SMALL ADVERTISEMENTS ‘Announcements can be accepted up to the Ist of the ‘month for the following month's issue. The Chorges ore 22 ber ror, private (minum dharee 3); and ber word, trade (minimum charge 5]-). Cash with order. No Box Advertisements con be accepted. MODEL RAILROADER, America’s leading monthly ‘One year's supply, 32/3: specimen, 3/~ magazine catalogue free. Hobson, 79, Southbrook Read, Exeter. Have you booked a regular order for RAILWAY. MODELLER with your local bookstall or bookseller? The lord Junior Railway Club, a small_ group of railway enthusiasts, has vacancies fora few more members. A Prize-Winning Model. Railway 15 on Bermaneng toan co che Club, together with x wel. Lads between 134 and 18 years old are cordially inviced co communicate with J.K. Nelson, 36, South Park Drive, Iord. READY SOON.—The " Track-Taylor "for tailor- made track. 6d. P.O, brings details of the patented Brecision tool for making ©-O soldered tracks Brian Taylor. 36. Pullman Street, Rochdale, Lancs} Complete range of Meccano Sets Nos. 0 to 9, prices from 7)9. Buy while stocks last. George Bradshaw, 5:6, Western Road, Hove, Sussex. ANORMA Kies still at pre-tax price. From A.L to 36. Good stocks available.» George Bradshaw, 5-6, Western Road, Hove, Sussex. Now and unused Hornby Dublo. clockwork track. Seraighe and curved at 2/- each, Trackmaster clock: work locos, 29/3. Trackmaster_wagons, open 2/11, vans 3/6. ‘George Bradshaw, 5-6, Western Road, Hove, Sussex. New Trix Equipment now available. Passenger Sets, £7146, Goods Sets, £6 16 6 Track formations 915, 995, 935, 945. Transformers, 50/-. Crane truck 30012419, Crane on base, 14/4, land platform, 23/6 Personnel, 2/9. Passenger Merchandise, 3/3. Bogie Wazons, 93." Costes Bradshaw, 22, Western Road, Hove, Susse> Graham Farish trackstillavailable. 2-ral steel 3/4b, a-rall brass 7/4, Srail steel 5/6 per yard. George Bradshaw, 5-6, Westarn Road, Hove, Sussex. WHEN BUYING 2 railway book ‘the name lan Allan, you can't do betcer MODEL MAKER required by leading Manufaceurert sparing in he OO ruse, “Huse be capable cf Siting fratlass ‘Railway’ Models Including rack work'and finishing, paining,leteering, ete, 20 the ‘a coduee show cards int be prepared to ingle man preferred, Wriee inthe: frse“inatance, giving fall Seti “of Sxpevience, age selary required ete to Dept AWE 358, Vauxhall Bridge Road, SWS 0 GAUGE ELECTRIC LAYOUT, Four Tracks and Sidings, on S{e. 6in, x IL fe- Oin. Folding. Table, with detachable legs. | Control Panel, numerous astorted Buildings and Stations. £18 or offer, Hartley, 17, Elm Park Road, Finchiey, N.3. AMERICA’S famous ‘Model Railroader,” the most authoritative magazine available, -32/- per annum, Back numbers, 3- each, Free booklet listing Model Railroader's books and other American magazines from Willen Led. (Depe.33),I01, Fleet Screet, London, ECA. "Tel. FIN. 1919: - ATTENBOROUGH MODEL RAILWAY 82, Arkwright Street, NOTTINGHAM 64, Narborough Road, LEICESTER, Why not send 4d. for a copy of our “AMR. CHRONICLE”? which has temporary price list for Gauges © and OO under the prevailing conditions. For those interested in railways, we stock geod range of books, Apply for our “AMR, LIBRARY NEWS"— Complete list. 6d. post free. “OO” GAUGE ¥ EQUIPMENT — NESS & SEND US A POSTCARD WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND GET ON OUR MAILING LIST WHEN YOU WRITE WE REPLY | IMMEDIATELY ! GEORGE BRADSHAW 5 & 6 WESTERN ROAD HOVE - SUSSEX SCALE RAILWAY MODELS Railways _Locos,, 9/6, fer. Tanks, 70/3. “OO” 0-62 Tanks 48) both sulable Hornby of Graham Farish. "OO" Plastic “Loco Crews, I/é. Scale Bushes, 4fd. | Scale Hedges, 1/3. Postcards (Loco and Triin): Coopers LMR: listard, Ta? G.W.Rey UNE and SiR. list and card, 74, Special Loco Train Postcards, usually 6/- dozen, per ¢ dozen, 1/9. OO" oF “O” Lists, 3d. each. TYLDESLEY & HOLBROOK META, 109 Deansgate, Manchester, 3 PLEASE MENTION RAILWAY MODELLER WHEN WRITING TO ADVERTISERSTHE RAILWAY MODELLER Vol. 2. No. II. Edited by C. J. FREEZER JULY-AUGUST 1951 An lan Allan Publication THE LINLEY, MELOR & SENTOR RLY. Part Il. Planning the Line. by W. J. & J. G. Faulkner Vil. Lower end of Sentor Station, ‘S we have already stated in Part I, the Linley Melor and Sentor Railway was designed in full before any constructional work was undertaken. Pre- vious experience gained on the old Linley Melor and Sentor Railway had shown us that building a Model Railway was only a success if it pleased a photographer, satisfied an engine driver, and above all, worked efficiently and realistically. Accordingly the following points were borne in mind: — (1) Maximum length of track. It is im- portant that the train should travel as far as possible between the termini of the line, and this without passing through the same station a dozen times en route. Realism is only attained if one can conceal effectively the fact that the longest model track is very short when compared with a full size 93 illustrating effect of concealing tracks. (Photo, D. Priday line. For example, the LL.M. & S.R. has a good length of run, approximately 120ft. This, in full size figures, is only 12 miles, less than the distance from Victoria to Clapham Junction. The folly of having stations every few yards is thus apparent. The method used to help in overcoming this obvious defect, was: — (2) Concealment of a portion of the track, This may at first sound Irish, but concealing sections of the track very materially assists the illusion that the track is longer than it is actually. The specta- tor is left in some small degree of doubt as to the route and destination of the train. This may not seem so from the diagram as this is all too horribly clear, but it is so in practice. The method that we used to conceal track is also clear in the diagram. Fig. VII shows the effect of concealingTHE LINLEY MELOR & SENTOR RAILWAY. the two tracks at the lower end of Sentor Station (right-hand side of the diagram). ‘As yet, no proper tunnel mouth has been constructed here, but the hole through which these tracks disappear is just visible through the spans of the double skew bridge. (3) The next important point if realism is desired, is that the train must essen- tially go from somewhere to somewhere, and must travel the same ground on the return journey, i.e., there must be an end to end run. Realistic working is impos- ible with a continuous circuit. “To under- stand this point, imagine a full size tr travelling through the same station several times on one journey! To depart from A and arrive at A with the same train is equally ridiculous. Only with an end to end run is it possible to simulate full size pra In this respect the number of stations en route is immaterial, as long as they are not traversed more than once on the same journey. However, with a lay- out the size of the L.M. & S.R. where more than one operator was not only desirable but essential, a compromise had 94 to be made. (4) Continuous Circuit—More than one operator was not always available, and it niust be possible for one operator to give a reasonable show for visitors. So to save this person dashing from one control panel to the next, a continuous circuit was incor- porated it: the layout, although only with certain safeguards. Portions of the circuit were concealed to disguise its continuity and only one station was situated on it, Sentor. Thus one person, without any attempt at realistic working, could operate at least a portion of the layout effectively. From a study of the diagram it can be seen how the continuous and end to end types of layout were incorporated. Consider the layout working as designed with three operators. The train leaves Linley under the control of operator A. Just before the first double junction on the lower right-hand side of the diagram, the train passes to operator B, who then con- trols its journey up the bank at the bottom of the diagram, and then down through Sentor Station. At the double junction the train then runs onto the portion ofFig. Vill. Linley Turntable and Loco Shed, positioned in’: track already traversed, and proceeds once more up the bank. ‘The next time it reaches the junction at the left-hand side of the diagram, this same operator directs it up the track to Melor, and just past the junction, operator C ‘takes over. He brings the train to rest at Melor. The portion of track which is traversed twice is either concealed completely or partly hidden, as it is lower than Melor Station. In any case the scenery behind the visible portion is, or at least will be, non-com- mittal; just a series of green’ fields and hills. ' Operator B, it will be seen can, if necessary, operate trains o2 his section quite conveniently, and with a minimum of trouble to satisfy the casual visitor. The advantage of having three entirely separate sections, each with its one opera- tor is that real operating conditions can be simulated. As the train passes from one operator to the next, the correct bell code may be given, and signals set accordingly. We feel that if and when the L.M. & S.R. is complete from the operating point of view, it will be possible to run a complete series of full size operations, operate a timetable, and in general, please some of the sceptics who defy railway modellers to operate trains as the British Railways do. Sentor Station is completely signalled, and these, together with all. points, are operated from’a lever frame. With the assistance of a friend, we have already tried some 95 (Photo, 0. Pridey. recess of the wall. sequences of train movements, and every- thing indicates that the completed rail will satisfy the engine driver’s critical mind. Further to this