The Flimsy OUR JULY MEETING

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1 Volume 3, Issue 8 July 2012 The Flimsy The Newsletter of Division 2 of the NMRA AR OUR JULY MEETING First to arrive for today s meeting at the Bullens was that big bear from last year who once again pinched the most comfortable seat and promptly went to sleep on it for the whole afternoon. Another 12 trickled in later to take what was left. 12 more bears? Or 12 people? Not sure. Better check that group photo. Playing safe, Ross Balderson had submitted a written application for permission to miss this meeting, having been conscripted to attend his mother-in-law s 80th birthday party. A bit tricky, this one. And certainly original too. So we had to haul our Rule Book out. Ah yes, here it is. Rule 188 Section 14 (d) (xxviii) Note H (family pets, mothers-in-law & garden tools), amendment 3, says she has to be at least 95. All younger than that are expected to be interested in model railways and should be brought along. This executive decision was duly passed to Ross together with the advice that Yvonne Bullen was prepared to add a birthday candle to the nut loaf she was cooking for afternoon tea. Profoundly moved by this unexpected display of executive compassion, Ross responded with the heart warming wish that there should be more people out there with as much understanding as that displayed by our Noble Leader. Graeme Hodges the First somehow succeeded in getting a desperate plea for help out, despite having been kidnapped and held for ransom. Yes, that one s pretty original, too. Alas, a quick whip-round on behalf of Graeme fell far short of the required ransom and consequently he didn t manage to front up for the meeting. Announcements Our Fearless Leader announced our newest member Martin Canteros Paz at Tumut welcome. Martin! He appears on our latest membership list, about to be circulated by for us all to check that our details are correct and up-to-date. Sadly, we are facing two major problems with our planned display at Malkara next weekend. First, the Timesaver switching layout to be operated at Malkara has been found not to be working properly. Track repair and maintenance work is necessary and this will take time exactly when we just don t have the time. Nor do we have the volunteer maintenance crew. Second, we only have two volunteers to man the NMRA stand for the entire Malkara weekend and that s nowhere near enough. It is normal for our resources to be split between several layouts at local exhibitions and normally we also have enough left over to man our own stand. But not this time, unfortunately. Unless someone comes up right now with a bright idea as to how we can overcome these two problems? No? OK then, most regrettably we must withdraw from Malkara. The possibility of NMRA publicity information being carried at Stephe Jitts s Old Sydney layout at Malkara and/or by Peter Dinham at the Canberra Monaro N Scale Group layout is now being explored but without any success. Show & Tell Our Illustrious Leader proudly announced that he is now the possessor of an 1863 edition (reprint) of Bradshaw s Guide. Who s Bradshaw? What s his Guide? What!! Never heard of THE 19th century British traveller s guide? Sadly, Bradshaw himself came to a sticky end while touring foreign parts though not because his Guide was wrong. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/george_bradshaw. Rob Anderson was pressed for his keenly anticipated report on the model railway activities which prevented him attending last month s meeting. Rob nimbly dodged the issue, promising in front of a sufficiently large group of witnesses to deliver at a later date. Since Rob is our only member modelling live steam at scale 12 inches to the foot, we await further developments with great interest. Jess Brisbane displayed her O-scale weeping willow to go on her On30 layout. The trunk and limbs of this most impressive tree have been fashioned from multistrand copper wire held together with solder before painting the trunk and adding foliage. The whole tree is Continued on page 2)

almost 20 cm high and took some 10 to 12 hours to make lovingly shaped, limb by limb.

Fran & Brian Thomas displayed 3 branches from a nandina shrub. The dried limbs of this useful shrub provide an excellent basis for many model trees.

The dwarf shrub with its bushy shape and attractive red/green foliage is unsuitable. The one for modelling trees is the taller shrub with straight stems and sprays of red berries. See http:// www.sbs.

Eucalypts are hard to model realistically, but Fran has succeeded well here.

Heki stretch foliage had then been added to the limbs. For a final finish, Fran has found that spraying with a mix of white glue (PVA) Rob Nesbitt displayed his Model-Of-The-Month.

