Getting back to nomal, we met on Sunday June 9. with a couple of items to see.
David Smith bought his Farish Class 37 body whch he is finescsaling and converting to a Pool Era locomotive. Shown are the additional fine scale details including changing the body dimensions. Also shown is the weighty brass chassis.
Howard Watkins showed two track testers based on the MERG design (below)
Next meeting Sunday 9 July
May was a difficult month or us because our meeting clsashed with Easter Sunday, We normally move to the following Sunday, but often (as in this case) members are tied up with family or a holiday break. So no usual meeting to report on
However the blog does have a few things in the pipeline, as well as reports of steam outings,
Photographed right at the beginning of June, on a trip to Scotland, Pete King captured the grandure of steam north of the border. The loco crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct is an ex LMS Black Five No. 45407 “The Lancashire Fusilier".
Our April meeting was rescheduled for Sunday 16 April, because of Easter Sunday, As it happened, other personal commitments meant the meeting was canceled.
Pete King announced that he would be soaking up the GWR Spring Steam Gala on the Seven Valley Railway. (Thanks to Pete for the April picture contributions).
March turned out to be quite a busy month, hence the delay in posting to this blog. Apologies from the editors.
Pete King had produced a very useful 'to do' list that no doubt will occupy our meetings to come.
Because our access to the meeting room at Wilmington is usually on our previous meeting day to an exhibition at which we are showing - in this instance, 17 February, we have to take the layout off-site - usually split between 2 cars and hope that the transfer to exhibitions venue goes well.
ABRAIL (4 March) has been our first post pandemic venture. Both 2mmFS, and Ngauge were well represented, and in general the standard of modeling in all scales was very high. There was ample viewing space for visitors to enjoy the layouts.
The 'Yard' team; Pete King and Alan Smith discuss the operation by Howard Watkins and Keith Gloster (partly hidden).
We returned to a semi-regular blog entry, Loco of the month.
(below) Keith's 0-6-0T William Kirtley T Class for the London Chatham and Dover 1874.
As always, a beautifully detailed scratch built 2mm loco
The main business of this month's meeting concerned preparations for the Lightermans Yard visit to the Abingdon show 'Abrail' on 4 March.
Following two years of enforced storage at its current home, the loft of the church hall, and seasonal weather conditions, a number of tweeks to the track were required and we hope, succesful.
Hopefully these adustments to the track, running and the improved connection to the fiddle yard that where made over the last couple of meetings will ensure a good showing at Abrail.
Moving Lightermans Yard and operators to attend a show is a challenge too, although we now have a system; this involves loading two cars with the layout in protective boxes while we have access to the hall, usually at a meeting like this, storage at home and assembly at the show location - reverse after the show of course.
Next meeting Sunday 12 March. See us at 'Abrail' on 4 March
Another New Year arrives, and with it new resolutions too, some may be not so new being the same as for past new years, others may herald an actual start of a project, even if only in the mind, planning and researching, and living the dream.
But enough! Post the uncertanties and non events of the last three years, we are again able to meet face-to-face. Those of us who met in the virtual space of Zoom felt partly connected through talking heads, and happily shared images of work in progress. Nothing like a challenge as well to bring on an air of competition. So a happy and (2mm) fruitfull new year.
2023 brings us closer to deciding on the evential retirement of Lightermans Yard. Individual projects (Evercreech Junction and Brixham) are on-going, both are complex and large and need careful management to which other members of the group may be able to contribute. However, the sprit is there.
The track and traverser, the main subject for January - reconnecting the traverser to the main base boards.
Signal box leavers for Pete King's Brixham layout. Operation of points will be manual from this set of levers.
Howard showed a turntable destined for Evercreech Junction. The MERG turntable kit consists of a MERG kit (#79, £20.33 to MERG members), and a 12V stepper motor (RS 440-262) & a 250:1 reduction gearbox (RS 336-416). Mounted under a Peco N gauge turntable. This is an ex-demo piece and is donated to Evercreech Junction.
Howard also showed a digital caiper (below) made by USA company iGaging and is available in the UK from Wood Workers Workshop. The one shown here is the 4" version (£33.95 inc vat). Howard is very pleased with the his.
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Next meeting 12 Febuary
The 2mm Kent and Essex Area Group meets on the second Sunday of each month in St Michael's Church hall, Wilmington near Dartford in Kent. Members come from both sides of the River Thames and from wider afield.
The last meeting of 2022, acompained by the traditional mince pies. Looking forward to what 2023 will bring.
Howard and Alan showed a couple of interesting and potentially very useful devices. Howard demonstrated a small lightweight point motor that can be independantly powered with a battery (MP1 and MP5 available from D C Conceps at £12.50 each) Could be useful for small portable layouts.
David has donated to Evercreech Junction a Stannier black 5 that he made from a fence houses kit (available through the 2mm shops.
Black 5s were great performers on the Somerset and Dorset. Much loved by the crews. Peter Smith's book 'S&D from the foot plate' states that a stalled train was pushed up the bank by a Black 5 which was also towing it's own train.
Perhaps we should test David's model on Keith and Alan's scale model of the 'bank' on their ECJ!
Return of the loco of the month, Stannier Black 5, another supurb model by David Smith.
New Year meeting Sunday 8 January 2023