intention of simu- lating real conditions, point No. 5 arises. (5) It is absolutely necessary to design the station and facilities as they would be in real practice. Thus carriage sidings must be provided, together with shunting necks that allow’ correct movement of trains. One criterion of a correctly de- signed station and layout is whether it can be signalled properly, and the designer will not be far adrift if his signalling evokes no comment from the man on the foot- plate. There are many books on the de- sign of stations, goods yards, etc., in fact, recent issues of the Railway Modeller have carried articles on this very subject, and so we do not intend to enter into a detailed discussion here. ‘The design of the indivi- dual stations, and the facilities that they give are apparent from the diagram. One point worth mentioning, however, and that is the use of a turntable, positioned to ive maximum use of corners and recesses. See the position of Linley loco shed and turntable, in Fig. VIII* and also in the diagram. ‘With regard to Fig. VIIT, and some subsequent pe oes Seer Eerning the background. “In Fig, VIII, it has been pari blocked out because, although i looks most Etnfietory to the eye it photographs in a mostFig. IX. (6) Not too much track, a point that is, however, very often overlooked, and in this respect the L.M. & S.R. is not a good example. On reflection we feel that we have fallen into this error. Not enough space has been left for the extras that are the spice of a first class model railway. It is most important to have say a street of houses, farmyard, brick yard and some such lineside effects in detail. Otherwise the railway is not complete. Painted scenic backgrounds are all very well, but you should not rely on them to provide the facilities for which the Model Railway should be running. If the LM. & SR. were to be redesigned this fault would be corrected, though probably not without some loss of railway facilities. (7), Long platforms. This is a point that’ is too often overlooked. In “OO” Gauge, a platform six feet long will accommodate 1 tank engine and 6 coaches, or 1 express loco and 5 coaches only. ‘These are very short trains by full size standards, particularly if they are main line types. Thus, for scale modelling, 6 feet is the shortest length that one should make a main line platform. Fig. IX is included to illustrate this point. Linley Platforms are 6 feet long, and the LM. '& S. 4-4-0 Compound loco with 5 coaches is only just under its maximum capacity. Consider, a 4-6-0 loco with Linley Station—the main platforms are 6 ft. long. 96 Photo, O. Priday three coaches; this would require a plat- form four feet long. We offer no apology, however, for the proposed length of Beam- side platform, as a push-pull 0-4-2 Train plus coach is all that will operate here. And last but not least: — (8) All station facilities should be easily accessible to the operators. It is no good making stations and marshalling yards so large that you cannot reach the far sidings ithout standing on your toes and stretch- ing. Damage in some form or other will surely follow. The actual width accessible, of course, depends on many factors, height of operator, height of baseboard, etc., but, to those who take our advice and design their layouts before building them, do not overlook this last point. Looking back now after five years on the original drawing of the L.M. & S.R., we recognise many minor faults not then apparent, and no doubt some readers will be able to find discrepancies between the ideals enumerated above and the present layout of the L.M. & SR, but do not forget that the line, as with every line, has to be a compromise between these ideals. We put forward the design of the LM. & SR. as a brave effort at incor- porating them all. (To be continued)L.N.W.R. STANDARD SIGNAL CABINS — by 1. HESE notes have been prepared to help the growing number of en- thusiasts who are working to proto- type practice. In order to fit these pages, the drawings have been reproduced to the small scale of 4mm. to the foot. Small details, therefore, are not easy to show, but workers in the smaller scales should find enough information for the building of a good representative model. A scale of feet and inches, from which dimen- | sions may be taken, accompanies each of the drawings. The drawings show a standard London & North-Western “G” type 24ft.-1din, K. NELSON — _ cabin. Many are still in use and a model ‘of one will be as much “at home” on an up-to-date model railway as on one re- presenting pre-grouping practice. The only obvious difference is in the position of the name boards. Before L.M.S. days, they were on the cabin sides, Later, they were moved to the ends as shown on the drawings. This is the standard position today. British Railways are now replacing the wooden steps with a welded steel structure, but many of the older ones are still in use. All standard L.N.W.R. cabins are 12ft. wide outside. “The lengths vary according to the number of levers. It is important, therefore, to esti- mate the number of levers needed in relation to the cabin’s position before start-FRONT ELEVATION ing to build a model. The regular sizes, up to 70 lever cabins are shown in the table. Many factors govern the height. 8ft. from rail level to the floor is a dimension frequently found when no obstructions exist. If coaches or covered wagons’ on an adjacent track are likely to obscure the signalman’s view, the height may be 12ft. or 14ft. Where overline bridges are 98 ins, QL 234 $ 678 POU ONS Ip near the cabin and good sighting under the bridge is not possible, exceptionally tall cabins, sometimes 24ft. to the floor level, are found. It should be noted that in these and other large cabins, the brick structure is panelled with plinths and pilasters. Although the cabins are always 12ft, wide, when they are situated betweenFT. LIN.W.R. STANDARD CABIN SIZES NO. OF LEVERS THRE] LENGTH) chaning spares G 13 sar Is D ler 2a" 20 E ler 9% 25 F 2 6 30 G 2 ye 35 H 26’ 6" 40 J 29 8” 45 kK 37 34" 50 L 35’ 0” 55 M 38° 7)" 60 N 44” 0" 70 tracks or in other places where space is limited, the brick part is under 12ft. The cabin then projects on one side or on E 012345678901 2345 6 UNS, id eel el enenbtmielcliend END ELEVATIONS both. Openings for signal wires and point rods are not shown as these vary with local requirements. The drawings show a “glass all round” cabin. A common alternative is for the back ‘to have no windows. In this case the end further from the door has one window 7ft. 6in. wide. The space between this window and the back is boarded. Another variation is for the roof to finish flush with the end walls without any over- hang. The perspective drawing has been pre- pared to show the general arrangement and to be a guide to modellers who like to include simple interior fittings. Conversation with signalmen and others who were familiar with L.N-WR. practice has produced nothing certain about the style of painting. Most of them say thatoe t 4 nd REAR ELEVATION j there has been no obvious change. Some notes, bearing the stamp of the LN.W.R. Signal and Telegraph Dept., Crewe, how- ever, show that the following parts were painted brown (a shade lighter than G.W.R. brown), roof end boards, finials, gutters, doors, stairway, cast iron brackets. All the remainder, buff, except for the 100 window frames which were white. Acknowledgement must be made for the assistance given by Mr. John E. Skinley in obtaining official information from which the drawings have been prepared and also for the help given by officials of British Railways for permission to take photographs and to check certain details.Beginners Please ——- QUTDOOR RAILWAYS Outdoor railways present a few diffi- culties to the modeller, mostly around and about suitable substructures. One can hardly call them baseboards. ‘The first thing to remember is that in England we haven’t a climate but we do have weather. In other words, it rains. Rain may seem a fairly harmless thing but it will, in course of time, do consider- able damage. Timber for the substructure of an outdoor model railway should be at least 1}”X 2” and should be well creosoted. The posts should, if possible, be treated with some rot-proofing compound before they are driven in this may be expensive at the start but it is decidedly better than having the whole structure subside gently onto the ground in a year or two's time. ‘The general design of substructures will, of course, follow those of indoor lines (see Railway Modeller, Jan.-Feb., 1951), except that the timber ‘sections will be larger. However, ply and hardboard are out of place outdoors, unless you know that the ply is a resin bonded variety that will not warp or part. Instead matchboarding or asbestos sheeting must be used, or failing that, thick planks. An important point to watch is drain- age. If water is allowed to collect on the baseboard top it will cause considerable damage apart from looking extremely un- tidy and therefore drainage holes should be provided. Moreover ballast ceases to be a scale accessory of purely scenic value, it is an integral working part of the model. It should therefore be distinctly overscale to allow the water to drain away. For this purpose large granite chips, as used to dress road surfaces, are excellent. TRACK ON BATTENS Along the main line there is no need for wide baseboards. The construction shown in Fig. 1 is sufficient, here the track is carried in what is in effect a trough of ballast, relying on the ballast alone to hold it in place. This is quite effective, moreover it will allow for easy realignment at any future date should this prove advis- able. In fact, it is just prototype practice. 101 For a simple scenic effect privet bushes should be planted beneath the line. These can be trimmed to form cuttings and em- bankments and will, in case of accident, break the fall of derailed rolling stock. However, if the fullest scenic effect is required the line should be at, or near, ground level. This is easy to attain but Teads to much backache whilst operating. However, if the modeller is also an ardent gardener, much can be done by planting small shrubs of suitable appearance beside the line; your local park superintendent will no doubt be able to help you here, both in the choice and care of such plants Artificial pools and rockeries add to the attractiveness of such a line and for a change, space is not at a premium for so long as room is left to get at the washing the whole garden’s yours. GARDEN WALL BREEZE BLOCKS a ‘CONCRETE Pgzifcrouno Fig. 2. All this is worth a bit of extra trouble. If the garden has a distinct slope much can be done by arranging the principal station at the lower end. However, this is rarely so and therefore a certain amount of excavation will be necessary. Fig. 2 shows roughly the form such excavation should take though local conditions wilt largely determine how you arrange matters. What is essential is a solid wall and a good concrete floor to the pit with a fall to one corner and a soakaway; a pit some two-foot deep full of sharp gravel which will allow surface water to drain away. A refinement would be a small shed or greenhouse over the station in order that rolling stock could be kept under cover when service was suspended, Of all outdoor systems the ground level has the most to offer, both in effectiveness and hard work. It is, in fact, civil engi- neering in miniature.NARROW GAUGE TOPICS D. N recent months there has been quite [: considerable growth of interest in narrow-gauge railway modelling and since my recent articles on the subject I have received numerous letters asking for further information. In view of the interest shown, it has been decided to run this series to deal with readers’ queries and matters of general interest to the narrow-gauge modeller. In writing such a series, I am only too well aware of my ‘own limitations. My own layout is still in the early stages of construction, and I cannot pretend to be anything like a real authority on narrow-gauge matters. It, therefore, will be anything but dogmatic. T cannot lay down the law and say how narrow-gauge railways should be modelled —nor do I want to. Railway modelling, after all, is a very personal business and everyone develops his own views on the best way to do things. All I can do is to record what I have learnt from my own experiences and to give my own opinions. It will then be up to the individual modeller to make up his own mind as to what he intends to do himself. An example of what I mean is pro- vided by this vexed question of the “best gauge” to be adopted for narrow-gauge models, and it has even been suggested that this should be fixed by the B.R.M.S.B. HANCOCK 102 But how can one lay down a standard narrow-gauge, when the track-gauge of prototype lines varies so considerably? Mr. Clayton raises this point in the March/April issue of the Railway, Modeller, and I quite agree with him that anyone modelling some particular line, and wishing to keep to one of the standard scales, should adopt the correct gauge for that line whatever it works out at. Alter- natively, of course, he can model to a scale of 4.5mm, or 8mm. or whatever is most convenient. Moreover, when the modeller has chosen his gauge, he should logically refuse to model anything which does not conform to that gauge. This may seem a harsh doctrine to anyone who is not over pedantic about scale accuracy, and who has an interest in a wide variety of prototypes. I do feel, therefore, that it is permissible to go a certain length along the road to standardization of narrow-gauge but it is hardly a matter for the B.R.M.S.B. for opinion is obviously greatly divided as to the best gauge to choose. From the letters I have received it would appear that most modellers are in- terested in the possibilities of narrow- gauge in 4mm. scale, and practically every Prototype gauge has its adherents. Those who favour the 3ft. and the 2ft. gaugesdo so largely because of the fairly wide range of prototypes available in each; while those who adopt the former have the added incentive that the gauge works out at 12mm., which is the same as that used for the American “TT” gauge. For any- one with access to the American market this gauge is therefore very well worth- while considering. It does, however, come fairly near to standard gauge, and some modellers may feel that much of the charm of narrow-gauge is thereby lost. ‘They will naturally be attracted to the smaller gauges, and to the 2ft. gauge in particular. This has the one serious draw- back, however, in that it gives a track gauge-of 8mm., which does not correspond to that of any existing scale. This is not a serious difficulty, but it is convenient to model to an existing gauge and there is considerable support for 2ft. 3in, and 2ft. 4Jin. gauges. These gauges, more- over, provide a convenient “compromise” gauge for anyone who is prepared to abandon a certain amount of scale accuracy in order to include within the scope of his modelling any of the attrac- tive prototypes which lie within the 2ft to 2ft. 3in. range of gauges. The reason why both these gauges are popular is to be found in the divergence LAYOUTS FOR THE MODELLER No. 3. T had to happen. Ever I since I reported sxistence of Mr. Colson’s “Railway in a Pantry”, re- quests have come in for de. tails; obviously a lot of people want to do likewise Well, the layout this time is based on the principles laid down by Maurice Deane and followed by Colson, only I have deliberately refrained from following the exact lay- out for two reasons. Firstly, the space of the original line — occupied was somewhat irregular and would not, therefore, be of universal interest and secondly once the principle is grasped, anyone could re- construct the layout from the published photos—they show best part of it. The Present layout occupies the enormous space of Sft. by 6ft. in 4mm. scale, leaving just enough room in the middle’ for the of. opinion as to the correct geuye for “000”. When I began my own layout I adopted a gauge of 9mm. (2ft. 3in.) because I thought that that was the accepted gauge for 2mm, scale modelling. Since then I have discovered that 9.5mm. gauge is more popular, and this gauge scales 2ft. 44in. in 4mm. narrow-gauge. This latter is probably the more con- venient for those who wish to make use of 2mm. scale equipment, but there were very few lines built to that actual gauge, and the advantage of the 2ft. 3in. gauge is that it embraces a fairly wide range of possible models. Alll this merely goes to show that each gauge has its advantages and its di advantages, and it rests with the indivi dual modeller to decide which gauge best suits his own requirements. In making this decision it is useful to. know what commercial equipment is available for the various scales and gauges, and I hope to be able to deal with this matter in the next issue. In the meantime I shall always be glad to hear from prospective and existing narrow-gauge modellers, and I will do my best to answer all enquiries. The only thing I ask is that correspondents will remember to include a stamped addressed envelope with their letters. STATON BUILDING SIGNAL CABIN ‘OOS SHED CONTROL PaneL ENGINE SHED COAL. STAGE E WATER TANK BRIDGE HALT SECTOR PLATE. warvousun— operator and, if both are slim enough, his friend, The main station is quite com- pact, has all the usual appurtenances and though simple will be fairly interesting to work. Thence the line runs on an un- broken 24in. radius curve past a junction which is optional and will be referred to later, to a small halt. Here we have a 103Joop and a single siding but no signals or signal box in the proper sense. Ther however, a ground frame, either in the open or if you feel lavish, in a tiny hut looking rather like a signal box that has been left out in the rain to shrink. This frame is normally locked but can be re- leased by an Annett key on the train staff. This, of course, applies only to the proto- type, the model would have a frame in the usual manner adjacent to the station. If you felt particularly lavish you could have a small control panel which would nor- mally be switched out with a D.P.D.T. switch but which could be cut in onto the halt section whenever you wished to shunt. As there isn’t really room for two opera tors it would be rather pointless but if there were more space it would be very handy. From the halt the line continues, mostly on a 24in. curve, until it dis- appears under a large overbridge which marks the end of the visual line. This could, of course, be a tunnel mouth but the bridge, with the building in front does mask the fact that the line leaves the imaginary countryside at this point and arrives at the runround sidings. Too many tunnels exist for no other reason than convenience. A tunnel is not the only way of masking hidden runrounds. Here all the fiddling takes place to return trains to the terminus. There is, in addi- tion the chain dotted line which is optional but advisable. This exists purely to give continuous running and the visible end could well be disguised as a private siding. The continuous run is, of course, only used for testing and running- in locomotives, for normal operation true terminal working is essential. Between