Dutch Scale Seven Group report no. 12

We had a busy time the last 4 months of the year 2011 which is why we didn’t have a report in the last S7 Newsletter.

But now there is time to write down all the progress and special things we did.

At two modelling shows we did set up the Scale Seven promotion stand. In October at the Dutch Nul weekend in Zutphen for two days where we had a lot of talk with serious 0 gauge modellers but they are still afraid to take a step forward to the Scale Seven standards. But we enjoyed the show and had a good time. This meeting is the only meeting for the Dutch 0 scale modellers. The second show where we set up our stand was the 0 weekend in Belgium. The Belgium 0 forum organized this small 0 Gauge show and we promoted the Scale Seven standards there on a Saturday. But the same as in the Netherlands the Belgium modellers stay where they are with the NEM or Finescale standards. But the promotion board we got from the UK Scale Seven group was an eye catcher at the shows. When everything goes well Ton will show his Scale Seven layout “Tripton at  Sea” at the Dutch Rail 2012 show in February.

Our modelling is going forward with small steps. Ton is hard at work with his GWR 517 Class engine and his GWR 0-6-0 Pannier.

GWR 0-6-0 Pannier detailed cab.

   And Cor did some work at the inside motion of the GWR Pannier tank Ton built.

Inside motion GWR Pannier.

And Arnold made progress with his GWR 'Paco' Horsebox diag. N8. This model is almost finished so Arnold can start with a new project to build. 




GWR 'Paco' Horsebox diag. N8.



Nice details at the doors.

 Cor’s work at the Cowan Sheldon crane is almost finished. At Cor ‘s house the Scale Seven railway is making a lot of progress and the project is still on schedule. At the end of 2011 the first part of the woodwork and wiring is finished and we started to build the tracks. All the tracks must be hand laid. We produce our own sleepers of real wood.

Three stages of track building.



Cowan Sheldon Crane.

 The railway is build as a home layout  so we can’t  set up the railway at shows or exhibitions. We made a heavy wooden base with 18mm surface MDF boards as a basis for a strong and steady layout. Under the layout surface we mounted the standard DCC wiring  and in the front the Lenz LA152 connector units.  For the railway bed we used 3,5 mm hardwood multilayer and on the bed we glued the wooden sleepers.

As a prototype we used the Minehead station during the 1900 – 1910 period. A perfect guide to get information about  this station is the beautiful book “The Minehead Branch 1848-1971” .

And certainly we have a lot to do and still some unfinished kits in the drawer but we can’t resist the fine kits offered by the traders. Arnold bought the beautiful MOK Armstrong kit, Cor and Ton bought some kits to build wagons such as Iron Minks, Toads, Scorpion etc. We like modelling with brass so we only bought brass kits.

Till next,

Cor.

Extra DSSG report: Promoting Scale Seven in Belgium

In the weekend of 26 & 27 November the Dutch Scale Seven Group will have a promotion stand at the Belgium 0-Forum weekeinde.
This is our first step to promote Scale Seven modelling in Belgium.


Location of the exhibition




What  : 0-Forum weekeinde
Where : Ontmoetingscentrum Hofstade
        Zemstsesteenweg 15
        1981 Hofstade (near Zemst)
        Belgium
When  : 26 & 27 November 2011
        Saturday from 11:00 h till 17:00 h
        Sunday from 10:00 h till 16:00 h
Admission: free


Although our apearence there will be only on the Saturday we hope to meet Belgium 0 scale modellers and get them interested in Scale Seven.

GWR Deangoods inside motion build by Cor de Jong

CdJ

Dutch Scale Seven Group report no. 11

Our visit at Ton's home on Friday 15th July 2011

As Arnold and Cor thought of visiting their companion in S7, Ton Trip, they chose happily enough their appointment on the only gorgeous summer evening among other rainy days. Although fairly long the trip was very worthwhile. We had set the goal to photograph the progress Ton made on his new bought kit of Mitchells’/JLTRT GWR 517class. Right after their arrival at Ton’s home the model was carried outside to catch it in the last rays of natural light that day.

The weather was so nice it was decided to stay outside and we settled in the garden talking S7 models. Of course the build of Ton’s model was one of the subjects we talked about. We were especially curious after his building experiences with this kit and our conclusion is that it is still very appealing because of its extended range of possibilities to make any version you would like. Above all: the kit contains frame spacers for Scale 7. Ton chose to make a version without the outside axle bearings of the trailing wheel, an open cab, straight coal fender and a round top boiler.
Cor brought his model of the 15t Cowan Sheldon crane from D & S Models and was very much admired for the result he achieved so far. Cor admitted the final state where all kinds of small bits and pieces have to be attached is a slow process. However the scratch build new chimney Cor made on his lathe was something to be proud of. Recognising the model Ton recalled he build one in 4mm scale also from D & S Models and he fetched his smaller version upstairs to compare it on the garden table. Both models need to be married with an appropriate match truck. The crane in 4mm can be supplied with the kit from Brassmasters of a GWR L4 match truck but there isn’t (yet) a kit of a GWR L4 truck to match the 15t Cowan Sheldon crane in 7mm scale. For now a two-plank wagon of Dracon Models will do. We are thinking of making a scratch build L4 match truck for Cor’s crane in the future to make the picture complete.
Arnold showed his progress on his redesigned frame for his Roxey Mouldings kit of the GWR Medium Metro class. The frets of this kit were designed and converted to 7mm scale by Rod Neep more than 25 years ago. Scale 7 was not that much in the picture at that time so obviously this kit contains no S7 frame spacers to suit the frame. Arnold’s desire to build in a working inside motion makes the frame plates which come with this kit even more unlikely useable. Therefore new frame plates complete with S7 spacers will be made.

