neal cooper

I make my coal loads in O gauge from off cut plywood or cardboard. With cardboard I use knotting fluid or shellac first to harden them up. This protects the cardboard from the paint and PVA when adding the coal and stops any shrinkage.

As others have said it depends what you want to run and depict. Planning and reflection now will reap rewards in future with how happy you are with what you build. I started collecting O gauge at 24 years old because I knew I wanted O gauge and it would take the to save and collect. 30 years later I haven't built the layout (soon though!) but I have all the stock I will ever need.

Colliery buildings looking very nice now. What has happened to the 31xx Prairie tank conversion?

They are lovely models and this livery seems popular! My first impression was that it seemed very heavy. So I weighed it. Now I know there is no set standard when adding weight to kits but this model is substantially heavier than anything I've built in brass, whitemetal or plastic and subsequently weighted. I wouldn't want to have to pull too many of these up a gradient!

I haven't experience of Cambrian 4mm private owner wagons but I'd say you could certainly use these for land sale moves or stone/waste clearance. Also, if they pass for earlier RCH designs then these were being phased out but certainly in use in the early 50's but would need hand brakes both sides for the period. They'd be on vestiges of old Private Owner liveries and not candidates for repainting or renewal.

Yes a great choice and frankly overdue! Looking forward to these.

Here are the main brake rigging components. The two middle items are for connecting the brake cylinder and the pull rods respectively to the cross rod between the V hangers. There are 4 yokes to connect the brake shoes to the pull rods and I’m just not sure which ones go where as there is a difference with at least one of them. Which ones do the adjusters attach to and how? I’ve also belatedly realised that these vehicles had end strengthening added and there were extra ends in the kit, two with the extra bars and two without. No mention of this in the instructions and I’ve managed to put the etched steps on the wrong end part. Hoping the nice people at MM1 can supply me with a replacement etch!

Ten years on, (TEN YEARS?!) and I’ve got the bits out of the box whilst isolating with COVID and Google searched for details of the interior and brake gear. First search return is this thread of mine on here! In the intervening decade has anyone finished one so that they can share some underframe photos please. At least I got the windows in today, trial fitted the brake levers and undercoated the interior partitions. What colours do I need for the groom compartments interior?

Why not make a plasticard box scribing the boxes in (with some loose ones for the top) and make a transfer or two to fit sides , ends and top?

I agree, and get that from the N Gauge Society. But I don’t get that from the Gauge O Guild! Specialist RTR, kits and bits for members would be great but they are positively anti the whole idea of this. Stands at exhibitions to buy a tie or apron are not my thing personally and whilst the early Small Layouts publications were accurate if looking a little dated now, (the man who did these was a friend who died unrecognised for his work to the Guild, but he wasn’t ‘inner circle’ so what would you expect?) the latest version doesn’t render the track plans accurately of some of the layouts featured. It wasn’t free to members either unlike many good publications I received when I was a member of the 16mm Society. I’m confident I can save my Guild membership and lose very little if a decent new accessible and welcoming forum rises independently out of this debacle.

It’s interesting that so many still think in terms of a formal organisation. If I miss anything when my Guild membership lapses it will be the forum contributions now that the Executor and Trustee service has ended. This can be quite easily set up as a 7mm specific discussion and help group. (Threads on a forum are searchable and become a database of help in the future where Facebook posts are ephemeral and quickly disappear and are hard to find.) I’m thinking of something like the N Gauge Forum, run by a handful of people who ask for donations to cover the running costs. It is unconnected to the N Gauge Society who have no forum of their own but instead have an excellent magazine and shop selling commissioned models and kits including some of those from former manufacturers that have since folded. The forum works and is the go to site for N gauge modellers seeking help in my experience. I see a future in a specific forum along these lines, free of membership numbers and ‘it’s not steam’ comments where new to 7mm modellers can find advice and encouragement. Better still, no membership fee hikes to cover largesse and losses.

Well it was a good go, and Chris Basten came within 5 votes of winning. A good solid minimum of around 350 votes for change. Congratulations to all the candidates for putting their heads above the parapet. Disappointing though that so many see those who have presided for nearly 30 years around the Management Committee and overseen the stagnation and financial losses as the way forward. I think that alone decides me I’m out and joining any new putative 7mm Scale group. At least someone tried to save the husk of GOG for future modellers but it seems un-saveable now that future votes will be only for 2 Management Committee members per year out of 12. I Was persuaded to stay this year after nearly 30 years of membership to try and help change the direction but I won’t give them my money again to keep that shambles stumbling along. Sad.

Had a little explore yesterday between thunder showers and ran across this location. Didn’t get around it all as the car park shuts at 5pm prompt. Worth another visit and some pictures in due course.

Yes it is. I’ve added under frame and pan well detail but it’s mostly there in the box. If you don’t need it motorised this kit is ideal as it also makes up into an unmotorised version for dragging in 8 and 12 car model formations.