Most Wanted?

[John Candy]

What is the accessory not currently available as a kit which you would most like to see produced?

Production of a kit for the buffer stop is currently being arranged, so what would you wish for next?

A few suggestions:-
1) Scale water crane (working - with pressurised supply tank for live steam)
2) Loco Turntable (possibly just the mechanism to enable various styles of deck to be produced)
3) Wagon rotary tippler
4) Wagon turntable
5) British style colour-light signals

[Ted Sadler]

Weatherproof embossed brick sheets with realistic bonds (patterns) and platform facade/edging. Ted

[cabbage]

John....

1. (?!?!?!?)
2. That's 4 wheels and ring of track with a central bush bearing on some aluminium extrusion.
3. (?!?!?!?)
4. (?!?!?!?)
5. [No Comment]

I would have to go with the brick sheets -and for obvious reasons Flemish Bond would be required.

Where have these options come from? Not from the Committee I hope?

regards

ralph

[John Candy]

Ted,
In what material would you want the brick sheets? If it is embossed Plastikard, then Slaters might be persuaded but if for outdoor use then something more UV resistant would likely be required.


Ralph,
The buffer stop kit is not a Society production (it being produced in India using drawings provided by John Witts).
I am thinking ahead as to what other items may be sourced (privately, as opposed to Society-sponsored) from the same Indian company.
The suggestions are mine simply to "set the ball rolling" (and not necessarily items I would want).
The turntable I would propose as a geared, remote-controlled powered mechanism with positive locking, rather than a simple push-round arrangement.

Regards,
John.

[midnight miller]

Hello All

Would whole heatedly go with a good quality brick and stone sheet , Something like Wills produce but in gauge 3 size sheets 10" + 20" ? Could I also put a reminder in for next Sundays open day at Keighley M.R.C.


                                                   John

[MikeWilliams]

Embossed brick sheet is a good idea, but I'm interested that Cabbage asks for Flemish Bond, used on the Continent.  In the UK most railway structures used English Bond, but is that what members want?  Do members know the difference, or would a quick summary help?  It may be seen as pedantic, but if its going to be made it costs no more to make it right for what people want.

I'm working on a prototype working water column now which may, or may not come to anything!  Does the GRS GWR one not work?

Congratulations to Ian, Ted and Roger for the Society's stand at ALSRM Reading yesterday.  The stand is steadily improving and becoming more attractive.  A good advert for Gauge 3 in just the right place and I hope it bore fruit.

Mike

[cabbage]

Flemish Bond is actually quite common around here! I personally find it more attractive -one of the reasons WE bought a house made from it!!! Besides which I have this railway station building that I have always wanted to construct -it is on the Rjukan railway in Norway. It is a stylistic mess, brick with half timber and a thatched roof...

The Rjukan locos are also on the "to build" list.

Does the "bond" patten matter to the majority of people -I doubt it.

regards

ralph

[Ted Sadler]

Flemish and English bonds were both widely used in brick buildings in Britain when walls were solid. Stretcher bond is common on modern buildings with cavity walls - since the 1960's, in fact. See attached diagram. To me, period pattern brickwork on old buildings is essential in a model, but that's because I spent several years involved with the restoration of historic building facades. I can't look at a wall in the street without seeing defects!

As to the choice of material for model embossed brickwork, in DIY supermarkets you can buy both polystyrene and acrylic clear sheets. The former is recommended for indoor use only as it tends to deform, go 'milky' and embrittle with age due to UV and weather exposure. Acrylic lasts much longer. Both these materials are thermoplastic and can be imprinted with patterns using a heated embossing roller with a moderate amount of pressure. This seems to lie in the industrial zone rather than a home workshop.

The other method I had in mind was to make a 'master' flat wall out of plastic or card mounted on a piece of wood, and to make a silicone rubber or glassfibre mould off it. This can then be used with traditional polyester resin and glass fibre materials to produce weatherproof GRP sheets. Messy and smelly, but definitely feasible at home (alone!).

Cliff Barker has developed an interesting technique using 3/1 fine sand/cement and mixing neat SBR bonding aid into it, with no added water. This syrupy moulding compound has a pot life of several hours and he has used it to make stone-walled houses, which look very good (Mike - remember we saw this last year at his get-together).

Regards Ted

[MikeWilliams]

On item 2, I believe Metalsmith were making a turntable which will be marketted by GRS.  If it comes about that should be excellent and their smaller scale versions are lovely, but that was 12 months ago and it's gone quiet lately.  Maybe the Society could enquire?

Mike

[AllWight]

With regard to brick patterns how about the Herringbone bond. It has uses in the older buildings as well as on the ground as bricks to walk on. It could useful for say a village scene or a market square on a diorama.

[andrewfoster]

We've been working on an outdoor turntable design for a long time, and in fact it was our first project. The pit design and installation is critical for good operation, but shipping a concrete pit is prohibitive, and every installation is different. Providing the bridge and bearing arrangement together with drawings for the pit seems to be the approach to take. Choosing a bridge design isn't so easy... One customer wants two turntables, but he wants different styles, and I know he won't pay for two custom designs! My inclination is to go ahead with a riveted plate girder in varying lengths. Manual or remote control? Battery, track power, or independent? So many variables in what people want! I'll be watching the discussion to see how it shakes down. Meanwhile, I'd be interested to hear comments and suggestions if anyone would like to contact me off line too.

Andrew.

[Jon Nazareth]

What about good backhead fittings?

Jon

[hornbeam]

Agree with the brick sheets. I'd go for colour light signals and decent electric style station lamps