Getting back into it

[Maitland]

New member Maitland here- named after the Isle of Man Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T- having been out of modelling for many years while running a small electronics business and raising kids. My interests have always been the slightly off centre- narrow gauge, broad gauge, the ramshackle and the racketty, might-have-beens and so on. Anyway, I recently opened some boxes still as packed when we moved house twenty years ago, and thought maybe it's time to make something of the contents. My part- built SSM J26 looks a little sad and battered now, but I expect it will spruce up and I'll get round to finishing it. I've got to find the Scalefour Society 21mm track gauge, that must be in another box somewhere, and make up something to run it on. And get a few of the Worseley Works MGWR carriages. Nothing too big, there's still a lot of diplomatic work to be done as regards somewhere to put the layout.

 

One thing I have done while I've been away is learned to use CAD, and I recently created this drawing of an SL&NC 0-6-4T - the forum doesn't seem to allow an attachment big enough to see it properly, but if anyone likes it and wants it as PDF or DXF just ask. I think it's mostly almost accurate.

 

Anyway, times have moved on a long way since I last broke a piercing saw blade, so I'm sure I'll be asking for lots of advice over the next few months. It looks as though there's a lot of expertise to draw on here.

 

[heirflick]

welcome on board Matland - thats a cracking job you have done on westys tank

[Garfield]

Welcome, Maitland... your J26 looks great, as does the drawing! There seems to be a lot of interest in the SL&NCR here lately.

[enniscorthyman]

Welcome to the site,and nice work on the j26.

[RedRich]

Welcome Maitland, the kit build looks great. Even though a lot of people leave the hobby for any amount of time, they always come back. I think it shows just how appealing and special the hobby is, and you joining the group is a great example of that. I look forward to more updates.

 

Rich,

[Dave]

Welcome Maitland, lovely work there. You will get all the help you need right here.

[IrishModelRail]

Welcome to the site, it's a great way to help you get back into modelling:)

[islandbridgejct]

Judging by the J26, I think a lot of the advice and help may be going the other way.

 

Alan

[Maitland]

Heirflick- (and Weshty)- sorry, that's not (as I thought when I posted) an SSM kit, it's one of the old TDM kits. I subsequently find in another box, along with the buffers, springs and valves not yet put on the J26, a half- built J15... this time actually SSM. I've forgotten a lot in 20 years! By the way, anyone need a MGWR chimney casting? I used a friend's lathe to make the later variety all those years ago.

 

Also, sadly, with 20 years' storage, the mechanism is rather siezed. A bit of chassis rebuild is called for- with great trepidation as the way I built it, you can't remove the motor without taking the wheels off their axles, and with P4 tolerances getting them back on, and aligned, and still sticking together, is a project I could have done without. I'll try to do it right this time.

 

Anyway, planning the place to run it- no name yet (Lissamona? Gortnalour? Knockannamurnagh? Kenieragh Wharf?)- it's going to be a small town, probably by the sea (Baltimore- or Timoleague- ish), with the town clustered about. So it will need a pub. This one is not a million miles from one I had a good time in, back in the Seventies, in Ballycotton, a bit east of Cork:

 

http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9514&d=1381535392&thumb=1&stc=1

 

(Tin whistle, flute and fiddle in decreasing order of aptitude if anyone's interested).

McGrath's Bar.pdf

[David Holman]

VERY nice sir!

Dare I mention that Tyrconnel [alphagraphic catalogue] produce a 7mm J26, while there is a 7mm small tank also available again. Methinks you are very much doing the right thing in terms of gauge though. 21mm looks so much better than 16.5