Friday 16 July 2021

July 2021 FCAG Meeting



A different author this month. Our Press Officer, Graham, has done a sterling job over the past five years, setting up and maintaining this blog. It's time to give the willing horse a rest, so from now on, expect different authors each month, although, just to be nasty, the Press Officer will be pressed back into service now and again, if only to show the rest of us up. Thanks, Graham! Your dedication to the cause has been (and will be) much appreciated.

 

This month's FCAG jamboree was once again held at ESME Almondell. Unfortunately, due to the unexpected weather conditions, (a strange yellow thing in the sky was scaring the bejabers out of many of us who have the good fortune to live in Scotland) only three of us turned up for the jollifications in West Lothian. Alastair, Chris and Alisdair braved the extreme temperatures (which had reached double figures Centigrade - jings!) and talked 2mm matters for a short while then told each other tremendous lies about those not present. Certainly I hope they were lies; I really don't think that can be done without stripping the copper off sleepers, even between consenting adults.

"Enough of this twaddle!" I hear you say. "Never had any of this nonsense when there was a professional in charge!" OK, I'll get on with it.

As our tame representative of ESME, Alastair took Chris for a tour of the works going on at the site to build the various circuits for 7", 5" and 3" gauges. It's extremely impressive with a turntable being built outside the meeting room. It will be hand operated. I suspect they don't fancy the challenge of getting a stepper motor adjusted.

Alastair had brought us some photos of his current locomotive construction; a 5" gauge LMSR 2P 4-4-0 tender locomotive. It looks like it will be a very impressive beast. No problem with counting rivets there.

 

It must take some time out of the progress he is making on making his 2mm layout baseboards using foamboard and his own 3D printed components. He is also involved in the construction of an ESME N Gauge layout in the same room as we were meeting. We forgave him for his heretical behaviour, because we're nice and aren't as bigoted as some make out. Still, he was sent out to the corridor for an hour to consider his errant ways.

Chris showed us his highly impressive Fowler 4F constructed from a Raithby kit. This is his first locomotive build in any scale (I think) and he is making a superb job of it. He showed us a video of it operating under DC (it will be a DCC model) and it is running extremely smoothly. Here's a non-moving image of the beastie with chimney and dome precariously balanced on top of the boiler and smokebox.: