On the Right Track JANUARY 2018 LINK TO CLUB PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY FUTURE EVENTS CLUB HOURS Tuesday 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm Thursday 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Friday 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm Saturday 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm At least one committee member must be in attendance at each session. Depending on demand, an earlier closing time may occur. Visit us on Internet www.noarlungarail.com Clubroom Phone No. (08) 8322 7047 Postal address: P.O. Box 707 Morphett Vale S.A. 5162 Send items for inclusion to the editor via: admin@noarlungarail.com This newsletter is available as a download from our website www.noarlungarail.com 1 P a g e
Comparisons of Large Steam Locomotives - Denis Woolard Yellowstone Big Boy Y6B Challenger SAR 500B Cylinders 26" x 32" 23 3/4 " x 32" 25" x 32" 39" x 32" 21" x 32" 26" x 28" Drivers 63" 68" 58" 69" 63" Steam Pressure P.S.I. 240 300 300 280 200 Weight (Engine Only) Pounds 699,700 772,000 582,900 627,000 313,600 Tractive Effort Pounds 149,000 135,375 126,838 Compound 152.206 Simplex 97,350 59,000 Some Modelling Tips Courtesy Trevor Gibbs and Melton Model Railway Club Hints & Tips No.1974 Using a Barbed Wire Fence as a Safety Barrier by Graeme Nitz I built a barbed wire fence from inch-and-a-half wire brads and some fine wire. I drove the brads in so that there was about a half-inch poking out. Cut off the heads with a Dremel motor tool, and grind them round so no one gets cut. Then string three strands of the wire and solder each joint. This has caught quite a few pieces of rolling stock from falling into oblivion. It was two or three inches from the edge. Hints & Tips No.1975 Creating Safety Barriers for Layout Edges by Several Modellers If you want to be totally safe, then your fence should be at least as high as the height of the roadbed plus the height your highest piece of rolling stock. This means that for anything to hit the floor it would have to pole vault over the fence. (John Garaty) 2 P a g e
If it is possible for you, use trees, telegraph poles or otherwise strategically placed scenery to prevent your equipment falling off your layout, instead of a visible barrier (Geoffrey Pepper) Hints & Tips No.1976 Tiny or Scrap Tile Pieces by Bob Bochenek A small piece of smooth glazed tile is ideal for dispensing small amounts of CA and other adhesives. Squeeze a bubble onto the tile and pick up the amount you need with a small applicator or toothpick. What makes this especially neat is that I let the unused material just dry and then just a quick swipe of the single edge razor blade makes it clean again for re-use. ' This beats using paper or cardboard which can suck up the moisture, or trying to find a scrap piece of styrene to use. You can possibly get an odd tile for free from a friendly retailer! Hints & Tips No.1977 Filling in small detail holes by Mike Holly and Ross Barker While working on detailing my diesel locos, I decided to remove some details such as the antenna on the centre of the roof. To fill these holes, I glued a tip of a wooden skewer into the hole. After cutting the skewer flush with the surface, I sand the skewer slightly, making it flush with the area I am filling in. The rest of the skewer can the be used for scale flag poles or fence posts or downpiping so it not wasted. Hints & Tips No.1978 Detailing with Rust and Weathering by Mike Holly To add local rust spots, I apply straight 70% isopropyl alcohol to the area where I want the rust. Before the alcohol evaporates I apply rust-coloured powder (chalk or powder paint ) directly into the alcohol with a size 00 paint brush. I blend the rust into the body with a wide soft brush. I add dirt to the lower part of the loco or carbody and frame using a grey powder and large makeup brush. As a last step, I secure the powders in place with flat clearcoat. Hints & Tips No.1979 Making an Uncoupling Tool more visible by Paul Cutler 3 P a g e
If you use a skewer or similarly shaped tool as an uncoupler particularly between Kadee and other brand knuckle couplers, I recommend dipping the end of the wire in yellow or white paint. It makes it much easier to see it between the cars when you are grabbing for the hose or between the knuckles. The uncoupling tool works by simply hooking the tool (at the last 90 degree bend) onto the air hose of the car or loco on the left and pulling it toward you so the coupler swings away from the other coupler. You must have a small amount of slack to make it work. It takes a minute or two to get the hang of it but once you do it is really easy and you can do it anywhere you can reach. Hints & Tips No.1980 Avoiding White Chips in Plaster Scenery by Don Sali When I mix plaster for landscaping, I mix in an earth tone suitable for the area I am scenicking in the wet plaster mix. If part of my scenery happens to chip at all through a bit of clumsiness, then the earth tinting will show rather than the tell tale white. The cheapest dyes available from Reject/Pound/Dollar Shops. I use a flexible ice cream container and an old metal egg whip when mixing plaster. It is important that any container