Wednesday 20 March 2013

3 D-elicious

On the build review workbench today for Model Rail a 3D printed narrow gauge RNAD 99hp Baguley Drewry by Narrow Planet. These perky little locos were in use at the MOD Dean Hill complex until recent times on the military narrow gauge network that existed there.

For more info, go to http://www.narrowplanet.co.uk/

A full build review will appear in Model Rail shortly.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Model Rail: Spring 2013 (181)

Model Rail: Spring 2013 (181)

Contents, issue 181 Spring 2013
(between April and May-dated issues.)

Reviews:
Kernow MRC/Bachmann Class 205 DEMU
Olivia's TRains/Heljan EM2 electric loco
Hornby 2-BIL EMU
Bachmann modified 'Hall' 4-6-0
Peco L&B wagons

Model of the year results

Layouts:
Farkham BR 1990 OO
End of the Line O with remote control lorry
Beeley OO

Features:
All aboard the night train (sleeping car services)
Masterclass LNER K4
Top of the Bil

Workbench:
Weather without an airbrush
Make a pond
Improve Hornby's 91
Take the sting out of wasp stripes
Build 3-D printed kits
Paint your own backscene

Plus news, exhibition diary, Backscene etc.

Issue out 21 March 2013

www.facebook.com/modelrail


Farkham
End of the Line




Monday 18 March 2013

Model of the Year 2012: The Results

Model of the Year 2012:
The Results

Each year Model Rail magazine, RMweb and MREmag join forces to ask modellers to vote for their favourite models of the preceding 12 months. The results of the latest poll, are published today.

In another busy year for new British ready-to-run models in the three major scales, Bachmann Europe emerged as the clear winner, sweeping the board in ‘N’ gauge, winning all but one of the ‘OO’ categories and scooping the overall Manufacturer of the Year award with almost 60% of
the vote.

Dapol marked its first venture into ‘O’ gauge modelling with an award for its new coal wagons and Ixion’s brave venture into RTR ‘O’ gauge industrial locomotives was acknowledged too. A delighted Chris Klein of Ixion Model Railways said: “Lindsay, Phil and I are thrilled with the award and thank everyone who voted for us. We wanted to produce a high quality, economically priced model that would attract people to the joys of ‘O’ Gauge and judging by the Hudswell Clarke’s ubiquity at exhibitions and this award, we believe we have achieved our aim."

Dapol’s Dave Jones added: “We are delighted to have won for our ‘O’ gauge wagons, and to be named ‘O’ gauge manufacturer of the year. Although we’re disappointed with our ‘N’ and ‘OO’ gauge showing, we congratulate Bachmann on well earned awards in both ‘N’ and ‘OO’ gauge for its wonderful ‘Blue Pullman’ models.”

Hornby claimed just one prize – for its popular Maunsell pull-push coaches – in a category it dominated once again in 2012. Marketing Manager Simon Kohler said: “This is excellent news. Clearly we have much to do in the other categories but I’d like to thank all those who voted for our products in all of the categories. It really is appreciated by all at Hornby.”

As predicted, Bachmann’s ‘Midland Pullman’ DEMUs in ‘N’ and ‘OO’ won their categories by a landslide, but the company’s ‘OO’ gauge Wainwright ‘C’ Class 0-6-0 was perhaps a surprise winner in front of Hornby’s LNER ‘B17’. The success of Bachmann’s Class 85 electric ahead of the Hornby Class 67 was also unexpected. Both claimed almost double the vote of their nearest challengers.

In ‘N’ gauge, the Graham Farish ‘WD 2-8-0, new Class 20, SR ‘Pillbox’ brake van and LMS Inspection Saloons proved particularly popular with voters, and the brake van was also a strong winner for Bachmann Europe in the ‘OO’ wagon section.

Spring 13 issue - out 21 March
The company’s European Sales & Marketing Manager David Haarhaus said: “We are highly delighted to receive these awards from our loyal customers. The whole team at Bachmann Europe Plc would like to say thank you to everybody who voted for our models. To be pronounced overall manufacturer of the year for a fifth year in succession is a great honour.”

Model Rail editor Ben Jones added: “Congratulations to all our winners. There are worthy victors in every category, but the quality of many models that didn’t win is testament to the high standards now being achieved by all our RTR manufacturers.”

The full list of Model of the Year 2012 awards winners is published in the Spring issue of MODEL RAIL magazine, on sale Thursday March 21st in all good newsagents and model railway shops. Also available for iPad via iTunes.

Website: www.model-rail.co.uk
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/modelrailUK

Sunday 17 March 2013

Polbrook Gurney Colliery Update: Facebook etc...

As part of converting Polbrock into Polbrook Gurney Colliery, sadly the level crossing had to go, the higher level of the new adjacent headshunt and sidings rather negating its usefulness.

Luckily removing the checkrails and picking out the Das modelling clay the road surface was metalled with was an easy task, with ballast taking its place in due course and maybe a small foot crossing from old sleepers to allow access to the halt.

The pub will remain 'as is', despite suggestions that it should be renamed from the 'Pedant & Armchair' to 'The Miners Arms'. The 'Pee and Aee', as it's called by its regulars provides a useful place for those irritating people we all come across at shows and internet forums, giving them somewhere to go during the week when not in care and when the forums fall over from time to time.

Also today, a couple of hours was spent applying cosmetic chairs to the new bullhead rail/copper clad built point that links BR with the colliery - a fiddly job, but one that is important seeing so much effort was put into the original Polbrock track work which uses C & L components.

With time being so short before RAILEX at the end of May, I was tempted not to do this to save time, but the couple of hours required to file the chairs down so they could be superglued onto the copper clad sleepers was well spent I think.

Regulars to this blog, will notice that yet again I have not been posting here quite as much, this is not due to lack of activity, but simply down to the fact that these days I don't sit in front of the computer quite as much twiddling my thumbs. However my Facebook 'Like' page at www.facebook.com/chrisnevard gets daily updates that don't take as long as writing a blog post, because such can often be performed from my mobile/cell phone when on the fly, many of which are small progress reports on various project that maybe don't warrant a whole blog update.

You: Blogger, the machine that drives this blog has made it tricky for blog interaction from you the reader, with silly anti-spam measures which require clever and highly convoluted skills to work out a puzzle of random letters and numbers before any comments can be posted. Facebook however, is a lot simpler, if for some reason you want to comment on some of the drivel I post, get down with da kidz if you're not already. and 'like' www.facebook.com/chrisnevard