steve howe

I've been looking at these Zamzoodle chaps ever since JC introduced them and was able to see them in action at Warley, they look the D'sBs, the only concern I have with them is I don't know if its possible to incorporate a 'delayed action' feature so you can shunt remotely.

Lovely stuff, I shall definitely be selling my Langley ones to fund one of these! What's the purpose of the long horizontal slot in the end panel?

Yes that's the chaps, amazing attention to interior detail. I suppose DCC oil lighting will be next? Steve BTW, there will always be someone who will want to model the droplights in the half open position.....

If this is the start of things to come from Slaters we are in for a treat - albeit wallet damaging... btw, Damien what are the litttle lugs on the bottom of the droplights on the inside panels for? Steve

Yes, but he'd only fill it with more blue diesels and why would anyone want to do that when they can have Manning Wardles and beautiful carriages?

Considering the amount of alcohol consumed during this build, the carpentry looks remarkably square and level..... Its good to see proper wood being used without apology, I think a mixture of good quality timber and ply is the best way to go for long-lasting boards. I have used all-ply in the past and found it has a tendency to come un-glued in time, and ply will still warp if not sufficiently braced. Find a good timber merchant (a proper one - not the big tin sheds) and it pays dividends in the long run. Looks like the job will be done just in time for the release of the EDM L&B loco kit....... Steve

A Spring Model Railway Show in Cornwall

Very nice Neil, can I ask if the drawing is your own or an actual prototype? I wonder if Hornby will make the Radial chassis available as a spare.... Steve

Steve Horsley Bank is alive and well, although hasn't been out since the Exeter show last summer. It appeared in Hornby Magazine in the July 2016 edition, if I can find the pictures Trevor Jones took I'll try and post them on here. steve howe

http://www.hfmrc.com - A Spring Model Railway Show in Cornwall Sat 22nd April 2017 - Sun 23rd April 2017 Helston Community College, Church Hill, Helston, Cornwall TR13 8NR OPENING TIMES: 10:00 to 17:00 ON SATURDAY 22ND APRIL and FROM 10:00 to 16.00 ON SUNDAY 23RD APRIL ADMISSION: Adults £5.00 Concessions £4.00 Children £3.00 Family £12.00 Helston & Falmouth MRC's exhibition has moved to bigger venue! 15 layouts in scales from 7mm to 2mm. O gauge, 0-16.5, 00, OO9, N Plus full Trade support and demonstrations, ample free parking on site, refreshments, hot food all day, Wheelchair friendly Helston & Falmouth MRC 2017 Exhibition Saturday 22nd April 2017 to Sunday 23rd April 2017 Cornwall's premier model railway show will be bigger and better than ever! Held on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd April at our new venue, Helston Community College, Church Hill, Helston TR13 8NR, there will be more space for more layouts and demonstrations, plenty of free on-site parking and hot food, tea and coffee all day. The show will be open from 10:00 to 17:00 on Saturday 22nd April and from 10:00 to 16:00 on Sunday 23rd April. List of Layouts Attending : Making its debut visit to the South West, 'St Ruth', is the creation of the Midland Area Group of the 2mm Scale Association. Cornish show visitors will instantly recognise that this impressive new layout is closely based on Penzance! Also with a Cornish theme we will have 'Lostwithiel' (N gauge), 'Bodmin North' (O gauge), and the Club's own award-winning 7mm narrow gauge favourite, 'Gweek North Quay'. Other layouts include 'Southurst', an OO gauge Southern terminus in BR days, 'Haydon Gurney', OO gauge, based on the Somerset & Dorset line, 'Lyndon Station' an OO9 (4mm scale, narrow gauge) layout, 'Bridport Town', 0-16.5 narrow gauge, 'Wurst', HO/HOm gauge, 'Mickleham', OO gauge, 'Budmouth' O gauge, 'Elmsbridge' OO gauge , 'Yard Shunter' a yard shunting layout 00 gauge , Balinmuir N gauge and 'Veisendorf' continental N gauge. We will have demonstrations on locomotive construction, carriage and wagon construction, track construction and creating buildings in card so come along, watch the experts and ask questions! Traders at the show will include Kernow Model Rail Centre, Great Western Scale Models, Attwood Aggregates, Fred Elton Railway Books, Andy Lynch The Cornwall Railway Society, Helston Railway, Bodmin & Wenford Railway and the Cornwall O Gauge Group will all be represented at the show. There is ample free parking on-site and hot food, tea and coffee available all day. Entry to the exhibition will be £5 for individual adults, £4 for seniors, £3 for children and a special family rate of £12 for two adults and up to three children. CONTACT: 01326 572685 List of Traders Attending : Kernow Model Rail Centre, Great Western Scale Models, Attwood Aggregates, Fred Elton Railway Books, Andy Lynch Used & Pre-Loved List of Layouts Attending : 'St Ruth' 2mm Finescale 'Lostwithiel' N Gauge 'Balinmuir' N gauge 'Veisendorf Continental N Gauge 'Bodmin North' O Gauge 'Gweek North Quay'. 0-16.5 gauge 'Southurst', an OO Gauge 'Haydon Gurney', OO Gauge, 'Lyndon Station' an OO9 'Bridport Town', 0-16.5 Gauge 'Wurst', Ho/hom Gauge 'Yard Shunter' 00 gauge 'Mickleham', OO Gauge 'Budmouth' O Gauge 'Elmsbridge' OO Gauge List of Demonstrations : Locomotive Construction, Carriage and Wagon Construction, Track Construction and Creating Buildings in Card List of Other Displays : The Cornwall Railway Society, Helston Railway, Bodmin & Wenford Railway Cornwall O Gauge Group ​Helston Community College is a short distance from the main Helston - Redruth road Follow the yellow signs http://www.hfmrc.com

