PupCam

I don't interpret that statement as "actively discouraged", I interpret it more positively as the manufacturer providing supplementary guidance as to a prerequisite for the completion of the model by that method. You could look at it as active encouragement to develop soldering skills on something easier before committing to the construction of a more complex or difficult model. Having spent many years in the aviation industry where bonded metal structures were first developed back in the 50's there's clearly a place for adhesives in assembling metal components but for etched brass model kits soldering just seems better to me, although I admit that the thought of soldering doesn't fill me with fear. For those that do dread the mention of solder there are many shows that have demonstrations of soldering and in some cases (e.g. Roger Sawyer @ CMRA Show Stevenage) where you can actually get hands on and have a go. Soldering is not a black art, there are just a few simple rules to follow and success is (almost!) guaranteed. You can even "solder" (Quotes are because it's not actually solder i.e. a tin/lead alloy) aluminium components together now with a couple of products. The one I use is called Alutite, it requires a slightly different process as there is no flux (just a sharp metal point) used to first "tin" the mating surfaces withe the Alutite which are then sweated together just as you would with solder. Here is a little Rotherham Pump (used on WW1 British aircraft) assembled from turned ali and brass components. In this case the ali components were joined with Alutite, the brass components were Silver Soldered (much higher melting temperature than normal tin/lead soft solder) and the ali spigot epoxied into the tight fitting brass cylinder. A novel trick, although probably not relevant for railway models, is that if you grit blast machined ali it turns out looking like a casting Alan

He'll have to be destroyed! Oh no! A sad reminder of September1981 Will he be parked, unloved at the back of the works unloved before the axe man cometh? Alan

History repeats itself!

Well what an excellent day! The entire Mimram Modellers group (both fully paid up and honourary members) had the honour of a day excursion to Little Bytham. What a superb layout it is, a beautiful rendition of times past on the ECML. Three words really do sum it up when you see it in the flesh, consistently high standards. Some layouts have beautiful stock running on a "trainset board", others have beautiful scenery with track barely better than Hornby Dublo 3 Rail (no offence intended to 3 rail collectors!), some have exquisite trackwork in an unbelievable environment and in each case something jarrs. As you all know, not so LB; the topography is entirely believable (easily checked on the way to the pub for lunch), sublime trackwork, beautiful architectural modelling, realistic and reliable stock (with the possible exception of the odd Deltic), historically accurate situation and operation etc etc. Unfortunately Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate have had to be called in to investigate a serious accident when an Up Express ran into the rear of a stationary Pullman train held just north of the M&GN bridge. The derailed Pullman cars fouled the adjacent line derailing a number of wagons. Initial indications are that the signalling systems were operating correctly and human error was the likely cause. It is too early to say whether any railway staff will be prosecuted. Anyway, many thanks to Tony and Mo for the invitation and their hospitality for a thouroughly enjoyable day. We look forward to our next visit! Alan

And quite rightly so IMHO Jol. In abstract terms I think the the tools, methods and materials used in building a model are, to a large extent, irrelevant. Is a Plasticard model of an object superior to one made of wood or metal? Not necessarily, I would venture to suggest it depends on the "quality" of the results and that's often highly subjective. Would a model made only with the use of a scalpel be superior to one where saw, files, drills or whatever? Of course not, in fact it's more than likely it would be inferior and the adoption of "modern technology" tools is merely an extension of that. I'm old enough to remember the George Allen kit for the exquisite lattice footbridge when it first came out in the early 70's(?) using the relatively new fangled process of chemical milling (yes it was an etched brass job). Unless you made a completely ham-fisted job of assembling it you ended up with a beautiful model, the finesse of which you'd be very hard pressed to equal by other means. I don't think that because you hadn't made it from individual strips of plastic made you any less of a bridge modeller. It really needed the now common skill in the world of railway modelling of the ability to solder properly although the rep that sold the kits to my father (he owned a model shop) was also peddling the new Cyanoacrylate adhesives. Why you'd even think of super-glueing the whole thing together escapes me but then, I can solder! Let's not get too hung up on what or how something is achieved and concentrate on the beauty and quality of the results just as long as the extent of the model making isn't limited to opening some boxes or, maybe, paying someone else to do it for you! Alan