the station and the runround loops there is a line of semi-flat buildings. ‘These are far more effective as a means of breaking the gap between the two sections than a plain painted backsheet, even if they are but Jin. in depth, for the relief throws a true shadow that matches the shadows on the model, something no painted scene can ever do. Moreover, with a simple painted backcloth representing sky behind the runround sidings the illusion of distance is easily attained and, providing the buildings are at least 34in. high, the trains behind cannot be seen. Needless to say there are limitations to this arrangement, You are limited to trains of two bogie coaches or three four- wheelers and goods trains of four or five wagons and a brake. You are also limited to small tank engines, nothing larger than an 0-4-4T, an 0-6-2T or a 2-4-2T is per- missible. However, on the credit side of the balance you have an accurate line with great scenic possibilities that bears no re- semblance to a toy. It is, moreover, reasonably inexpensive to build; you don’t need more than one engine and half a dozen pieces of rolling stock to start with. Nor does it take overlong to build and get in perfect order; about a year all told at the outside; and when in order there isn’t a lot to do to keep it in tip top condition. Finally it does enable you to have a model railway where you thought you never could get one. CLF. A FINE L.N.W.R. LAYOUT HE photograph on the facing page was taken on Mr. J. K. Nelson's HO gauge L.N.WR. line. It shows the excellent scenic work that is an feature of the line and concern- ing this Mr. Nelson writes: “The stone- work on the tunnel face is prepared by gluing lino onto wood formers and sub- sequently carving with lino cutting tools. Most of the grass is surgical lint mounted hairy side up, painted with concentrated size and water colours, When nearly dry a little dry earth (from the garden!) is rubbed in here and there and when abso- lutely dry a file card drags up the long grass. “The weeds growing under the trees on the river banks in the foreground are dried grasses, painted. “The signal box, which has dummy levers and fittings is built of card and Perspex. The window frames (note the one open window) are of Bristol Board. “The locomotive is an LN.WR. George V class 4-4-0, bought second-hand about five years ago; I do not know the maker. The coaches were built by myself from official Wolverton drawings. Every- thing is to a scale of 34mm. to a foot”. A recent visit, on the occasion of the line’s official opening, showed that the rest. of the line was fully up to the standard shown in this picture. Readers will prob- ably be interested to know that Mr. Nel- son, who is Chairman of the Ilford Junior Railway Club, has had a great deal of assistance from them in the construction of the line which is, in fact, the club lay- out. Itis pleasing to.record that although the average age is well under eighteen the care and respect these lads show to these beautiful models fully repays Mr. Nelson’s trust in them. In fact they could give many older modellers tips on how to handle models. 104L.M.S. & L.N.W.R. Signal Measurements by ‘HARDWICKE’ THOSE L.N.W. and LMS. en- T thusiasts who demand the last thing in realism and thus need accurate details will, probably find the following details of interest. It may also be of interest to mention that all dimensions given were obtained direct from the Signal and Telegraph Department of the L.M.S. Fig. 1. before the war. The measurements of the upper quadrant L.M.S. signals refer to the square posted pre-war type and not to what I call the “utility” signals with tubular posts and plain arms. The photographs show typical signals of each era. Fig. I is the starter for plat- form 3 at Buxton (Western Division) and shows the short arm used in so many of the lower post signals. To the right, in the background, can be seen the home signals, a junction having the standard length arms with the very short calling-on arms below. The upper quadrant, Fig. II, 106 Fig. 3,is the starter for platform 2 at Buxton (Midland Division) and shows the calling- on or shunt arm below the main one. Fig. II] is the starter on the M.S.J.A. plat- forms at London Road Station, Manches- ter and shows, in addition to the starter, a distant arm on the same post. Models should not be constructed from TABLE OF SINGLE SIGNALS Size of post at base, 20’-30' high over buttress 30-40’ high above 40” high |—all heights Size of post at fi BRACKET SIGNALS Size of post at base yy» Over buttress |. ton ym at joint of horizontal Length of horizontal (two post)... Depth of horizontal oe Size of signal posts on horizontal. . » at finial ... SIGNAL ARMS Length of main tine, home or distant Depth nn Length of shunting arm Depth , PROTOTYPE LAYOUTS No. 6 HARBORNE the terminus of the single line branch from Birmingham (New Street) to Harborne, The station itself is of the single platformed type and is a well built structure of red brick. As will be seen by the accompanying drawing there are the usual offices and waiting rooms. The roof is of slate, the platform awning is of patent glazing and the plat- form asphalt edged with blue brick. ‘The layout is very suitable for model- ling, being simple in design yet able to cope with both passenger and goods iraffic. The branch was closed to passenger traffic in November 1934 but until then it had a passenger service of 19 trains per day in each direction. The goods service is still prosperous, there being two trains per day. ‘As will be seen from the photographs (2 subject chosen for this article is centre to centre, each post the measurements alone; variations occur, particularly in the lengths of the arms of the L.N.W-R. types and whilst the balance weights of these signals were almost always on the side of the post facing the traffic, they did vary in position whilst the L.M.S. signals had their balance weights in various positions on any of the four sides. DIMENSIONS LIN.W.R, LMS. Isq. 11" sq. 3 14° sq ‘ we Special a Special 64" sq. Hi'sq. 11 sq. l4%sq. 14" sq. s I'sq. 9 sq. are’ 9’0" we? 70g i 1 Ia ¥ se 8 sq. 6y' sq. 6} sq. i ze i Se" Seater : see lor hoy etic i 6 | n| a a, ls Harborne Starter. 107‘ A VIEW ON Y. be VIEW ON Xx. (rom @ drawing by E.R. Ashton). Harborne Station, 19/11/34. 108Seon = ‘CDODS SHED there is also a small goods shed, most of the goods traffic is coal, and there are several coal merchants offices on the station sit Signalling is simple as there are only two post signals and three ground discs. The former are home and starter signals of typical L.N.W.R. pattern, the home being 30ft. in height, the starter 15ft., Harborne Station from footbridge. 109 HARBORNE-L.M.R. (EX. L.N.W.R.) — now on a concrete post. The turntable— now removed—was also locked from the signal box. There is a footbridge painted in the usual buff colour, running from the side of the station buildings across the goods yard to the neighbouring Harborne Estates. PLB. WiTeHousE (Photo, P. 8. WhitehouseHarborne Signal Box. [Photo P. 8. Whitehouse Harborne Station. 11/34. Photo, W. A. Camwell 110)NE of the more unfortunate things about the average model railway is the lack of attention given to the This is all too O civil engineering side often left as an afterthought and fitted in where there isn’t room for anything else. One of the greatest sufferers in this affair is, of course, the humble bridge. All too often it gets shoved into a corner because there isn’t room for it anywhere else. Now there is nothing wrong having a bridge on a curve, for there are plenty of prototypes, but there is a lot wrong with the way most bridges are built when they are supposed to be curved. It is flatly impossible to build a curved bridge. You cannot bend beams, nor can you twist a masonry arch, they would just topple sideways under load. A bridge, or viaduct, on a curve is in fact a succession of short chords, as in the diagram. In practice the curves are so gentle that this passes unnoticed but on a model, where the curves are far and away sharper than their prototypes it is all too horribly ob- vious, and unless, in 4mm. scale, the curve is at least 36” radius the resulting bridge, viaduct or what-have-you will look pretty grim whatever you do. The only possible solution is a timber trestle, for here the piers, or rather struts, can be kept at close centres. A normal viaduct, which has spans of 35’ will look horrible, even on 36” curves it is as well to reduce your pier centres to 30° to reduce the effect of the successive dog-legs in the bridge’s plan. Another common error is to indulge in too many girder bridges. This, I think is an error of taste rather than accuracy, for there is no question that the average girder bridge is far from being a pretty thing, whilst a well designed masonry arch is. Moreover there is a lot more work in the girder bridge if it is to be correct. In fact if every modeller were to keep a simple self denying ordinance to eschew any bridge that involved trusses of any description a considerable improvement in standards would result, I should point EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK ut out in this question that there are no com- mercial sections available from which a respectable trussed bridge can be built; if anyone dares mention bullhead rail I shall scream. Despite the continual burblings to the contrary from amateur “engineers” you cannot build a bridge from rails they are not a structural section. So much for trusses. A plate girder is quite in order and there have been a few designs published. These take care of larger spans, up to 60-80, which is big