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In support of the Risborough Festival on 24th June 2023, the Risborough & District Model Railway Club will be holding an Open Day at the Princes Risborough St. Mary's Hall (Church Street) from 10:00 to 16:00. We plan to part exhibit our model of Aylesbury station, as well as our Test Track for members of the public to test their rolling stock on. We will also be exhibiting Mellin Parva, an O-16.5mm narrow gauge layout set in the 1940s/50s, which was recently acquired by the Club for exhibition purposes.. There will be second hand sales, refreshments and some modelling displays. Admission is free. Attached is our promotional video for this event. Risborough & District Model Railway Club Open Day 2023

I've changed it to a jpeg. Hopefully, you can see it now.

Attached details for available free car parking at Railex on 27th & 28th May. When parking in the overflow car park, please ensure that you receive a ticket and follow the directions of our stewards, otherwise you could be charged.

Please find attached a link to our promotional video for Railex: Railex 2023 - YouTube Video We look forward to seeing you there.

We intend to sell tickets 30 minutes in advance of the exhibition opening. We will update the Railex website accordingly.

Hi, apologies but we will unfortunately not be offering advance tickets for Railex this year. We have now amended the website to reflect this situation. Thank you for your interest.

Doors open at 10am tomorrow for our RISEX 2023 exhibition. Unfortunately, due to staffing issues, the QRS bookshop will not be attending.

Attached is our floor plan for RISEX 2023. We look forward to seeing you there.

OMG! Please accept my apologies. Looking forward to seeing you and apologising in person at RISEX. Regards, Gary

See our promotional video for our forthcoming RISEX 2023 Model Railway Exhibition: RISEX 2023 Model Railway Exhibition

The Risborough & District Model Railway Club will be holding a Model Railway Exhibition at the Community Centre, Wades Park, Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, HP27 9AX, on Saturday 18th February 2023 from 10:00 to 17:00. The exhibition will feature the very best local layouts, trade support and demonstrations. There will be second hand sales, refreshments and some modelling displays. Further details can be found on our Club website and Facebook page: Risborough & District Model Railway Club R&DMRC Facebook Page Layouts: Mothercombe - OO Gauge by the High Wycombe & District Model Railway Society, Junior Section. Marlow Station - OO Gauge by Graeme Vickery. Moos - HO Gauge by Mike Roualle. Tamcester - N Gauge by Ben Sarich. Catesby Sidings - N Gauge by the Tring & District Model Railway Club. Nottingborough - OO Gauge Stephen Povey. Wilne Lane Yard - O Gauge by Alan Thompson. Oakston - OO Gauge by Mike Jones. Incyhra Mill - OO Finescale by Tony Bucknell. Elbow Lane - OO Gauge Mellin Parva - O16.5 Gauge by the Risborough & District Model railway Club. Traders & Societies: P&G Engineering Keith’s Model Railways Sunningwell Command Control Great Central Railway Society Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Association QRS Bookshop R&DMRC Secondhand Sales

Done.

Traders 247 Developments. Alan Gibson. Bill Hudson Transport Books. Branchlines. Brushes 4 Models. C&L Finescale Track Building Systems Ltd. Cheltenham Model Centre. CSP Models. Dart Casting. D&E Video/Realtrack Models/DC Kits/Legomanbiffo. Golden Arrow. High Level Kits. Ians Trains. Isinglass Models. Judith Edge Kits. London Road Models. Minerva Model Railways. Model Railway Developments. PenBits Model Railways. Petite Properties Ltd. Severn Models. Squires/South Eastern Finecast Stoneybridge Models. Sunningwell Command Control Ltd: Digitrax. Soundtraxx. Tim Horn Lasercut Baseboards. Wild Swan Books Ltd. WW Scenics. Demonstrations The 2mm Scale Association. Gauge O Guild. Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers. Pendon Museum. Scalefour Society. The Scale Seven Group.

