Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

Sorry to pick you up on this Tony, but I used imbalanced for that very reason.

 

Mike.

(far too clever for his own good it would seem!).

Thanks Mike,

 

point taken................

[Tony Wright]

The survey run by Michael aka Ozexpatriate, which is just a few threads down from this one, would tell you very differently.  36% of those who responded prefer the Blue  pre-TOPS or later and this rises to 57% if you add in BR late crest.

 

The danger of judging by looking at clubs and groups around you is that there is a tendency for groups to home in on specific things.  If it fits with you, you stay, if not you go.  

 

When I was active in my UK club, just about everyone modelled NER/LNER, the clubs around were of a similar ilk - could I then assume that the UK was full of LNER modellers?  Of course not - as a review of any of the magazines would have shown with a very strong bias towards GWR.

 

Simple fact was the club was based in the North East of England.  

 

As for N gauge, I can well believe that the bias towards more modern eras is even stronger.  The survey shows a very strong reliance on rtr items and in this respect there seems to be a pronounced bias towards Farrish producing more modern models.

Andy,

 

Many thanks.

 

Is it fair to say that the largest interest in railway modelling right now is the steam/diesel transition era on BR? Say, 1956 (late crest) until the start of the BR blue era from 1964? 

 

I have no real empirical evidence for this, other than I'm told by the manufacturers and traders I speak with that their best sellers are (in OO) BR steam locos with late crest and BR green diesels. That said, a friend whose partner runs a model shop in the NW said they'd sold out almost straight away of a new, up-to-date model (by Dapol, I think) of some weird-looking new diesel finished in an even weirder livery. 

 

This has probably been mentioned before, but that most-popular of time periods coincides with the principal trainspotting boom of 50-60 years ago. 

 

It would also seem that the BR blue/grey era is becoming more popular because trainspotters of a later generation are now well into middle age and wish(?) to recreate their memories. 

 

I think what's also significant about the period 1956-'76 (and later in some parts of the country) is that (apart from the WCML electrification), in the main the surviving steam and the new-fangled diesels ran over a Victorian, steam-age infrastructure, complete with very complex track formations controlled by mechanical signalling. Returning to my Irwell bookazines, I have many pictures of all-blue diesels on the ECML, still beckoned-on by semaphores, as late as 1977 (even later north of Edinburgh). Indeed, I have pictures of Class 50s controlled by semaphores at least a decade later on the WR. 

 

Will we see more layouts (in all scales and gauges) showing the Sectorisation era (and later) in the near-future? From my own perspective, I gave up real-railway photography in the early-'90s because the variety of different classes was diminishing so rapidly, 'traditional' railway infrastructure was being swept away at a most-alarming rate and the myriad of different liveries was just too confusing. Is there a '90s/'00s equivalent of Stoke Summit out there, I wonder? Or a Tebay, Biggleswade, Retford, Peterborough North, Rugby, Yatton Junction, Alton or any other prototype depictions from the steam/diesel time? 

 

Food for thought? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Tony Wright

[Northmoor]

Model railway exhibitions should not be competitions. I personally cannot see the point of awarding a cup to the best layout. 

I agree, but........my first ambition in life, probably even before wanting to be James Bond, an England fast bowler, the Prime Minister, Transport Minister, the 21st Century's Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a great industrialist or 500cc Motorcycle World Champion, was to build "Railway of the Month" and win the Railway Modeller Cup.

 

I've still yet to actually finish a model railway, but to be honest I'm still closer to winning that cup than becoming any of the others.

[71000]

' Having produced the first German exhibition layout in Britain using British construction techniques'

 

Nothing we didn't do in South Shields club in the early 70's.  Really, such a sweeping statement I couldn't let pass.  Poor show.

New Haven Neil.

 

You obviously don't know the layout I constructed. It was called "Zweibrucken". Its first show was in 1980. It was the first layout seen at the National show built at 4ft 3in above the floor. At that time many layouts were still as low as 3ft. It was the FIRST Continental layout on the exhibition scene to utilise British style finescale handbuilt pointwork, including Dual gauge, as we had a narrow gauge modeller in my group. Advanced for the day Marine ply sandwich framework baseboards. Advanced architectural modelling products not the then poor quality British scenic rubbish. Scratch built buildings. Specialist etched brass "Railino" signalling, and a host of other products from various Continental specialist suppliers. Most of whom are still totally unknown in Britain today. The layout also introduced the "Kiddy box" to the exhibition scene. i.e Quality built sturdy wooden boxes with handrails, which included publicity material displays promoting the GRS. Of various heights for kids to stand on to get a better view.      