I believe people use the materials, tools and skills they have that are available and comfortable to them. Peter Denny and Frank Dyer didn't use CAD and 3D printing because (to state the obvious) it simply wasn't there. Who knows if they would have used them if they were? What can be said is that an Arduino or two and modern sensors would certainly have made Peter's "Automatic Crispin" a lot easier and more flexible. But then again there's something truly fascinating about electro/mechanical computing machines and clocks. I think a key prerequisite is for an individual to be fascinated by "things" and have a hunger to learn and understand and a willingness to try and, maybe, fail. It's only by doing so that you learn where your strengths lie. As an example, another of my "time sponges" is old motorcycles and for 40+years the Smiths Chronometric speedo. As the name suggests, they are actually based on a clock escapement and are very complicated but truly amazing instruments. Faced with a potential bill of £200-£300 for a repair I decided following a bit of internet research to "have a go" at repairing one of mine. I'm no clock maker but my little Unimat 3 enabled me to make a tiny replacement top hat bearing for the mechanism and I was able to get it working once more. Indeed one of the members of the Owners Club (for my bike) who used to repair them but couldn't source the parts commissioned me (a complete newbie to the world of Chronometrics) to make him a batch and so others will hopefully benefit! Anyway, for those who appreciate interesting mechanisms here are a couple of videos of my one being tested after repair: The bearing I made sits in the gear at the bottom of the "waggling pinion" seen in this next clip The moral of the story? You never know what you can do until you try! With regard to treating current and subsequent modellers in equal reverence to our hero's of the past I'm sure folks will. I bet everyone of us has a list of our own more recent railway modelling greats, I know I have! Alan

Well thanks for that, another hour gone watching 6 or 7 episodes and another YouTube subscription added to the list! Although it's not railway modelling they show someone (clearly skilled) making a thing of beauty and passing on tips and techniques that have application beyond, in this case, clock making. I'm sure I'll find a use for the "glue chuck", a simple home made device for turning thin sheet parts and if only I'd had one of those filing machines when making the sheet steel fittings for my Sopwith! Most of all I think they underpin Tony's key message (which I've picked up on this thread!) that is the joy and satisfaction of making things for yourself, whatever those things happen to be. Here's the first railway modelling I've done in perhaps 20 years. The simple pleasure of assembling a 7mm 16T Mineral wagon. From small acorns ..... Alan

Don't know about that, but I like the look of that filing machine! Alan

I was fortunate that, in the early 70's when I was in secondary education we had both fully equipped woodworking and metalwork shops. The metalwork shop had numerous lathes, mills, drills and a forge. As light relief from A Levels I chose to do metalwork and started to construct a 2.5" gauge "Austere Ada" locomotive. Here's what it might have looked like: https://www.stationroadsteam.com/2-12-inch-gauge-wd-2-8-0-austere-ada-stock-code-7284/ Ah, the optimism of youth in what could be achieved in 4hrs/week during school terms. Unfortunately my skill level did not match the level of optimism (ignorance?) and the project floundered at the main frame and front pony truck stage (and even they weren't very good!) but at least I had a go. I've still got the drawings for it and a 2.5" gauge V2 and having recently, at last, had the opportunity to buy a Myford lathe perhaps I should have another crack at it? Probably lacking sufficient time left on the planet now though ..... I've also got a 1/3 scale Sopwith Triplane to finish, a 30% Chilton monoplane to repair and some old bikes to keep on the road. So much to do, so little time! Alan

Yes, probably in 1965 (or whenever the promotion was). No doubt there was more plastic cement on the body sides and the glazing than in the joints on the finished model! I might have bought a Dapol version some years ago, just for old times sake you understand, that still lurks in its packaging in a box somewhere in the garage.

Indeed I do, that's where I got my Kitmaster Deltic and my love of Shredded Wheat! I seem to remember them doing other promotions as well, we were forever saving tokens I seem to recall but I can't remember what they were for. Alan

Ignoring the relationship between focal length & aperture on depth of field for the moment ...... .... that will help!

4th Me neither. Two of the perennial comments from the St Albans days was that we needed to fit in more exhibits(!) and that it was too crowded. As our American colleagues would say "Go figure". St Albans served the CMRA for many years and I'm pleased to say the exhibition developed and maintained a very good reputation over many years despite those two comments and all the other aspects that have been mentioned in this thread but it was way past time for it to move on. So when the opportunity arose to move the exhibition on to a bigger, better venue it was taken. No venue is perfect of course, but the benefits of the Stevenage venue far outway the fact that St Albans "is a nice City". Many thanks to the participants for their contribution and their comments on this thread. It would be rather nice if subsequent comments related to this weekends actual event and even better if they included some photographs and videos of the wonderful exhibits that were on display whilst we await Adrian's retrospective on the CMRA website. If you do have any specific feedback for the organisers that will help enhance future CMRA exhibitions please send it to exhibition@cmra.org.uk as requested in David's introduction to the Exhibition Guide. Alan

Perhaps you could suggest a suitably large, easy to access, affordable venue with the appropriate facilities in St Albans? We spent 20+ years looking, clearly we've missed something .....

