Sleaford Model Makers Show 2023 - Part 2!

 Following on from yesterdays look at the kit building part of the Sleaford Model Makers Show today lets have a look at some other stuff starting with an 0 gauge model railway which had a real presnce to it as you would expect with a 7mm layout. 

I do like Class 25 locos and seeing this one in 7mm scale started me thinking - then reality and Mrs. Woody kicked in! However I can dream!

The backscene was particularly well done with the perspectives well thought out.

Something I have not seen on a model railway or in real life is a station spanning a stream. Well modelled and I do like the wooden part of the platform that spans the stream. Something to remember!

Probably about 12 foot long its not massive but shows you can model 0 gauge in a modest space.

I do love that Bedford Dormobile conversion - very sought after these days!

An early form of contanirisation!

Staying with 7mm ) gauge these wagons caught my eye. Really nicely weathered.

They were part of these two rakes of wagons - nice!

With Christmas coming this layout had a nice theme!

I do have an N gauge layout which is not very advanced but I am always attracted to the scale as I really started in it many years ago. This was a nice smallish layout which still managed to run long trains.

Staying with N gauge this was another nice small layout, probably about 4 foot by 2 - Mrs. W approves of small layouts!

Never seen one in person until this show but seen a number of these Pandemic specials in magazines and on the web. These were a downloadable kit of card buildings to build into a box file. It does look good though and runs 009 narrow gauge track and stock. Even more to Mrs. W's liking given its size!

Another one that Mrs. W would approve of was this 009 pizza layout.

It certainly was packed with details.

Moving on the 1:16th scale radio controlled tanks were out which reminds me I have a couple of thoses!

There were also a lot of other models which show just how varied the whole model making hobby is.

And finally if you ever missed a kit from years ago chances are you can still get it - at a price. Have a look at these oldies!

I'm certainly hoping to b back next year. And by the way all profits as far as I know go to the Lincs Air Ambulance which is great! 

Sleaford Model Makers 2023

 

I cannot believe it is a year already since I took Mrs. Woody to the 2022 show. She was insistant that I take her back this year - at least that is how I recall conversations regarding the matter! However, I nearly got caught out by a change of venue and day. It was only thanks to Mr. Beecham, he of model making and cycling prowess, who happened to drop round and say he could not attend that I found out about the changes. It was a really good show so I was pleased to have found out about the changes. A bigger premises in the form of a local school, much better parking and a lot more room to move around made for a bigger attendance so my question to an organisier revealed.

Unlike a model railway show this show has something for everyone including Mrs. W. from the aforementioned model railways, model kit building, model engineering, fun fairs, dolls houses through to animated scenes like these....

And here is a video f it and another nearby scene.

I will cover the built kits today and look at the other stuff tomorrow but some great modellers showcasing their skills as these photos show.

Frustrations!

I have decided that my 009 narrow gauge layout Chalkdon needs some use. I literally have not run a train on it for about 6 months! Too many other projects on the go and I sometimes just put some aside thinking I will leave that for a week or so and go back. Unfortunately that week or so turns into months or years and in some cases decades! However that is me and the way I work but I think the last time I ran a train on Chalkdon it was the West Highland Railway Baldwin. It is a sound chipped loco but I now recall it was not running very well, stalling and refusing to run. I further now recall that was the reason I parked it and the layout up in frustration thinking I will leave it a week and come back to it in a better frame of mind. Well even having left it 6 months that loco still was not running properly so it was time to get the screw drivers out!

You can tell just how long the loco has been static by the amount of dust on it or should I actually say that is weathering!

I was fairly certain that the issue was with the electrical pickups from the wheels. These are contained on the base plate so this was unscrewed. The pickups were dirty and twisted so work with some rubbing alcohol and some tweezers were used to bend the pick ups back into a shape that would make continual electrical contact with the wheels and therefore power from the track.

There were frustrations with dealing with small parts and I did loose a spring that went off somewhere never to be found until a time when I am not looking for it. Luckily I had a feeling that the spring from an N gauge coupler would fit so a wagon was raided for the spring. It did fit and I will find another replacement for the wagon - promise!

Anyway, despite that frustrations the work I did has certainly made the loco run a lot better. Its not fully sorted but definitely a lot better and more importantly no where near as frustrating! Despite its faults I can not help but love the looks of this loco. It just needs a crew now which I am sure I will find frustrating to fit!