January 2022 meeting – back online.

Six made it to our January meeting. This was held online due to uncertainty over potential changes to COVID guidelines in England with the change of the year.

Mac Strong gave us an update on his current layout build. This is a museum/ preserved line for his collection of DCC diesel locos. With the aid of a plan drawn up with RailModeller Express he showed what tracks he had laid, what was left to done. We also discussed a few options with respect to sidings, their use and possible operating sequences.

Julien Webb showed his 3D printed Avonside 0-4-0T now with name and works plates from Narrow Planet. He also showed a long term project (one of many!) in the form of an N-Drive Productions Lily. This has been modified to raise the cab footplate level with the running plate and to fit a pony truck.

Andy Foster had managed to obtain some Ninelines Welshpool & Llanfair rolling stock kits and a Dundas L&B Van and there was some discussions as to how best to tackle them.

Charlie Forbes joined us from the East Midlands and showed us some bogie vans. Each van was made from a pair of Dapol Gunpowder vans. He also showed two stone buildings – a station building and a water tower with tank. These were built from Pop Up Designs kits and clad in Scale Model Scenery stone with their slate strips on the station roof. This lead on to discussions about making 4mm scale windows and how they could be 3D printed.

That discussion was very useful as Tim Williams was also online with us. Tim went on to show us the latest things from his 3D printers. The first was a bogie slate wagon that was entirely 3D printed (body, bogies and wheel sets). This was running on Bryn Tegid with other 3D printed stock. Haulage came from Tim’s models of Winifred (Brian Madge kit) and a recently overhauled Blanche (Dundas body on Ibertren chassis). Blanche is destined for a recovered 4 mm scale model of Port Penrhyn. The other model off the printer was a 16mm scale Fairbanks Morse speeder with printed chassis frame, wheels and gears. Tim also showed progress with the 2nd hand Maid Marion (another Brian Madge kit) where the running has been greatly improved by Tim’s fettling.

David Churchill was able to join us to show his latest build. This was a Darjeeling Himalaya 4 wheel van with corrugated roof from a 3D printed kit obtained from India. David was also working on some artwork for 1970s style DHR decals, and had been trying out his recently purchased Silhouette Portrait cutter by drawing up a coach side to cut out.