ChrisG

I'm a regular MRJ reader and that was what first alerted me to Metropolitan Junction. I have also just remembered another layout which used to grab my attention, built in a garage and representing the whole Brighton Mainline - "South for Sunshine" I think it was called, by Lewis Carroll. Sadly, I have not found many of my modelling friends as enthused as I was about Metropolitan Junction. Modelling seems to have moved on, and many people today seem unaware of the difficult post war conditions in which many outstanding modellers plied their hobby. In an era where fully detailed accurate models of exotic prototypes pop out of cardboard boxes at the drop of a hat these pioneers can all too easily be forgotten. Chris

I happen to love your layout as well - I've seen it a couple of times at shows. For me this sort of compression makes for an interesting layout and it's no surprise to hear that CJF was impressed with it. He published many plans for similar layouts, and I have even built a couple of them in the past. My problem is that I do enjoy building trains, as well as hand-building track, so the building of the layout is a slow burn. My current Cowes, Medina Wharf and Newport layout has been on the go for more than 5 years and I have still not made and laid all the track. I know if I were to switch to Peco track and RTR locos and stock I would get things done in a fraction of the time! Chris

Given that the main motivation behind making this series will have been to make money for the producers and the TV Company. our hobby didn't come off at all badly and they have probably come up with a pretty good format to sustain interest through the series. We modellers are largely passive partners in this endeavour, and our reward will be not money, but an improvement in profile and an expansion in the market for model railway products. Being screened in October, in time for Christmas will be a timely fillip for the hobby. Traditionally we have a geeky image based on an image of trainspotters dressed in anoraks with spotting books and railway modellers obsessed by ultimate detail and accuracy. The programme however showed modellers as normal people with normal behavioural characteristics. So far, all men all Caucasian, and predominantly from one age group. That probably reflects our demographic pretty well, but it will be good if there are people of different sex, age and race in the in the as-yet-unseen teams The question of whether really good modelling can be achieved to a tight deadline is a good one, and our disappointment that "really good modelling" was hardly on display is understandable. My suspicion is that a programme where people are seen to achieve a complete layout in a short space of time is going to excite more interest than a one showing modellers creating miniature masterpieces over a period of years. Overall I am feeling positive. We've emerged well from what could have been a mauling. The main downside was that Missenden Abbey has done itself and the hobby no good whatosoever. I admired the standard of modelling but not the attitude which simply does not belong in the hobby (even though one sometimes encounters it)! (My memory of attending a course there was that the participants were aspiring modellers and not the creme de la creme as they were portrayed on TV. The tutors, of course, were a bit different. The geniunely new thing seems to me the injection of imaginative "themes". I know we have all themed our layouts for decades, but a theme of "Isle of Wight in the 1950s and 1960s" (which is mine) does not have mass market appeal. Whether the wives and mothers of modellers will find high-heeled shoes and lipstick disappearing from their boudoirs remains to be seen, but the idea that you can make a railway inspired by films is imaginative and no doubt there are more interesting "themes" to be unfolded in future episodes. Railways and Warhammer would probably do well. Railways and "My Little Pony"? We shall see.......! Chris Gardner Alton Hants

I fear the odious arrogance of the men from Missenden does not reflect well on our glorious hobby and I hope it was simply a case of their having been put up to it by the TV Production company. Whilst the competitiveness might make good TV, railway modellers are generally a co-operative and supportive bunch, as I hope people realised by watching the teams participating - particularly the one which had never met before. If the programme sparks queues outside model shops at opening time tomorrow, that will be a very good thing! Chris G

They are now selling working point rodding: https://www.dccconcepts.com/product-category/the-cobalt-collection/cobalt-point-motor-accessories/workingpointrodding/ The prices seem pretty high to me and no apparent solution for baseboard joints. Chris G

Plate 272 in the Paye book shows an unidentified non-hooped 10 ton van at Sandown taken in 1950.

I've just had a look in Peter Paye's Isle of Wight Railways Remembered and plate 263 shows two LBSCR 8 ton vans on the Island (one of them upgraded to 10 ton and used for fish traffic). The caption says the two vans lasted into BR days, one as plumbers' tool van No.393S, and the other as departmental 388S. Both were withdrawn in 1955. In the SR era picture they don't have the horizontal band. There's also a well-known picture of 10 ton van 46939 in 1950 (it lived in the siding at Godshill for many years). It describes the hoop as a "strengthening bar". It doesn't look like it was ever re-painted out of SR brown, though it had pretty much faded to unpainted wood! Chris

I've drawn a similar blank from the usual sources I use. And I haven't gone through all of my IOW railway books, which would be a massive task. The only pictures in BR days I have are the ones with the horizontal beam, as modelled by Smallbrook Studio (with the horizontal hoop modelled solid, although to me in one picture it looks like a thin metal band, but I cannot be sure). Are you sure that the version you are modelling was actually on the Island? Chris

BR crimson - one of the most difficult colours to get right! And I bet we all see it differently and those of us who can remember it probably have our memories warped by colour photography which can be all over the place when it comes to red. I find the colour of the primer is vital to getting a shade of red I like, and so far pretty much every one of my crimson coaches has come out a different shade.

I love the cine film - it's a marvellous relic to have. It's a pity that other famous model railways (like Ken Northwood's North Devonshire Railway) don't seem to be preserved on cine film. The quotation "This is a description of a railway that will cause the experts to throw up their hands in despair, for it is a deliberate attempt to get too much track in too small a space" rings loud and clear for me, and is, I believe, the essence of creating a "model of a railway". In fact I firmly believe that compression is beneficial to a model because in real life our appreciation of railways is based on little snapshots we get of the real thing from platforms, bridges, the lineside, etc. In real life we don't hover 200ft above a real railway, but we see it from ground level, and in small sections. Hence compression more accurately recreates our view of the real thing than a dead scale approach. These bedroom mainlines are for me the best models of all. They often featured in the 1960s C.J. Freezer plans of the month and also as "Railways of the Month" in the Modeller. Chris

What thickness is your MDF? I could get the coach shells laser cut from that rather than Rowmark. I like the look of your wagon...you kept that quiet! Good to see you modelling again. Has the infrastructure progressed yet? I'm now onto Medina Wharf, getting the baseboards sorted out prior to starting tracklaying. Here's my latest Rowmark-based coach. Chris

Rodney, Thank you, I am enjoying your replies very much! I do hope you didn't think my comments about lack of a backscene were in any way negative. It was more to illustrate the point that a really good model rail doesn't need them. Chris

Metropolitan Junction was pretty much the sole reason that I visited this show, and I was simply blown away by it. To see 60 year old model railway infrastructure, locos and stock still working is a tribute to the builder and those who now care for and maintain the layout. I know there were operational problems, and they were no surprise - operating a layout in public is a harsh reality and I have seen many modern layouts fail under the pressure. What is good about this layout?: It is a believable scenario - a busy junction in South London with through trains from many regions passing through and a compressed urban terminus; An intriguing track layout with trains disappearing and re-appearing from tunnels; The scenic treatment just enough to spark the imagination and render the need for backscenes, etc. redundant. Possibly as a result of the age of the layout the overwhelming feeling of "grime" was very reminiscent of the steam-operated railway in South London; Locos which ran beautifully; not as detailed as today's plastic-based ready to run products, but the modern stuff will not still be running in 60 years time. The locos were superb, quiet, runners. I also enjoyed the older rolling stock more than the contemporary RTR offerings. Models made from metal just look better than models made from plastic; It struck me that in fully working condition the railway could be operated in the most realistic manner and sustain operator and visitor attention over a long time span. A sequence of trains with known origins and destinations would be a great boon to the layout; Beautifully executed compression. I'm guessing the layout is between 10' and 12' square. Many people would regard that as too small for a main line layout, but here we had main line trains running through with four or five carriages only, and at no time did I think "these are too short". There is something in the way we perceive the real railway which means that in model form a short train can look more realistic than a long one. If you think about it, one's view of the real railway is rarely panoramic and more likely to be at platform height where a twelve coach train just does not look like a twelve coach train; Bravo to its original builder and bravo to those who have preserved it, and are prepared to endure the trials and tribulations of bringing it out for our enjoyment. Chris Gardner Alton Hants

At the time I bought the materials to make this coach, the Bill Bedford sides were all that was available. Now, Worsley Works have a kit in their catalogue, which has the correct pattern of sheeting and panelling, as well as half etching to allow the representation of the rivetting on the flush panelled sections. Allen has based his etches on the drawings of IOW modifcations in the Maycock and Reed book. Chris

Not a lot of recent action on this topic, but I have recently finished a pair of SECR brakes, one of which is pictured here. The basis of the model is a laser cut kit which I commissioned from York Model Making, plus a laser cut wooden false roof over which I laid a custom etched flexible roof. The sides are by Bill Bedford, and are very reasonably priced. Bogies are from Roxey Mouldings (Fox Heavyweight), and the buffers are from Markits, and absolute beauties they are. The other exciting news is the release of a set of etched kits for three SECR IOW coaches from Worsley Works (Allen Doherty). I haven't started on these yet, but the raw etches look good. You can find the information here for ordering a set of etches from Allen:- http://www.worsleyworks.co.uk/4mm/4mm_Southern_Pregroup_SECR.htm Chris Alton Hants

Just to say, I have found the adhesive pads to be utterly useless as they cannot support the weight of the motor, at least when attached to plywood. Chris