 

"Zweibrucken" was also the first non British layout on the exhibition scene to use "TCC" (Track Circuit Control). A wiring system developed by myself and the then BR Southern Region, Central Division, Chief Signalling Officier Mike Sargent. This takes the real life system using track circuits and adapts it to use commercial electrical products, to do exactly as its real life counterpart does. So for the first time viewers were entertained to fully operating German signalling that operated in exactly the same way as their real life counterparts. So for example sleepy operators who crash red signals find their trains brought to a halt. That being just one of the advantages of TCC. Although as the layout was operated by two BR signalmen and a couple of BR Train Drivers, along with the "Brinks Mat" robbery, Burglar alarm engineer. So "Signals Passed At Danger" wasn't actually a problem for us. The TCC system, I still use, which will be going on my current little layout "Basingstoke 1958-67" 85ft x 22ft 9in.     

 

Obviously as you were in the South Shields club at the time, you will remember the leading light of German modelling of those days "Bill Roberts". And of course the redoutable "Gerry Veit", another well known name and German modeller of that era, who was himself a German living in Britain.

 

Bill Roberts who's layouts had already featured in certain modelling magazines, was also on the then committee of the German Railway Society. All of whom lived at that time up your way, in the Leeds, Huddersfield region.  So when "Zweibrucken" made its first apppearance, and in just its first show, Quadrupled membership of the GRS, this rather stunned the committee. So they all came hotfoot down to Surrey to see what they had missed at the show. And as a result of what they discovered, I replaced Bill Roberts as the Editor of the GRS. This does NOT imply that Bill was in any way lacking in his abilities as Editor. But because he was in favour of me taking his position because of my layout. Knowledge of the real German Railways. And my skills working at that time for a London Newspaper in Marketing and Advertising. All of which benefitted the GRS.  

 

Gerry Veit, you must know, as everyone knew that larger than life hilarious character. He was of course also known for his complex N gauge German layouts. But he too was taken by "Zweibrucken" because of its abilities to meld the best of British Modelling with the best Germany had to offer.

 

Oddly I don't seem to remember any German layouts from the South Shileds Club. Where you part of the GRS organisation? If you were, just check your old GRS magazines from that era, and you'll find my name against the post of Editor.

 

Best regards

 

71000 

[Clive Mortimore]

New Haven Neil.

 

You obviously don't know the layout I constructed. It was called "Zweibrucken". Its first show was in 1980. It was the first layout seen at the National show built at 4ft 3in above the floor. At that time many layouts were still as low as 3ft. It was the FIRST Continental layout on the exhibition scene to utilise British style finescale handbuilt pointwork, including Dual gauge, as we had a narrow gauge modeller in my group. Advanced for the day Marine ply sandwich framework baseboards. Advanced architectural modelling products not the then poor quality British scenic rubbish. Scratch built buildings. Specialist etched brass "Railino" signalling, and a host of other products from various Continental specialist suppliers. Most of whom are still totally unknown in Britain today. The layout also introduced the "Kiddy box" to the exhibition scene. i.e Quality built sturdy wooden boxes with handrails, which included publicity material displays promoting the GRS. Of various heights for kids to stand on to get a better view.      

 

"Zweibrucken" was also the first non British layout on the exhibition scene to use "TCC" (Track Circuit Control). A wiring system developed by myself and the then BR Southern Region, Central Division, Chief Signalling Officier Mike Sargent. This takes the real life system using track circuits and adapts it to use commercial electrical products, to do exactly as its real life counterpart does. So for the first time viewers were entertained to fully operating German signalling that operated in exactly the same way as their real life counterparts. So for example sleepy operators who crash red signals find their trains brought to a halt. That being just one of the advantages of TCC. Although as the layout was operated by two BR signalmen and a couple of BR Train Drivers, along with the "Brinks Mat" robbery, Burglar alarm engineer. So "Signals Passed At Danger" wasn't actually a problem for us. The TCC system, I still use, which will be going on my current little layout "Basingstoke 1958-67" 85ft x 22ft 9in.     

 

Obviously as you were in the South Shields club at the time, you will remember the leading light of German modelling of those days "Bill Roberts". And of course the redoutable "Gerry Veit", another well known name and German modeller of that era, who was himself a German living in Britain.

