Wright writes.....

[Jol Wilkinson]

When I have attended shows with time to look at the layouts (i.e. not as an exhibitor or trader) those that attract the most attention generally have the most frequent train service. Add to that stock that either reflects the viewers "spotting" days or their familiarity with the RTR manufacturers catalogues and interest is even greater.

 

Some layouts buck that trend but they tend to be those examples of very good or exceptional modelling and have become "famous" through magazine or social media exposure.

[CUTLER2579]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

 

Johnathon,

not wishing to offend,but I would have to disagree. Always enjoyed Stoke Bank and High Dyke for that matter.

[Clive Mortimore]

I've yet to see 'the' layout which everyone can enjoy, Clive.

Very true Tony.

[gr.king]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

One word reply (when deprived of unprintable adjective): CAKE.

 

Or more specifically GATEAU(X).

Edited January 3, 2019 by gr.king

[2750Papyrus]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

From which side of the barrier?

[drduncan]

Of course realism is highly subjective. A model of a real location might be compressed in size, yet we accept that (or don’t) but would revolt at the thought of waiting a couple of hours for a train to appear ( or perhaps some don’t). We accept without question 24hr daylight. Compromise is everything and will make or break our enjoyment of a model. And I say this as someone who enjoys building stuff and operating stuff, but finds watching others do it less than enthralling.

D

[The Johnster]

I like a through station roundy roundy with a procession of trains passing through it as much as anyone at a show, especially if it's a prototype location and even more especially if it's one I'm familiar with.  But my favourites are layouts where there is a bit more in the way of operation, where trains are broken down and made up with some purpose and rationale behind the operation, and thing are done in a railway like manner according to (in my case) the 1955 Rule Book.  Working signals, and drivers that obey them, correct head and tail lamps, fitted heads on goods trains where appropriate, some thought given to the way the staff move about the yard throat on the ground, time to connect vacuum bags, or do brake continuity tests. this sort of thing.

 

Throw in driving at reasonably scale speeds, not whizzing around as if everyone's taken barbiturates or creeping about the place snail racing to show how good your slow running is, with smooth starts and stops, and I'll stand there all day watching it.  Run a loco round, back it on to it's train, and continue to propel the stock, in reality with brakes hard on, up the platform without a pause, (or worse, a momentary one which only shows that you know you are doing it wrong and don't care), and I'm off to look at something better, pronto, with a perceptible 'humph'!

[Denbridge]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

BR(E) Is not my primary interest, yet I always spent a long time at the barriers 'spotting' on Stoke Bank. The crowds who did the same suggest it wasn't at all boring to watch.

[Hollar]

Lights the blue touch paper...

 

"Of course, none of the above layouts are models of real locations."

 

...and retires.

It all depends, as Dr Joad (and my old philosophy tutor) used to say, on what you meanto indicate by the word "real".

 

He said, fanning the fuse.

 

Tone

[Chamby]

I like this layout of a prototypical location...

 

And I like this other layout of a fictional location...

 

But which is best?

 

FIIIIGHT!

 

(With apologies to Harry Hill).

 

 

 

At one time I had two cars, an executive German-built saloon car and a Land Rover Defender. The executive saloon was beautifully designed, quiet and did everything I asked of it faultlessly, I could drive it for several hours and get out at the end of my journey without any discomfort. The Land Rover was much more ‘agricultural’ (as the motoring magazines liked to say) but it was SO much fun to drive in comparison. The German car was so damn good, any character had been designed out of it. The Landy had it in spades. But which was best?

 

They both were, in their own way.

 

Phil.

[t-b-g]

It all depends, as Dr Joad (and my old philosophy tutor) used to say, on what you meanto indicate by the word "real".

 

He said, fanning the fuse.

 

Tone

At one exhibition, a punter was looking at a model and exclaimed "That looks real". With expert comic timing the chap with the model said "It is real. Just small".

 

You probably had to be there.

[bbishop]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

 

 

 

not wishing to offend,but I would have to disagree. Always enjoyed Stoke Bank and High Dyke for that matter.

 

I think a tongue firmly in cheek.

 

Bill

[60526]

Down to earth with a bit of a bump today.....................  At least with regard to my speed of building.

 

Nu-Cast V2 05.jpg

 

This is representative of nearly ten hours of work on this old Nu-Cast V2. Granted, by employing a Comet chassis, a fair bit of time was spent on modifications to both, but the fit of the white metal parts was nowhere near as good as the SEF A3 I built last week. 

