David Holman

Another itch to scratch - love the GSWR lined green...

Much ado about mundane stuff lately, with electrics to the fore. Sadly, the shuttle unit hasn't performed & am awaiting a replacement. Am as sure as I can be that I installed it correctly, but for some reason there was no power going to the track - or at least my multimeter was showing just 0.4volts on the output terminals of the unit. Tried all the trouble shooting options, while in using my old H&M Clipper, the crane and several other locos could all run up and down the isolated section of track, so must assume the problem lies with the unit itself. All a bit frustrating, especially as I'd taken the trouble to wire in an on/off switch [DPDT slider], so that, once set up, the shuttle unit can work the mobile crane while a new train is set up from the fiddle yard. You can see the slide switch in the photo above, which also shows an extra push to make switch for a fourth uncoupling magnet. This is sited on the left baseboard & enables wagons to be uncoupled from the rear of an incoming train and shunted to the right hand siding. Looks like a bit of tidying up needs doing to the paintwork around the control panel! The four red buttons are for the electro magnet uncouplers, while the two toggle switches operate the crossover points at each end of the loop. Top left is a push-pull 'button' which works the starter signal [by wire and cranks], while there is also the socket for the controller and the afore mentioned slide switch. The whole panel is just 15cm x 4cm by the way. The reason for the electrics is to get on and do some more test running, especially as I've decided that common sense must prevail when it comes to exhibiting NPQ. In Belmullet's one and only show at Uckfield three years ago, I wanted to display as much of my stock as possible. However, 7mm stock takes up a lot of space & I've resolved to keep things simpler from now on. Trains are shorter on NPQ too and though it would be nice in some ways to have a range of shunting moves, Fintonagh has taught me that a limited range of moves will keep visitors happy, so long as everything runs smoothly. Hence, alternate trains will be little more that 'out and back', with the loco just running round. Hopefully, with hands free remote uncoupling and the crane shuttling back and forth between moves, this should be enough to maintain interest for both operators and observers, while there is certainly variety in the trains themselves, with at least 14 different options available, over the 1900s and 1950s periods. A small, but important key to the Alex Jackson couplings working well seems to be a U shaped piece of wire, acting as a 'limiter', when the magnet pulls down on the actuating wire. Without this limiter, the actuating wire is libel to catch on the magnet, so requires some careful adjustment - hence more testing... Meanwhile, the Acla is now firmly screwed to the baseboard and the right hand crane is likewise fixed in place - meaning two substantial boxes are no longer required for transport, and likewise two things less to set up and put away come show time. Believe me - every little thing counts when it comes to minimising work on the day.

Nice, very nice - though if it keeps on raining, we may yet need to seek out a good source of gopher wood...

And THAT viaduct of course. Not many could manage such a challenge apart from Richard.

Am still convinced the Jinties were clockwork - you can see the keyhole Ok, it is a sandbox filler... while the Agenora kit looks to have a lot more detail. Would cost a lot more though.

Another jewel in the making.

So, to the fiddle yard. I built it around ten years ago. The frame is ply and softwood sandwich type - two pieces of 4mm ply either side of 12mm softwood blocks. Very robust, but at around four feet long, it is rather heavy, especially when it had integral legs attached. The train table detaches for transport - just as well, for as it is made of 12mm mdf, that would add even more! It is however, based on a really clever idea [not mine, by the way], as within the main frames is a section that slides from side to side. The track table sits on top of this and when the sliding section is pulled right out, the former can be rotated, which means that there is zero handling of trains and stock. The train table is 42" long and has seven broad gauge tracks in its 24" width. Compare that to just four narrow gauge tracks on Fintonagh's fiddle yard turntable. The idea is that NPQ's fiddle yard is shortened to 39" [one metre], meaning it will fit across the boot of my car. Later, a narrow gauge track table will be built, so it can be used with Fintonagh, when that eventually goes out again. So, what to do? Starting with the main frames, apart from their weight and length, they are also much deeper than NPQ's baseboards. However, by cutting out sections of the ends and cross beams, I am now able to slot the board over the two longitudinal beams that sit on the trestles. Chopping out 17cm of length seemed a bit drastic at first, until I realised that if I made two cuts, either side of one of softwood centre pieces, I could then join the fames together again with a new centre piece, in this case made of 12mm ply. Glued and screwed in place, the frames are every bit as robust as they were before. The sliding table had been removed to do this, simply by removing two screws from each end. The table itself is hollow, with 32mm square softwood ends [and one cross piece] and 32x12mm sides. A 4mm ply sheet makes the base, with a sheet of hardboard for the top. To shorten it, I cut out a 17cm section from one end and then used 32mm square wood slotted inside to fix the two sections back together. So far, so good. However, when I tried the rebuilt fiddle yard on the support beams and trestles, I found that when I slid the table out to one side, the weight on the track table caused the whole thing to tip over. Not good - especially as this was without the weight of seven trains as well... After muttering a few words like 'bother' and 'oh dear', on went the thinking cap & I decided the best option was to bolt the fiddle yard frame to the beams, with 100mm M6 bolts and wing nuts. This seems to work ok, though for extra security, I may also bolt the beams to the trestles. A bit of extra work when setting up, but better than seven trains of hand made stock landing on the floor... The final picture of of a new toy, namely an automatic shuttle unit to power the mobile crane on the quayside. Hopefully will be able to report on that soon.