 

Bill Roberts who's layouts had already featured in certain modelling magazines, was also on the then committee of the German Railway Society. All of whom lived at that time up your way, in the Leeds, Huddersfield region.  So when "Zweibrucken" made its first apppearance, and in just its first show, Quadrupled membership of the GRS, this rather stunned the committee. So they all came hotfoot down to Surrey to see what they had missed at the show. And as a result of what they discovered, I replaced Bill Roberts as the Editor of the GRS. This does NOT imply that Bill was in any way lacking in his abilities as Editor. But because he was in favour of me taking his position because of my layout. Knowledge of the real German Railways. And my skills working at that time for a London Newspaper in Marketing and Advertising. All of which benefitted the GRS.  

 

Gerry Veit, you must know, as everyone knew that larger than life hilarious character. He was of course also known for his complex N gauge German layouts. But he too was taken by "Zweibrucken" because of its abilities to meld the best of British Modelling with the best Germany had to offer.

 

Oddly I don't seem to remember any German layouts from the South Shileds Club. Where you part of the GRS organisation? If you were, just check your old GRS magazines from that era, and you'll find my name against the post of Editor.

 

Best regards

 

71000 

 

I don't give a hoot who you are as I don't give a hoot about German railways but it seems you have no idea who Tony is the way you have blasted on to this thread.

 

As you seem so important that you were an editor of a magazine most of us would have missed, check out who the past editors have been, not a low circulation society magazine but one that was in general circulation, you could buy it W H Smith's, that is BRITISH RAILWAY MODELLING.

 

It is quite odd that you can be impressed with a layout then all of a sudden any respect I had for Basingstoke has disappeared.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Clive Mortimore

[grahame]

You obviously don't know the layout I constructed. . . . .  the first layout seen at the National show built at 4ft 3in above the floor . . . . .  the FIRST Continental layout on the exhibition scene to utilise British style finescale handbuilt pointwork, including Dual gauge, . . . . . Advanced for the day Marine ply sandwich framework baseboards. Advanced architectural modelling products not the then poor quality British scenic rubbish. Scratch built buildings. Specialist etched brass "Railino" signalling, and a host of other products from various Continental specialist suppliers.

 

. . . . "Zweibrucken" was also the first non British layout on the exhibition scene to use "TCC" (Track Circuit Control). A wiring system developed by myself and the then BR Southern Region, Central Division, Chief Signalling Officier Mike Sargent. This takes the real life system using track circuits and adapts it to use commercial electrical products, to do exactly as its real life counterpart does. So for the first time viewers were entertained to fully operating German signalling . . . . 

 

. . .  . when "Zweibrucken" made its first apppearance, and in just its first show, Quadrupled membership of the GRS, this rather stunned the committee. So they all came hotfoot down to Surrey to see . . .  .

Knowledge of the real German Railways. And my skills working at that time for a London Newspaper in Marketing and Advertising. All of which benefitted the GRS.  

 

. . . .  taken by "Zweibrucken" because of its abilities to meld the best of British Modelling with the best Germany had to offer.

 

Gosh. . . . a lot of self promotion there.

 

If I may be so bold but you do seem to have a rather unfortunate way with your posts. It comes across (well, to me at least) as disrespectful boastful arrogance. A few other responders on this thread have already given rather more forceful replies.

 

Perhaps a few photos might help do the talking for you rather than the continuous self-praise and 'talking-up' your abilities and layouts. A more self-effacing approach might help win back those you appear to have alienated. Just a thought. Nothing personal.

 

G.

[46256]

Reference Railway modeller, I was intoduced to this magazine in 1967.... Ten years old ...we had moved house from a rented property near to Water Orrton station...the house resplendent with outside loo ...to a social housing...(council house) at the other end of the village...inside loo, hot water tank and bath...no more heating a separate boiler canister ..for mum to fill the bath in the kitchen for our weekly .....i almost feel I am writing the Monty Python sketch ......you were lucky....septic tank in middle of road

 

As ever I digress one advantage of living in our former house was its proximity to the main station....on moving my love of railways may have been lost...however our new neighbour on moving was a railway enthusiast. Mr George Burton. He had a wonderfull Hornby Dublo three rail layout in his spare room. I have been privileged to have seen many model layouts since....not least the MRJ exhibition Central Hall 1990...none however captivated me more than this layout. Mr Burton in addition, to allowing me to view his layout gave me his collection of Railway Modeller Mags 1963 onwards to 67. I was intoduced to Marthwaite....the extensive Liverpool club 7 mm layout Peter Denny....Freezer...Essery..Jenkinson...to name but a few of those luminaries..my ambition was to have one of my creations featured in that magazine. I stress not to win awards...nor to elicit praise ...he lied..nor worse still to be the subject of ...apologies ..nostalgia...it was the sight of that modeller front cover bought itv all back

[John Isherwood]

New Haven Neil.