enough for the most ambitious modeller. To give variety, however, there are masonry arches. These can run into astonishing lengths—a scale model of one of the larger efforts would run into four or five feet in 4mm. scale but even in the smaller sizes they are extremely effective. Before you can begin to make an accurate model you must have some idea, at least, of how the prototype is put together. Even if you do not, as in this particular case, follow prototype procedure in erection, or, in fact, construct anything remotely’ re- sembling the prototype in its internal economy, you have to simulate the exter- nal appearance of the prototype. Now despite the large number of con- trary opinions—to judge from some models—a masonry bridge is held up by a very small portion of the whole. Cement has nothing to do with it, it is purely de- sign, ‘The whole bridge is supported upon a series of concentric rings of bricks or stones, depending on the construction. ‘These are forced downward by the super- incumbent load of the spandrel walls, hard core and traffic, and being solid, merely jam tighter together the heavier the load, thrusting outward onto the abutments either side. In the case of a large arch, anything over 50’, this side thrust is fairly considerable and the second diagram shows that the abutment is a massive block of mass concrete, with brick facings. Of course this varies with the site and design of bridge. If solid rock is available that can bear the thrust it is brought into use for obvious reasons of economy. The thickness of the arch depends on the span of the bridge, and will vary from two or three rings to several feet. At the very top is the keystone. Sometimes a very ornamental stone appears on each end, on occasions carved with a coat of arms, but in fact the true keystone is prob- ably'a common blue brick, or rather a complete course of them. Despite popular belief the keystone does not hold up the arch, the entire ring of stones are essen-coPing— |-—-STRING COURSE H The keystone is merely the last stone that keys the arch together. The arch carries the two spandrel walls, which serve merely to hold in the hard- core, a pleasing mixture of earth, stone, old bedsteads, bathbricks and dead cats— tial. in other words anything that can be chucked in to fill the gap. In the case of large bridges and viaducts there are fre- quently subsidiary arches within the span- drel walls to reduce the amount of hard- core and, obviously, the weight. This is essential, for solid earth can weigh quite a lot and to avoid having too heavy piers and over large foundations the biggest bridges are often hollow shams. ‘The curves of the arch are set out from the springing line, a line joining the base of the arches. Where two or more arches of differing heights and pitches are found together in the same bridge they are set out from the common springing line, partly from appearance but principally be- cause in this fashion the two thrusts from the adjacent arches are to some extent balanced and transmitted to the end abut- ments, thus allowing the central piers to be lighter as they only need carry the ver- tical load. Although most viaducts have arches of semi-circular section this is not so with bridges of up to three or four arches, Those are usually elliptical, and even if the modeller thinks it a fiddle, it 18 as well to make the ellipse a three arc affair, as shown in the diagram. It is just as effective in the long run as play- ing about with pins and a loop of stringto draw a true ellipse, for ten to one you won't cut it out correctly. In practice masonry arches are built up on timber falseworks called centres, which are kept in place until the mortar has set and the arch can stand of itself. In the model nothing of the sort takes place, ex- cept where an outdoor modeller uses con- crete. The perspective sketch of the via duct shows how liberties are taken and how, in fact, the model bridge is held up by two wooden-side walls. The whole affair is a fake from start to finish but if you don’t put the paper arch on the model the fake will show for all to see and marvel at your inexcusable ignorance. Really there’s nothing to the construction of a model bridge except the marking out and cutting of two wooden sides sticking on the brickpaper and faking in the arch. If it is at all a long bridge, refuges should be provided at frequent intervals in order that any workers caught on the bridge may keep clear of the trains and that the signal engineers may find somewhere to erect their posts. Next a word about skew spans. These present few difficulties to the modeller, though they cause more curses in civil engineers’ offices than anything else, for the courses of brick have to be placed on a complex curve in order that the thrust might be transmitted to the abutments and not, as would otherwise happen, into thin air with disastrous consequences. This is easiest done if the cross section on the skew is circular, elliptical skew bridges have been known to drive men mad. How- ever, unless a very peculiar section is used the appearance on the straight is always an ellipse, which simplifies matters. So far as the modeller is concerned the brick paper on the arch should be skewed, though this doesn’t particularly matter as no-one can see it anyway. The diagram ought to make things plain, One last word. If, for any reason, you wish to put a plate girder span into the centre of a set of masonry arches you 113 have, in effect, produced three separate bridges, a masonry arch, a plate girder and another masonry arch to finish with. Therefore the abutments each side of the girder should be extremely solid affairs, capable of taking the thrust of the arches. Otherwise the bridge would, in the proto- type, gently collapse. Each of the masonry arches would push sideways into the cen- tral gap and the plate girder would sub- side gracefully, to come to rest on a pile of rubble. So, if you don’t want to make a civil engineer die laughing, go careful how you'design your next bridge. Better still copy a prototype, it’s a lot safer. Talking of working to prototype leads naturally enough to photography, for one good photograph of a prototype is worth a ton of description. Here the modeller can help himself, for anyone can take a good photograph providing he uses a reasonable amount of care, There is no need for elaborate equipment, for pure record work a box camera will suffice— Thave taken dozens of useful shots with a camera that cost 4s. 6d. pre-war. If you load with orthochromatic film, Verichrome, Selochrome or a similar type, you are almost certain to get good results provid- ing you use your head and follow two simple rules, First, hold the camera steady when exposing. Second, wait, in the summer months, until the sun is covered with a cloud. This may sound crazy but in fact there is so much light about in summer that if you don’t do this you will get _a grossly over-exposed negative, modern films are so fast. Into the bargain, although from the pictorial viewpoint the result will be flat, the detail will be there and not hidden in areas of white blankness or black shadow, otherwise known as soot and whitewash. I'm not suggesting that the box camera is the ideal camera for such work, it isn’t, but it just so happens that its particular limitations do not obtrude. My own choice for this work is a miniature camera, not, I am sorry to say, a Leica or Contax, but a much cheaper affair which can, and does, produce excellent results within its limits. The beauty of the miniature is the fact that it will take 36 exposures at one load and as covering a simple station takes a round dozen shots it is none too many. Anyway I hope, this summer, to put several more South Devon stations into the bag. It’s a pleasant side of the hobby, station copping, and using a “runabout” ticket it is quite cheap. Without strain you can tackle three stations a day and be back in time for tea, However, take my tip and pack a thermos flask, if the day's at all hot you'll need it!BEHIND THE Each year thousands see the Model Rail- way Exhibition from the outside. To them it appears a well. organised, carefully thought out affair. Those members of the Model Railway Club who see what the Central Hall is like about midday on Easter Monday have an entirely different idea. At that moment it looks as if the exhibition, for once, isn’t going to go according to plan. It seems certain that the show will not go on; that by opening time none of the stands’ will be finished. But the annual miracle occurs and some- how everything is in place when the public are admitted. ‘The upper photograph shows much of this confusion. The L.N-ER. stand in the left foreground is taking shape rapidiy 114 SHGTE"NEEIS but will probably be completely _re- arranged before the day is out. There is as yet little sign of the live steam track, though its compound is up and ready for occupation. In the far distance can be seen the Southern stand, without a model in sight. ‘The chaos on the lower level is worse still, the Great Western stand, the famous “Aquarium” is still in a state of masterly disorder and as for the working layouts .. At the moment they are anything but working. The lower photograph shows the most onerous chore of the whole job, wiring down the models. It has to be done, the problem is how. It is easier to thread a needle blindfold.Workshop Corner HANDBRACE TURNING ‘T is no exaggeration to say that a lathe I of some sort is essential for the keen modeller, the operative words being “of some sort”. Lathes vary somewhat, from the primitive pole lathes still used by itinerant chair bodgers to