ExpoEM

It was with some trepidation I set off this morning to Bracknell on my first ever visit to an expoEM.

The trepidation was for two reasons

The first being that I didn't really know what to expect from a show like this, though having looked at the show guide I could see that the layouts on show were just the sort that appeal to me and that there were also several traders I wanted to do business with.

On the other hand it only fills one hall and Bracknell is a bit of a hike by public transport..

More worrying for me was how my new camera would perform. I've only had it a few days and I've got some concerns about the sharpness of the images it is producing. Also, although it isn't a DSLR, it is still quite a chunky piece of kit with the zoom lens attached, and I'm not a fan of people with big cameras at exhibitions. I actually think that given the difficulty of getting into an ideal position to take a shot that most of the time you are better off with a good quality compact camera.

I'm glad to say that the exhibition was well worth the journey, and the camera seemed to perform quite well. At least I didn't feel the need to revert to my back up camera which stayed in my bag the whole time, slowly being joined by various small purchases.

Finding the venue was easy, I just followed the trail of elderly men dressed in tweed.

The first layout as you entered the room was actually one of several  P4 ones, Brixcombe. I must admit I didn't realise that at the time though he flow of the track work might have given the game away.

I also rather liked the goods shed. Here is an example where the camera proved its value, managing to expose for both the exterior and interior of the shed.

And this was a gem of a train. There is just something about GWR locos from this period.

The largest layout on show was the modern image Calcutta Sidings, as featured in this month's MRJ. Now I don't know why but although the modelling was almost all of a very high standard the whole seemed less than the sum of the parts to me. I wonder if some of that is because modern image layouts are beginning to feel too formulaic? Too often they centre on a low relief industrial complex of some sort. The bridge is the work of Tim Horn.

Diesels in the Dutchy is of course  a well known example of a diesel era layout that takes a unique approach that pays off.

It was fascinating to see Dave Barrett's Nottingham Goods in the flesh, though it is not an easy layout to photograph at an exhibition. I did manage to get some shot of the interior but I didn't really have the right lens to do it justice.

My two favourite layouts were next to each other. Clevedon's focus on a depot  yard means there is lots to look at regardless of what trains are actually running, and I loved the view along what would have been the connecting line to the GWR.

Next to it was Great Bardfield, which was definitely my sort of layout. A simple track plane but oodles of atmosphere and very well modeled. The highlight for me was how well the figures were painted.

The layouts I haven't mentioned were all worth spending time looking at as well. Sutton dock had some nice buildings, particularly an Ahernish Harbour Office, Hookwood had some very fine gardening going on, and also persuaded me that the delayed action S&Ws aren't as obtrusive as I thought, and Trevanna Dries made me realise I still have unfinished business when it comes to a minimum space layout

I think the camera stood up to the test rather well. With only the 18-55mm  zoom to play with at the moment I've had to crop a few pictures quite severely  but I'll definitely be taking it to exhibitions again. It allowed me to shoot at high ISO numbers with very little noise - the ISO for all these photos was over 800 and some were at 1250  and I haven't had to do any additional out of camera NR. It also handled the white balance well, only Clevedon caused any problems and they were minor

Once again I was really impressed with the friendliness of all the traders, and came away with some carefully chosen goodies. I'm most pleased about getting a set of Blacksmiths etched GWR duckets. I diodn't go as well prepared as I should have done,and I know there were a few things I forgot to buy

And talking of  GWR duckets and guards I obviously have to end with my traditional shot of a solitary Toad.

The Wheels on the Sentinel...

.....go round and round.

Which is something of a relief.

It isn't a great photo but it is a great leap forward for me. Early this morning I got round to fitting the Ultrascale EM gauge wheels to the Sentinel, and slipped in a cheap and cheerful Hornby 8 pin DCC decoder. It would have been a ten minute job if they hadn't started gluing the brakegear on to the chassis. And yes I know the body isn't fully seated in the photo, it will be coming off again soon as I need to pack the decoder a bit more carefully in the cab and disguise it a little.

But hey, I now have my first functioning EM gauge loco, and it ran like a dream.

The Good of the Hobby

It is somewhat scary that nearly a year has passed since I started this blog. At the time I expected the basic diorama to be finished by Xmas.

Gosh, you have to laugh.

So many things have changed. on so many levels. For instance I really thought the use of Tillig track might be a long term way forward. I really didn't expect to be sat here with a bunch of EM track components. If I'm honest I'd probably massively over estimated how far the RTR market had developed. The truth is it remains a  starting point and nothing more.

Look at this, for instance, how dreadful is it!

http://www.ehattons.com/52676/Bachmann_Branchline_37_712C_8_Ton_cattle_wagon_in_BR_bauxite_late_weathered/StockDetail.aspx

When was whitewash golden?

In my own mind I have a fairly clear concept of the way forward, but it isn't going to be easy. Then it is my choice. Which brings me back to the title of this piece.