 

You obviously don't know the layout I constructed. It was called "Zweibrucken". Its first show was in 1980. It was the first layout seen at the National show built at 4ft 3in above the floor. At that time many layouts were still as low as 3ft. It was the FIRST Continental layout on the exhibition scene to utilise British style finescale handbuilt pointwork, including Dual gauge, as we had a narrow gauge modeller in my group. Advanced for the day Marine ply sandwich framework baseboards. Advanced architectural modelling products not the then poor quality British scenic rubbish. Scratch built buildings. Specialist etched brass "Railino" signalling, and a host of other products from various Continental specialist suppliers. Most of whom are still totally unknown in Britain today. The layout also introduced the "Kiddy box" to the exhibition scene. i.e Quality built sturdy wooden boxes with handrails, which included publicity material displays promoting the GRS. Of various heights for kids to stand on to get a better view.      

 

"Zweibrucken" was also the first non British layout on the exhibition scene to use "TCC" (Track Circuit Control). A wiring system developed by myself and the then BR Southern Region, Central Division, Chief Signalling Officier Mike Sargent. This takes the real life system using track circuits and adapts it to use commercial electrical products, to do exactly as its real life counterpart does. So for the first time viewers were entertained to fully operating German signalling that operated in exactly the same way as their real life counterparts. So for example sleepy operators who crash red signals find their trains brought to a halt. That being just one of the advantages of TCC. Although as the layout was operated by two BR signalmen and a couple of BR Train Drivers, along with the "Brinks Mat" robbery, Burglar alarm engineer. So "Signals Passed At Danger" wasn't actually a problem for us. The TCC system, I still use, which will be going on my current little layout "Basingstoke 1958-67" 85ft x 22ft 9in.     

 

Obviously as you were in the South Shields club at the time, you will remember the leading light of German modelling of those days "Bill Roberts". And of course the redoutable "Gerry Veit", another well known name and German modeller of that era, who was himself a German living in Britain.

 

Bill Roberts who's layouts had already featured in certain modelling magazines, was also on the then committee of the German Railway Society. All of whom lived at that time up your way, in the Leeds, Huddersfield region.  So when "Zweibrucken" made its first apppearance, and in just its first show, Quadrupled membership of the GRS, this rather stunned the committee. So they all came hotfoot down to Surrey to see what they had missed at the show. And as a result of what they discovered, I replaced Bill Roberts as the Editor of the GRS. This does NOT imply that Bill was in any way lacking in his abilities as Editor. But because he was in favour of me taking his position because of my layout. Knowledge of the real German Railways. And my skills working at that time for a London Newspaper in Marketing and Advertising. All of which benefitted the GRS.  

 

Gerry Veit, you must know, as everyone knew that larger than life hilarious character. He was of course also known for his complex N gauge German layouts. But he too was taken by "Zweibrucken" because of its abilities to meld the best of British Modelling with the best Germany had to offer.

 

Oddly I don't seem to remember any German layouts from the South Shileds Club. Where you part of the GRS organisation? If you were, just check your old GRS magazines from that era, and you'll find my name against the post of Editor.

 

Best regards

 

71000 

 

Ohh - it's all about you, and one-up-manship, isn't it !!

 

I'm not going to waste much more time on you - other than to suggest that you're not really going to fit in here, are you? Perhaps your exile to Spain was a solution to a similar problem in the past?

 

I won't go so far as to call you a troll, but you do seem intent upon causing disquiet whilst lauding your own achievements(?); I would suggest that other members may choose to ignore your posts from now on.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[rowanj]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

[John Isherwood]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

 

Yep - I've spent the afternoon finishing the construction of my Impetus PWM652.