 

 Nu-Cast V2 06.jpg

 

The spare set of 24mm Markits drivers I had were all insulated, so I've made this one electrically-dead. The motor is a refurbished Portescap - smooth enough, but what a whine! A DJH/Mashima substitute beckons before much more is done.

 

The original white metal lump for a chassis is alongside. 

Tony,

I'm halfway through resurrecting a 1980's Nu-Cast V2, it was originally EM (18.0mm) was later converted to OO and is now going to be EM (18.2mm) but with a Branchlines chassis, have you experience of making this chassis? Also, how does the Nu-Cast model stand-up to present day standards, firebox? It originally had the whitemetal chassis, Romford gear and worm with a D13, it would pull anything you could put behind it. Not sure about using the original whitemetal tender yet, I might be enthusiastic but £50 for a PDK brass tender is not for me, so I might use a B.mann tender with some mods. Aside from the preserved 60800 I can't remember seeing any in service, but a huge fan. Always got to have a good excuse to travel to exhibitions, it was Bournemouth West at P'boro recently, Grantham is down at Stevenage on Saturday week, so will be there and hopefully you will be showing the V2, I won't argue about fixed chassis v flexi chassis for this, a bit of fixed wobble will be good enough for this beast.

Regards Charlie

[AndyID]

At one time I had two cars, an executive German-built saloon car and a Land Rover Defender. The executive saloon was beautifully designed, quiet and did everything I asked of it faultlessly, I could drive it for several hours and get out at the end of my journey without any discomfort. The Land Rover was much more ‘agricultural’ (as the motoring magazines liked to say) but it was SO much fun to drive in comparison. The German car was so damn good, any character had been designed out of it. The Landy had it in spades. But which was best?

 

I had a fancy Volvo but when I retired I bought a pickup truck. After about six months I realized I was hardly ever driving the Volvo, so I traded it in against a tractor with backhoe. Much more fun

[Barry O]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

it was fine when it had a visit from some Blue Diesels at Doncaster one year..two Chespeake and Ohio E8s....which could pull huge trains which went all around the layout!

 

Baz

[APOLLO]

I've yet to see 'the' layout which everyone can enjoy, Clive.

 

I've been attending the Wigan exhibition for many years, for me this is "the" exhibition which I enjoy every layout. Of course some layouts are better than others - but every layout is the result of someones dedicated hard work and thus deserves inspection. I'm a particular fan of the big O gauge layouts, Gifford St, etc. There were two very good examples this (last !!) year. The big ECML layouts are always crowd pullers too. Can't beat the Gresley Beat !! If Tony's Little Bytham was an exhibition layout the spectators would be five deep.

 

Yes as The Johnster writes above, operation needs to be at realistic speed. I like to run my trains slow, perhaps too slow - but then again no one is watching !!

 

Brit15

[St Enodoc]

That may be so, but I have it on good authority (one I hesitate to question) that it was very boring to watch.

 

I'm sure Tony won't mind me saying this but it wasn't a huge intellectual challenge to operate either.

[bbishop]

I'm sure Tony won't mind me saying this but it wasn't a huge intellectual challenge to operate either.

 

Which is a topic in itself.  It need to be simple enough to operate whilst replying to questions like "is it DCC?", or "is it P4?"; but not so simple that The Aberdonian is followed by the DMU is followed by the mineral with the coke wagon in the middle is followed by the Pullzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .............................

 

Bill

[Clearwater]

Which is a topic in itself.  It need to be simple enough to operate whilst replying to questions like "is it DCC?", or "is it P4?"; but not so simple that The Aberdonian is followed by the DMU is followed by the mineral with the coke wagon in the middle is followed by the Pullzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .............................

 

Bill

Not forgetting "Is that the Hornby or Bachmann A4?"

 

David

[Tony Wright]

Tony,

I'm halfway through resurrecting a 1980's Nu-Cast V2, it was originally EM (18.0mm) was later converted to OO and is now going to be EM (18.2mm) but with a Branchlines chassis, have you experience of making this chassis? Also, how does the Nu-Cast model stand-up to present day standards, firebox? It originally had the whitemetal chassis, Romford gear and worm with a D13, it would pull anything you could put behind it. Not sure about using the original whitemetal tender yet, I might be enthusiastic but £50 for a PDK brass tender is not for me, so I might use a B.mann tender with some mods. Aside from the preserved 60800 I can't remember seeing any in service, but a huge fan. Always got to have a good excuse to travel to exhibitions, it was Bournemouth West at P'boro recently, Grantham is down at Stevenage on Saturday week, so will be there and hopefully you will be showing the V2, I won't argue about fixed chassis v flexi chassis for this, a bit of fixed wobble will be good enough for this beast.