Yes and in the Dockyard too. One year from now on 20th and 21st July. Back in the No5 Covered Slip. All down to some new and enthusiastic members, while mainly model railway based, it will also include other themes like radio control, model ships and aircraft. Will aim to post updates as details are confirmed, but we already have lots of interest from traders, clubs and societies.

It was a nice day at the show on Saturday, though the less said about the weather on the drive home the better! Fintonagh proved to be its usual reliable self, though I did have to fix a broken wire on Friday. The only issue was three wagons needing new knuckle springs on their Kadee couplers, though I also had to fend off several requests for further shows, but even before its debut in October, Northport Quay is also getting invites and I can' do both... Looking back through my journals [I've always kept an informal diary of my modelling activities], Fintonagh has done 23 shows in five years [two of those limited by Covid], covering just under 5000 miles in the process. The longest trip was Cultra last November - a 1000 mile round trip, but Fintonagh has also been south to the likes of Bexhill and Eastleigh, west to Nailsea and north to Birmingham and Burton. Once NPQ has settled down, the aim is to build more Swilly and Donegal stock, then give Fintonagh a small make over and tidy up, so hopefully there will be plenty more outings in the future.

Lovely picture and interesting to see how chunky the diesel is alongside 29. 're dcc, I hope things have changed since my own experiences of flirting with the Dark Side. More than a little care was needed 10 years ago, when fitting chips inside metal bodied locos. Indeed, with the Chatham Club's 0 gauge oval now running again, post Covid, found that the chips on several of my locos were kaput. Now converted back to DC and probably just as well I only used basic, one amp chips (Mashima motors only draw 0.25-0.5 amps), or it would have been multiple hundreds of squids down the pan...

Seriously clever stuff, John! As you say, real modelling, but without the mess, though I guess rude words are still an option! Not my scene (yet, anyway), but doesn't mean I can't admire the quality. Really interesting too.

That's it. Thanks!

Fintonagh makes its last appearance for a while this Saturday at the Letchworth Model Show, which is actually at the Priory School, Bedford Road, Hitchin. Hopefully, it will reappear in two or three years time, but made over with a Donegal/Swilly theme.

Somebody did something like that once, though it was the same scene four times in each of the four seasons. It rotated about a central axis and was more a diorama than a layout. Fairly sure it appeared in an early MRJ and no doubt someone will dig it up for us. As for your idea, accessing the wiring might be a challenge, methinks! However, there are some clever folk out there, so who knows?