Thanks Andrew, Yes, that's what I want them for, I wonder if Kay still has the patterns? Steve

I'm searching for a set of milled mainframes for the L & B 2-6-2s, I'm sure Alan Gibson used to make them, but they don't appear on the website list, EDM, who took over the kit when Alan retired have no knowledge of them, and the current owners of the Alan Gibson range said they were not interested in looking for the patterns even if they still had them not very productive. Anyone able to shed any light on whether they are still available? Steve

I am about to try the Vallejo paints on my panelled stock. It looks like you painted the upper beading brown as for the lower panels when in fact the GWR painted its upper beading black. Try using a black 1mm marker pen to colour the beading before painting the panels. Steve

Lower Rose got put on the 'back burner as other projects (mostly garden related!) overtook. However I was told by our Exhibition Manager on Wednesday night that it is wanted for our Club show next April, so I hope to resume work shortly after I've retrieved it from the Clubroom where it has been living rent-free for a few months! Steve

I believe the Agenoria range is being re-issued and upgraded by EDM Models: http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/EDM_Models/N1/edmloco.html Steve Correction due to Senior moment, EDM have taken over the 7mm narrow guage kits, I believe the 4mm range is here: http://cspmodels.com/abante/index.php?rt=product/category&path=65

Well, I have acquired 'Adderley Hall' off Ebay for £68 and have to say it looks very good indeed. There are obvious omissions and compromises like the moulded smokebox darts and rear tender handrails, rather 'iffy' looking chimney with a rather conspicuous join round its base, skimpy cab fittings and somewhat simplified crosshead/slidebar detail, but I wonder if all this applies to the 'mainstream' version too? I have not had the works out yet to see what motor it has, but we ran it round the Club layout last night and it ran very sweetly straight out of the box. Although I will be hacking it about to change the boiler fittings, it does seem remarkably good value 'as is' and if the dodgy red versions are to the same standard then they definitely represent a good basis for some TLC. I have noticed however, looking at the Ebay offerings that the 'Hogwarts Castle' looks to be a Modified Hall, judging by the fire iron tunnel on the fireman's side and the swept back steam pipes.

What happened to George's range? I had an idea it was absorbed by London Road Models? Steve

I was thinking that because Ebay seems to be awash with red Halls at the moment, presumably based on the Hogwarts thing, but confusingly named 'Olton Hall' and carrying Great Western lettering! (I know Olton Hall was the original victim of the Harry Potter makeover, presumably it will be restored to its proper guise when all the fuss has died down) I didn't like to display my ignorance as to whether 'Olton Hall' was an un-modified early one, a search of the engine registers seemed a bit ambiguous. 'Adderley Hall' seemed the safest bet. Still, if the body's all the same under a coat of paint it makes sense to bid on one of these Hogwarts efforts as they are generally a lot cheaper!