the gigantic machines used for turning the rollers of steel mills with every variation of preci~ sion, near precision and roughing tool in between. The cost varies according to the size and precision; for the modeller who only needs his lathe for ornamental turn- ing it can be a very simple affair. Fortu- nately most of the precision parts, wheels, axles, and the like, can be bought, leaving only ‘fittings to be turned in the home workshop. HAND= ORILL Basically a lathe consists of two parts, a means for gripping and revolving the part to be turned and a means of holding and steadying the cutting tool. Nine times out of ten a hand-drill held in a vice as shown in Fig. 1 will do all that is needed, The tool rest, is however, another matter. It can be of the form shown in the sketch, which is about the easiest to arrange, or it can be more elaborate with facilities for accurately adjusting the relative position of the rest to the job, for it is most im- portant that the cutting edge of the tool should be on the horizontal centre line of the work, as shown in Fig. 2. This is essential if the tool is to cut properly with- out digging in or chattering. The simplest source for hand turning tools is the broken ends of needle files; what modeller has not a collection of these? The temper is just about right and a little work on a grindstone will bring the jagged end to one or other of the forms shown in Fig. 3. The most useful is the round nose (1), two or three jof these should be made of differing radii, the knife (2) and the vee (3) are only used for 1s special contours, they will not of them- selves produce a smooth surface when used in the hand. ‘The parting tool (4) is a special case and will be found most useful for light finishing cuts, it will not, how- ever, part off in so primitive a lathe, this should be done with a saw. If it is preferred, you need not have special tools but instead you may use files in order to remove unwanted metal. This is perfectly alright, although all textbooks on turning deplore it. It is admittedly less efficient when used in a proper lathe, even by an expert, but in our makeshift effort the difference is small and the amount of skill required is certainly less. The principal objection is, of course, that 273% ' TYPES OF LATHE ‘TOOLS. TOOL aT CENTRE FelGHT / Fig. 2. abrasive dust is sprayed over the lathe bed when you file the workpiece, however our lathe has no bed so this does not apply. As it is hard work turning the handle with one hand whilst using the tool in the other it is as well to press someone else to act as “motor”. The exact method I leave to each individual, bribery and cor- ruption, coercion or intimidation, for it is certain that no-one will do it twice for love, especially on a hot day. Alterna- tively a pistol drill will provide the neces~ sary power without any bother. Providing the basic bar from which the job is to be turned is smaller than the capacity of the drill chuck no trouble will ensue. If however this is not so, you must arrange a spigot that can be gripped in the chuck. There are two ways. The most solid system, is to file a suitable spigot but the efficacy of this depends en- urely on your ability to file a spigot that is reasonably true with the outer body; no easy task. Alternatively you may put a centre punch mark in the centre of the bar, using a bell centre punch or odd-leg calipers, drill and tap for the fixing screw. ‘A short length of screwed rod, locknutted, is screwed in and then placed in the chuck. ‘There will be no tendency for this to un-screw as the effect of turning will always be to tighten it up. Turning is at once simple and difficult. In principle all one has to do is to apply the tool to the parts not wanted and re- move them. This, of course, sounds easier than it is and much practice will be needed before perfection is attained. Even when the turner is experienced it is extremely unlikely that he will be able to do real precision work on so primitive a machine, for example it might be possible to remove the unwanted flanges from the centre wheels of a six-coupled chassis but it will be almost impossible to turn up a pair of wheels with any pretence to accuracy. For this class of work a proper lathe with a Comtng erase respectable tool-rest is required. There is no need to buy a large machine, nor do you want anything as accurate as a watch- maker's lathe, what is needed is a simple 1” centre lathe such as sell, even today, for around £5. This, together with the rest of the necessary equipment will cost little over £10 and with it the modeller may attempt most of the work needed to produce a small scale locomotive. I have, in fact, seen a 1 gauge live steam locomo- tive made on such a machine, but I should point out that the turner who did it was a professional and knew exactly what he was about. There are tricks in every trade, and those in turning would fill a volume. Aen Awe, Fie 6S. SMain Lines. = MAIN Lines: IDEAL Amen Ar. Fi lier) Basto Ov Maron Consrasus (Mean 7") [Ss fis 67. Basto On Burrow Mat Fis 69(anove) Fie To, fe 71. Gove, os Fie 72. =PLANNING A LAYOUT. by Michael CHAPTER VI. LOCO. DEPOTS S with stations, goods yards and marshalling yards, so with Loco. Depots, the size and type depends entirely upon local conditions and volume of traffic. They may vary from a Divi- sional Centre consisting of a 10 or more road loco. shed, full coaling, water and ash pan facilities, 70° turntable, and all neces- sary office arrangements, down to a single track shed with a heap of coal beside the line outside the shed for replenishing the loco. bunker before the next run. Sheds may be of the through road type or dead end type, although the former are usually planned on new depots. Positioa- ing of the coaling plant, turntable, etc., vary as to siting, but the ideal arrangement for a loco. arriving at the depot is for it to proceed to the coaling stage, on to the ath plant, turntable, and into the shed; and when leaving for its next tour of duty to proceed direct from the shed to the main line. As a rule the ideal is seldom cb- THE ADVICE BUREAU REPORTS . Does anyone know any method of pre~ venting rats nesting in tunnels? I have put down Rodine, burnt old linoleum; I have even made an inner lining of cement yet the pests still continue to nest in my tunnel. “Can you help me? Could you also tell me of any pre~ servant which can be applied to metal signals, bridges, etc., which are left per- manently outdoors? A. M., KENDAL. Rats in tunnels are a little out of our line, we would suggest the local rodent officer, or whatever the latest term is for a rat-catcher, for rats require a lifetime’s study, being persistent by nature. We would suggest, however, that firm fitting sheet iron doors coupled with a thick concrete lining would act as a deterrent but would not like to guarantee that they could not get past such barriers had they a mind to, With any other animal a lump ‘of wood over the holes would, of course, suffice. ‘The only preservant for iron and steel is paint, ordinary oil paint, Iaid on thick. 17 Leigh tained, but the minimum amount of engine movements is always aimed at in the depot. The decision as to whether the entrance to a depot is by facing a trailing points from the main line, depends upon impor- tance and track arrangements. In modelling a loco. depot a comer of the room is probably the best position, as the space taken up by a turntable is very considerable and reference to the illustra- tions will show the awkwardness of fitting in this necessary feature of a depot. For the small room owner, here is another i stance where a branch line is an advan- tage; even though the terminus boasts an engine shed, it does not follow a turntable must be provided, as the line could be run entirely by tank locos., and the occa- sional tender loco, can always return tender first to the nearest depot for turning. In planning a large depot with a break- down train track, remember to ensure this hhas_an easy exit to the main line. Figures 65 to 68 show a few real rail- way depots and figures 69 to 72 a few suggested layouts for model railways. It doesn’t look particularly pretty so it is not usual to build outdoor fittings of tin- plate or iron but rather of brass and zinc, I have a fairly large Hornby Dublo layout and I wonder if Trix engines and rolling stock would work off Hornby Dublo tracks. Where could I get some Dublo chassis as referred to in the article (A Detach- able Wagon Body) in the Jan-Feb. issue of the Railway Modeller? L. J. H., GT. URSWICK. Due to differing wheel, conductor, and electrical standards it is not possible for Trix and Hornby Dublo stock to run on the same tracks. Separate Hornby Dublo chassis cannot be obtained, the article in question dealt with the conversion of existing Hornby Dublo stock to something more closely re- sembling the actual thing. I would sug- gest that you get some standard scale underframes and fit PECO Hornby Dublo standard wheels and PECO Simplex couplings, which will fit the bill.T have an OO gauge, 3 rail (centre rail) portable layout. ‘I am rather discontented with the appearance of 3 rail and am contemplating a change to two rail or stud contact. Which would you recommend? G. R. T., DENTON. There is no “best” system of electrifica- tion, but unless you wish to carry out extensive alterations stud contact is de- finitely the best for your particular case. Moreover as you already have centre rail pick-up you can convert piecemeal, as the locomotive shoes will obviously pick up as effectively from a continuous rail as they will from the studs. There are a variety of designs for stud