At the latest G-0-G Summer Show in Halifax Arnold met Peter Silvester who’s also building a GWR Medium Metro from the kit of Roxey Mouldings. Peter gave besides more prototype information and lots of inspiration some detailed pictures of his model in progress. The blown pictures and various details were discussed in humble admiration of this modeller.
Ton unfolded his plans to make a fiddle yard for his (still unnamed) S7 layout. He struggled with the thought how to get rails for this project. A swift explanation how to use aluminium sections for this goal cleared the way to start with this part of his layout. Ton also mentioned to be invited with his layout to attend the next model railway show RAIL.
Before Arnold and Cor left Ton offered the chassis of his failing pannier tank engine for repair. One of the axle ends of this loco came loose from the working inside motion caused by an insufficient soldered joint.
There was so much to talk about but Arnold and Cor had to leave to go home. A long journey back seemed afterwards caused by the delay of traffic jams on road repair. It was a very nice meeting and very worthwhile in spite of the fact we came home around 01:00am.

Till next,

Arnold

Dutch Scale Seven Group report no. 10

17 July 2011

In this report we inform you  about the start of the Scale 7 layout located in the house of  Cor.

Some weeks ago one of  Cor’s children moved to an apartment in Haarlem. As a result an extra room for railway modeling was created by internally moving furniture in the house. This room is connected with the already existing railway room so there is more space now to set up a model railway. The shape of the two connected rooms is not a normal shape as one of the walls has an angle of 45 degrees. The result of this unusual shape means we can set up a model railway with a length of 14 metres. And we have a space extension in the third connecting room for a fiddle yard with a length of 4 metres. We will set up this fiddle yard extension on the evenings we want to run our trains or on the open days we will plan in the future. But first we need to work hard to set up the layout.



Drawing left side.

   

Drawing right side.

 


Left side frame construction.

  

 In the third week of June all the basic painting in the rooms was done and we could set up the first woodwork of the new layout. After some discussion we decided to build the baseboards on the height of 1.45 metres. This height creates space under the layout to work easy and serves as a storage place. The height is at eye level so we can see our models in a realistic view.

More daily information about the construction of the Scale 7 railway will be published on the  new DSSG blog.   http://dutchscalesevengroup.blogspot.com

The DSSG members are still busy with their models.

Ton has started to build a 517 Class with a kit from Malcom Mitchell/JLTRT, Slater’s wheels profiled by Christopher Makepeace and an ABC motor and gear. Arnold spent time to collect all these parts for Ton. Some pictures will follow. Arnolds horsebox is progressing and Cor is hard at work to get the 15 tons Cowan Crane ready. And we did some experimental work to produce sleepers for the new layout. The best wood we could find to produce sleepers was bought at Action, a shop here in Haarlem, where you can buy all kinds of house decoration articles. We used the sets of wooden sticks which are produced for mixing paint. The cost is very low but the quality of the wood is just what we need to produce wooden scale sleepers.

For drawing the track and point templates we will use the well known Templot track design program.

15 Tons Cowan crane under construction.

For more detail photo's see the next link (Dutch text)

http://www.blokpost-nul.nl/Project_GWR_CowansCrane_CDJ/Project_GWR_crane_cdj.htm

Till next,

Cor

Dutch Scale Seven Group report no. 9

27 March 2011

In this report we will share our experience we had during the three days we promoted Scale Seven at the Dutch Rail 2011 model railway show.

Before we went to the show we prepared our models for displaying at the show. All the models were packed in boxes with care for a save transport to the exhibition hall. Two showcases were also packed in towels and secured for transport.  Ton, whose S7 railway had to be transported to the exhibition, packed his railway and went to the show. At Thursday, set up day, we all met in the exhibition hall and went to work to set up the displays and railway. We got a nice exhibition location together with a group of Proto modelers with theirs P87, P4, S64 and a very small Proto Z layout and, unbelievable, the modeler of this 1:220 model railway built mixed track including mixed track points!!!.  The exhibition manager prepared a space of more than 10 meters for us so we had enough space to setup a nice S7 promotion stand on the show. Ton’s railway was not yet finished but it gives a good impression how to build S7 track and points imbedded in a realistic landscape. At a table we set up the showcases and filled them with Dutch S7 models, English S7 standard gauge models, English S7 broad gauge models and some German Proto 45 models. At the three exhibition days we were very busy talking to the visitors.  And Ton’s way of modeling attracted a lot of attention from the public and from the professional photographers who always need pictures for their magazines.

The finished models and models under construction got a lot of attention from the visitors. In the Netherlands and even Germany it’s not common to build your own models from a kit. They like ready to run straight from the box, with no weathering. With our never ending enthusiasm we explain why we promote S7 modeling to the public. Some English modelers were very surprised to see GWR broad gauge models build in the Netherlands. Within the European Proto 87 Convention this is the first time that we got the change to make serious work of promoting S7 in the Netherlands for a great audience. We enjoyed every day we were busy with our promotion work and like always time flies and Sunday after closure of the show we packed our models and railway and went home with a very good feeling about the three days we were at the exhibition. But after this event there is modeling time again and the next time we will report progress of our models.

Till next,

Cor