Felixstowe Area “N” Gauge Group
FEBRUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER
MEMBER’S ROUNDUP
EXHIBITION 2020 – Update by TB
Planning for the exhibition is progressing well with the following exhibits on the current list;
Layouts; Group Modules, Hadderton, Sutherland, Saneham Tey, Keeling Heath, layouts from Richard, Mike, Ed or Brian & Trevor.
Trade; Orwell, Scograil, Ray & Carol, Middy. +Club stand and teas.
I’m still experimenting with the layout of the hall so might find a bit of extra space we can use.
If any other members have an exhibit to offer let me know. Can’t guarantee I’ll have space but will try.
WEATHERING CONTINUED by CH
After last month’s success with my weathered wagons I have given it a go om my LMS Stanier coaches, though I have not been as heavy as on my wagons.
Sadly, these pictures don’t show up as well compared to the eye, but I have given my nine set a light weathering.
Starting with the roofs, I took them off and gave them a spray of Citadel Chaos Black, a nice mostly matt black with a slight satin finish.
I’ve never really liked the medium grey roofs they come with and I feel a black (tarred roof) sets off the crimson lake livery much better.
Once that dries and the coach is re-assembled, the roof has a dry brush of Humbrol acrylic 67 Tank Grey, to pick out the ribs and vents on the roof.
I have left the sides clean, to show that the staff have pride in their stock and wash the sides.
While the chassis and bogies have a light to medium dry brush of Artiste – Burnt Sienna to show rust and traffic dirt.
I have also lightly weathered the ends and buffers of the coaches - it may not be seen but I know it’s there, so it was done.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the result, though I may come back and add a little dirt around the window frames in the future.
HOME LAYOUT PROGRESS by CH
German 1930’s tramway.
Between a million and one other projects, I’m doing my best to continue work on my Tramway “Hartenberg”.
There are so many things yet to be finished that I am not worrying about them all and just doing what I can.
This currently is finishing building the town’s wall and working on areas like the market and the café street.
The market is now pretty much done and features a lit baker’s oven (using a 50p flickering tea light), market stalls, vendors, tables for people to sit at and two pens for livestock to be displayed in.
I’m still on the process of painting the last 100 or so people so I have not glued down the scratch built chairs that go around the tables.
When this scene is done there will be around 50 to 70 people in it. Also, I’ll not be gluing in the livestock, but instead having them on clear plastic to I can swap them in and out for other livestock.
The Café street is also taking shape, I have all the scratch made chairs placed out and I like the arrangement, it is just waiting for me to finish painting the last of the people before I glue them all on to the layout.
The town wall is coming slowly together and I plan them to be finished and painted for it next outing.
CLUBROOM UPDATES by CH
Dave’s new layout: Progress has gone well with the construction of his new modular boards; three 3’x3’ boards that form a 9’x’3 layout.
He has used 6mm Birchwood ply with a 3’ frame underneath made of the same material and each board has a diagonal cross brace to keep them from twisting.
The centre module is forming the ‘motherboard’ on 4 braced legs with the two either side as ‘Sister boards’ on 2 legs with patternmaker’s dowels and M6 bolts fixing the modules together.
The only real issue has been the cold weather, it has slowed down the drying times of the glue to a snail’s pace, so there is only so far the construction can go before week has to go by for the glue to mostly dry and the construction can continue.
Even with these setbacks, last Thursday the layout was at the point for it to be assembled fully and stood on its own feet for the first time.
Alex’s layout: Alex’s layout is now in a fully powered and running state, with the major parts of her scenery in place.
Her Alpine inspired design will be a real eye catcher when completed featuring many feasts for the viewer.
Alex has taken the build slowly as this is her first go at building a layout, it’s a lot to learn and decide as she goes.
So, her choice of using Kato set track is a wise one as it is very reliable and the points come ready motored for simple ‘plug and play’ without a need for soldering.
Currently Alex is at the stage of finalising the scenery and beginning the fun process of adding the major details like: buildings, roads, paths, water, grass and foliage.
It looks rather brown at the moment but she plans to begin the grassing soon after tunnels are glued in, and the fittings around them are filled.
Kevin W’s module boards: Kevin is building a twin-module set for our module layout, it will be a top line marshalling yard.
The boards have been finished with just their legs to be constructed, and the track design is virtually done.
Track laying is underway with the three lower lines in place, and the top line is begun.
A lot of decisions are yet to be made on how it will be powered but the points are going to begin their work functioning via pull rods rather than powered servos or solenoids.
Chris S’s Trimley: Good news! Now that his eye sight is better he plans to begin work again on his Trimley station layout.
As it has been on hold for so long we just need to move a few things about so that he can get to it again ??.
Richard’s GWR layout: Progress has gone well on the conversion of his small end to end layout, which originally would have had turntable returns, to a now larger full loop layout with a rear fiddleyard.
The new end corner boards are getting their base scenery added and the fiddleyard points layout is laid out, and he is using top mounted Peco point motors.
ON THE HOME FRONT by Mike W
For the last three months my railway room has been full of household furniture, as we had workmen doing various jobs in the house.
At long last the work has been virtually finished and I have finally been able to get the layout out of it’s cases and set it up again!
I sold my cased shunting layout to make extra space – it was on Evilbay and Facebook, I was going to put it on here, but then a club member popped up on eBay and bought it!
As he said, it’s a small world….
I still had a space problem, as the new transit cases are so big, but then I had the brainwave of stacking them on top of one another and using them for storage.
This worked a treat and there is now much more room to move around when watching or operating the layout. Now it’s time to get back to modelling again!
MEMBER'S NEW TOYS
SBB ‘Ovomaltine’, era III
SBB ‘Baar Beir’, era III
SBB ‘Sarotti’, era III