contact collectors, an excellent example was described on p. 53 of the second issue of the Railway Modeller, to which we refer you. One of my locomotives persists in derailing at a points whenever I try 10 shunt, What can I do about it? ‘This, though not an actual query, is unfortunately all too typical. We simply can’t_answer it. Without seeing the offending locomotive on the actual track and trying both we cannot even begin to guess what is wrong. As a guide, the track may be badly laid. More likely, the locomotive’s chassis is at fault. Then again it could well be that this par- ticular locomotive is a lively runner and takes the points too fast for safety. These are only the main headings. Long ago we thought that we knew most of the ways rolling stock could be derailed. Today we know different. ‘The only way to ensure perfect running is first to take care when laying track and building rolling stock and second to watch the running carefully, find out the cause of any slight irregularity and correct it at once. There is no easy cure. The Bureau is willing to help those readers who have trouble producing a lay- out plan on their own but we would appreciate some help in return. We are not mind-readers, so if you ask only for @ layout to fit a given space we can only produce something we would like. . You may have different ideas. Worse still is the omission to state the scale. Really, we must know that! So, please, do tell us the scale, the sort of trains and the number and type of stations you would like to have. We'll do our level best to fit them all in. 118 TRADE NOTES —— ‘We have had an opportunity of inspect- ing samples of the new C.C.W. track parts. The track base comprises ‘a com- bined sleeper and ballast section available in wood or cork, This can, of course, be used with flat headed pins to which the rail is soldered, or, naturally, F.B. rail may be attached with Peco spikes. How- ever CCW. have also. produced a. very effective chair which, although slightly coverscale, does look remarkably effective. This is spiked to the base in the same manner as are the chairs used in the larger scales. We would commend this move, as a pet fad of ours is that track should stand close scrutiny. The chair will, of course, be very useful to S gauge workers, who will find that it is very close to scale. We would advise anyone using this system to take particular care to taper the end of the rail before trying to force the chair on, as otherwise damage can occur and would also advise them to use a small stop to push the chairs on. It can be done in the hands but after half a yard has been threaded with about forty chairs most of the skin will have disappeared from thumb and_forefinger. The chairs cost 2s. 6d. per 100, the track bases 2s. 6d., per 18” length (straight), 3s. per 18” length of flexible base. Crossover bases are 4s. 10d. each. All prices include purchase tax. To add a little life to a model station it is necessary to have a few coloured advertisements spread about the walls. This can be done in many ways. Small suitable coloured prints can be pressed into service. This is rather unsatisfactory at times, as it is hard to find suitable small scale items and even when one does they rarely resemble any prototype poster. Much can be done with a few judicious touches of water colour, applied with a mapping pen, but this requires a certain degree of artistic skill. The best solution is found in the specially prepared miniature poster. These were fairly common before the war but of late the supply has dwindled, due largely to the rise in printing costs. "How- ever, ERG (Bournemouth) Ltd., in_con- junction with Messrs. W. D. & H. 0. ‘Wills have produced a set of 4 mm. scale replicas of that firm’s advertisements. The originals were produced by the Messrs. Wills’s own poster artists, so accuracy can be guaranteed. The set, comprising three sheets, costs Is. 104d. including P.T., and can be obtained from any ERG stockist. Failing this they can be obtained direct from the publishers, whose address appears in our advertisement section.HEN I said I'd have a hints and W tips page I had a pretty good idea of what to expect—I wasn’t dis- appointed. I can only assume that the great majority of my readers are an extremely unoriginal load of modellers as most of the hints I received had been published before—and to gain the half guinea the tip must be original. The first hint came from N. F. W, Dyelhoff who suggested taking a 3” length of mercontrol tubing and squeez- ing a short length of wire in one end, bending it as shown in the sketch to make a shunter’s pole. Unfortunately it follows closely a design I gave in the M.R.C, in August ’49 and I’ forget who T lifted the idea off. I should add that it is about the only simple tool that will help you couple up three link couplings in any gauge. The next idea, from N. C. Trott, is an old scheme with a modern twist, but again, not original though Mr, Trott may have ‘discovered it for himself. He uses strips of Sellotape to mask the edges of any line he wishes to paint and strips the tape off later when the paint is dry. Well, before Sellotape came out we used to use gummed strip and it was the devil’s own job getting it off without removing the paint as well. Needless to say Sellotape was hailed with joy. Our next idea, from Mr. L. J. Wallace, concerns insulating two rail’ pick-up. The sketch shows the idea, a small brush, preferably of copper carbon, presses against the wheel rim, It is held in an insulated bush and the. pressure spring is itself mounted on an insulating block. A good idea but it is rather com- plicated and there are easier ways of arranging pickup in two rail, HINTS AND TIPS 9 pseynov Two rail points feature in our next idea from Mr. T. H. Moffat. The sketch shows an extremely simple switch for changing the polarity of the frog, so simple in fact, that I am sure the sketch explains everything. Mr. Moffat is to be congratulated on providing a sound set-up, though it may need an occasional adjustment. It is, however, quite accessible. simplicity of Mr. W. W. Harper’s hint just gains the award, He has found that occasionally, even if the utmost care has been exer- cised, a Hornby Dublo magnet loses some of its power whilst the chassis is being converted to scale. He re-energises his “Duchesses” (the post-war type with separate pole pieces) by the simple ex- pedient of putting an Eclipse pocket mag- net in contact with the pole pieces. The result he tells me, is electrifying, and I can well believe it, Moreover no altera- tions or additions are needed, just a mag- net costing a couple of shillings. What could be simpler than that? As the response has been so poor I simply do not think it worth while carry- ing on with the idea of a separate hints page. Five hints in three months does not make the thing worth the trouble and bother it entails. In future, any hints that may arrive will have to go into the mailbag se CUE.== MODELLER’S MAILBAG STANDARDS IN H.l. GAUGE ‘Tue Eprror, Railway Modeller, Sity—I now hear that the B.RIM.S.B. have now recommended the ues of che DAYS Gauge dimensions for Hx Gauge in this country. I am Spending herewith the NLLICA. 1946 8 Gauge data to correspond with the key letters and humbers of the B.R-M:S.B. 1950 Booklet to show that these, are practically identical, Tecommendations and to ask why mine are not regarded as practical. Ts it that the Bureau are now afraid to admit’ that after all this waste of me my figures could have been adopted in 1945? ‘They have had a copy of my Data Sheet for Hx all this time, so there appears to be no excuse for theiraction. Your readers, especially those interested in Hr, have now the opportunity to voice their ‘opinions on the following data. N.M.R.A. 1946 fAgures are given first (mine in brackets) ai per my 1950 RM. letter. PAGE 4 FLAT BOTTOM RAIL % Coase") 85") 128°(093") 04s" C0469"), 105" Cot Coss) 04s em 030° (028") _-030" 030") PAGE 5 TRACK c F sc 749° (757) +063" (o625") 875" (875°) oN 812" (8125") PAGE 7 WHEELS A B D 1094") op" 781") 039" Coats") +030" (0313) PAGE & 62" (o460" 8139 +062 (o469") 782" 7813") 1-200" (1°2188") 12" C8125) yt? Cons 1-046" (1-0313") T have given my figures in decimal inches for the purpere EP Smparison with the NACA. 94s \uge figures. In conclusion, may I ask the Bureas to submit Bee eee cere a eae oe amc” Manchester Hat Foe. Despite che fact chat I said correspondence on this subject should cease 1 have relaxed the bon in thie nitance, Hal Fone feels that he has a grudge as hi Htandards were not adopted. Lest I should be accused Of bias, T have ve-opmned che subject. Speaking personally, I think that the Bureau made a tite dichion,, The advantages of international Standardisation far outweigh any other considerations. S"'gouse exis, parts are "manufactured. to its, Standards, “We in Britain should follow suit instead of going off om our own.” T have no doubt that the ‘Bureau will reply tn like terms. INTERCHANGEABLE BLADED KNIVES ‘Tum Eorron, Railway Modeller. SiR—In the M: Modeller Mr. Borel interchangeable blades suitable for cutting out card arts. I wonder if you could publish all the gen on this tool, as I feel that there are many chaps like myself” Ssull'strugaling along with razor blades, Many thanks fr Piel Suaion. tip the, ideal termints for a small layout. I am already trying to ‘Work a similar plan into my layout Ipswich. G. Gopparo. ‘are several such knives on the market. Tie Pris BRAETO ranges easly the mot renee, fe has tools for. almoct every, purpose. 