GAUGE O GUILD

Using Templot Part 3.

Following on from the previous two Templot sessions, Ian Allen showed how maps can be imported and used as the basis of a track plan, if modelling a prototype location, or to be adapted for a “what might have been” plan.

The event was live via Zoom on Sunday 26th February @ 20:00 GMT.

3D Printing Techniques.

James described the process of producing 3D printed items. From the initial drawing, production of the file containing the solid shape, slicing it, loading it onto the printer and to what happens after the part is made.

The event was live via Zoom on Thursday 26th January@ 20:00 GMT.

Creating Authentic Buildings.

Using buildings from his layout Hope Street, which featured in the January 2021 Railway Modeller, John Buck of Keighley Club talked about how to build authentic buildings.

This session included information about doing the research, the tools required, materials which can be used and the techniques for building buildings.

The event was live via Zoom on Saturday 26th November@ 20:00 GMT.

Creating a layout or diorama based on a real place or event with members of the Luton O Gauge Group.

The Luton O Gauge Group have a wealth of experience to share about designing layouts based on real locations.

Members of the group discussed considerations made when choosing a real location. What research has to be done and how you get started. In the case of The Great Train Robbery, there were ethical dilemmas to consider and they thought long and hard about what to include in this diorama. They also discussed how you might have to choose part of a site and, how authentic you may or may not get.

Nick Dunhill is a member of the Gauge O Guild Technical Committee. He was formerly a research scientist, a gardener, a vegetarian café owner and now builds model locos for a living. It was a long apprenticeship but eventually he realised he could make a better living, building locomotives rather than cooking vegetarian food.

Nick continues his series of presentations on scratch building a locomotive and this time he shows us how to build a footplate. This follows the boiler, smokebox and firebox demonstrations in earlier shows and videos of these sessions can still be found on the Gauge O Guild YouTube channel, just search Nick Dunhill.

Please note that you do not need a YouTube account to view any videos.

In November 2021, Jeff Langham and Peter Reynolds talked about signalling on the real railway and how to apply it to your model railways. This latest session took a step further and show you how they get their signals to work.

A convincing model railway, of any size and of any era, just cries out for working signals. This is considerably easier in 7mm scale than in the smaller scales to achieve.

As members of the SR7mm Group Jeff and Peter shared their experience.

If you missed the first session you can watch it on YouTube.

Members are able to view a recording of the event.

Steve Hoather built his first diesel loco in 1966, and 50 years later it featured in a light-hearted article in the Gazette in August 2017.

His latest creation is a “Baby Deltic” and he will show his construction techniques and some of his other locos. If you are interested in loco construction or have queries about your own builds, this is the session for you.

The event was live via Zoom on 26th May 2022 at 20:00 BST.

Ian Allen is a member of the SR7mm Group and has built all the points and crossings for the expansion of their railway, as well as being commissioned to build track formations for others. A long-time user of Templot, he has designed a number of layouts and also worked on projects for himself, just for fun. Keen to promote prototypical track, he believes that this part of model railways is often overlooked.

Ian took us through an overview of Templot and how it can be used to design your layouts, as well as answering your questions.

The event was live via Zoom on 26th April 2022 at 20:00 BST.

Kevin Cartwright is one of our Regional Managers, Constituency Representative for the South West (Area 13) and manager for the Gauge O Guild merchandise sales. You will often see Kevin and his wife Judy out and about with layouts and/or with a Guild promotional stand at regional and national exhibitions and he also often gets asked to demonstrate how to build O gauge road vehicles.

Join Kevin to find out about bringing your layout to life with the addition of various road vehicles. Some kits are available in O gauge but Kevin can also tell you about adapting off the shelf models to meet your needs.

Before the evening, attendees were asked to watch a YouTube video which may also inform your viewing of the recording of the evening.

More and more people are moving into O gauge modelling with the increase in ready to run stock and many start to get interested in building some items of their own. If you want to attempt a kit or scratch build in brass or nickel silver please rest assured that soldering is not a dark art. It does require some basic equipment and skills but you can do it.

If you are new to O gauge and want to learn about soldering or, if you are an established modeller who still has some problems with soldering, this is the session for you. Rob Bishop has been building brass and nickel silver models in O gauge for many years and does soldering demonstrations at our Guild events including how to use a resistance soldering unit. He has produced videos to help people and will be available for this 'An Evening With' to answer your specific questions.

Robert Brown described his layout “Llanidris” and talked about the idea of “atmosphere” in a layout and how he has tried to build it in from the conception at the thumbnail sketch stage.