Progress on the main Romford Station building. I need to finish the platform above until I can fit into place permanently (thus the gap in the corner). The building has been designed based upon some historical drawings and extensive photographs. Construction is laser cut Romark. The cornices are wooden molding from The Model Shop at Tower Bridge. The art deco lights at the front of the station are made from Biro pen shafts and are fitted with LED lights. Once the platform above is complete, I will set to work on the platform canopy which is integrated into the building roof. Finished photos:

There were two Queen Mary Brake Vans located in Romford Goods Yard (S56302 and S56304). They were positioned at the end of the sidings (apparently after an accident), in order to prevent loaded coal wagons shunting down the incline from the main line and over-running the buffer stops into South Street. The Bachmann version provided a good basis to recreate the above image. What I considered to be a relatively straightforward detailing job, proved not to be the case. I started off by replacing the moulded handrails with 0.5mm brass wire. Three link couplings and vacuum pipes were added. I also fitted flush glazing by applying very thin Perspex. This small detail enhanced the model considerably. I wrongly presumed that my Exactoscale P4 scale wheel sets would simply slot in where the Bachmann versions once sat. This was not to be the case, as the wheels rubbed on the moulded brake shoes. Another solution was therefore required. This came in the shape of a Brassmasters bogie kit. This basically requires the existing plastic bogie sides to be butchered and fitted to the sides of the newly constructed brass frames. The bogie sides need to be hollowed out for the wheel bearings and bogie connecting pins. Care needs to be taken here to ensure you do not go straight through the frame. Although the kit instructions were straightforward, the way in which the component parts connect makes for a very delicate construction. My biggest mistake was to construct the frames without considering how they would fit to the proprietary model. This error resulted in me having to dismantle my newly constructed frames in order drill out for the securing screw. I am sure, that construction of the Brassmasters kit would be perfected with practise. However, I am left to wonder whether I could achieve a better result with a Comet bogie kit. Perhaps I will try the Comet bogie for the sister wagon. To finish off, I painted the interior to match the photo and applied some light weathering. Overall, a pleasing project with lessons learnt along the way.

