A Japanese N gauge layout will be the Liphook & District MRC’s exhibit for the Midhurst Modellers Show on Sunday 28th February 2010.
A relative simple job of adding overhead catenary and providing a completely new townscape of Japanese buildings, road layouts and vehicles, plus a small tram line, has transformed Cottleston Park into Yamanouchi Oshika.
Nick has led the conversion and all should be complete for this weekend.
Wish us luck!
As the club’s Weyford-on-Sea 00 layout will not be fully altered and up dated in time for the Midhurst Show we will be exhibiting a relocation of our modern image Cottleston Park to the Far East with new name and changed scenery.
Nick, who has collected a formidable collection of Japanese outline stock of all types had persuaded other N gauge modellers to embark on entirely new layout for exhibition in 2010/11. In reviewing a plan B for the Midhurst Show in late Feb 2010 it was decided that Cottleston Park could easily be refreshed and upgraded as a Japanese layout with appropriate changes to the scenic treatment and buildings in time for Midhurst. Work starts on this immediately, with the layout having been taken out of storage and transferred back to our temporary club room a couple of weeks ago.
Two weeks before the Midhurst Show the layout is due to appear at Alton MRC FEBex. This will be probably be with a mixture of European and Japanese stock as the exhibition manager is keen on seeing plenty of modern image N stock from across the world running on it.
After much contemplation the revised layout will be called Yamanouchi Oshika which I have been assured has been checked to ensure it won’t offend any Japanese speakers!
This layout will be used as a trial for the techniques to be used on the entirely new layout which will now be built slightly later than originally planned.
Work on Weyford-on-Sea continues.
Basic details only. Each layout has a full information pack- please ask.
WEYFORD-ON-SEA
SCALE: 1:76 ‘00’
SIZE: 6000 x 3000
Southern Railway /BR (S) Seaside terminus with separate Docks station, set in Dorset in the late 40’s and 50’s. Terminus to fiddle yard and Docks station. Layout is scenically treated on 3 sides. Plans to add 4th scenic face and seafront promenade for 2011 season (please ask)
Layout travels in 2 mid sized MPV’s. Largest section 1200 x 900.
Layout needs public access to 3 or 4 sides for full appreciation.
Operators: 6
Limited availability, maximum of 50-mile radius from Liphook.
Club Layout.
COTTLESTON PARK
SCALE: 1:148 ‘N’
Through station, with terminal roads and small goods facility, it was designed to show a wide range of British modern image rolling stock in action and has been shown in this form at a number of shows in the South of England. The layout is in a period of further development and may in the future be able to be shown as a backdrop for modern image continental, North American or Japanese outline stock. Please ask.
Layout travels in two cars. Largest section 1200 x 900
Operators: 3/4
Club Layout
The layout is set in the Alpine region of Germany with a fascinating combination of tunnels and bridges against a realistic scenic treatment. The layout is operated with a combination of high-speed passenger trains, slow moving freight trains and local passenger trains by DCC.
Layout travels in one (hired) medium size van in one piece, on wheels. Please no tight turns or stairs on access route from off loading area to exhibition position.
Operators: 2 / 3
Layout owned by member Ben Russ
LYNNBOTTOM
SCALE: 1:450 ‘T’
SIZE: 425 x 900
A layout to demonstrate the qualities of this newest of very small-scale model systems from Japan, it uses as a baseboard a toilet seat and lid. It has full scenic treatment using model buildings, boats, people and animals available to the same scale as the rolling stock. Needs “frontage space” to allow visitors to appreciate the detail.
Layout travels in one car. Requires table as support when exhibited.
Operators: 2
Layout owned by member John Chandler
EAST HANTS LIGHT RAILWAY
SCALE: 1:76 Narrow Gauge ’00-9’ DCC
SIZE: 1070 x 1070
Freelance narrow gauge layout in the round, which imagines a narrow gauge network part military, serving establishments and localities from Alton to Farnborough and South to Port Solent. Part of the Southern Railway post grouping, they invested in modernising the line and rolling stock to reduce costs, but improve services.
Look out for the Eastleigh designed and built diesel railcar running at the zenith of the SR in 1937.