Thanks for that Edwardian, really helpful. It confirms my thoughts about the Railroad version, after all tooling is an highly expensive process and what manufacturer would produce two separate tools for the same model?! The repainting and detailing was always going to be part of the plan, so now I can start to look for a suitable candidate! Many thanks Steve

Am I to take it then that the Railroad body shell is the new tooling? I ask this because I bought a Hornby Hall on Ebay a couple of weeks ago and my colleagues in the Club tell me it is a fairly old model with only partial daylight under the boiler, and that the basic dimensions were not accurate. Fortunately I managed to sell it on for (slightly) more than I paid for it! My understanding was that Hornby have introduced a new Hall to compete with the Bachmann release, and that it was well received by the Reviewers, but I know nothing of it being in the Railroad range or their mainstream stock. I have no problem with a 'basic' body shell providing it is an accurate representation, I would in all probability replace fittings like safety valve cover, buffers, slide bars, crossheads etc with more scale items as part of the general make-over. The Railroad Hall at around £60 makes for a more viable conversion project than the Bachmann at around £109 upwards, especially when, in my case I would need to supply new wheels. The Hall in Mike's post above looks pretty good to me and I would be wanting the smaller tender, partly because it fits my period and also because, to my eyes anyway, it looks more proportionate than the later ones and definitely prettier than the awful slab-sided Hawksworth thing some of them finally ended up with! Great pics Karhedron btw! Steve

I'm afraid major house renovations, and serious landscaping in the garden has rather pushed modelling off the agenda this summer However I'm hoping to get cracking on the scenic details this Autumn and I have almost cracked the Alex Jackson coupling. But I easily get sidetracked, like planning a cameo addition depicting the arrangements at Wheal Hope mine, terminus of the mineral extension...light FB rail, weedy ash ballast, working Cornish beam pump....any suggestions for modelling stone sleeper blocks would be received with much interest ! Thanks for your interest, Steve

I am not too well informed in the world of RTR locos these days except that the quality seems to be continually rising with every new introduction. Can anyone more knowlegable in these things than I give me a steer on the situation with the GWR 'Hall' class locos from Hornby and Bachmann? I am looking to get an un-modified (i.e early) Hall class loco for conversion to P4. Recent work with the 'Grange' and the 28xx has shown it is relatively simple now to add dummy frames in black plasticard to the existing chassis and swap the wheel sets for scale ones. However I am encountering a bewildering arrray of 'Halls' from various periods both prototypical and manufacture, and I am not sure which is generally considered to be the better model. There seems to be plenty of Bachmann Modified Halls about, but few un-modified, and I don't know what names and numbers the models of unmodified engines were issued under, similarly, the most recent Hornby 'Hall' seems to be part of their 'Railroad' range which I thought was a lesser detailed, more robust range than their standard models? Has Hornby issued a 'Hall' recently which is to the same standard as their 'Grange'? and is the Hornby specimen better mechanically than the Bachmann? Any guidance gratefully received! Confused of Cornwall! Steve