 

However, when someone obnoxious comes along - albeit infrequently - a brief diversion can be warranted in the interests of restoring the equilibrium of the group.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Lecorbusier]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

 

I've been experimenting building some track work ... a test track with crossover and playing around with ballasting techniques. Currently wrestling with the actuation and rodding. Very enjoyable but a bit dull for posting here.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Lecorbusier

[Clive Mortimore]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

 Hi Rowan

 

I have been busy breaking this instead of making it.

 

I haven't done much to it in the past few days as I have been making the control panel for my layout, so yes I am doing some muddling. 

[grahame]

Is anyone doing any actual modelling?

 

Yep. I'm part way through making models of the buildings and structures around London Bridge. See the thread below.

 

G

[Tony Wright]

I don't give a hoot who you are as I don't give a hoot about German railways but it seems you have no idea who Tony is the way you have blasted on to this thread.

 

As you seem so important that you were an editor of a magazine most of us would have missed, check out who the past editors have been, not a low circulation society magazine but one that was in general circulation, you could buy it W H Smith's, that is BRITISH RAILWAY MODELLING.

 

It is quite odd that you can be impressed with a layout then all of a sudden any respect I had for Basingstoke has disappeared.

Clive,

 

It's very kind of you to 'leap to my defence', but I should point out (if only for the record) that I was the Assistant Editor/Photographer at BRM, not the Editor. Speaking of editorships, it's been my privilege today to be invited to be the new editor of the LNER Society Journal, to which I'm definitely going to give some serious consideration. It is, indeed, an honour to be asked. 

 

I also don't mind robust discussion (in fact, I encourage it) and I'm sure 71000 has plenty to offer to any debate (though I do wish I knew who he was). I'd also like to see his Basingstoke when it comes to fruition, though I'm sure he'll eventually find, as Roy Jackson and I have done (and others) that RTR bogies, running on large layouts, very soon wear out their bearings. 

 

In closing, may I correct an error on my part, please? I erroneously called the award at the Southampton Show the Chairman's Cup. It should be the Founder's Cup. My apologies, though it doesn't alter the excellence of the layouts which were automatically entered for it. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Lecorbusier]

Yep. I'm part way through making models of the buildings and structures around London Bridge. See the thread below.

 

G

Just to say, I am really enjoying watching your modelling of London Bridge unfold ... it's my area and great to watch what you are doing.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Lecorbusier

[westerner]

I too have ben modelling and have almost finished building a set of stairs for the footbridge which will act as aview block on my new cameo layout. A first for me was painting the Wills brick work.

 

[St Enodoc]

cast metal bogies, if properly erected (with springing/compensation in the finer gauges), using top-hat brass bearings and steel pin-point axles are actually freer-running than plastic RTR ones

Except the old Trix graphite-filled nylon ones, which would run away if you as much as looked at them.

[Tony Wright]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

Thanks John,

 

The voice of common sense...................

[petrovich]

Thanks John,

 

The voice of common sense...................

04:28 !!!!!

 

Regards

 

 

Peter

[The Fatadder]

It's interesting that Tony finds the latest series of posts interesting, as I find them tedious and juvenile. Is anyone doing any actual modelling? Out of interest,I'm about 90% through a Dave Alexander J77 kit

Not right now as I am sadly in the office, however I did spend the evening working on a PDK kit for a GWR 47xx having decided to build a kit rather than buy the Heljan model. Fully inspired by this thread to build rather than buy (even if in this case the loco body was part built by its previous owner)

[copleyhill007]

Congratulations Tony!!

[Enterprisingwestern]

I spent last night tracing one of those annoying intermittent wiring faults we all love, finally traced to a turnout vee, whish, whiulst it looked as though it was ok, had actually lifted microscopically from the copperclad at the pointed end of the vee but was still attached at the outboard end, the frog wiring connection being on the the joint which had lifted.

 

Mike.

[Headstock]

Painting,Painting and more Painting, too busy to photograph. I must buy more paint.

[Bucoops]

Working. Boring. Been a bit crazy. Hoping it's calming down a bit now so I can do what I want to be doing and fire up the soldering iron again

[Craigw]

I posted this on my workbench on the S4 Society forum, but since people are talking about what they are doing.... 3 wagons and a TOAD. Two are Parkside-Dundas O11 opens with Morgan Design etched under frames, a David Geen 3 plank open and a Hornbt van backdated to a 1919 build AA15 - rod for the step brackets, and split high position windows at the end. Still have to paint them all, however the Sydney weather has been very humid and I have been reluctant to fire the airbrush up.

 

Working on more in the mean time.

 

Craig W