Layout travels in one car
Operators: 3
Layout owned by member Matt Wildsmith
MUHLLAND SUMPHF
SCALE: 1:45 Continental ‘0’
SIZE: 3200 x 900
(Not available until late 2010- please ask)
Small German 0 layout representing a fictional location in Northern Germany in the British Zone, in the period just following the partitioning of Germany, when as a result, many lines between East and West German were “cut” at the border.
This is a sleepy station, originally on a through route east from Hamburg, now finding itself an important terminus for supplies to a nearby British Army and RAF base. No changes have been made to the station layout, leading to some “interesting operational problems”. Meanwhile the East German Army observes from its watchtower….
Layout travels in one MPV-one section 1200 x 900-others 1000 x 900
Operators: 2
Layout owned by club member Tony Bettger
Whew that’s over!
One of the busiest fortnights in the club’s history..possibly
On Saturday 5th September we travelled to Cranleigh Rotary’s Model Railway exhibition to help Graham Ashley with his West Bay layout. I arrived just after the show opened, but there had been some hall layout difficulties which worked out fine for our layout, now located by the entrance to the first of four halls being used.
There was a great turnout by club members and former members. It was good to see David G, David C and Graham, together with Nick and a good time was had operating to a schedule. Tony G and later Andrew and family popped in. An enjoyable day with good company.
Meanwhile over in Ford, Ben was exhibiting Vierbrucken and John with Lynnbottom, with Matt assisting. I joined them on Sunday 6th, with Nick in attendance a.m. The place was heaving with great interest in both layouts.
For the following weekend I helped Ben to load the hired van on Friday afternoon, then early on Saturday morning Ben picked up myself and Matt from our respective houses as we travelled in the van to the RE Club exhibition at Woking Leisure Centre, arriving about 7-45am.
Access route to the Wurlitzer room was long with many fire doors. Unfortunately the final section was a ramp with two tight 90 degree turns too tight for Vierbruken (unfortuately the organisers had ignored the description “In one piece”.)After a sharp intake of breath the top section was removed from the wheeled frame and with some assistance from REC members and the use of Matt’s fingers as cushions, we got the layout to its appointed location.
We thought at first we were in a poor location but instead we were in the first area of the exhibition that visitors saw and they were 3 deep in front for most of the Saturday. Many visitors-adults and children alike had a look around the back to see how trains arrived at the various bridges. Ben deservedly received many compliments on the layout and lots of kids dragged parents back time and time again to see what was undoubtedly their favourite layout. Ben was kept busy with exhibition enquiries from club’s local and far away. Tony G and Graham looked in and sat for a time in our visitors chairs.
Sunday was not so hectic, the team was down to Ben and myself. but the level of interest was still high, with what seemed a number of UK residents from around the world and more opportunity to talk to them and other exhibitors. Ben took more exhibition enquiries.
A close friend of Ben, left his son William to help with operating the layout for much of the day. Andrew and family plus Eric popped in.
Throughout stock generally performed well, particularly the Thayles set by Kato.
The packing up was delayed somewhat by an evacuation of the building due to a possible spurious alarm.
Vierbrucken still unfortunately had to be taken apart, but this time the route to the outside was somewhat shorter but involved a short set of stairs and some tight turns but with help from REC members plus our club chairman – (thanks Martin) we were on our way and unloaded and sitting down at respective homes by around 7-15pm.
Thanks to all those who helped make it such a great two weekends for the club.
The Post ran a piece on the clubs exhibition trail last week and we’ve passed a couple of photos to them for this or next week.
The station boards are now in their travel boxes to protect from damage and to make storage easier; the fiddle yard is in a similar state.
The remaining boards which are the incomplete docks and cuttings sections are erected and can now be worked on in anger.
We have a deadline of end September scenically. Amongst the work is a dockside crane, Weyford Docks platform and the combined passenger terminal for BOAC and Southern Railway Marine services. Also completion of the Victorian housing, road and rail bridges and surfacing the dock area.
A programme of work on the replacement of existing electrics on the station boards has yet to be agreed. This is dependant upon a full operating sequence being available to ensure operational requirements and controls match! Whilst our resident electrical expert, John, is beating up the preserved railways of France, the sequence will be completed for his return.
Although the layout is not due out until next February, we realised recently that there was a dormant invite to the Fareham and District MRC’s Wickham Show in October, of which we have heard nought since last year.
If this invite is forthcoming, it will need some serious consideration of the re-wiring programme. Do we do it before Wickham or after? Both will be problematical, as we want to have at least a month of “operational shakedown” sessions before any major exhibition.
