February 2017 meeting

Back in Edinburgh for this month's meeting, with the wind and sleet to remind us it's February. Time for the results of the Forth and Clyde 2016 Challenge to be revealed. The idea was to model a diorama in 20cm x 16cm, with the only stipulation that it must include some track to 2mm standards. Andy, Jim and Alisdair had completed models to show.

Andy chose to model a coal merchant's siding in a rural setting; he literally put it together in an evening. Cleared of silver birch trees and structures, the board will cunningly be re-used as a fiddle yard traverser in his next project.

The red-painted drum is a paraffin tank, for retail sales as the coal merchant does his rounds.

Jim's creation has already appeared in his RMWeb postings, but here are a few more shots. The pictures say it all really.

Alisdair's diorama featured in last month's blog, but a month later there is slightly more vegetation showing:

The lid with its LED lights lifts off, revealing the frame and backscene which can be re-used for other dioramas.

It's worth clicking on the image to see the detail in the bed of the burn.

As for the rest of us, Stephen was mid-way through his model at last report, but was kidnapped by his fanily this weekend so we didn't get to see it. Simon's model featured in last month's blog entry. Graham and Alistair are in sackcloth and ashes for not finishing anythng worth picturing, in spite of four months to do the job. I'll spare you our pathetic excuses.

Jim had also brought along for inspection the locking-box for the lever frame of his layout "Kirkallanmuir", which he also described briefly on RMWeb.  This is made up from his own etches: the tappets have notches etched in place, and each bridle irons with its locks is made from a single etched unit with multiple layers which folds into place like a particularly fiendish piece of origami. The only time a lock needs to be separately positioned and soldered into place is when one is required on both sides of a tappet. This makes construction much faster and more reliable. Hopefully Jim will write it up in detail for the 2mmSA magazine.

After we'd ooh'ed and ah'ed over these various offerings, and had some lunch, finally some modelling got done.

Alisdair had got hold of a Severn Models "Tools and Wheelbarrows" etch and proceeded to entertain us for the rest of the afternoon as sundry bits of wheelbarrow flew off into the wide blue yonder.

There was some unparliamentary language. But by the end of the session, a wheelbarrow had been conjured up from the flat etch. It has to be said that a 2mm scale barrow is not large.

 Although a complete non-sequitur to the foregoing, here is an image of Alisdair's skrawker for carving surface detail into styrene sheet. Although often described, it is not always obvious exactly what form a skrawker should have. Alisdair makes his from a used Swann-Morton scalpel blade ground to shape using an abrasive wheel in a mini-drill.

Jim spent a couple of hours working on Sauchenford to re-install the ground signal Alisdair stood on at the December meeting, and to bed in some point levers which he'd etched. These too are small.

So small, indeed, that one of the three levers he installed mysteriously disappeared when our backs were turned and could not be found despite considerable searching. Alisdair didn't stand on it, or so he says. Perhaps it is still stuck in the scenery somewhere. Fortunately Jim had made a spare, so all was not lost.

And with that important detail concluded, it was time to return to reality and head off into the rain. If you are visiting  Model Rail Scotland later this month (and if not, why not?), come and have a look at our dioramas on the 2mmSA stand: C15 on the hall plan, next the Scalefour stand and opposite the Gauge 'O' Guild. See you there!