He explored how he tries to work with perspective on a flat backscene, without it clashing with 3D scenery, and how colours and tones can create apparent depth. Robert explains the use of forced perspective in his model buildings and the various ideas and methods which may help people trying to do something similar. He showed how he has gradually compressed the depth of buildings in Llanidris as they approach the backscene, and how he arrived at the distorted shapes that were needed.

Robert explained his methods for creating wall textures, which are mostly done with DAS clay, and his slate roofing methods – particularly looking at how to reconcile rectangular slates with distorted, forced perspective buildings

You can watch a video on YouTube of Llanidris.

Jeff Langham and Peter Reynolds talked about signalling on the real railway and how to apply it to your model railways.

A convincing model railway, of any size and of any era, just cries out for working signals. This is considerably easier in 7mm scale than in the smaller scales to achieve. Members of the SR7mm Group talked about the planning, and implementation, of convincing signalling in 7mm scale, methods of operation – including an ex-Western Region NX panel – for the 11 colour light, and around 80 working semaphore arms and disc signals on their railway.

Before the evening, attendees were asked to watch a YouTube video which may also inform your viewing of the recording of the evening.

Thomas Hoy and Colin French shared their experience of designing and building small layouts.

Colin’s layouts range from 25.5 inches long to 4 feet long; all are pointless. The space that would be taken up by points is used for other features.

Thomas Hoy has a layout 7 feet long designed to entertain him, fit into a space in his bedroom and is easily transportable. Thomas’s layout features a single point, a three way point and a sector plate; a really unusual feature is a DCC operated yard crane.

Their collective experience and ideas show that O gauge in a small space really does work.

Pete Scarborough has been building and running 7mm scale wagons for nearly 40 years. He shared his experiences of kit-built, scratch-built, and ready-to-run wagons from pre-grouping to late BR steam.

There was also be a nod towards industrial and narrow gauge examples.

You can read more about Pete in this pdf document.

The event was live via Zoom on 26th September 2021 at 20:00 BST.

Ellis Clark has spent a life surrounded by railways, growing up in the National Railway Museum and digging through the odd model railway collection his dad, Andrew of Andrew Clark Models, acquired in the trade.

It has almost been a decade since Ellis founded Ellis Clark Trains, with recent years taking him into the realm of ‘Ready-to-Run’ manufacturing.

Join Ellis as he takes you from A to Z on how a project/product makes it to market. He’ll be taking you behind the scenes, explaining in detail every step, including the planning, preparation, obstacles to overcome and where Ellis Clark Trains is heading next, and indeed their long-term plans and ambitions.

Ellis answered questions about the business and current projects.

The event was live via Zoom on 26th August 2021 at 20:00 BST.

Tim Stubbs is relatively new to railway modelling. Having spent a lifetime working in 12 inches to the foot, he took up 7mm modelling just a few years ago. He was blessed with a substantial garage, a garden and some spare time and undertook the building of the Peacehaven branch from a zero start.

He has no regrets that his first decision was to join the Guild. This has brought him into contact with a wealth of advice and in the process, he has made many good friends.

Tim walked through his Peacehaven garden railway, an end-to-end tour describing the layout design, construction, methods used and the way the layout is based on a fictitious but plausible SR branch line. Operation is to a timetable with interlocked signalling and block working, highlights being the 'running days' when, (Covid permitting), modelling and other railway friends gather for a spell of nostalgia, brought to life.

Nick Dunhill was formerly a Research Scientist, a Gardener, a Vegetarian Café owner and now builds model locos for a living. It was a long apprenticeship. Eventually he realised he could make a better living, building locomotives rather than cooking vegetarian food.

Join Nick for a real time, step by step presentation on how to build a smokebox from scratch using only simple tools. Nick will showed the process from drawing out the parts required, to the correct scale, through to assembly, and you will see that scratch building isn't as daunting as it may at first seem.

Jim McGeown of Connoisseur Models described how O gauge enabled to him to journey from the dole queue to being his own man.

Jim was just a callow youth of 16 when he switched his modelling scale to O gauge. He also started serving his apprenticeship to become an electrical craftsman. By 1987 Jim found himself disillusioned by the job and unemployed.

During his 'Evening With' interview, Jim recounts some of the key points that enabled him, with the assistance of the 'Enterprise Allowance Scheme', and his modelling and electrical skills, to create the O gauge etched kit range that has supported him in being his own man for 34 years.

Jamie Guest talked about his layout based on Lancaster Green Ayre. He described how he got into O Gauge, the inspiration behind the layout, the research and planning that went into its construction,  how it was exhibited and the logistics involved in moving it to France.

He also described what is happening now and how things have progressed in its new home.