There have been some excellent post recently by Iain Robinson *, Mike Cougill and Geoff Forster  that I both agree with 100% whilst also questioning at a fundamental level.

This is still a hobby, rather than a job or something that really really matters on the great scale of things. Most people in our hobby have a hundred and one other distractions in their lives. How do we evaluate what is good for the hobby at a global level? Look back at railway modelling articles from ten, twenty or thirty years ago and there is no doubt that what is accepted as "average" has improved out of all recognition. Perhaps the best modelling from any of those periods still holds its own - Heckmondwicke  still grabs me in a very basic way as a model that just worked, for instance - but look at the mainstream model railway press and if nothing else you'll struggle to spot the use of lichen, and that wasn't always the case. The downside is that perhaps we have a lot of people trying to emulate a certain "look" by following articles that give step by step instructions but is that such a bad thing if it gives people the confidence to go ahead and explore their own boundaries?

In some ways the hobby has never been healthier. Personally, for example, I love the fact that I can order specialist components on line and not have to endure fighting my way past people with a challenging view of what constitutes personal hygiene.

One argument is that in the days when kits and RTR locos were basic people were forced to develop the skills to enhance the models available, but a glance through the model press of the time suggests this just meant the starting position was set a lot lower than it is today. The builder of the typical K's kit didn't build their own chassis and fit finescale wheels. Today, faced with a basically adequate RTR loco I find it quite appealing to guild the lily a little by modifying the few things that aren't quite right.

Are there still model layouts out there that are derivative of other models and based on RTR components ? Yes, clearly there are, biut equally there are a lot of models that encapsulate a very individual vision based on both an accurate representation of the prototype and an aesthetic understanding of what makes an attractive and successful layout.

*Since Iain has now discovered this blog I'm going to have to come back to this subject in more depth to explain what I think a modeller like him brings to the table that the rest of us can only try to emulate.

Whilst the cat is away

So the wife is safely dispatched for the week. She's off to railway heaven, staying within striking distance of  the VoR, Festiniog, Welsh Highland, Tallyllyn and literally on the doorstep of the Fairbourne. Some things are wasted on the wrong people.

Meanwhile I've been opening parcels and what have we got? On reflection I think enough goodies to keep me going beyond Xmas, especially since the fear factor is raising its ugly head again. The Apa experience has been very useful but on reflection I wish I'd started out on it as an EM gauge project with SMP points. Actually if I'd realised they were that cheap then that is exactly what I would have done.

Here. incidentally, is a comparison between the Tillig HO track I used and C+L finescale EM gauge track

Quiet Before the Storm

I'm sat here at eleven PM in my home office, having just about finished work for the day. The windows are wide open and I can feel a storm coming.  I can also feel a storm of modelling activity approaching. My darling wife is away for the next week which is a good time to arrange for a few parcels to arrive. In fact one already has, from C+L Finescale, but I'm not opening it just yet.

The combined contents of all the boxes heading my way should be more than enough to kick start my adventures in EM. The one thing I've forgotten to order in time is a set of wheels for the Sentinel from Ultrascale.

In a way this EM gauge goodness actually gives me a fresh impetus to finish the Apa project, and if the weather holds out I'm hoping that by Sunday it will at least appear finished.

So what is in the boxes?  Hopefully the makings of a couple of 4'x2' baseboards for a start, some basics to get me practicing track laying, and a Mainly Trains replacement chassis for the Ratio 4 wheel coach.. Plus a couple of structure kits for a cattle dock and a water tower which are called for by the new layout and which don't seem worth scratch building.

So if I'm about to start building baseboards do I have a final trackplan in mind?

Well yes, well two actually. Yesterday's ruminations about combining the real track plan from Llanrhaiadar Mochant, and two of my other favourite plans, Llanastr and The Art of Compromise have led to two options.

The first is the small space version, though that small space has now extended to 8' by 2' in total, including a sector table/traverser.

The second is 12' by 2' including the sector plate, and takes less liberties with Llanrhaiadr.

You might note that the first 4' of both plans look very similar. In fact the differences are down to some evolving thinking and the idea is to begin with the first plan and then extend it by inserting a middle board. A few things would need adjusting, notably the positioning of the weighbridge and the ground frame. The first wouldn't really be a problem, the second would because it would mean rerouting the point rodding. I might take the easy way out and leave the ground frame off stage for the first iteration.

One consequence of using the first plan is that operation could be a little odd, or interesting, depending on your point of view. Imagine a passenger train pulling in.  By this stage in its history Llanrhaiadr had become the terminus of the Tanat Valley, and only the old up platform was in  use. Given the limited space probably just the one bogie coach would be in view. So the loco uncouples and runs up to the water tower, then runs round back out of sight under the bridge....ah and you see now it doesn't matter whether that is the engine which couples back on to the train or not, because it is out of sight, which frees the original train loco to do something else.