November 2024 Forth and Clyde area group meeting

Attendance at our monthly get-together at ESME's Almondell centre was better this month. Alisdair, Alistair, Alastair, Graham, Simon, Stuart, Jim and James met to opine on matters 2mm. The cooler November weather came as a contrast to the long hot Scottish summer, and took the Almondell heat pump operator by surprise, as it does every year. Not so the Forth and Clyde members, who had come in their winter-wear. Fingerless mittens with 2mm branding might find a market, if the head shopkeeper is reading this.

Before we settled down to our individual projects, Alistair requested a group effort to help him visualise a long backscene which he had volunteered to paint for the ESME N-gauge layout which occupies one wall of their large meeting room.

There was a lot of hand-waving and pointing, and artistic pursing of lips.

Afterwards he got busy painting the white backscene paper with white artist's undercoat. Either that, or he was playing a practical joke on us. It can be hard to tell with Alistair.

Dammit... he seemed to be smiling...

At least the rest of us were taking the meeting seriously. Alasdair was working on 3D print designs for Caledonian water columns, destined for the Grampian group's Dunallander layout.

Stuart was advancing the scenery for his textile mill project.

Alisdair was installing brick drain pans for the water columns on the group cameo layout, Mearns Shed.

Jim had been working on his Underground train etch.

The etches for the 1906 gate stock motor car looked crisp.

The gates, even more so. Breathe carefully in case you inhale the part.

The chassis design has gone to a third iteration to gain an extra fraction of a millimetre of clearance.

Graham had contributed 3D printed details, including louvre ventilators...

and a roof. This is an trial print to check the fit.

James has been working on his Association Class 04 chassis. The motor now has a Neoprene linkage to the worm.

James attached the balance weight overlays with superglue, but found it rather ineffective so he tried soldering... but the flux attached the steel tyres...

so it was back to superglue. Finally the wheels are ready for painting.

James has also fallen victim to the siren song of AliExpress. He discovered (and promptly purchased) a rolling road for under fifteen quid. (Try googling "N gauge rolling road"). 

 Some discussion about how to adapt it for 2FS followed.

Simon has been quietly working away at home on some of the kits he picked up at the Derby expo bring-and-buy stand. He brought some of the results to show us.

 A rake of tank wagons. Railtec transfers were used.

A Gresley gangwayed passenger brake from the Ultima kit. Glazing still to be added.

An LMS 6-heeled fish van from the Association kit. Awaiting wheels.

A BR 20T brakevan, again from the Association kit. And it looks like it's glazed.

All in all an enjoyable day's modelling and a successful meeting which recharged our collective creative batteries to see us into December. As usual, thanks to ESME for making us welcome in a bright, clean, spacious environment.