Here is a motor opened up - cutting the wiring label is what made the difference, and it was then easy. In the event, half the gears came out with one side of the shell and half with the other but it was a simple matter to replace them. This was a new, unused, motor and the lubrication seemed pretty "old" and dry... but I'm no expert and it might have been in prime condition for all I know. At least I've proved they can be opened up so the option is there to lubricate, assuming you can face removing them from your layout to do so. Chris

Thanks Mick - very helpful. Chris

It isn't anywhere obvious. Furthermore when I compared the manual which is on the website with the one which is currently supplied with the motors, they are different. The section entitled "Service Requirements" is on the printed one but NOT the online one. And just now having unscrewed one of my motors, it showed no sign of wanting to be dismantled and the wiring unit straddles the two halves which look like they could be prised apart, so right now I'm worried about prizing them open because I can't be sure of what effect this might have on the internal wiring. So at the moment the only instructions appear to be in the printed manual and read "please plan to open up each Cobalt IP Digital [the section is however headed "Cobalt Analog turnout motor", but I presume is the same for both] every 5 years in order to apply a light coat of good quality oil to the bearings, gears and motor. This maintenance is easy to do and will keep you Cobalt IP Digital running forever!". The screws come out easily enough but the next stage is not clear at all.... Chris

Richard, thank you for your informative reply which answers a lot of my questions. If periodic lubrication is recommended, presumably you have a set of instructions which you can share with us? Chris Gardner Alton Hants

This is on the general topic of problems with Cobalts, though not specific to this post (I cannot find out how to start a new thread is the honest truth!). A friend of mine came over recently and brought a booklet of instructions for Cobalts, which contained the advice to the effect of needing to "plan your installation to allow for lubricating the mechanism every five years". I have looked at the online version of the instructions, which makes no mention of such a thing being necessary. Furthermore, I find a post from Richard Johnson on another forum identifying the need to dismantle the motor to spray lubricant onto the mechanism. These raised all sorts of questions in my mind. How can they make bold claims for their motors lasting for 75 years' worth of operation; what happens to the "lifetime warranty" if you have dismantled and reassembled the motor?, and in any event, how does one dismantle and where does one lubricate. Following this discovery I began to look more kindly on my Fulgurex motors which are easy to get to to apply lubrication, and completely obvious where the lubrication should go. This is quite serious isn't it? The weasel words about needing to lubricate every five years have not made their way into the persistent advertising of the motors' longevity.... Hmmm! Any one else got any thoughts? Chris Alton, Hants.

I have 5 of these locos on my IOW layout (representing Cowes to Newport. They have been a fairly constant source of vexation, beginning with the fact that there are no spares available. It is all too easy to loose the microscopic screws and the springs for the trailing bogies. They are also poorly engineered for a long life: plastic gear train, and a motor which clips in place but once unclipped will not go back reliably to exactly the right position, because the mountings are strained by its removal. I have also been trying to get to the bottom of the lack of "oomph" that these locos have. Most of my rolling stock is kit built, and pretty heavily weighted according to the usual guidelines from experienced modellers at the finescale end of things. The five of them are all different, but wheel spinning is pretty constant with all of them if pulling anything more than 3 coaches or half a dozen wagons. I have adapted one by removing the weight that surrounds the motor, re-wiring the DCC chip so that it fits in the bunker (I have no ambitions regarding sound), which has meant that I can fill the boiler and side tanks with lead, plus a strip of lead along the bottom of the chassis. This has increased the weight by around 30 grams, and importantly, placed more of it over the driving wheels. There is room for more if it seems like a good idea. In the process I believe I have proved that the small motor is under powered. There is no slipping (the extra weight has done a good job). Instead the loco just stops - clearly the motor does not have the power to turn the wheels. I'm not sure what to do next, except that it confirms my desire to replace them all with kitbuilt locos over time (my 2 kit built O2s are now more than 20 years old and going absolutely fine). One useful side effect of all this is that it has released the two screws which held the original weight in place, and these have now replaced other missing screws! I am still hunting for the right size of spring for the rear bogie. They are proving elusive! Chris Gardner

After a break of more than a year to work on my Ventnor West exhibition layout, I am finally making progress on my loft layout. Starting with Newport. I've ballasted the track and given it a weathering spray. You may also notice the uncoupling magnets. I am in the throes of converting from Sprat and Winkles to Kadees. The main reason for this is that I have a number of tight curves on my layout and my Sprats are really not happy, especially on long wheelbase 4-wheeled utility vans. I am finding Kadees a bit of an adventure and am gradually adding to the types of couplings I find necessary for British rolling stock with buffers. I am majoring on "whisker" couplers now which are the most reliable I find.

Great progress. Soon be able to have an operating session? Chris

It involved a bit more than removing the connecting rods, as the front wheel was a smaller diameter.