View - South Australian N Gauge Society

D I S PA T C H E R
Volume 25, No.11
Official magazine of the South Australian N Gauge Society: Founded 1983
November 2009
N Scale Naturally for 26 Years
VIEW FROM THE CAB
INSIDE THIS MONTH
2
The Editor Abroad: First Report
3
Club Trailer Update
4
Railway Cats in Art
5
TransAdelaide Ops Centre
7
Trains in Dire Straits
9
Russian 4-14-4 Steam Loco
10
Notes on Rivarossi Motors
11
Babe Lane Blitzes London
12
National Convention Report
13
Soyuz Rocket Train
14
Totally Off Subject
16
On the Platform with Celebs
Contributors this Month
Jim Love, Graham Cocks,
John Calvert, Greg Milner,
Peter Cawthorne, Hutch,
and George Johnstone.
SANGS’ Member No.
52
Late in the afternoon, there's plenty of action here on the rejuvenated Bannon
Field modules at AMRE 2009.
Athearn Bombardier coaches are arranged in push-pull formation between pairs of
Kato and Athearn locomotives. Both trains ran very smoothly, a testament to the
paired running qualities of the locomotives.
The picture also captures a President’s arrival on the Yesterday's Air Force tarmac.
Security appears a little slack!
Special Acknowledgement
A small group of members need to be recognised for their respective efforts recently working on the Montana Layout, and on the fast-becoming infamous club
trailer!
They are: David List, Ray Hendry, John Toth, Hutch Hutchinson, Patrick
Brown, Arthur O’Connell and Thomas Grafton.
The track boys have replaced several malfunctioning points [turnouts] and corrected faulty trackbed on Montana. Pat’s group have been going gangbusters on
the trailer; but see Hutch’s report at Page 3 this issue.
Chris Finney
Stay N Alive, Stay N Alive …..
Hutch Hutchinson
SANGS CALENDAR See Page 2
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
Dispatcher Editor: Chris Finney can be contacted at : [email protected]
Please submit written material to the Editor by eMail in a doc file Do downsize your jpeg & gif files and forward them separately from the written words; ideally they should be no larger than 100k
Page 2
DISPATCHER November 2009
Club Reporterette Lois Babe Lane
recently chatted with our jet-setting Editor in London's West End
Relaxing in a London West End Cafe curiously named The West End Cafe, Lois cut to the
chase over an extra large Skinny Soy Latte, while the Editor and his better half ,Claire, had the
full Pommy Breakfast.
Lois: Did you get some good plane piccies at London Heathrow?
Editor: No windows to see out of, Babe.
Lois: Hmm, well good shots of the Heathrow Express going in to London?
Ed: Caught the local train, Babe. Black as, half the way, embankments the other time.
Lois: Well, did you get any photo opportunities when you changed trains at Green Park for Pimlico?
Ed: No, not really, Babe, as the connecting tube train was out of commission, apparently a frequent occurrence on Saturdays.
Lois: Well, did you get a shot of the empty station?
Ed: Yep.
Lois: Did you take a picky of the Underground station entrance when you arrived up on the
street?
Ed: Yep, herself and I were very adjacent to the Ritz Hotel, so I got a shot of the overdressed
flunky at the side front door. He was not a Pom though, but somewhere from Eastern Europe;
however, thought I would ask him if I could use the facilities, but decided against it after the significant other gave we a kick in the shins.
Lois: So, you had been in London for two hours and you hadn't taken one shot of a plane or train?
Ed: No, but I got a squirrel in action in Green Park. Also reckon I wasn't the first Aussie to water an oak tree there too.
Lois: Not a good look, I’d imagine; anyhow eventually what was your first transport picky of the
day?
Ed: Buck House at the end of Green Park. Lots of Korean tourists milling around and getting in
the way of a clear shot of absent royalty.
Lois: So, at the end of the first day, you hadn't really got a shot of any trains?
Ed: Nah, but I did get some in France three weeks later.
Lois: That's a long time between drinks.
Ed: You can say that again.
Lois: That's a long time between drinks!
“Hi Guys, I‘ve gotta to
know when its ON at
SANGS?”
SANGS CALENDAR
Saturday
7 November 2009
AGM & General Meeting
Saturday
5 December 2009
General Meeting
Saturday
19 December 2009
The Big Quiz
Christmas Lunch
Saturday
2 January 2010
General Meeting
DISPATCHER November 2009
Hutch Reports in detail
The story so far.
The trailer was unbalanced and top heavy the
way it was. So Pat, Thomas and Hutch were
tasked by the club membership to fix the problems once and for all!