2 almost 20 cm high and took some 10 to 12 hours to make lovingly shaped, limb by limb. No, Jess is most definitely not creating a forest this way, but she is prepared to put this amount of effort into one feature tree which will occupy a prominent position on the layout. Fran & Brian Thomas displayed 3 branches from a nandina shrub. The dried limbs of this useful shrub provide an excellent basis for many model trees. Note however that there are two varieties of nandina commonly seen in Canberra and only one of them is suitable for model railway scenery. The dwarf shrub with its bushy shape and attractive red/green foliage is unsuitable. The one for modelling trees is the taller shrub with straight stems and sprays of red berries. See nandina_domestica.htm Fran had made one of the three nandina specimens into an impressive silver birch tree and another into a eucalypt. Eucalypts are hard to model realistically, but Fran has succeeded well here. Multiple nandina stems had been bound together with fine thread and this had been hidden by binding the trunk with Selley s No More Gaps filler, and finally by painting. Heki stretch foliage had then been added to the limbs. For a final finish, Fran has found that spraying with a mix of white glue (PVA) Rob Nesbitt displayed his Model-Of-The-Month. This one is a WAGR G class 3 6 gauge tender locomotive in S-scale (1:64) and running on HO scale standard gauge track. This kit from Railwest Models was a very difficult kit to solder together. It took Rob about 100 hours altogether, but he eased the pain somewhat by spreading the effort over a six year period. Wal Pywell showed samples of LED strips for lighting passenger car interiors. They come in different lengths, but can also be cut to length. Suitable for model office blocks as well as for passenger coaches, they come in warm white or stark white colours. See xampp/ index.phpcpath=1&oscsid=f0c1b5d20daaaaf37a622b8b 0eea2bff These LED strips look very good indeed, but there are also others on the market. You need to look at them all to choose what best meets your own requirement. See also Rob Anderson mentioned that he can now get Tortoise turnout motors into Australia for $13 each. (Continued on page 3) and water is superior to hairspray. The third nandina specimen had been left in its natural condition to show what it looks like before you start. Rob Anderson observed that nandina in its natural state with all its berries intact gives the keen modeller an excellent ready-to-run HO scale watermelon tree. Thanks Rob to be quite honest this hadn t occurred to the rest of us. Afraid we re a bit slow today. 2

(Continued from page 2) Anyone interested in adding to Rob s order should contact him.

Some in the audience were slow to spot the tramcar almost hidden at the bottom of the picture. Just who was Peter Witt anyway? And what was so special about his trams?

org/wiki/ Peter_Witt_streetcar John Gillies displayed a couple of pastel weathering kits produced by PanPastel. These consist of pans of powdered pastel already mixed with binder.

For a brief practical demonstration of this pastel weathering being applied, see http://www.youtube.com/ watch?

John has undertaken to let us know in a later meeting how well these pastels work for him. This stands to be most informative. Possible clinic for NMRA Convention in 2013 perhaps?

3 (Continued from page 2) Anyone interested in adding to Rob s order should contact him. John Bullen displayed his rather eye-catching mock enamel advertising sign extolling the virtues of Peter Witt trams. Some in the audience were slow to spot the tramcar almost hidden at the bottom of the picture. Just who was Peter Witt anyway? And what was so special about his trams? Designed with the entrance at the front and the exit in the middle, several of them existed in Melbourne. See Peter_Witt_streetcar John Gillies displayed a couple of pastel weathering kits produced by PanPastel. These consist of pans of powdered pastel already mixed with binder. See modelingcolors.com/index.htmlseveral of the tabs at the top of this homepage are worth exploring further. For a brief practical demonstration of this pastel weathering being applied, see watch?v=z3g5iqdqti8the pastel holds to the surface quite well, but if an item of rolling stock is likely to be handled a lot then a coat of fixative such as Dullcote is recommended. John has undertaken to let us know in a later meeting how well these pastels work for him. This stands to be most informative. Possible clinic for NMRA Convention in 2013 perhaps? Peter Dinham once again flaunted his scratchbuilding skills with a delightful model of a NSWGR water tank. While still a work in progress, the detail in the supporting framework is excellent. John then displayed a Kambly biscuit tin. This tin is a model of the BLS Kambly loco and it came full of delicious biscuits all of which were understandably devoured before John & Yvonne left Switzerland. John also displayed another Swiss biscuit tin, this one in the shape of the distinctive Crocodile loco. It came full of Läckerli from Basel. And why are Kambly biscuits so popular? Yvonne handed out two types of Kambly biscuits so we could sample them for ourselves. The meeting thoroughly approved of this. Not often are Show & Tell items edible. Those who missed this meeting need not despair. You can buy them at Coles. John Bullen mentioned the modern European habit of putting attractive advertising on mainline locomotives, a particularly common practice in Switzerland. In one case this has been taken to the ultimate, with the entire train decorated to advertise a single product. This train is owned by the Bern Lötschberg Simplon (BLS) and it advertises Kambly biscuits made at Trubschachen which is on a BLS line. See Kambly train is well known in Switzerland and it runs to a regular schedule between Bern and Luzern with occasional forays further afield. Click on the biscuit at bottom left of the above webpage to see the Kambly train timetable. Or click on the biscuit on the front corner of the loco for more information on this train and its loco. The Main Show John Bullen presented a slideshow covering part of his and Yvonne s Swiss tour last year. Their tour was in three parts. First a stay with friends who live not far from Bern and who gave them the precious Kambly tin of biscuits. Then an organised tour conducted by LGB Tours, with the tour party based mainly at Interlaken. John & Yvonne were the only non-germans on this tour, but they ve done this sort of thing before and have found it most enjoyable. See id=106804&lang=enor the English language version, ignore the address in USA which is just an office for the convenience of Americans. The third part of John s and Yvonne s tour was by themselves, based mainly at Luzern. Altogether, in just (Continued on page 4) 3

John s model of the 3-axled Swiss Federal Railways Brünigbahn baggage coach of the 1920s under the Bullen s Christmas tree,

6 lake steamers and 76 trains. Five of the trains were steam powered.

