TEAMYAKIMA

Just found another one! BTW have I mentioned recently that we're going to be at Alexandra Palace on March 24th/25th? And have I mentioned lately that you're all invited to come and say 'hello'? If not ....... We're at Alexandra Palace on March 24th/25th - come and say 'hello'!

I'm back with a load of new photos to share with you. The newly re-positioned Willesden control panel should make operation easier ................ An LMS loco was seen at a recent running session - modern image!! The little people seem to be multipling ... The hoarding is progressing ............. The allotment is always popular ....... The toolshed has gained some tools ....

Have decided to make the keep fit area smaller to allow space for some car parking. It's not finished yet but here it is so far ..................

More madness! Having consulted my younger and fitter colleagues at work I have now modified the lifting/hanging bars...

Possibly - I have various bits to position and am considering combinations. The problem is that the Preiser items (like the swing) are very delicate with really thin components whereas the non-branded items (like the keep fit items) are really chunky - both look OK as long as they are grouped together - mixing the delicate and the chunky looks wrong.

Meanwhile on the other side of the tracks a children's playground area is developing.............

I can't believe that I'm saying this but I've spent another 30 minutes on that blessed keep fit apparatus! Before .... I've managed to lower it a fraction and also thin down the top bar ... And I've had trouble finding a place to put it on the layout, but probably on this 'drop-in' section in red....

Twickenham & District MRC is always keen to promote the hobby to a wider audience - and as a result hopefully attract new club members! As part of that ongoing outlook the club is holding a 'pop-up' exhibition right in the heart of Twickenham on April 21st. From 10am to 3.30pm, in Twickenham Library, the club will be selling the hobby to the general public who might never attend a full-blown exhibition or open day. Whilst our primary aim is to spread the word to a new audience we will also be showcasing our club to those already in the hobby - people like YOU who have found this thread and who are taking the time to read this. So, if you want to find out more about our club and/or support an attempt to reach out to potential new modellers, please come down on April 21st - you are most welcome! Twickenham Library Garfield Road Twickenham TW2 3JT Or see our website www.tdmrc.org.uk

It has been already been pointed out that The Model Railway Club already exists in central London (King's Cross) and therefore may I ask : 1. Why would anyone join this new club when a well established club with fantastic premises already exists? 2. What will this new club offer that The MRC doesn't? 3. Is there some reason that you do not wish to engage with The MRC? I have no axe to grind here, I am not a member of The MRC, I'm just curious. Paul

As I have said before, there is a lot more to building an exhibition layout than just modelling, electrics, operation etc ...... for example there is the issue of transporting the layout to the venue. The team have been discussing various ways of storing the boards in the van and I have put off addressing this problem, but with our first exhibition looming I could ignore it no longer. The idea is to store the boards on their backs, thereby taking up less floor space as the backscenes are only 17 inches deep as opposed the boards which are 36 inches wide. However, the backscenes are not strong enough to protect the low relief buildings and at the last work day I spent a lot of time repairing the buildings which had begun to break away from the baseboards. So I have built some new end protectors which are much bigger than the originals and will provide protection when the boards are positioned on their backs. In this picture only one end is fitted - eventually all boards will have one of these at each end. All the weight will be taken by these MDF end protectors and no pressure will be on the backscene or buildings.

Hello Andy Many thanks , I'm doing this on behalf of a fellow club member who doesn't have internet access and I should have added 'Does anyone know how much a pack of 10 couplings cost?'

Hi I have been asked to research using B&B couplings but can't find the manufacturer. Where can I buy 4mm B&B couplings please ?

I have absolutely no wish to knock Hornby (quite the opposite in fact) but shouldn't the solebars be wood rather than steel?

Can we please get back on topic.

Yes, it does. Many thanks. Paul

And here's the next post - this is really crazy!! The set included some keep fit street apparatus - just the type I've seen in China. But they were very overscale for HO, and so I cut them into 12 separate pieces , cut material out and then glued them all back together - intstant HO scale!

Some evidence has surfaced that proves that I am obsessive! I found some children's playground items on ebay, but they are described as 1/75th scale. Some are more usable than others. The climbing frame was a little overscale and so I've spent an hour filing done the horizonral bars to make them look more 'scale' . The photo shows before and after - hopefully you can tell which is which. If you think that's bad, then wait for the next post!

Many thanks - and to you too!

I have now taken a much better photo and it seems clear to me that these are LNWR plates - but what class? I have tried Googling but not found any clue. Thanks everyone. Paul

Yes, thanks that might make sense - I just wish I had a magnifying glass!!

I would suggest that the winning entry would become a 'celebrity' layout and fetch a nice price on ebay and so I think who owns it does matter.

One question comes to mind................. Who owns the finished layout? The production company - probably not although they might retain some promotional rights. If a club puts in a team then I guess it will belong to the club, but what if it's a group of strangers thrown together via a forum like this? If the layout is a good one it might cause friction if the six group members live far apart. Who gets to keep the layout then? Not being at all negative - just thinking ahead.

I have been tasked with selling some donated items on ebay on behalf of Twickenham & District MRC and one of them is a set of Jackson-Evans numberplates. I have looked at the current Jackson-Evans website and they still list # 3723 as a ex-GWR 57xx 0-6-0pt plate but there is no photo to compare with. My concerns are twofold .. 1. there appears to be some VERY small writing both above and below the actual number - which seems odd if it is just a standard GWR 57xx plate 2. The plates are in red not black - was that a short lived post nationalisation scheme? Anyone interested in buying these can send me a PM - many thanks.

I think the last post sums it up. We are designing a poster and so we want it to be perfect as it represents the club and people will judge us on things like spelling, punctuation, design etc . If our poster (or website) is amateurish then people will assume that the club is amateur ish. So in that context this OO/00 issue is just a small part of making our publicity look professional.

Hello Chris It's Twickenham Club that we're talking about and the poster is for our 'pop-up' event at Twickenham Library on April 21st - it would be nice to see you there! Paul