Page 3
No. 7596th Update on the CLUB TRAILER
Day 1 Saturday 8/8/09 The
first job was to cut out the
offside inner mud guard
panel and move it 15mm
further away giving gap of approx 1215 mm between the
mud guards; this will allow the boxed yard modules to fit
between them. The yard modules have been moved
closer together by re-drilling the end plates, this is to allow the sky boards to sit on top of them and bring the
first level rack lower there for lowering all the racking.
The front offside door was removed to be replaced with a
fixed panel.
Tip: You may need to sit down with a good cup of tea
[or the drink of your choice] to get through this saga!
The yard runners were riveted in position, the rear doors
had some paneled beating done, the inside of the mud
guards, inside paneling frame joins, and all the roof and
floor rivets were given a coating of tar/ rubber mix to
water proof them, plus the wracks had a coat of paint.
The front compartment floor was covered with hardened
cement that had to be chipped off so it could be
painted— wasn't this checker plate supposed to be new?
A new air vent for the roof has been ordered. Drop
down legs will be attached to the rear of the trailer so
that the trailer can be raised to relive the problem of flat
spots on the tires when trailer is left standing for long
periods.
Day 2 Sunday 9/8/09 The mud guard was re-weld it to
allow the boxed yard modules to sit on the floor up
against the front bulkhead this will not only move the
weight forward. it will allow all the racking to be lowered thereby lowering the center of gravity.
The position of the wiring, junction boxes, and lights was
worked out ready to install.
The painting can be done by Pat as he has all the spray
equipment needed to do the job if Graham gives us the
paint, this will save transporting the trailer down south
and damaging the undercoat any more than it has been
Day 3. Saturday 15/8/09 The next job was to cut the four already.
So far, Pat has donated the floor paint, spray paint, mud
posts supporting the racks, and move them approx
guard
goo, rivets, aluminum tube, wire baskets, the use
200mm forward, and then re-weld in position. Changed
of
his
Mig
welder, his work place, use of the fork lift and
the position of the gas struts, and re-welded the brackets.
he has done most of the work!! He has a vote of thanks
from me and Thomas and should be thanked by the club
Day 4.Sunday 16/8/09 Welded a support across the front [absolutely; Ed]. The air vent has been bought ready to be
to take the weight of the spare wheel; re- weld the jockey installed.
wheel support to make it stronger.{ the weld was ready
to break } The front panel was coated with a mastic sealAND, The flashing has been made for the front door to
ant then riveted back on. All the welds were cleaned up
be fixed in front of the hinge and over the top to stop waand coated with spray silver paint.
ter getting in through the hinge and top, plus a flap has
The front inside bulkhead paint was flecking off, so it
been riveted along the trailing edge to stop water from
was scraped ready to be re-painted. The air vents were
getting into the lift up doors leading edge. The rear off
removed and the holes cleaned up; mastic was applied
and the vents were replaced. The last job for the day was side door had the pad bolts removed and the kink in the
to clean all the rust on the floor and paint it. Thomas had door straightened. it now fits top and bottom. Extra flashing has been riveted along the top over the rear doors, it
a bit of fun when he was cleaning the front panel with
extends out passed the door tops to stop water from getsolvent, a spark from Pat's welder set Thomas's hand
ting on to the door top and leaking through. Thomas had
alight! All was well as the flame went out very quickly
his head lit up with a spark from Pat’s angle grinder,
and no damage done.
burnt a hole in his head that is, and I dropped a drill and
just missed him, but I did manage to bang his head with
the
big door when I opened it as he was standing just too
Day 5, 23/8/09 We discovered that the spare wheel has a
close!!
radial tire and is under size compared to the light truck
tires on the trailer. Drilled holes in the floor ready for the
yard runners to be riveted and sealed in place; this is the
four lengths of 15mm square aluminum tube for the two
boxed yards to slide on and to keep them off the floor.
Continued next page
The old vent hole has been patched and a new hole has
been cut at the rear of the roof ready for the new vent.
We have the Free paint { that will keep DL happy } to
redo the in side compartments thanks to John Toth. The
tin of left over undercoat has not been returned as yet.
Page 4
DISPATCHER November 2009
Hutch continues
Trailer Update continued
Day 6, 18/10/09 The latest news, the front compartment still leaks so it has been unbolted and removed for cleaning the rust, ready for undercoating /painting, and the
rubber seal will be replaced and sealed both sides with mastic and extra drain holes will
be drilled in the frame as the water is coming out of the main chassis frame bolt holes.!!
Currently: We have been a bit slack of late what with rewiring the club layout; found
out that one throttle { yellow line } was not even wired to any track! This has now been
fixed and the voltage drop on track one Blue has extra wiring just past the Palm Beach
yards and the swing bridge wiring still has to be looked at unless the lads did it whilst I
was away caravanning!