you use for mixing plaster is flexible it makes it much easier to get any chunks of plaster out should I mess up and let them get hard before cleaning. Hints & Tips No.1981 Using Masking Tape by Adam Bailey Tape should be removed either immediately after applying paint while the paint film is still almost liquid - OR - after the paint is fully dried. The worst time to remove tape is when the paint is somewhat dry. If the tape is removed when the paint is semi-liquid then there is no tearing of the paint film. If the tape is removed after the paint is fully dried then the paint film is torn by the tape during removal however the paint has developed enough adhesion to the painted object so as to be able to tolerate this. In between these two extremes is where edge sharpness problem during tape removal becomes a problem. Bleed under tape is caused by insufficient pressure to the tape during application. If the surface is rough then even with adequate pressure there may still be gaps. Using tape for a paint edge works best on smooth surfaces. Hints & Tips No.1982 A Turntable Dust Cover by Kenneth Kalitowski 4 P a g e
I have the large Walthers HO 130 programmed turntable. It s about 19 edge-to-edge. Walther s encourages keeping the pit clean and frequent comments from users on forums are that it must be kept clean to ensure proper operation. And of course, a basement is not the cleanest environment. I used to cover the turntable with plastic bags or other makeshift covers it looked bad and was hard to put on or take off without damaging things. My wife suggested using a deli food tray cover from the grocery store. We went to our local Food Store and got their deli s largest food tray cover. It measures about 18.5 inches in diameter and about 4.5 inches tall. It is really quite sturdy and clear plastic. It cost us only 50 cents and it is perfect! It covers the pit completely, except for a small part of the very outer edges. It rests on the rails so there is a slight 1/8 or so gap on the bottom. I find the gap inconsequential, but an industrious individual might cut slots in the cover for the rails to eliminate the gap. I like that the turntable is clearly visible when the cover is on. I can easily lift the cover off with the little tab on the cover when I will be using the turntable and roundhouse. It is very easy to put back on without damaging anything. The following links may also be of assistance or interest. http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=10671&forum_id=6&highlight=sunil#p203627 www.yourmodelrailway.net 5 P a g e
UPDATES ON NEW AUSTRALIAN MODELS By Geoff Doecke For those waiting for delivery of Auscision 48/830 and NR classes. The NR loco project is not expected to arrive until later in 2018 due to some issues we have incurred with our soon to be completed 48/830 class project ahead of it (the NR project) on the production line in the factory. Kind Regards, Mel Sayer Auscision Models Regarding the Orient Express F class: Our F Class loco is on schedule for release at the Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition on the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June as originally promised. Having completed several projects previously with the same factory, all successfully delivered on time, we do not anticipate any delays as experienced with some other manufacturers. With regards from Fred, David FUND RAISING Apart from membership subscriptions, the major sources of fundraising are: Saturday Sausage Sizzle Barbeques, the occasional Bunnings Sausage Sizzle and Revenue from Swap Meets and Exhibitions. The club also has some quality merchandise for sale. Club Logo pens and Computer Mouse Pads. Pens $6.00 and Mouse Pads $8.00. The operating expenses of the club remain quite high in terms of the various bills that we need to pay. Any extra revenue that we can raise, provides for on-going maintenance and development of our existing layouts and, also the ability to develop new layouts. VIDEO LIBRARY The continuing efforts of club member Vic Tilling are providing a great selection of videos that show both of our layouts. A selection is displayed on the club Web Site. www.noarlungarail.com Vic also has his own Web Site www.videowombat.net This site provides links to Vic s YouTube videos of both model railways and general Train videos. Unfortunately, Vic is moving interstate in the near future and his efforts as a videographer and a great member of the club will be greatly missed. 6
TRADE SUPPORTERS OF THE CLUB The following suppliers provide continuing support for the club s activities. Please use their services when you can. Drakes Foodland Community Dollars Tokens Are you still using your Drakes Foodland Community Dollars token? Using the token at any Drakes Foodland store builds funds onto a gift card for the club: the more that you use the token, the more valuable is the gift card... See Jeff Kohler, AKA Frosty, if you do not have one. Collins Parade Meats is a traditional butcher shop located in the Southern suburbs of Adelaide, servicing both wholesale and retail customers throughout South Australia. Shop 3/4 Collins Parade, Hackham SA 5163 ph 08 8384 4406 fax 08 8327 3729 hello@collinsparademeats.com.au 7