THROWBACK MODELLER September/October 2019 Issue 11 Continuing the Tradition…
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THROWBACK MODELLER September/October 2019 Issue 11 Continuing the tradition…... It’s rude to ask a lady……. Exeter exhortations Always a Princess at heart 16MM HERITAGE LOCOMOTIVE OWNERS AND OPERATORS Throwback Modeller ASSOCIATION ISSUE 11 SEPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2019 I S S U E 1 1 Welcome to Issue Eleven No, no, no I was driving to only thing that re- work earlier this week listen- mains is my embar- ing to the radio and Zoe Ball rassment (and a hiked was telling me how many insurance premium). I weekends left until Christ- was most anxious to mas. What! Another year get sorted to get up to that’s flown by. I was drawn the Elsecar show - I up short by the fact that made it and had we’ve lost three 16mm char- planned to quietly run acters in the last two my Archangel Moel months, Jim, John and Brian. Tryfan. Despite my John had made his mark best efforts I couldn’t get On the subject of exhibitions through his models. Jim was her to run, and quiet went and gatherings we did hold a instrumental in hosting the out the window as the safety wet and windswept Heritage early garden meetings, es- valve lifted on the stalled Open day here again in Der- tablishing and growing the engine. by mid August (wet and early Association. Brian windswept in high sum- My guardian angel stepped made a different contribu- mer—grrrrr). It was a se- in and I’m looking forward to tion he was on the Associa- date affair as given the dropping down to see him tion Board for some of the weather it wasn’t a good and collecting the repaired time while I was Chair and outlook for people travelling loco in time for it’s next pub- then re-joined the Board distances. That said John lic appearance at Exeter. more recently to work with Nield travelled down and The eccentric on one side Alan Regan. Jim, John, Brian helped dissect Ben’s GVT Cover shot; Taken on was spinning on the axle so RIP. tram oscillator. We didn’t Chris Tilley's Barle it never was going to run. get the engine running on Valley Railway, you I mentioned in my last tail Looking forward to Exeter the day, but a subsequent too can achieve this if piece that life hit a hitch we’re joining the pilgrims to session in Bens workshop when I wrote my car off, and you start in the 1980's. this hallowed event at the aka the family kitchen a cou- then Daniel had his written and just keep evolving. end of the month. Say hi if ple of weeks later (when his off too 10 days later. We’re A superb study of a you’re coming down too. wife was in absentia) we had all squared up now, and the wayside station. the engine in pieces again and diagnosed the failed piston O-ring. At the open day the Roundhouse Taw stole the show looking su- perb drifting into the loop with full steam effect. With Copyright on all mate- the rain the sale table never got further than Derek’s car rials in this newsletter boot, but I know that several remains vested in the people came away with hap- authors and editor. py purchases. Reproduction of the So I’ll see a portion of you at whole or any part is Exeter - bring a model for forbidden without the display, Nigel :-) relevant permissions. P A G E 3 IT'S ALL THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE One of the early and influen- tial 16mm modellers was Stanley Jones, whose line was called the Terranden Light Railway. With his wife May he held a number of well attend- ed and often amusing garden meets, on one occasion ing story. Stan and May had As Stan said, it was 'Master of setting fire to part of the gar- an Alsatian dog with a fairly the house'. den when trying to burn the fierce temperament. I have weeds with an old-fashioned been told that all would be flame thrower! well until both the owners left DEREK you alone in a room with it, at I have every intention of ex- which point it would firmly ploring both Stanley and his clamp its jaws on you - usual- line in a future TBM, but for ly the arm. One visitor at least the moment have selected used a rolled up newspaper this Peter Dobson photo for delivered firmly on the snout the feature. Stanley built this of the animal to release 0-4-0 loco himself, and themselves from the predica- named it The Master. This ment! name in itself held an amus- P A G E 4 A desirable Heritage trio a cosmetic rework of the mid-1980s Lady Anne and has now become quite collect- able. The last loco is a Beck Anna. Arthur convert- ed to 32mm and de- tailed a few of these, and this one has run regularly on the herit- age layout at Exeter. It still performs very well. DEREK These three delightful models grandfather, and which will be are all owned by Arthur Cole, a the subject of a future article very early Association mem- in TBM. ber. The Roundhouse Old Colonial Pippacot is one of a run four was one of three bought to- models built by Steve Bell's gether by a local group, and is Hints & Tips - what is paraffin, but not paraffin? We have the sort of ironmongers I can now clean track, locos etc. to moisture, condensate etc. On ex- in Oswestry that could have been my hearts content, and still be al- amining the loco, there was corro- used for the Two Ronnies sketch lowed back indoors afterwards! sion around certain areas, and in involving fork handles. I went in for fact in the battery box it was suffi- paraffin, to clean the track on cient for one terminal to have cor- Phurcombe Hall, but found it to I recently delivered a loco to Har- roded away. Harvey always recom- only be available in 5 litres, which I vey Watkins on behalf of someone. mends coating terminals with a didn't want or need. Why not use It was in its original polystyrene little Vaseline. Lamp Oil was the suggestion when box and wrapped in a cloth. Harvey I declined the large quantity. After explained that never should a loco all, it is only double refined par- be wrapped thus, as the cloth will affin, but lacks the smell. Bingo! hold ISSUE 11 SEPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2019 P A G E 5 This enquiry for help came in from Andrew Barnard. Luckily I knew that Harvey Watkins had such a model so asked his advice. His response follows on, but his suggestion of using part of Throwback for a forum to ask and share help and advice is worth following, so if you are minded to join in with asking or advising on any subject, then please go ahead. I will only say that we have no agendas, and hence no direct criti- cisms of manufacturers will be printed. Andrew wrote; I’m wondering if you know someone who’s an expert in Locomotion rail buses (the steam version)? I got hold of one a while back and despite best efforts it refuses to perform. I cleaned up the burner which was massively clagged up with carbonised oil so I can get pressure up to around 40psi without effort at which point the safety valve lifts. But the thing lacks ‘oomph’. Today I stripped down the cylinders to find that the o-rings were brittle and worn flat (now replaced though not with the best rings). I also replaced the gaskets between the steam pipes and the cylinder blocks which has resulted in better alignment of the cylinder blocks to the frame and, I think, a better steam seal. The thing eats water at an alarming rate and I may yet need to replace some of the fibre washers between the steam line components. I also really don’t know what is reckoned to be working pressure – although has an oscillator it won’t be excessively high will it? There’s more….there’s an exhaust restrictor which I haven’t fathomed - Andrew LOCOMOTION STEAM RAILCAR It seems that at a garden meet, or an exhibition, mention of a Locomotion Steam Railcar soon brings out owners who have had problems, some solved some pending. An exchange of views and letters to 16mm facebook on line, or to "Throwback", could be a useful way of propagating queries and answers to assist modellers. Below are a few topics recently brought to my attention. Would modellers with Queries or Answers like to combine knowledge and help each other out? Lighting Up. It seems almost silly to mention this but the railcar can be a devil to light up out of doors, and this at the very time you need a third hand. So have a screen if only a fold of stiff card to set on the roof and keep the prevailing breeze off the chimney top when you are trying to pop a flame down to the burner. Some owners say it helps to put a finger over the air hole in the burner to encourage the flame to pop down. This is where the third hand is needed of course! Running the machine. The model before me, on test, raises steam to 20lbs to the square inch, in five minutes.