Hutch
Page 3 Pussies on Page 4
Railway Cats in Art
“Don’t look now Tabs, but that looks like the Flying Scotsman about to come
through” exclaimed Ginger Tom, who it might be said is always pleased to spot a
train before his mate Tabs.
Tabs and Ginger are regular spotters on the preserved Great Central line at
Loughborough in the English Midlands. Of course, Tabs is into loco numbers
and has his notebook out hoping for another new loco on the Up line. By the
look of the packets nearby on the platform, the boys have just finished their Codfish Crispy Thins.
BTW, neither of the mates are impressed with Australian moggies at present,
because a recent Aussie feline referred to them both as Gunzl Pussies! “We’re
not Gunzls”, the boys had chimed., “we’re purebreds”. [That might be stretching
it, considering their doubtful parentage: Ed.]
Trainspotters
French Souvenir Buildings in N Scale
Visit any souvenir shop in Paris or the French provincial cities
and you will discover a line of pre-painted resin European-style
buildings in N Scale. They are also
available in Z scale.
Both series are made up of approximately six building of various
types although all appear to be 4-5
stories high, and very typically European in looks. Likely Chinese in
origin, they have been hand painted, probably not to the standard of
the recent Atlas, Hornby and Imex resin buildings, but certainly satisfactory for the average layout or module. Any modeller could be
able to touch up the paintwork to achieve a better look.
Many souvenir shops in France have websites, so if you are interested, an email could be the go. However, in this regard, they are
reasonably heavy and might incur the postmaster's wrath if you
brought them in by Airmail in any number.
Prices per item were in the range Aust$19-23 each.
Page 5
DISPATCHER November 2009
Making the “TransAdelaide Operations Control Centre” T-TRAK Module
by Life Member Graham Cocks
Introduction
The TransAdelaide Operations Control Centre building is
located in the Adelaide Station rail yards and is situated
adjacent to the western end of North Terrace in the Adelaide CBD and next to the Railcar Depot. The building is
the operations centre for railcars, trams and buses. Besides the CTC system for the railway, it also has a windowed observation balcony to view yard and station ac- vector drawing program on the computer (Inkscape was
used).
tivities.
An output file was then sent to a laser cutting service
Planning
business (an “.eps” file was sent via the Internet to Spirit
Using an aerial view via Google Earth, it was determined
Design). Within a couple of weeks the postman delivered
that the building would fit on an Australian T-TRAK
the awaited package to the front door.
standard single module (308mm x 300mm). To retain
enough area to accommodate both frontage and railway Construction
area of interest, the small rear section of the building was
not included as part of the diorama scene. The approximate dimensions of the building were ascertained by using the aerial view which also included railcars and photos taken by camera.
As the dimensions of the railcars are recorded in various
publications and on the Internet, it was relatively easy to
estimate by comparison the length and width of the
building. The building façade would be scratch built. The
module backboard would be a photographic shot of the
landscape and buildings in the rear background.
Materials
A pre-assembled standard
T-TRAK module with two
mainline tracks already
positioned. Various sheets
of balsa. Off-cuts of packing foam. Section of Peco
flextrack for static yard
track. Fencing. Ballast.
Grass. Off-cut material for
a backboard.
A plain backboard was
bolted to the baseboard and
then a balsa riser platform to
support the building was
placed on the baseboard.
After the yard track was set
in place a long foam block
was shaped and positioned
between the track and the
riser to form a base for the grass area. A small area was
left between the foam and the track for the positioning of
the employees pedestrian path. A paper cut-out of the
building, using a test print of the laser cutter file, was
sticky-taped together and placed on the platform to ascertain the best position.
The Building
The laser cut pieces were temporarily assembled in position using sticky tape to check the accuracy of the structure.
The building was then assembled. The side stairs and
balcony pieces were cut out of balsa and glued on. The
side stairs taking some considerable time as each step
had to be cut out individually. The window and door
Designing
openings were covered by placing a balsa sheet on the
Because of the many windows and doors, it was decided
inside. Some clear thin plastic sheet was placed between
that the building would be laser-cut from either 1mm
the inside balsa sheets and the building walls to simulate
thick styrene or plywood. Plywood was chosen as the
glass in the openings.
balcony, balcony roofing and side steps could all be cut
from balsa and easily glued on to the plywood structure.
The building sides and roof were then drawn using a
continued next page
Page 6
DISPATCHER November 2009
TransAdelaide Ops Control Centre T-TRAK Module continued
The building was then painted an approximate colour to match the prototype. The inside of the balcony area was painted black to simulate the dark
glass windows of the balcony. To ensure portability of the module, the
building would not be permanently fixed in place but be positioned in
place by a balsa foundation around which it would sit.