“I need something to get my teeth into”, I said. In hindsight, I would have been better off with a Werther’s Original. Nevertheless, I decided to model the footbridge at the north end of Aylesbury station. The actual bridge itself has undergone a number of reincarnations. I managed to obtain the original drawings. Unfortunately, the original contractor decided to do his own thing, the span being some 10ft longer than the drawing depicted. Fortunately, the piers remained relatively true to form. Armed with the drawing and a number of photographs from Flickr, I decided to model the span as it stood in the 1950s. The span consisted of a square ended Pratt Truss made up from equal angles, with universal beams at each end. There were nine square sections to the truss and I estimated that each section was 8ft high, giving a total span of 72ft. Much to the delight of Eileen’s Emporium, I used 1mm brass equal angles for the main ties and struts with 0.5mm for the secondary members. By measuring the brickwork below the universal beams, I calculated the beam size as a 686 x 254; which were constructed in suitably sized Plastistruct sections. I drafted the span to scale using Microsoft Visio software. I laid out a print of the span on an old breadboard and proceeded to set out the main brass cross beams securing them with steel pins. I had not undertaken any soldering for nearly thirty years. For an intricate piece of work of this nature, I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a decent iron. I plumbed for an Antex 690SD which offered variable temperatures shown on a digital display. I proceeded to solder the uprights to the main beams followed by diagonals. My attempts at soldering were embryonic, being that there appeared to be more solder than brass. I frustratingly chased joints around the truss like a demented Pac Man. The second span benefited from both practise and a slightly higher temperature of 300°C. The gusset plates were replicated using 0.5mm thick brass plate. Paper templates from the design drawing were stuck to the plate and the sections cut out individually with a metal cutter. It is interesting to note that none of gusset plates are the same; I suppose this is a reflection of the post war year’s construction quality. To prevent pedestrians hanging (or jumping) through the truss, the bridge was fitted with a mesh screen up to shoulder level. I recreated this using 1mm square Scale Link fret soldered to 0.3mm equal angle. I expected the first outing of my efforts in the Clubhouse (Risborough & District MRC) to be greeted with applause and choruses of “for he’s a jolly good fellow”. This was not to be, with the only comment being, “where are the rivets?” With renewed determination, the rivets were recreated using Archer water-slide transfers. Despite the small scale, these proved very effective. However, in future, I will apply the rivets just before the final pint coat, as some of the detail was lost. I constructed the deck using 1mm thick Plasticard and brass composite; the brass section enabling the deck to be soldered to the bridge trusses. The asphalt surface was recreated using wet and dry paper. The truss (minus the deck) was sprayed with Tamiya primer followed by a finish coat of Humbrol Light Grey. I carefully soldered the deck to the trusses and fitted the smoke deflectors which were constructed from brass plate and angles. I received a good tip of drilling a hole through the deflector plate to enable the solder to run through to the supporting angles. Brass tacks were also soldered to the composite deck to enable positioning on the brick piers. The whole structure was suitably weathered with a light spray coating of Humbrol matt black. The finishing touches to the structure being a couple of train-spotters. My attention now turned to the brick piers. Once again, using Microsoft Visio software, I drafted the design based upon the original drawing and historic photographs. As the intention was to utilise the laser cutter, the design had to be drafted in its constituent parts. The drawing was converted into DXF format. A week later, I was presented with the output from the laser cutter in the form individual pieces like an Airfix kit. The quality of the finished product is truly excellent, right down to the intricate masonry work which had a curve on the east pier. Details of this nature would be extremely difficult to recreate in Plasticard. I bevelled the edges of the constituent wall pieces using a rotary sander. This ensured flush edge to the wall corners. Furthermore, a club member had ingeniously included a mounting hole through each of the pieces to ensure that they lined up during the final assembly. The piers were painted with a Humbrol Orange Lining and Leather mix to match the actual finish. The finished article was weathered with matt black and stains of concrete to represent calcium deposits. In summary, this has been a very satisfying first contribution to the club layout. My introduction to the club and this initial and challenging project has renewed my interest in railway modelling. In hindsight, there are things I would have done different. Although the end product is not a perfect recreation of the original, it looks right and more importantly puts a smile on my face. Now, where are those Werther’s Originals?

