Let's see if we can't get a few more involved!

[John Candy]

Let's make this a bit more interesting............A COMPETITION

1) The Prize
One of my handbuilt vans see photos below(retail value £140GBP?) ......a Cheshire Lines Committee (GNR-built) 10 ton van as per photo (the prize model will be finished with CL lettering).
The CLC was jointly owned by the GCR, GNR and Midland, in equal shares.



2) The Competition
To design, build and fully document (including costings) a working Gauge 3 model locomotive of any BRITISH prototype, using easily obtainable parts, principally with hand tools (electric bench drill being only concession to workshop equipment) and suitable for construction by a BEGINNER with little or no previous experience of loco building from scratch.
Budget for project 140GBP maximum.

3) The Winner will be the person who, in the opinion of the judges, has produced the most practical solution to the problem of providing a low cost entry level G3 model.

SIMPLE RULES
1) Any G3 Forum member may participate (whether or not a G3 Society member) with the exception of the Judges.
2) Closing date for entries 31st March 2012.
3) Voting will be by a panel of three Judges and their decision will be final.
4) Proprietory (purchased) components such as wheels, motors, gears and control electronics are permissible but the overall product should be predominantly scratch built.

REGISTRATION
Send an email to G3madesimple@gauge3.org.uk stating your intention to participate and an instruction pack outlining the documentation requirements will be sent.

[cabbage]

 A Great Idea. I personally think the budget is a little generous at £140 -but maybe not everyone is as tight fisted as I am???

Looking at the limitations of the competition -to me the only locomotive to build is a Type 2 level LMS 10,800. My dabs are on it. So there!!!

If I win could I ask that a donation be made to "The Great Ormand St Hospital For Sick Children" which I feel will be more useful rather than winning a van.

regards

ralph

[IanT]

That's a very kind offer John - and a very nice prize too (one I'd like to have!)  .

As a suggestion, it would be nice if we could have a display of entries at the 2012 AGM on 18th Feb.

I know not everyone will be able to attend but I'm sure Members would like see any entries that can be there. The AGM is about eight months away, which should be enough time for people to get an engine ready.

Regards,


Ian T

[John Candy]

Ralph,

1) The factors taken into account by the Judges will include total cost of project (assuming all other factors are equal, a lower cost project will have an advantage).
Other factors will include ease of construction, ready availability of parts and perceived popularity of prototype selected.
2) If you were to win, a donation equivalent to the cost of the materials required to produce the van (estimated at c. 60GBP) would be in order.

Ian,

Perhaps I should amend terms of entry so that Judges' decision can be announced at the AGM....which would require a closing date at the end of January?
I need three volunteers to be Judges.
If you wish to submit an entry to the competition, then don't feel you have to volunteer to be a Judge.

Regards,
John.

[AllWight]

Ermm

Chaps i have already done this a certain blue engine remember. And it is based on the prototype as per the tv series which in turn is based on the LBSC E2 tank.

Mark

[IanT]

Well that's very true Mark - but the basic blue 'part' probably cost you about 100 pounds - so that only leaves you 40 quid for the extended axles (and a new paint job of course!)

But please don't let me discourage you....

[Traininvain]

This is brilliant, but ALL Society members must be invited to participate

[John Candy]

Ian H,
You will (as a Committee Member) have received my email with "G3 Made Simple" campaign ideas and I suggest that this be promoted in the next Newsletter.
Meanwhile, I am hoping it will be possible to circulate details of this competition along with the incorporation ballot papers which will be going out before too long.
Regards,

John.

[Derek King]

I note that Ralph thinks that a Budget of £140 is generous, but if this is to be a simple construction exercise (without a lathe, etc.) that a beginner can follow then the component purchases of wheels, motor/gearbox, bearings, buffers, etc. (plus battery & radio control items for those not using 2-rail pickup) will more than eat that up.