Surrounds
Backboard
The surrounds of interest to model were the riser platform fence, riser platform vehicle parking area, grassed
area (and lawn-mower, of course),
yard track used for storing the track
maintenance machine, and the track
maintenance machine (in this case a
tie/sleeper crane).
The backboard was cut from some off-cut 3mm thick
board. It was cut so that it was 200mm high above the
module baseboard. A digital photograph taken directly
in front of the building (the rowing club car park was
very conveniently located directly opposite), but at a distance to highlight the rear scenery, was transferred to the
computer, adjusted in size to suit the N scale building,
Although Railway Express Minia- then saved.
tures tie/sleeper crane model was A portion of this photo, to fully cover the 200mm high
not exactly the same as the proto- section of the backboard, was printed out and stuck to
type, it was really close enough to produce the desired the backboard. As the backboard was a little larger than
effect for the diorama. The kit was cleaned of burrs, an A4 sheet of paper, the back-scene was printed in two
glued together and painted appropriately.
sections and butt-joined. Although the photo included
The only suitably close style of fence was the brass-etch the Operations Control Centre building, it is actually covone produced by N Scale Architect. To ensure portability ered over by the model structure as they are both at the
of the module, the platform fence was constructed sepa- same scale.
rately on a piece of balsa strip so that it could be removed
and not be damaged during transport. The brass-etch
fencing was spay painted before being cut out of the fret
with a fine blade model knife. As the fence was basically
a paddock fence, the post tops were cut off so that the
fence looked more like a protection barrier fence. The
balsa strip is held in place on the front of the platform by
four permanently installed track pins which are pushed
into pre-positioned holes on the front of the balsa platform riser.
Of course the surrounds would not be complete without
the grass being cut, so a lawn-mower was required. An N
scale model, produced by NuComp Miniatures, was acquired. It was hand-painted and a pre-painted figure
found in the odds-and-ends box attached. A track pin
was glued to the bottom of the lawn-mower and this was
just inserted in to the foam under the simulated grass to
hold it in place.
Transport & Storage
The module base just fits into a briefcase with bubble
wrap used for impact protection. The building, platform
fence, other accessories and the backboard bolts and
wing nuts, fit inside the module frame with light foam
rubber used for both holding in position and impact protection.
Two small blocks of
foam are used to protect
the Kato rail and Unijoiners that stick out
beyond the module
ends. The backboard
was fitted into a plastic
sleeve and placed between the two layers of
bubble wrap.
As the briefcase is not
All three items were purchased through Fifer Hobby
used often, the module
Supply of Las Cruces, New Mexico USA.
can be stored in it.
Vehicles were needed for the vehicle parking area. With
the abundance of N scale vehicles available, this was easily resolved.
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
DISPATCHER November 2009
HISTORICAL
Page 7
Jim Love’s Trains in Dire Straits: episode 7
Late in 1944, Winter is here with a vengeance deep in the
Alps as a double-headed freight ploughs along in the freezing
snow in the service of the Reich.
The loco engineers were not expecting the verdammit Yankees
to be about on such a dire day, but these chequered North
American P51 Mustangs are veterans of the D-Day campaign
and are now probing deep into the Fatherland.
Art ©Heinz Kribs
Strangely, the train is not being fired upon; perhaps the gumchewing aviators are out of ammunition and just buzzing the
train for fun? So, readers and Jim, what are the steam locomotives, and has the artist got it right for the time?
Jim Love’s comments on Dire Straits Episode 6
Yes, yes, yes!! The correct loco at last! The loco shown is a DRG BR39 2-8-2
designed for heavy passenger traffic but became a useful mixed traffic loco.
They were originally the Prussian P10 class.
Episode 6 Pic
The Prussian State Railways Class P 10 were 2-8-2 "Mikado" type passengerhauling steam locomotives built for hauling heavy express trains in the hilly
and mountainous terrain of the Mittelgebirge. They were the last Prussian passenger train steam locomotives to be developed by the Koenigliche Preussiche Eisenbahn
Verwaltung (KPEV) (Royal Prussian Railway Administration) before the State Railways
were merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft (DRG) (German State Railway
Company), who eventually designated them as BR 39.
The design by Borsig, under the supervision of chief engineer August Meister, was ready
in 1919 but, due to material shortages, no locomotives were produced until 1922. They
were three-cylinder locomotives, all cylinders driving the second coupled axle. Three
sets of Walschaerts valve gear were used, the one for the inside cylinder being mainly
located inside the frame, but driven from the same eccentric crank as the valve gear on
the left-hand side; two eccentric rods of different lengths being attached to the same
crank. The valve gear was located on the third coupled axle, giving these locos an unusual look, especially of the left side with two sets on the one axle.