After a couple of months break, the layout comes up on the to do list again - this time under the 'general presentation' heading. The pelmets and fascias that I made back in April needed painting, so decided to use the same 'herb green' as on Fintonagh. It is the same colour in both pictures below - which only goes to show the effect lighting can have. In the last few weeks, I've also been brooding over the overall make up of NPQ. The original plan was for there to be a line exiting 'stage right' to the pier. However, there were two issues with this - firstly it would mean the need for an operator at that end and second that my existing drapes would not be long enough. On top of this, a fiddle yard at this end also meant something else to fit in the car, so in the end, decided it had to go. So, the hole in the sky has been boarded over. Operationally, this means the goods train which was supposed to shunt wagons on and off the pier, needed an alternative operation. I think I've solved this by shunting a single wagon to and from the right hand siding. This was originally intended as a sort of shunting neck for the pier manoeuvres, because I don't want a rake of wagons blocking the view at this end. However, a single wagon, alternatively dropped off or added to the goods [itself only three vans and a brake], shouldn't block much of the view. What I do need to do is add a second uncoupling magnet in the platform road to enable the move to happen fairly simply. Th train loco will uncouple, run forward into the headshunt and then reverse into the loop to pick up the van from the siding.. This will then be attached to the brake van and the two vehicles pushed back to the headshunt, ready to be coupled up for departure. My other concern has been the main, left hand fiddle yard. This has been a very effective feature of both Arigna Town and Belmullet, being able to both slide from side to side and rotate as well. Hence no handling of stock is necessary. Unfortunately it is very heavy, so will be cut down from 118cm to 100cm and have 10cm sawn off the overall depth too. The 7 track train table will remain, though the central axis will be off centre. The shortened frame will eventually gain a narrow gauge track table, so it can be used when Fintonagh goes out again after its Donegal/Swilly make over - saving a bit of space in the workshop too... So, lots still to do and NPQ's debut at Uckfield in October feels like it draws ever nearer!

I shudder think how small that number plate must be! Soldering 109 to the sandboxes of Fly was more that enough of a trial for me. Seriously delicate work.

Fly is at last about as finished as any model is likely to be - the recent hiatus in modelling work partly down to a week on the Costa Brava and as a retired teacher I reserve the right to avoid going anywhere in the school holidays. Partly cost, partly avoiding former customers... Anyway, the remaining work was initially about getting the lining on the other side of the loco done, then adding a few final details. The latter have included things like the pair of lamps on the buffer beams, crew and one of those Spawns of Satan, the safety chains and hooks. These really are a pain in the primary orifice and I must either decide to omit such things in future, or reconcile myself to the fact they they will take at least four times as long as I want to spend on the job. The other task was a bit of light weathering. Earlier this year, was delighted to find the following set. Now produced by 'Finishing Touches', it looks very similar to one sold by Roger Freestone quite a few years ago. I think it is made of of little make up tubs, and as can be seen, there is a nice range of tints. I use the darkest rust on brake blocks and guard irons, then lighter greys and buffs on the footplate, smokebox and cab roof to suggest general daily dirt and the effects of smoke. Fly now looks like it works for its living, while retaining a well cared for appearance. While far from perfect, it is certainly a pretty little engine. I haven't properly logged the time taken on painting and lining, but would guess the latter has taken about the same time as overall construction, so about 60 hours in all.

Looks very much at home on your layout.

A very special model. Well done, Alan.

An absolute beauty, Alan. Take away the track it is sat on and it could be a much larger scale, which says everything about the model's quality. Regarding weathering, the powders route might be the safest option - any issues and it can be wiped off with damp cotton buds. Agree that all locos benefit from a bit of weathering, so maybe sticking to the black bits is the way to go? Brakes, smokebox, footplate, cab roof and so on. We also need to see it on Loughan Quay with some wagons. Very much worth all the effort!

Been on holiday, so only just caught with this. One word, three syllables: Fab u Lous!

The proper stuff is freeze dried, which makes it easier to grind down the carcasses...

Then there's the story about the man who took his pet to the vet because it was unwell. After a few days with no improvement, he took it back to another appointment. The vet couldn't find anything wrong, but the man asked for a second opinion. The vet agreed and went to open a connecting door, whereupon a Labrador came in, looked at the pet, shook its head and walked out again. The vet opened a second door and a cat came in and did the same. There you are, said the vet, both the cat scan and lab report agree with me. As for sand, try Chinchilla dust. You can get a large bag from larger pet shops for not very much. Fix with pva, as per ballast. Lighter than sand too and contains no salt.

Lovely stuff! In 7mm scale, Branchlines do an etched chassis, to which it is not that difficult to add a body from plasticard. Indeed, Fintonagh has four - made a side and an end, then a mould for each to cast the rest in resin. Yet to learn CAD and maybe never will, but always impressed by what can be done.

No shame required - they are fine models and anyone would be proud to have created them. As the late Cyril Freezer once said - you can't count the spokes on a driving wheel when it is turning. When models look right, as here, detail becomes less important. Keep sharing - there is so much for us all to enjoy and learn from models like these.