Regards Charlie

Charlie,

 

I have experience of making the Branchlines' chassis for a V2. I cannot now recall which issues of BRM they were in, but I built a Pro-Scale V2 (of infamy!) and a Nu-Cast V2, fitting Branchlines chassis to one of them (maybe both). The chassis is good, but I found forming the slidebars way beyond me, so gave up and used some from elsewhere. 

 

For its day, the Nu-Cast V2 was excellent, apart from the lumpen chassis. 

 

 

I built this one in the '80s, as a commission for the late-lamented Modellers Mecca in Kingswinford (West Mids). The guy I made it for then changed gauge, so asked if I'd like it (at a cheaper price than he'd paid for it!). I thus acquired it, renumbering it from 60955 (he modelled the Waverley Route) into 60905. All the work in this was mine. I scratch-built a brass chassis for it, using the Nu-Cast motion. It's seen on Stoke Summit (which was so boring that it only appeared at 80 shows in 17 years!), and it also saw use on Charwelton. 

 

 

 

It now sees service on Little Bytham, and continues to run really well. The only thing I've altered down the years is to replace the original five-pole, open-framed motor with a more modern can motor/gearbox combo. Not that the original failed but because the running is now sweeter and quieter. 

 

 

Oddly (or perhaps, inevitably) progress on the current Nu-Cast build has been really rapid today. This is the result of two and a half hours' further work this afternoon (we shopped in Melton Mowbray this morning). Included in that time (though not visible) is the replacing of the whining Portescap (how do these units command such high prices?) with a DJH/Mashima combination - sweet as anyone could wish for. I don't have a problem with the WM tender, though it has no brakes (as yet). If the difference between a loco successfully pulling a train is down to whether or not it's got a heavy tender, then I'd say it's too puny at source. 

 

I think the basic shapes are fine - it's far superior to the Pro-Scale V2, far, far superior to the current Bachmann one (body-wise) and as good as the Crownline/PDK one, apart from the inevitable extra thickness of the white metal compared with etched brass; though I much prefer the white metal boiler. Graeme King's V2 bodies are good as well. 

 

As a powerful, reliable, layout loco, the old Nu-Cast V2 is just fine in my opinion. 

 

I'll see if I can get it finished for next weekend. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

Not forgetting "Is that the Hornby or Bachmann A4?"

 

David

Burst blood-vessel time! 

[Tom F]

Burst blood-vessel time! 

 

Calm yourself Tony, and get yourself back on that workbench! 

 

All the best!

 

 

P.S

 

It could be worse, I will never forget a couple admiring Geoff Taylor's stunning buildings on Gresley Beat (the Victorian Street Corner). The man turned to his other half and said 'Look at those buildings.......and they are Metcalfe you know!'

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by 9793

[46256]

a Graeme King V2....comet chassis mashima motor high level gearbox lot of lead weight and a capability to pull a train like the real thing.

[CF MRC]

One of the advantages of modelling a real location is that there are some wonderful prototype shots that it might one day be possible to reproduce.

 

 

If you look carefully, you will see a splendid sign advertising petrol at 1/- a gallon (1p a litre for the youngsters). That is actually remarkably cheap petrol even for the 30s.

 

 

This group of buildings is being made for CF by Richard Wilson and so we have used this photo as a basis.

 

 

The sign was made by hand drawing some artwork at four times oversize and then reducing in a colour photocopier. I have used digital imaging for signs on buildings, but the effect is a bit too perfect and lacks the character of old sign writing.

 

 

I’m not sure if Tony will be able to bend his camera to reproduce the opening shot, but at least it’s one of our boxes ticked for CF.

 

Tim

Edited January 3, 2019 by CF MRC

[The Johnster]

BR(E) Is not my primary interest, yet I always spent a long time at the barriers 'spotting' on Stoke Bank. The crowds who did the same suggest it wasn't at all boring to watch.

 

Stoke Bank is not a normal location...

 

'Come on old girl, we can do better than this, I thought, so I nursed her and shot through Little Bytham...'

 

Here be legends, enough to bring a lump to even this old GW diehard's throat!