The locomotives' heavy axle-load exceeded the 17 tonne standard specification
of much of the German rail network, so they were limited to specific lines
which were constructed to higher standards. A total of 260 of these locomotives
were ultimately constructed and they worked primarily on the Main-WeserBahn between Frankfurt and Kassel as well as the Eifel region, the Black Forest
network until their replacement by Class 221 diesels and the Gäubahn [ Stuttgart-Singen] . They were the most powerful of all the state railway passenger
locomotives.
DRG BR39
The vehicles were originally equipped with Prussian 2'2' T 31,5 tenders . The DB fitted
many of the surviving examples with Witte smoke deflectors and 2'2' T 34 tenders. The
last three engines were stabled in Stuttgart and taken out of service in 1967. The DB
Museum owns 39 230, which may be viewed currently at the German Steam Locomotive
Museum.
continued next page
Page 8
DISPATCHER November 2009
Jim Love’s comments on Dire Straits Episode 6 continued
HISTORICAL
In the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn the Prussian P 10
was indispensable and was therefore included in their reconstruction programme. The 85 Rekoloks were grouped
into DR BR22.
Fleischmann N ScaleDRG BR39
(KPEV P10)
This is the same as the loco in
the latest ‘Dire Straits’ picture
Note the drive on the second
coupled axle, valve gear on the
third.
This loco is produced by Fleischmann in both HO and N in
various versions ranging from original KPEV livery, a photographic grey version,
DRG as shown in the photo and DB with continued next KPEV livery where the loco
from the front to the cab is green, the cab and tender are black, the other loco is the
photo grey version; neither have smoke deflectors.
Footnote: Jim says: “I'll have to get the whip out again,
as your prototype photo for the last 'Dire Straits' episode
was of a DRG BR50 2-10-0 not the BBO 214 / BR12 2-8-4.
Naughty, naughty! The Editor has been duly thrashed for
being so ill informed.
Fleischmann N Scale KPEV
Previous Dire Straits Episodes featuring Trains under Air Attack
*All the German steam locomotives featured in the “Dire Straits” series have been produced at one time or another in N Scale by Arnold, Minitrix, Fleischmann and/or Roco*
New N Scale Roadway Items Coming from TOMYTEC
Tomytec of Japan have announced a tram roadway track system—obviously a competitor for Kato’s new Unitram roadway.
In addition, and perhaps more interesting is their announcement regarding a forthcoming running bus and roadway system obviously designed for their excellent Bus Collection models. The system will require a magnet being fitted to the
underside of the bus.
N Scale Reviews Needed for Dispatcher
SANGS Chappies: the Editor is quite aware of your extensive acquisition of new and essential N
Scale goodies over the past few months. Many of these items now in your hot little hands [or in Life
Member Ian Bannon’s case squirrelled away from Gail’s prying eyes] would benefit from a short
[or long] review of their quality, performance etc. So how about it? Why not write a product review and become published in Dispatcher? Your friendly [on occasion] Editor is waiting …..
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
Page 9
DISPATCHER November 2009
From the October 2009
Dispatcher:
a 2-20-0 Revisited
Seeing the digitally modified picture of the 2-20-0 in the last edition of
‘The Dispatcher’ reminded me that the Russians in the Stalin era came up
with a 4-14-4 in an attempt to wow the world with their expertise. The loco,
designated AA-20, was designed along Bolshevik principles by commissars
selected more for political reliability than technical expertise. This is always a mistake, and this
was no exception.
The AA-20, built in
1935, was intended to
be used to haul coal
from the Donets region
to Moscow but proved
to be a spectacular mistake. It was the largest rigid framed loco in the world until the Pennsylvania Railroad produced
the S1, and remains the largest rigid framed loco ever built in Europe. It still retains the record for
the greatest number of coupled wheels in a single block.
Its 14 driving wheels were intended to spread the load on light 78lb track but a 20 ton
axle load was still too much. The designers completely overlooked the fact that there wasn’t a
turntable in the country that even came close to accommodating it. It made one
demonstration run from the works at Lugansk to Moscow, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Despite having the wheels on the three centre axles flangeless, lateral motion devices
on the front and rear coupled axles and universal joints on the coupling rods it
proved quite incapable of negotiating curves. The civil engineers were lucky if it only
derailed, it more often tore up the track. It destroyed every set of points it crossed.
Although it was very obviously a colossal mistake, it was never admitted to; such
admissions were usually fatal in Stalin’s Soviet Russia.
