Modelling Railways in 0 Gauge E-Book

John Emerson

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

1 gauge (scale 7mm to the foot) is the 'senior scale' and it has existed for almost as long as the hobby of railway modelling itself. With the advent of high-quality ready-to-run 0 gauge locomotives and rolling stock, it is enjoying a huge surge in popul

Leseprobe

MODELLING RAILWAYS IN

O GAUGE

JOHN EMERSON

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

© John Emerson 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 255 7

Frontispiece: Stanier ‘Jubilee’ Alberta waits for the road on the author’s ‘Gifford Street’ fine scale layout. One of the benefits of the ‘senior scale’ is the greater size and mass of models – rolling stock moves in a much more realistic manner than in the smaller scales. (Tony Wright, courtesy British Railway Modelling)

Disclaimer

The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it. If in doubt about any aspect of railway modelling, readers are advised to seek professional advice.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Paul Bason, Dave Brewer of Tower Models, Mrs Helen Bright (grand-daughter-inlaw of W.S. Norris), Dave Coasby, Brian Daly, Steve Flint of the Railway Modeller, Pat Hammond, Ben Jones of British Railway Modelling, Chris Klein of Ixion and Minerva Models, Peter Marriott, the late Peter Marshall, and Michael Price for their help and assistance and loan of photographs. And to my late mother for buying that Hornby tinplate train set!

CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCING O GAUGE

CHAPTER TWO: STANDARD, NARROW OR BROAD GAUGE?

CHAPTER THREE: MAKING A START

CHAPTER FOUR: PRACTICAL LAYOUT PLANNING

CHAPTER FIVE: SUCCESSFUL SCENICS

CHAPTER SIX: MODEL BUILDING FOR O GAUGE

CHAPTER SEVEN: TAKING STOCK

CHAPTER EIGHT: GETTING THAT LINESIDE LOOK

CHAPTER NINE: THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

CHAPTER TEN: EMPIRE BUILDING

INDEX

PREFACE

O gauge – the ‘senior scale’ – has been around for almost as long as the hobby of railway modelling and there is no denying that today, with the advent of high-quality ready-to-run locomotives and rolling stock, it is enjoying a huge surge in popularity. From the early days of methylated-spirit fired ‘dribblers’ and coarse-scale clockwork, railway modelling in 7mm scale has developed into one of the most popular and active branches of our hobby. Originally thought to be the smallest practical gauge for indoor model railways, and later seen as the province of only the very wealthy or the dedicated scratch-builder, O gauge now enjoys wide trade support with a huge range of kits and accessories, as well as an ever-growing number of ready-to-run models making it easily accessible to modellers (and non-modellers) from all kinds of backgrounds.

A commonly held but mistaken belief amongst modellers in the lesser scales is that O gauge is ‘too expensive’. Given the spiralling cost of the average OO- or N-gauge model – especially if fitted with Digital Command Control (DCC) sound – there is no reason why a small O-gauge layout should cost much more than a OO layout built in a similar amount of space. And with the introduction of small O-gauge ready-to-run locomotives such as Dapol’s immensely popular ‘Terrier’, Ixion’s Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST or the Minerva ‘E’ Class Peckett 0-4-0ST, all currently priced at around £200, O gauge is easily within the reach of the average modeller’s pocket. As with all things, your hobby will cost you just as much as you can afford to spend on it. Larger manufacturers are also keen to invest in the future of ready-to-run O gauge – Peco has recently introduced a new range of Setrack for O gauge, whilst Heljan has cornered the market in British outline ready-to-run diesel locomotives with its first steam outline locomotive planned for release in 2017. No wonder so many are now actively switching from the smaller scales and opting for O gauge.

By necessity, this book focuses on my experience of British outline fine-scale O gauge, gained through my own layout. By any stretch of the imagination, ‘Gifford Street’ is a big layout, but, like the majority of model railways of all scales and gauges, it began in a very small way and with a limited amount of equipment. Given the usual household demands on space, time and available disposable income, it was also built over a period of several years and, most importantly, constrained within a modest budget. But this is by no means the whole story, as the O-gauge modelling fraternity encompasses standard gauge, narrow and broad gauges and overseas prototypes, as well as electric, steam and spring-driven (clockwork) coarse-scale tinplate. The 7mm modeller can choose from modelling standards ranging from vintage and reproduction coarse scale through fine scale to the advanced standards of Scale7 or Proto48.

Whilst I make no claims that this is an exhaustive or comprehensive directory of O-gauge goods and services or modelling techniques, I hope new and not so new modellers wishing to model in 7mm scale will find it a useful primer, with more than enough information and inspiration to set them well on the road to enjoying the benefits of the senior scale. Such is the growth of modern ready-to-run standard and narrow-gauge models that it can rightly be said that there has never been a better time to be an O-gauge modeller – and with the world of O gauge now open to modellers of all abilities and from all walks of life, it is time to dispel that most commonly held myth – ‘I can’t afford O gauge … !’

John Emerson

‘Gifford Street’

February 2016

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCING O GAUGE

Dawn of the diesels – the six-car Midland Pullman, a regular and much requested performer on ‘Gifford Street’ at exhibitions. Built from Westdale kits by Richard Dockerill and powered by twin ABC motor bogies, the two power cars are fitted with DCC sound decoders specially blown by South West Digital.TONY WRIGHT, COURTESY BRITISH RAILWAY MODELING

A PERSONAL JOURNEY

The fascination of tinplate trains – Hornby O-gauge in Grandmother’s garden circa 1956.

‘Gifford Street’ is only the second O-gauge layout that I have been involved with after taking the decision to move up in scale from OO gauge, although it has gone through several stages of evolution over many years. Like most of my generation, my introduction to the world of model trains began in the 1950s with a Hornby O-gauge tinplate clockwork train set one Christmas. Bearing little relationship to any full-size engines or rolling stock and hurtling around coarse-scale tinplate track at horrendous speed – on the dining table or out in the garden – it was a world away from the highly detailed models that now run on ‘Gifford Street’. Nevertheless, those colourful tin printed toys from Binns Road fired my young imagination, sowing the seeds of a lifelong interest in railways and the hobby of model railways in general. Following many years working in 4mm scale (from three-rail Hornby-Dublo to dabbling in P4), a series of incomplete layout projects culminated in the 4mm-scale modern-image diesel exhibition layout ‘Hayley Mills’. But after several years on the exhibition circuit in the 1980s, the O-gauge bug bit – and when it does bite, it bites hard! Following in the footsteps of many other railway modellers, the 4mm layout and stock were sold and the move up to the senior scale began in earnest.

The relative size of the same model in O, OO and N gauge.

While each scale and gauge used by railway modellers has its own obvious merits and attractions, there are many benefits from making the move to modelling in O gauge. First and perhaps most obvious is size – you simply get more bang for your buck! The larger size means that it is not only easier to build O-gauge models, but also simpler to add fine detail, while for older modellers O gauge is much easier on the eyes. The greater mass and weight of O gauge means that rolling stock will roll in a more realistic manner and make a more realistic sound clattering over track joints, points and crossings. Larger models have more space inside in which to fit DCC decoders, loudspeakers, smoke units, lights and working fans for diesels. Most importantly, for a given area you may not actually need as much track and equipment as in the smaller scales, so overall the cost can be comparable, if not less. Finally, the sheer size makes owning and handling O-gauge models a much more enjoyable experience.