4 fee waved inthe whet; Modeller® eopare a5" Theres cso the Mudticrah Mee ‘has. a hollow handle to take the spare blades, thus ‘making it a pocket tool. gl Nat Never sed, Mulirft hie, at, 1 ave Hee mall ase he eae infest the Sinese thing T have met for really solid sor ‘But for all that, I still prefer razor blades fen realy dee cork |e Wie lade mat ind they are’ the most rigid and comfortable lades'on the market. I never use a holder, nor have Thad any trouble from ths cause. In fact, the only ‘accident I ‘have ever had with @ razor Blade ‘wat ‘when T was misguided enough to try-a holder. The hole ofa was so cms tha P inmadiately cut ‘When using the ordinary” slovted blade Poreak chem into four piecet, and we the square liner corner for citing. There is one important Point to remember when using razor Blades, Si not make heaty cut, theparé not svg enough, ‘After all, they are only supposed to cut whiskers! Despite what we thought was a careful check two errors slipped into the last issue, ‘The first. was factual, we gave Mr. Dear as editor of the Historical ‘Model Railway Society Journal. In actual fact the book is produced by a small editorial panel. ‘The fault is ours entirely ; we tried to be clever and used a bit of information we now find to be nothing more than an inaccurate rumour, ‘The second mistake ‘concerns the captions to the photographs on pages 66 and 68. They have been reversed. ‘This is sheer carelessness for which there is no excuse. None, therefore, will be offered. We are pleased to say that Mr. Garland’s “King”, ‘which, as we reported in the last issue of the Railway Modeller, was stolen ftom the “Aquarium” at this year’s Model Railway Club Exhibition has now been recovered, due to the vigilance of a member of the Model Railway Club. IN OUR NEXT ISSUE ‘OO’ Layout for the average house. The Linley, Melor & Sentor Railway. *O' Gauge Standards. Churston—G.W.R. ‘A Model Water Tower. Advice Bureau. Modeller’s Mailbag. Place your Order now !poo We can recommend -~~~~~—} Cecil F. Allen’s THE LOCOMOTIVE EXCHANGES Second and Enlarged Edition describes in detail the exchanges of Fully bound locomotives which have taken place on 15/ = 200 pages the railways of Britain since 1870, with tables of running times and speeds together with comments on the official report of the 1948 Locomotive Exchange trials. ‘The volume is fully illustrated with a magnificent series of action shots, by leading express train photographers. Eric Treacy’s STEAM UP “STEAM UP” is a railway book “for pleasure"; a book to conjure up all the atmosphere of railways as you sit t i i i i ! | i i with it by your fireside. In page after { ! | { { i | ! ! i ! i t i j } i i i Ab Fully bound Size 10in.x7 in. 10/ page of peerless action photographs, Eric Treacy captures all the life of engines in motion. In a series of witty essays he communicates his own feel- ing for them in such a way as to strike a responsive chord in every teader—enthusiast and layman alike. 0. S. Nock’s * BRITISH LOCOMOTIVES FROM THE FOOTPL ATE Mr, NOCK fascinatingly describes in 9 /6 wee detail the many footplate trips he has made on Britain's express engines over the length and breadth of British Rail- ways since the war. ‘This fine fully pound book contains 256 pages which in- clude 32 pages of excellent photographs. BOOKS NO RAILWAY ENTHUSIAST SHOULD BE WITHOUT Obteinable from your local bookstall or bookseller or direct from the publishersGEM for “00” GAUGE RAIL TRACK POPULAR PERMANENT WAY ‘TRITRAK = __ SIGNALS COACH KITS - BOGIES ‘WAGON PARTS, Se, &e. 1951 Catalogue 73d. post free GEORGE E. MELLOR (33?) 3la, RHOS ROAD RHOS-ON-SEA, NORTH WALES Trade Enquiries invited TRAINS « BRITAIN The most J ~ inexpensive selection of large-size railphoto reproductions yet produced, All the well-known. rail photographers have contributed to this illustrated cross-section of British Rail- ways’ train services and motive power, which features fine action pictures, several of them full page in this extra size publication. ae 40 pages superbly printed in Photo- gravure, Four-colour art cover. Size 10k" X84", at the low price of: 2/6 NOW ON SALE Obtainable from your local bookstall or bookseller or direct’ from the publishers: Sen Allan dtd | 282 Yorn ABeiDee ROAD, S.W.1 | KEN VIEW MODEL RAILWAY Running daily, including Sundays, from II am. to. 9 pm. "OO" Exhibition Layout, 5 tracks. Agents for all leoding Monufacturers— 00” scale Locomotives and equipment built to order. Expert advice freely given, 27 Broadway Parade, Crouch End, N.8. Tel.: MOUntview 4859. NEW EDITIONS Seam a the Jan Gildan ; A.B.C. of BRITISH RAILWAYS LOCOMOTIVES Western Region 2s. Southern Region ot lise es. London Midland Region 2 Scottish (ex L.M.S.) Region = a Eastern, North Eastern Region Scottish (ex L.N.E.) Region NOW ON SALE at all bookstalls and bookshops or direct from the publishers. oe ee %* TRAINS ANNUAL 1952 * Now in course of production, and available in the early autumn. ‘This years edition entgine the teuat collection of sparing attcles and photographs and an’ 8-pa colour section” Printed in full photogravute. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW i San lan did | »=282 VAUXHALL BRIDGE ROAD, S.W.I +=} { i i 2s. | i | ! ! { i ! ! i i i ! ! i i i i i i { { i { ! i ! if he GAUGE “Oo” SiR; 46,0,7, Loco LM.C., .S. 0-6-0 Hunslet Diesel Loco poraone 47.0.0. 20. A.C. Hornby as new, 5.1% Clockwork Loco. 0-4-2 Saddle Tank Crane Loco, L.M.S. Maroon finish, £4, 0.0, G.W.R. Corridor Coaches, good exterior and corridor detail, 3rd and brake 3rd, B. LENG eo 12 v. D.C. 4-4-2 Flying Scotsman 37/6 each. Restaurant Car, 40/-. Lowke and other makes of tinplate coaches. Complete American Clockwork Set, Whistling Loco, £4, 4. 0. E. B. LENG 135 HOLLAND ROAD HARLESDEN, N.W.10 STATION—WILLESDEN JUNCTION E | ! { { ! { { ! { { i { ! ! Cccp a ac hiecitearer baa aateaS ae | | { | | | PLEASE MENTION RAILWAY MODELLER WHEN WRITING TO ADVERTISERS viTHE NEW 00 MOTOR UNIT X3 ...FORONLY £l clthis unit asthe finest. valve fo money in 00 motive power. Portage and packing, Esper motor SPECIFICATION: Alnico Magnet, -pole armature, Gat copper comm itory. wound for 12 With an approximate consuimption of 0.35 amps.” Complete with gearbox Sidetrames and 40:1 constant mesh worm drive, with the worm whee! siready fitted on in, ale knurled each end {suitable for S-R wheels}; modellers wishing fouse Romford or any other in, axle can replace the Knurled axle by pressing i out and substituting tbe fequited type. The gearbox sideframes, apart {rom tcfuring perfect mesit male the unit deal for 8 fully Spring chassis and in the case of anon-sprung chassis or non-sprung driven ase, this type of motor ellmt hates the need for securing screws and special seating. ERG (Bournemouth) LTD 529, ROUMELIA LANE, BOSCOMBE, BOURNEMOUTH Telephone! Boscombe $3431 Dealwith your local ERG Stochist wherever possible, but unable fo obtain you reuirements ocaly, you eof Course welcome to order direct from ‘is. WRITE NOW for this NEW ENLARGED CATALOGUE Its 40. pages include Model Locomotives in British Railway colours. Entirely New Models and additional access- ories, etc, FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES Your Festival activities should includea visitto the HOUSE OF PECO situated in delightful surroundings by the. se ‘A welcome awaits you, and the opportunity inspect our unique range of Quality products, in the comfort of our showroom, where also test track facilites are available. See how the Peco tracks can be used with Hornby Dublo, Trix and ger proprietary sytems ether PECO:WAY, the HO and OO Asser PECO:INDIVIDULAY, the > and ‘True-To-Type_ components, G06 sad'Pr Gauge PEGOMINIEAY tacks, PECO INSULAXLES, the famour metal ‘ai: lated axle Whees, ROCHE | PROTOTYPE ING: i hont of other wats pa bot rpetiia. the’ demonstration at FECO. SIMBLES AG TO-COUPLERS and DE.COUP- LING UNITS. ‘These facilities are just pact of fur before-and aftersales Advice Bureau Service, free to all Peco users, We do not sell direct (except literature) but Peco products are obtainable feom all good class recognised retailers. Peco Catologue 1/3 post free. BE RAILWISE — USE PECO ITCHARD PATENT PRODUCT BML ML The most comprehensive Gauge *O? Catalogue yet published. Price still only I/- (quote ref. GO/108) from BASSETT-LOWKE LTD. NORTHAMPTON LONDON: 112 High Holborn, W.C.I. MANCHESTER: 28 Corporation Street. PLEASE MENTION RAILWAY MODELLER WHEN WRITING TO ADVERTISERSLLAN [Bhett [Channon f ! LTD. i 4 ; i ave pleasure in i advertising their large stocks of model goods i for the coming season { ORDER NOW for immediate or future delivery before the metal shortage is really felt i | ! LOCOMOTIVES 0-4-0 Tank ... v — 63/- i I RI X 0-40 Tender... ... 70/6 i American Switcher Kit 87/6 i do. (Made-up)... 100/- j POINTS Hand... ... 37/6 | Train Sets from 1483/6 ; Remote control 62/- | Flying Hamburger Unit 147/- j also RAILS, ROLLING STOCK, CONTROLLERS, PERSONNEL, ! l TRANSFORMERS, STATIONS, etc, etc, at I/3rd prices | LOCOMOTIVES 4-6-0... B4/- ! GRAHAM (Gaiety) WR 0-6-0T 69/10 ! FARISH (Gaiety) ER 0-6-27 67/7 j TRACK (Bft.lengths) ... 4... Brass 7/I} Steel 4/35 Le POINTS — 2-rail turnouts on fibre base 919 ! 3-rail turnouts on fibre base 11/6 ! also 2-rail turnouts on built-up base ... we. 16/6 | CROSSOVERS, DOUBLE JUNCTIONS and OTHER ! POINTWORK, MADE UP TO ORDER i and, of course, we still have plenty of { BULL-HEAD ij OO GAUGE NICKEL SILVER RAIL | in [8in. lengths at 6/9 per dozen RR RAR RR RRR nn t Agents for PECO, ERG, LMC, MILLS BROS., } A ( ACRO, TRACKMASTER, etc, ————_ B| 1‘ } PLEASE MENTION RAILWAY MODELLER WHEN WRITING TO ADVERTISERS Printed by H. 0. Liove & Co., Lxp., London Nei 32 APPROACH RD. x LONDON BDG. STN., S.E.1 ¢ 282 VAUXHALL BDG. RD. * LONDON, S.W.1