As a result it was stored for the next 25 years and only discreetly scrapped in 1960.
Wouldn’t an N Scale model be something different!
No, I don’t have any intention of trying to make one!
N SCALE LAYOUT FOR SALE: GRAHAM REDMAN’S WOTCOUDAVBEEN
A finely detailed 'N' scale layout of an actual location which can be included in an
existing layout. It consists of 3 x 1800 x 600 modules, 2 tracks to an Austrak configuration, end for end, controlled by a H&M Duette controller.
The buildings are scratch built using photographic frontage of
the actual buildings in the locale. There are approximately
one hundred model vehicles on the layout.
You can contact
Graham on his mobile, viz: 0416635290
Two Adelaide 2000 class scratchbuilt from US Amtrak railcars are modelled
to fit in with this layout, with a third unscratched. Trackwork is of concrete
sleeper style and wired to bus cables with droppers from each track length.
One module has a river across it built to use real water with pump supplied.
Price is negotiable at $750. I can arrange interstate or country changeover
delivery by trailer; it is currently securely stored in the Adelaide southern
suburbs.
Page
DISPATCHER November 2009
Member John Calvert
reflects on Rivarossi’s
3-pole motors
I have been going through my collection of motive power and servicing everything. I have enough motive power by The (poles) electromagnets on the
Rivarossi to have learned a little about them.
shaft are worth
Resist the urge to place the loco on the track and some closer scrurun it as it will probably smoke and die. Use a 9 tiny.
volt battery across the wheels to check for signs of
life as it won’t deliver enough current to do much
harm. Running or not, it is best to give the motor The strength of the magnetic field will be dependant on a number of factors; the size of the iron
a clean and lube.
Having removed the motor (use a pencil to mark core in each pole, the number of windings of wire
the motor case, << to show forward or up) care- on each pole and the amount of current in the
fully remove the brush holders (with springs and coil. Examine some different motors from differbrushes). Put the brush holders, springs and ent manufacturers and you can usually pick which
brushes into alcohol and allow them to soak. Next will be more powerful.
remove the plastic end cap from the motor and
clean it with alcohol soaked cotton buds. Note;
there should be a small washer sitting on the end
of the motor shaft or against the inside surface of
the end bearing in the plastic cap, put this in with
the brushes etc to soak.
DC motors 102
Reassemble the motor and apply a very small
amount of oil to both bearings. Test the motor
using a 9 volt battery again and if all is well, reinstall into loco (this is where those pencil marks
are handy. Cleaning of gears and wheels is as per
any other model loco but note that the Rivarossi
motor is not very powerful and won’t like turning
the wheels while you hold something against them.
ning and that is to power the motor with pulse
power whereby full voltage is switched on and off
rapidly (typically 200 times a second). The amount
of ‘on’ time controls the speed.
Rules of thumb; the stronger the magnetic fields,
the stronger the magnetic forces and the greater
the output torque. Therefore the stronger the permanent magnet, the stronger the permanent field
and the stronger the magnetic forces etc.
nature hence the noise you hear and see on TV’s.
Extra bits; A basic motor will have 3 poles and will
run okay until you try and run it slowly. As each of
the poles gets current and is attracted and repelled
by the permanent field it surges causing the rotational speed of the motor to surge and slow. This
Using a stiff bristled brush and alcohol, clean the jerkiness is referred to as “cogging”. To reduce it,
commutator of the motor. The field magnet is better motors have 5 poles, skewed poles or both.
made from a rubberized material and doesn’t like Skewed poles have a twist to them.
alcohol so avoid anything other than a quick wipe Another way to reduce cogging is to increase the
with a cotton bud moistened with the stuff. Care- rotational mass of the motor’s axle. This is done
fully clean and dry the brush holders, springs, by adding flywheels to the axle. There is an exterbrushes and washer.
nal to reduce cogging and improve low speed run-
DC motors 103
The poles are electromagnets and if current is suddenly removed from their coils, the magnetic field
will collapse and as it does this it will induce an
DC motors 101
electrical current in the opposite direction (back
Electric motors work by the physical reaction of EMF). The rotation of the rotor means that curthe forces between magnetic fields. For a DC mo- rent is constantly being applied and removed from
tor this is typically permanent field created by a poles.
permanent magnet and a set of electromagnets on The constant generation of back EMF is the main
the shaft that are switched on and off as the shaft cause of the sparking you see between the brushes
turns.
and the commutator and it is high frequency in
A method of reducing this is to install a capacitor
across the brushes to shunt this high frequency
current (mandatory in many parts of the world).
So endeth the Lesson.