A Day in the Life of Nowhere It’s been a while since we wandered down the lane and gazed over the bridge at the great nonentity that is Lower Rose Goods sidings, and modelling progress has slowed considerably due to other seasonal pursuits. Recently re-reading Paul Karau and Chris Turner’s inspirational 2 volume history on the Watlington Branch, made me realise how life on these rural branch lines went on unchanged for years, following a simple routine dictated by the seasons with a predictable reliability one could be forgiven for thinking would last for ever. I thought it would be interesting to try and picture how the daily routine for Lower Rose might appear to an observer visiting in the early 1930’s. So here is a glimpse of a typical day in early summer; the short burst of activity heralded by the arrival of the daily freight train followed by long hours of torpor interrupted only by the buzz of bees, the warbling of skylarks and the occasional customer arriving to collect or drop off their goods. The real Treamble Branch was timetabled to ‘run as required’ since traffic was always thin at the best of times. However had the line been extended as proposed, it would have certainly attracted more revenue earning traffic including milk, and as such would have warranted at least one regular freight service a day. The usual working was scheduled as part of the 08.05 ex. Newquay to Truro goods train which is where we start our typical day. George Worrall was the goods clerk at Lower Rose in the late 1920s – early 30s and he lived at Zelah a few miles east of Goonhavern. George would cycle to Shepherds station arriving in time to catch the goods train and help with shunting. Wagons for Treamble and Lower Rose were sorted and the remainder of the train left in the yard. Typically there would be a couple of covered vans containing small goods for local traders; one or two loads of coal for Trevails the local merchants; empty mineral wagons for working onwards to Wheal Hope along with a wagon of steam coal for the pump there. Occasionally loads of aggregate or building materials would be sent down to Trevails siding, and about once a month a tank of kerosene for their oil business. In Springtime, empty cattle wagons, ventilated vans and even old milk vans would be pressed into service for the seasonal broccoli and cut flowers. George would stow his bike in the brake van and travel with the Guard for the short trip down the branch. It must have been a pleasant interlude on this warm summer’s morning; the quiet clicking of a freewheeling 45xx running downhill through the woods at Rejerrah, blue haze from the chimney drifting back over the train, dappled sunlight catching the nearby stream and illuminating the haze of bluebells beneath the trees. The two men would take the air on the open verandah observing activity in the fields and discussing the progress of runner beans or early potatoes. Arriving at Treamble loop, any wagons for the sidings there would be dropped off for shunting on the way back, and the train continued to Lower Rose. On arrival, the train would come to a stand at the end of the loop and the locomotive was uncoupled. While the Guard worked the points to allow the engine to run round its train, George would walk forwards to unlock the yard office and get the all-important ‘brew’ going. Any small goods left outside the lock-up sheds would be checked in and the paperwork for the departing wagons collected ready for clipping to the solebars. A ‘siphon’ milk van would have been left empty from the previous days working, and since early morning a steady stream of farmers in carts and vans bearing churns from the surrounding district would have been arriving to off load. George would check the churns and record the sender before making sure they were safely secured in the van. A pip on the whistle announced the return of 4554 propelling the brake van to pause at the yard entrance while the crew consulted with George as to the order of shunt. The usual procedure was to place the brake van at the end of the middle siding and assemble the departing wagons to it, occasionally a few open mineral wagons loaded with broken rock or an empty coal wagon from Wheal Hope would already have been left in the middle siding which would need to be moved and reattached. The last van to be coupled, nearest the engine, was the siphon with its load of milk. The departing wagons would then either be left in the middle siding, whilst the locomotive returned to the end of the arriving train, or, if that siding was needed, drawn into the up loop. The locomotive then propelled the arriving wagons to their appropriate positions beginning with an empty siphon for tomorrow’s milk, coal for Trevail’s yard and covered vans for the loading bank. By this time the kettle in the yard office would have boiled and the obligatory ‘brew’ would be taken before the train departed leaving the yard to slumber in the sun. George would check the waybills on the incoming wagons and enter them in the receipt book, he would then unlock the vans and store the contents in the lock-up sheds that constituted the goods facilities, record the items, make out the postcard notices to the recipients and calculate any charges due. Any large or heavy items that George could not manage alone would be left until the recipient arrived to help with their unloading. During the morning the local carrier would arrive with his van to collect any small items for outlying customers and this would be another opportunity for George to brew tea and set the world to rights. The occasional customer might arrive either to collect or dispatch items; local farmers would come to collect corn or other feedstuffs delivered in one and a quarter hundredweight sacks; or, more rarely a consignment of livestock would be dealt with. Temporary hurdles were kept at the end of the loading bank to make pens for these animals, and it was George’s job to see that they were adequately supplied with water and feed during their stay. Unloading goods, completing the paperwork and dealing with customers usually kept George occupied until lunchtime when he stopped for a pasty. It was not unknown, in busy periods, for a second train to be required, and this would usually arrive just after 2.30pm mainly to collect perishable goods like seasonal vegetables and flowers. The empty vehicles for this traffic having been left by the morning train. On a normal day, the afternoon could drag and George would often pass the time clearing weeds around the lock-up sheds or refilling the oil in the yard lamps. Occasional relief would appear in the form of the platelaying gang who had a hut at Lower Rose and this would be an opportunity for an exchange of news and gossip, but the afternoons, in the winter months especially, could be deadly. The yard office was officially open to the Public between 8.00am and 4.30pm, but goods would often be brought in outside those hours. In the winter George’s last job before he went home was to light the yard lamps, this task was especially important for dark mornings when milk was being loaded from 4.30am onwards. Duties done, George would lock up the office, post the notices of receipt to customers in the box at the yard gate and cycle home.