Welcome to Matt from Petersfield, an N gauge modeller who has been considering joining us over quite a period and has now taken the plunge.
Another (very) local N gauge modeller, Caroline came along to see us last Friday and is coming back next week. We hope that she joins the N gauge gang in due course.
It looks like we won’t be seeing David G and David C for a while. For differing personal reasons they are giving the club a rest for a while. We are keeping in contact with both of them and hope to see them in the not too distant future.
Now the extreme cold weather has gone, our temporary clubroom has had some improvements this past week. A ceiling has been installed, (soon with insulation) and the draughty garage doors now have have an insulated “wall” on the inside. The lighting has been improved and completion of the painting of the walls in a Southern scheme of green and cream and the ceiling in white. is under way this weekend.
This work has “added” usable layout space, with the metal racking containing years of railway magazines now positioned up against the new insulated “wall”. This “new” space will enable work on “the yet unamed” Japanese N gauge layout to proceed a pace.
So all this work could be carried out (Many thanks to Andrew and Eric for their usual very professional work) Weyford on Sea was dismantled and will go up again next Friday, by which time the clubroom painting will be complete, some pin boards up on the walls and all tidied away.
The next priority is to continue work on the scenic treatment on Weyford for its next anticipated outing to the Hollycombe Railway Weekend in early June. However we have not as yet received any confirmation of our attendance and seem unable to raise the organiser despite numerous e-mails.
Weyford on Sea 00 40’s/50’s (L&DMRC Club layout)
We have had to withdraw from this exhibition as we cannot get enough operators for this weekend
West Bay 00 Modern Image ( L&DMRC Member Graham Ashley’s layout)
Vierbrucken N German Alpine (L&DMRC Member Ben Russ’s layout)
Lynnbottom-T Gauge Japanese (L&DMRC Member John Chandler’s layout)
Vierbrucken N German Alpine (L&DMRC Member Ben Russ’s layout)
3rd/4th October 2009 (Saturday & Sunday)- Fareham & District MRC Exhibition at Wickham
Lynnbottom-T gauge Japanese (L&DMRC Member John Chandler’s layout)
East Hants Light Railway 009 British (L&DMRC Member Matt Wildsmith’s layout)
Cottleston Park N layout with continental stock and DCC? (L&DMRC Club layout)
Yamanouchi Oshika “N” gauge Japanese themed layout (L&DMRC Club layout)
24th/25th April 2010 (Saturday & Sunday)- Epsom & Ewell MRC Show at NESCOT Ewell
Vierbrucken N gauge German Alpine layout (L&DMRC Member Ben Russ’s layout)
11th/12th September 2010 (Saturday & Sunday)- Worthing MRC Show
West Bay “00″ Modern Image ( L&DMRC Member Graham Ashley’s layout)
It looks certain that the Petersfield Post will cover our attendance at the Wickham show this coming weekend in today’s issue and probably in next weeks as well if we can get photos to them.
UPDATE
Unfortunately the Post didn’t run the story in either issue despite sending a photographer to Wickham! (but did put the picture and a piece in the following week….)
A good time was had by all and the layout attracted a fair amount of attention, with the “DCC with sound ” and “Japanese stock” interludes helping.
The T gauge demo with a circle of track on an A3 sheet of card also created considerable interest.
Our membership leaflet which had been updated to include the wider range of members interests including T gauge was
displayed and about 8 were taken on each day.
The Fareham club put on a good show and it appears we may get an invite for one or other of the club’s or member’s layouts in 2009. Other interest was shown by the Andover club.
With the Japanese theme continuing in the N gauge group, Nick brought along on Friday night, a sample of the latest in Japanese model railway technology T SCALE.
This is considerably smaller than Z with a track gauge of 3mm, that’s about 1/8″. The model of a suburban overhead electric unit runs on about a 150mm (6″) dia circle of track with no points. There is a magnetic device that assists track adhesion. It seems unlikely that it is aimed at the model railway market, more likely an executive toy with the leaflet showing the track in a scale diorama mounted on a small coffee table.
The team expect to show it running above the tunnels sections of Coppleston, when it is at the FarehamMRC show on the 4th/5th October.
Scenic work continues on the 00 layout Weyford on Sea with the goods shed located