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
Page 11
DISPATCHER November 2009
“Lois ‘Babe’ Lane Blitzes London - see page 3”
So read the headline in the
prestigious
‘Daily
Mail’.
Lois had indeed arrived and
her practice sessions at Brighton for the beach volleyball
competitions, had drawn attention not only from the attentive and appreciative locals, but also from the British
media.
while.’ And with this they bundled the unconscious Lois
into a crate to be ferried to Paris.
Interviewed by the BBC Lois explained her mission to
raise awareness of beach volleyball and of the benefits
of exposure to the sun and the dangers of Vitamin D
deficiency. Lois’ costume certainly raised awareness
and her posed photograph made page three four days
in a row under the headline -‘The Stunner from Down
Under’.
‘F’ is worried and Ace deeply anxious by Lois’ disappearance. So ‘F’s secret ‘Metropolitan Police UK N Scale
Support Group’ is notified to provide cover to President
Finney and Sister Claire and thus in plain clothes they
are shadowed through out the rest of their UK stay by
Sergeant Stone and Sergeant Smith.
‘Aussie Bombshell Vanishes’ Screamed the newspapers, and Quentin Snade donned his York Museum
guard uniform and prepared to lie in wait to catch
President Finney and Sister Claire as they toured the
carriage displays.
Mata Hari did not join him, still
smarting from her last encounter with Sister Claire.
To be continued………..
Immigration applications received by Australia House
increased by 17.7%
Lois was approached by N Scale Review for a promo- Meanwhile Back in Australia;
tional photo to appear in a future issue and naturally
she agreed knowing how pleased the lads at Sangs
Carmine and Nunzio’s Sydney restaurant is closed
would be.
in mourning for the conclusion of ‘The Cook and the
But all was not as it seemed. The bearded, bespecta- Chef’ - a television pair that changed Carmine and Nuncled photographer dressed in a shabby raincoat and zio's’ lives towards good. However their restaurant still
shuffling with a limp and his assistant, a veiled lady attracts some of the leading HO HO Sydney modellers.
dressed in black, who held his equipment [bag], did not
Had the restaurant not been closed the reformed pair
seem the usual clean cut upright N scale people she
may have heard of the plot and been able to alert ‘F’ to
was accustomed to.
the danger to Lois.
The camera clicked. A jet of gas shot out and as Lois
Ace Granite’s apprentices have taken charge of N Scale
sank into unconsciousness, with an evil
security. C2 has successfully guarded Semaphore HQ
laugh disguises were thrown aside to
and although exhausted from the strain and with only a
reveal Quentin Snade and Mata Hari.
few problems involving communication he has with firm
‘Aha’, Snade exulted, ‘the amnesia gas
persuasion and gentle power held the show together.
will put her out of the picture for a
This month’s examples of Trains on Stamps are not exactly that.
They are postally used letters [known as covers in the hobby].
Remember, if you are interested in Rail Philately, check out the website – www.railphilatelist.com
RAIL ROADIANA
Above: Hand drawn 1938 cover
noting B&O’s 108th Birthday.
Possibly signed by the loco driver
or Mail Officer aboard a special
passenger train to Philly from
Baltimore.
This cover was specially produced to
record the 80th Anniversary of the
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
14 July 2007. The cover was carried
on the special train depicted thereon.
Remember the AGM
Saturday 7 November
Page 12
DISPATCHER November 2009
From Our Victorian
Correspondent
The 2009 National N Scale Convention was held at Can- ‘The displays at the convention this year were very varied
berra’s Hotel Heritage in Narrabundah from 16-18 October. running from what for this reviewer was his first sight of
I have always enjoyed the biennial Conventions, both for OOO –the original N scale, through a US DCC operating
the fellowship that is always the hallmark of the gather- layout and on to T Track.
ings, and for the programme that is so thoughtfully put to- This latter is of particular interest to Sangs members as it
gether by the organisers which is both stimulating and en- included modules by Greg Milner, Graham Cocks and Thomas Grafton. Greg’s module was admired for its detail,
joyable.
Both of these aspects of a convention reflect the very, very fidelity, and imagination in selecting Adelaide’s O Bahn hard work that precedes the event itself and takes weeks of probably the first time anyone had seen a quality model of
effort and detailed planning that, seemingly effortlessly, this unique system in N scale.
Graham has modelled the Adelaide Metro control centre
and, as expected from a skilled modeller it is fine and accurate model of this key, if under recognised, facility. Finally
Following the lead from Adelaide two years ago, and also Thomas’ drive-in is a piece of showmanship exciting interearlier from Perth, holding the convention in one location est and warm comments from the electric sign and the playfor events and accommodation ensured a maximum of par- ful design.
ticipation both formally and informally and much was
gained by delegates over breakfast and dinner as well over All of these were equally impressive and testimonies to the
morning teas and lunch. And, quite frankly, these rather ability of N scale to excite creativity and imagination from
sumptuous repasts did nothing to clear up the myth that an modellers and viewers alike.
expanding waistline is an essential qualification for model ‘It is also worth noting that going to the trouble, and not a
little risk of damage, to ensure representation at the convenrailroading!