Just checking the usual model railway supplies wheels will cost £36 to £40+ per axle and a motor gearbox for a 1/4" axle cost approx £80. So for the beginner who has never built a G3 loco could we have some suggestions of where they these items can be purchased cheaper - or to be realistic maybe the budget need increasing!?

Derek.

[Andy B]

could we have some suggestions of where they these items can be purchased cheaper !?

Reasonably priced motor units here for G1 and G scale: Peter Spoerer Model Engineers
Probably worth an enquiry to see if they could be easily adapted to G3.

Andy

[AllWight]

What do you mean Ian a new paint job the blue engine is a fine example of a Gauge 3 Engine at its best.

Joking aside the Thomas and Percy can now be attained for around the £70.00 mark from some shops. This would cut down on the outgoing cost and save a bit of the £140.00 budget. Additionally have you considered buying a cheap secondhand LGB power unit bogie. These are  tough reliable and very smooth running. GRS have used these on several of their G3 loco kits and I even have two LGB power bogies on my class 73 diesel. You can normally pick some items up at the Garden railway shows or look through the G Scale Society webpage for a chassis block or a donor loco that you do not mind robbing for spares.

Mark

[hornbeam]

How do re gauge the motor blocks mark? Ive been searching for a motor unit for 1/4'' axles and found nothing below £80 for the shunter I'm doing.

If GRS did a body kit in plastic up sized from their shunter bodies they did now it could be a good starting point. Or even plans that could be used as templates to cut out plastic sheet to produce a body. Also I lost the contact details but someone at the AGM was showing off a nice little brass Ruston diesel.....

[John Candy]

The Ruston 48DS is one of Richard Thompson's projects (he is the G3S Exhibitions Manager and a Committee Member...also forum member "Richard T" and you can send him a message via the forum messaging system).

A reminder that a lot has been discussed previously on this topic of low cost power units and "starter" kits.....it might be worth recent forum members reviewing the content of that board which ran to more than 100 messages.
http://lakes-pages.com/gauge3.co.uk/G3Forum/index.php?topic=389.0

[cabbage]

I designed as "a personal project" a motor bogie which I called "Module 03" which is what I am going to use to power the two bogies of the LMS 10,800. I am going to make them out of Brass rather than Steel as this will be more expensive -but easier to use. This uses MFA RE380 motors and Muffet MOD1 gears 12, 27 and 45 to a Brandbright RSA37 wheel. The only real problem with it is the fact that the axle on the wheel set is 1/4 inch and I will have to bore the gear wheel from 6mm to 1/4 inch -and then pin it to the axle. I expect to have two functioning bogies for £60. The frame work will be made from 5mm pin strip and 2mm thick MDF from B&Q and then plated with 60 thous ABS sheet from GRS. I then plan to "blow" quite a lot of my dosh on bits to encust the model with bits from Cambrian, IP Engineering, Brandbright and GRS. Added to this there will be bits from the local Habershers and card craft shop.

I plan to have it as a PWAM controlled model with one controller per bogie -both running from the one Pot. There will be a 12V SLA 7Ah battery providing juice. Slide switches will select fwd/rev direction and of course on/off. Relays and fuses and surge varisters -all the normal stuff.

As to £140 being a little tight on the wallet...



The total cost of the build was £187.08p over the course of 9 months OR £4.80p per week over 39 weeks...

This included the purchase of the following:
Giant Cod 2.4Ghz 4 Channel Tx and Rx £27.42p
Electronize FR8T-PS £36.60p

So I don't see the £140 limit as being that restrictive, since if you do the maths the model above could have
been built for £123.06p.

regards

ralph

Post Scriptumn: John, my son would like to join the competition -he is currently 11. He would like to enter his LMS 1831.

[John Candy]

Ralph,

I can see no reason why Matthew should not be allowed to enter (the competition requires skill and therefore does not fall within the restrictions imposed by the Gambling Act, 2005).

Regards,
John.