Highlights were traversing the Furka Pass by steam train (loco built in 1913), ascending to the Jungfraujoch terminus

the Matterhorn, and a free day spent in delightful surroundings in perfect weather (late September) on the Thunersee (Lake

Jungfraujoch is Europe s highest railway station at 3454 metres above sea level and the Jungfrau peak itself is 700 metres

Gornergrat at 3089 metres is overlooked by even higher peaks such as the Matterhorn at 4478 metres and Dufourspitze

Catering for huge numbers of tourists, many local people are employed at the Jungfraujoch complex inside the mountain.

or by hang-glider. The train was plenty good enough for John & Yvonne. See http://www.myswitzerland.

See also http://www.high-end-travelswitzerland.com/jungfraujoch.

4 John s model of the 3-axled Swiss Federal Railways Brünigbahn baggage coach of the 1920s under the Bullen s Christmas tree, John s picture of the prototype Kambly locomotive, 2011 over a fortnight, they travelled on 1 trolleybus, 1 tram, 4 buses, 6 lake steamers and 76 trains. Five of the trains were steam powered. Today s slideshow covered only the first two parts of this three-part tour. Highlights were traversing the Furka Pass by steam train (loco built in 1913), ascending to the Jungfraujoch terminus inside the Jungfrau mountain (in central Switzerland), ascending to Gornergrat (near the Italian frontier) overlooked by the Matterhorn, and a free day spent in delightful surroundings in perfect weather (late September) on the Thunersee (Lake Thun). Jungfraujoch is Europe s highest railway station at 3454 metres above sea level and the Jungfrau peak itself is 700 metres higher. Gornergrat at 3089 metres is overlooked by even higher peaks such as the Matterhorn at 4478 metres and Dufourspitze (Switzerland s highest) at 4634 metres. Catering for huge numbers of tourists, many local people are employed at the Jungfraujoch complex inside the mountain. At the end of their day they mostly go home by train to villages in the valleys or right down to Interlaken, 2900 metres lower. But the trip by rack railway is too slow for some hardy souls who prefer to get home faster by bicycle downhill, on skis, or by hang-glider. The train was plenty good enough for John & Yvonne. See jungfraujoch-top-of-europe1.html and hover mouse on right hand edge of main picture and click on arrow to see more. See also and don t miss the panoramic railway map at the bottom of this webpage. For information on the Jungfraujoch and the Top of Europe, see The final slide showed the Bullen Christmas tree 2011 and part of its accompanying LGB train. In the centre of the picture is a 3-axled Swiss Federal Railways Brünigbahn baggage coach of the 1920s. This LGB model, almost half a metre long, was a souvenir hand-out to all participants on this LGB Tour of Switzerland. And yes, in its even larger box, it did present quite a challenge to beasts of burden battling with hand baggage from Europe to Australia. Top of the Furka Pass For modellers who hand lay track! There may be a prize to anyone who can figure out the colour code z 4

From the Editor: Another month, another meeting, another Flimsy.

Very disappointing for the Division (and hance the NMRA) to be unable to exhibit at Malkara, but there are times when people simply have other

Still, progress continues on the HO Sectional layout (was the Modular layout) and I look forward to being able to exhibit that in the future.

Lets hope it picks up next year. Viv div2sup@nmra.org.

au National Model Railroaders Association Australasian Region Division 2 ACT Bringing model railroading to you News Next meeting will be at Rob

5 From the Editor: Another month, another meeting, another Flimsy. A good meeting at the Bullen s we were smothered as usual in Swiss railways but they have to be some of the most scenic anywhere. Very disappointing for the Division (and hance the NMRA) to be unable to exhibit at Malkara, but there are times when people simply have other more important things to do I know I had. Still, progress continues on the HO Sectional layout (was the Modular layout) and I look forward to being able to exhibit that in the future. I found Malkara this year to be a little flat, with many of the layouts looking somewhat tired but that s just my personal opinion. Lets hope it picks up next year. Viv div2sup@nmra.org.au National Model Railroaders Association Australasian Region Division 2 ACT Bringing model railroading to you News Next meeting will be at Rob Anderson s in Bemboka, sorry, Chisholm on Saturday, 25 August And then there s the NMRA Convention on the Central Coast the following weekend.. Disclaimer: Any resemblance between characters in this newsletter and real model railroaders is purely intentional but no offence whatever is intended. Only the facts may have been altered to protect the guilty. Every reader has the right of reply and we look forward to publishing them! 18.4 x 13.6 H2/3 class steam power on the Brienz Rothorn Bahn, in central Switzerland on a bleak October day in Tbfpmox # # 5 (John Bullen)

THE FLIMSY. From the Editor. In This Issue. From the Editor. March meeting. Show and Tell. Buffer Stop. The last say...

THE FLIMSY. From the Editor. In This Issue. From the Editor. March meeting. Show and Tell. Buffer Stop. The last say... THE FLIMSY NMRA Division 2 Newsletter March 2017 From the Editor As you can see from this issue, and past issues, the Show and Tell part of the monthly meetings generates some very interesting show pieces.