East Anglian Area Group

Co-ordinated by Peter Hunt T 01787 375884

Meetings occur on the last Sunday of each month.

 

Our meetings following Christmas 2007 have seen a good deal of movement, both on the layout and in the workshop. Colin Dowling squatted under the layout, talking to himself while concentrating on droppers and connecting wires. Apart from finding two droppers on one crossing, he progressed so the now noisy (steam sound, at least) J68 could be coupled to some goods wagons and a brake van and pull the train as far as the garden door.

The wiring is now complete on the far side, other than checking continuity along each siding. On the near side, or bay side, you can cross from the main line as far as the turnouts and slip. Just a quick bit of connecting along the sidings left to complete.

At the start of the new year, John Watson spent some time bench building in the new workroom.

The Formit, both Unimat lathes and the new RSU are on their way upstairs. Finally, a medium-weight lathe and milling machine will be installed. The magazines and books for reference may well end up in the back room.

Back on the West Mersea, Peter had finished the card mock-up of the coal stage for the loco siding, using that at Buntingford as a pattern. The water tower is based on the one at Framlingham. The wooden buildings from the pier at Woolwich are to be built, which will add an enginemen’s mess and a bothy for the coalmen, labourers and platelayers. The signalman will expect a privy and a coal bunker to be supplied for his convenience.

Adrian Marks brought a CD from Gordon Gravett, showing pictures of his scenery efforts using the Grassmaster. This has set the standard we have to beat. Some of the photos were exceptionally realistic.

With permanent way work nearing completion, Peter began to consider the buildings which will form the station and environs. Peter has chosen a large barn from Swaffham station, and a converted stable from old Loughton, plus a neat set of three brick huts from a photograph of part of Peterborough goods yard. Adding an 1865 period office, this will complete the row of buildings from the buffer stops as far as the end loading yard.

Nature abhors a straight line and Peter hates a billiard table-flat baseboard top. The Goods platform appears flat, but actually the surface slopes slightly across to the buildings and rises at the end to the higher level of the end loading docks beyond, which is scrub grass and the beginning of the incline at the start of the embankment. Unless Peter loses his enthusiasm, viewing the trains in the future will be by squinting through the gaps between the buildings.

The panel to carry the pub and adjacent cart sheds and stables was cut to fit the frame. The station yard will be sanded to slope from the side of the station buildings towards the front, 3mm depth over 30 scale feet. At the end, the land slopes down to Station Road, which in turn slopes down to St Peter’s Road, which runs downhill to the coastal road.

Right at the front edge of the board, the road and pavement run down from the front corner of the pub to the new baseboard level and then, beyond the pub yard, starts to go uphill to join the existing St Peter’s Road, all the way along the front up to Mersea Avenue and the bridge at the end of the layout.

Now the track is more or less complete and fully wired, we need some wagons and carriages so we can run trains. We have quite a few engines ready or under construction, so the extension into the workshop is vital. Three or four workers labouring over a few meetings should be sufficient to complete the tunnel section into the workshop, and another month to build the rolling fiddle yard.

In the olden days using analogue controllers, Peter’s engines ran smoothly across filthy and rusty track. Now, DCC doesn’t like grubby conditions and it seems any rust on the surface will impair the general performance, creating shorting and stuttering. It also creates crackling noises from the speaker and interrupts the continuous steam sound when the engine is in motion. To cure the problem, John Watson wielded a heavy block of aluminium, wrapped around with fine emery, and scrubbed away at the track surface. [I hope this won’t abrade the weathering on wing and check rails later! —Dep. Ed.]