When it comes to railway buildings, there is nothing more iconic than the signal box. Therefore, my second building project for Aylesbury Town (Risborough & District Model Railway Club) was not a difficult choice. Aylesbury South signal box was a Great Central design, 35ft in length, 12ft wide and contained 55 levers. The top half of the box still exists at Swithland Sidings on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. I was unable to obtain any drawings of the box but there was a good abundance of photographs on Flickr. I purchased the Bachmann version, thinking I might be able to kit bash it. However, it proved too short in length. Nevertheless, the Bachmann model proved useful in obtaining some of the detail dimensions. I drafted up a drawing of the indivdual model parts using Microsoft Visio software. The parts were produced using the Club's laser cutter. I believe laser cutting will be as revolutionary for model buildings as DCC has been for model trains. The quality of the finished product is exceptional. Even the tiny brackets supporting the exterior walkboards are accurate and crisp. I was however, disappointed with the cladding effect to the main outer walls. I therefore decided to recreate the original by overlapping 10mm strips of printer paper. A similar method was used to recreate the roof tiles. The main walls were also joined with paper in order to mask the corner joints. All parts were sprayed with Humrol white primer. The window frames were painted in a matt white and plastic glazing added. I searched long and hard to replicate the cream exterior finish. I the end I plumbed for Crown Classic Cream emulsion from a tester pot that I had. The faded Midland red also proved difficult to recreate. For this I chose a mix of Precision Paints Light Red Brick, Railmatch BR Maroon and a dash of matt white. The interior floor was painted with Humbrol gloss tan, which represented the polished finish so common in well maintained boxes. The nameboards were recreated using 2mm Wills lettering. Particular care had to be taken to ensure the letters did not break when cutting them from the sprue. My favourite part of the exercise was to model the interior. This was recreated from two Ratio kits, suitably detailed and painted. I was only able recreate 40 of the 55 levers due to the available length inside the box. Nevertheless, the lever configuration was accurately represented based upon available photographs of the original interior. The track diagram was also accurately recreated by editing a photograph of the original plan. The doors were added and the walls were joined together to create the box structure, using the floor as a stiffner. Details such as the exterior walkboards, window sills and even the horseshoe at the box entrance were fixed into position. The stairs were produced using Ancorton Models kit, suitably modified to replicate the original structure. Roof guttering, drain pipes and the corner supports were represented using 1.5mm half round brass section, 1/16th diameter aluminium rod and 3mm by 1mm brass U section; all respectively from Eileen's Emporium. The drain pipes at the north end of the box flowed into a hopper, which was recreated from a Rememberance Day poppy head, suitably modified. The chimney was modeled from 2mm diameter brass tube, soldered together to form a Tee section. GWR Scale Link finials were modified to more closely resemble the GC pattern and fitted into position. The finished model was weathered using acrylic paints. The final job is to add interior lighting, which I intend to do using LED bulbs.

One of the more iconic features of Romford station are the overbridges. Bridge 102A (footbridge) was built in 1893 to link the Great Eastern Station to the London Tilbury & Southend Station. Bridge(s) 102 (Main and Electric lines) were built in 1931 as part of the four tracking and replaced the original brick arch structure, albeit some of the abutments were reused. I managed to ascertain the span length from scale drawings that I had acquired. The depth of the main girders was calculated from counting bricks on the adjacent abutments. The main web plates were constructed from 0.5mm thick Plasticard. The flanges were built up with 1mm plastic angle sections and a 0.5mm thick flange plate. The web stiffeners were made from 1.2mm plastic T” sections. I sprayed each complete girder with Halfords grey primer. The south span carried a number of cable troughs. These were constructed from 3mm square tube sections and were supported on brackets cut from chrome staples. When complete, the girder and associated cable runs were weathered. Archer rivet transfers were added to the top and side plates. The notable feature of the bridge was the large fluorescent lettering which featured on the north and south sides of the main girders. The wording read, “British Railways, Romford Station, Frequent Electric Trains to London”. I recreated the wording with 3mm and 5mm Slaters lettering, which was stuck to 0.5mm brass wires. The south span (Electric Lines) also incorporated a dual track overhead line (OLE) gantry (12/22) and integral signal gantry (R64). This was a highly unusual arrangement and one that has now been phased out, probably due to Electricity at Work regulations. The OLE gantry was constructed using brass sections and Weismann insulators (see my previous blog: The Only Way is….Romford – Part 3). The signal gantry (Electric Lines) was built from 1mm brass angle and 0.5mm brass wire to form the railings. I modified a Berko 4-aspect signal head to match to curved back plate that was prevalent on this stretch of line. The signal wires were threaded through 1.5mm brass tube, which was bent to recreate the dog-leg profile. The signal gantry deck was constructed from scored card and was suitably weathered. The OLE/signal gantry was sprayed with grey primer and fixed to the main girders on pre-assembled Plasticard supports. The whole structure was weathered and glued in to position on the baseboard. The footbridge was constructed using the same methodology as the main girders and incorporated a corrugated roof. Supporting arches for the roof were formed from laser cut Romark and included a channel for a longitudinal stiffening beam and lighting conduit. Three LEDs were wired along the length of the bridge and additional one for the height restriction sign. I used Ambis corrugated sheets for the roof which was formed over the supporting arches and glued into position.