Allegedly, there are people in a little hut whose job it is to watch what people do when the park their cars via CCTV and race out and ticket "offenders" before you can say "Jack Robinson". I've seen the wardens ticketing cars on numerous occasions though I've never seen them in their little hut. Of course, if you feel lucky you could try nipping in the cinema or a restaurant (I use the term loosely you understand), change into a disguise, come out go and do whatever and see if you get away with it For me, I think I'll be using one of the many town centre car parks and adopt a less clandestine approach Alan

Indeed and the relatively poor quality of 3D printed items is more to do with the quality of the 3D printers used than a fundamentally flawed process. If you want perfect quality then you have to use top end, professional printers which cost a very significant amount of cash and that is reflected in the cost charged by the printer. A friend has 3D modelled numerous components for his beautiful 1/3 scale(!) Fokker DVII and had them professionally printed at very great cost specifically because 3D printers to get the quality/finish he wanted were way above his means. I can't find any of my photographs of it at the moment but it is beautiful thing he has built. He 3D modelled all of the components he needed including a pair of Spandau machine guns, magnetos and the complex radiator he just didn't do the last fabrication step himself. The radiator includes thousands of hexagonal holes 2mm A/F. I defy anyone to make it anyother way! Anyway, if you are interested to see photographs of this manificent (albeit not railway related) model visit Nigel's webpage http://www.flightlinegraphics.co.uk/projects/gtm/fokker.d.VII/fuz.htm Alan

Looks like a visit to the book stands at Stevenage then over the weekend. Watchout wallet ...

Remember! DO NOT PARK in the car park for the "LEISURE PARK" (Cinema, MacDonalds, KFC, TFI etc) across the railway YOU WILL GET A PARKING TICKET IF YOU LEAVE THE LEISURE PARK! Hopefully you will all enjoy the show. Alan B

What excellent photographs Tony! Got any of New Barnet / Oakleigh Park (my stretch of the ECML)? Deltics etc would be more than acceptable ..... Alan

I might have to prefix "locomotive" with "diesel/electric" because I can't resolve the question is a Deltic better than an A4 in my mind, in much the same way that I can't resolve the question is the Supermarine Spitfire a more beautiful aeroplane than the Hawker Hunter so I dodge the question by prefixing aeroplane with propeller or jet as appropriate! Maybe I'm just indecisive .... Alan

I believe there was a locomotive named Shergar although it disppeared from the shed one day and no one knows where it went ......

Having had a lot of experience using servos for R/C aircraft over the last 30 odd years and now given the very low cost and the numerous and very flexible ways of driving them are R/C servos not the obvious solution these days? Personally I'd use an Arduino to drive them as they are very cheap and flexible but that route needs a certain ability and knowledge of coding so a "Ready to Play" solution from MERG or Megapoints etc might be more appropriate? Although specific brands and models of servos come and go R/C servos certainly won't be disappearing anytime soon unlike the more traditional, proprietary and fra more expensive model railway point and signal motors and the results (IMHO) are far superior and capable of being far more realistic (e.g. easily programmed bounce). Alan B

I hope he's got the necessary permit! Anyway, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. No doubt see some of you, including Tony of course, at Stevenage in January. Alan B

Personally I don't feel obliged to spend my time looking at layouts that don't appeal to me "just because the owners have worked hard to produce it". In any exhibition situation people effectively offer their creations for the possible interest of the attendees but it is not their right to expect those attendees to express that interest and spend time looking and possibly discussing them. If an exhibitor is just looking for a "Pat on the Back" they are doing the whole thing for completely the wrong reason IMHO! Absolutely spot-on! Let's not be "Prototypest" or "Layout Typest" (made up words I know ...) but personally I can't get excited by 3 rail layouts, Lego layouts, children's Thomas the Tank Engine layouts. I feel no guilt that I did not stop to look (didn't even slow down) at such things even though someone had lovingly took time to collect/assemble/create such things. Clearly the organisers think that a suitable percentage of the visitors will enjoy them and thus justifies their inclusion and sobeit. But please don't expect everyone to think how wonderful they all are. I prefer to spend my time looking at what I consider to be fine modelling, realistic, interestingly engineered etc exhibits but that's just me. I generally prefer British layouts and particularly prototypes I'm familiar with but there are some spendid "foreigners" and Mauch Chunk is just one such current example that appeals to me. There are plenty of British and foreign layouts that don't. Show me the person who say's they spent an equal amount of time examining every exhibt (yes, that includes all the demos and traders because they work hard too) and I think I could possibly show you a liar. Anyway, each to their own. Alan

Thanks. It turns out that they are physical tickets that, if ordered after the postal cut-off date, are held at the venu for you to collect on arrival. Whether the queue for collections is the same as the queue for ticket purchase I have yet to determine. Still, at least I've saved a whole £1-50 by spending an hour and half online, registering and buying two in advance. Huh, the modern world .......