking on the emedded link on the title page which will allow the download. There you will find complete details of all the track, signals etc you need for this layout.
The layout plan using Märklin C track – The station, laid out diagonally, is approached via a bridge. You can enjoy long trains (80cm) on the long panoramic
Visible tracks
curves at both station approaches
Hidden tracks:
Surprise guaranteed: Diverting and storage tracks in the underground allow various train changes and thus variety in the driving operation
1 Station
2 Platforms
6 Loading wood
3 Sawing operation with industrial railway
7 Small steam workshop
4 Freight station
5 Village
8 Chapel
The 3D representation of the Märklin track plan 2D/35 or Wintrack shows the shell of the layout down to the last detail with cross- and long-span track boards and panels for larger layout scenes.
Planning variants for the Märklin C track In the track plan for the C track, we were able to cleverly use the small crossing for longer sidings and the ingenious three-way points for the switch routes. Here, too, the third station track came in very handy for putting the trains together. There is a small steam engine facility with coal and the possibility of obtaining water, and of course there is also a freight shed like in the old days. We are therefore in epoch IIIa or even earlier on the road. The greatest focus of this design is the sawmill on the left with a connection to the main railway and a road for the delivery of timber goods. But that's not all: there is also a small, narrow-gauge industrial railway for the sawmill operation. Busch has the appropriate vehicles, accessories and equipment for this. With that you have the railway within a railway.
NARROW GAUGE 1:1 LIVE STEAM Justin Wood and Mark Ruddy were among the fellow Port Elizabethans, Leon Hugo found in front of his fish-eye lens at Sandstone during their 2022 Steam Fest, creating a unique perspective. More images here
WAYS TO TURN A TRAIN The Wye, the turn back loop and the turntable “There are three basic ways to turn a train: the wye, the turn back loop (a.k.a. balloon track), and the turntable. Each has its pros and cons”. Steven Otte
Unless you’re content with watching your trains go around and around a simple loop, eventually you’re going to be looking for ways to turn a train. Don’t get me wrong, it’s entirely possible to go through your entire trainoperating career and never have to turn a train; maybe you always play the yardmaster, or your layout only handles bridge traffic, whatever. But eventually those cars you’re shuffling around have to be delivered to their destinations, and that job most often falls to a local freight. These trains most often start out in a yard, set out and pick up cars along their route, then return to the yard. Unless you want to shove your local freight backward all the way home, it has to turn around at the halfway point. And that’s why such out-and-back local freights are called “turns.” There are other reasons to turn trains. For instance, when a passenger train reaches its terminal destination, it has to be turned around to be prepared for its return trip. (Unless it’s a commuter train made up of pushpull equipment, of course. But there are exceptions to every rule.) When that time comes, there are three basic ways to turn a train. There may be others, but if you simplify them, you’ll find them to be variations of these three methods. Take a look at my sketch above.
The wye A wye is one of the most common ways to turn a train on the prototype. It’s fairly simple, after all – three tracks connected by three turnouts in a configuration shaped like the letter Y. Pull through two of the turnouts, line both turnouts in the other direction, back up through the third turnout, switch that turnout the other way, then pull forward onto your original track, now facing the other way. Prototypes favoured wyes because they often occurred naturally wherever branch lines joined a main. If where you come off a branch you have a choice of routes to enter the main in either direction, you’ve got a wye you can use to turn your train. Sometimes you can take advantage of another track formation and turn it into a wye. For example, if you extend one leg of a wye to cross the other on a diamond, it can represent an interchange between the two lines. Just be careful where you add the curves to connect the tracks. To work as a wye, both the connecting legs have to be on the same side of the diamond. If the legs are on opposite sides of the diamond, as shown in the sketch, there’s no combination of moves that actually turns the train. The biggest drawback to a wye is the amount of real estate it takes up on a layout. The least obtrusive place to put one is at the base of a peninsula. But if you’re building an around-the-walls shelf layout without peninsulas, you may find it difficult to fit one in. Try tucking it in a corner, but even there you might have a hard time including a long enough tail track to turn more than an engine and a couple cars. The reverse loop The easiest way to turn a train is the reverse loop, also called a turn back loop or balloon track. They’re popular on model railroads because, with just one turnout and one reversing section, they’re straightforward to lay out and wire. Since turn back loops are common at the end of a peninsula or shelf, turning one into a reversing loop is often a simple matter of adding a cut-off track. You can disguise them by using the cut-off as an industrial siding or hiding some of the track in a tunnel or behind a view block. Although such track arrangements aren’t common on the prototype because of the large amount of space they take up, they aren’t unheard of. Balloon tracks are sometimes found at large passenger terminals like New York’s Grand Central Terminal, where the necessity to quickly turn consists in their entirety trumps the cost of real estate. As John Armstrong, the dean of track planning, pointed out in his book Track Planning for Realistic Operation, the reverse loop has another advantage particularly important in colder climates: unlike the other turning arrangements, it can be cleared of snow by a locomotive pushing a snowplough without any backing manoeuvres. The turntable If you want to be a nit-picker, a turntable by itself can’t turn a train; most can only turn a locomotive or one or two cars at a time. So in addition to the turntable, you also need a run-around siding or two on which you can reassemble your train, one or two cars at a time, as you turn them.
If you’re turning a local freight, a turntable and a run-around track are really all the turnaround facilities you need. Most freight cars can be unloaded from either side and therefore don’t need to be turned. So simply park your train on the siding, pick your caboose (if you’re using one) off the end of the train, turn it on the turntable, and park it in a trailing-point spur somewhere nearby. Then turn your locomotive on the turntable, run around and hitch up to the other end of your train, back onto the caboose, and be on your way. If you’re dealing with a passenger train, some cars might need to be turned, as well. Passengers in coaches generally don’t appreciate riding backwards, and the rear of your observation car needs to face the end of the train, for instance. The biggest drawback to using a turntable on a passenger train is how long it takes to turn each car separately. If your passenger terminal doesn’t have access to a wye or a balloon track, it might be good to have a yard hostler handle all that car shuffling and turning while the road locomotive is being serviced for its return run. So what do you do if you need to turn a train at a terminal where there are no turning facilities? This happens on the prototype, too. About all you can do is run around the train and head back to home base with the locomotive facing backward. This isn’t a big deal with a diesel hood unit, where the choice of what’s the front end and what’s the back is kind of arbitrary anyway. On a steam road, it’s a little more awkward. But engineers did it when necessary. ____________________________________________________________________________________ In the PEMRC Digital archive (refer p.5) you will have access to any of these and many more:
GALLERY
Maryland Scenic Railroad's newly restored C&O H-6 "Mallet" No. 1309
298.102 built by Krauss in Linz in 1888 is crossing the Waldneukirchen Bridge over the River Steyr of the narrow gauge railway of the Valley of the Steyr Austria © Alex Bozier Jan.2018