I particularly enjoyed the clinics at the convention covering tion, the absence due to unfortunate circumstances of a
weathering, painting, landscaping but also the forums on number of modules coming to the event, meant that the SA
prototypes as well as innovations such as T track and dis- contribution was key to the success of this major T track
cussions on the future of the scale in Australia. For those display.
ensures the event goes like clockwork.
interested I understand a CD was produced of all of the ‘I have left one of the most exciting displays - Ross Balderson’s Sydney’s Central Station – now incredibly, complete
clinic notes - contact the committee.
The layout tours were very interesting and included a wide - the product of five year’s effort, and whose early stages
range of fine modelling. Too much to detail here but I have are familiar to those at the Adelaide and Brisbane convena photo gallery in preparation showing some of the high- tions. Staggering in both concept and achievement it was
rightly the object of praise and awe. The model is 11feet
lights I noted for a later Issue of Dispatcher.
by 6 feet in the old money and shows Belmore park the
ornate stone station building including the clock tower, the
‘The next Convention will be held in Sydney and in the electric viaduct, and all the buildings in Elizabeth Street.
final plenary session Graham Cocks was unanimously Ross’ effort makes him a widely applauded winner of the
elected Secretary to facilitate general N scale communica- Dane Parker Memorial Perpetual Shield.
tion nationally, an important task and he will be helped by
‘Ross Balderson and Graeme Goodsell (architect and serial
an assistant secretary from Sydney.
winner of modelling competitions) have jointly prepared a
‘It is important to once again draw attention to the fine full colour book on constructing miniature buildings in
work of the 2009 Convention Organising Committee. We, NScale. All Stations to Central, available in both hard and
the delegates and the N scale community in general, are soft cover ($60 or $40 at the convention) and if interested I
deeply in debt to them for their skill, dedication and success suggest you contact Roscoe Models. Both authors jointly
in organising a most successful convention.
ran two overflow clinics at the convention.
SANGS 2009 Photo Contest Reminder
Just another reminder about the inaugural SANGS Photo Contest; you can lodge
up to four pics in each of the two major categories Real Life and Railway Modelling.
If you haven’t already done so, email those photos of yours to the Co-ordinator.
Lodged photos are being collated and numbered by the Co-ordinator; they will be sent to you for voting consideration. Further entries will be forwarded to you periodically until the moving closing date sometime in November. A check list will be forwarded to you later.
Don’t be shy; it will be great if ALL Sangsers submit a pic or two, or three or four in each of the categories! There
may be a surprise or two when winners are announced so, good shooting,
Chris
Page 13
DISPATCHER November 2009
Trains You Can Model
From Associated Press:
Belching smoke, a locomotive evokes another era as it hauls the giant Soyuz
rocket to its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The rocket was scheduled to boost three new crew members to their new quarters aboard the International Space Station.
The towering Russian-built heavy-lift rocket later thundered aloft from the
Steppes of Kazakhstan, carrying three more spacefarers to the International
Space Station.
Modelling the Train in N Scale
The consist appears to be a push-pull operation with a switcher at each end. The Soyuz rocket is astride a
Schnabel-type truck, preceded by a flat car and crew car.
All of these should be able to be duplicated easily using existing models, given that they are all of a generic
appearance.
North American notes from
Canadian Railway Modeller
per Peter Cawthorne
North American Locomotives in Storage
Locomotives in Storage
The dramatic drop-off in freight traffic has driven railways to
store hundreds of locomotives. The number of units in storage
in the Northern spring are in the table; that’s a lot of horsepower sitting around idle.
Union Pacific 2,100
CSX 600
BNSF 900
Norfolk Southern 400
KCS 360
CPR 350 CN 281
Long Trains
The Canadian Pacific Railway [CPR] is experimenting with extra-long trains in western Canada. In [Northern]
spring 2009 it ran a 224 car grain train between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. The goal was to see if two grain
trains could be coupled together and run successfully. The train was pulled by four locomotives – two at the
head, followed by 112 cars, then the other two units followed by the remaining 112 cars. At 30,000 tonnes, it
set a record for the heaviest CPR train.
Not to be left behind, Canadian National is also experimenting with longer trains; it operated a 194 car freight
train from Edmonton to Kamloops in January.
You wouldn’t want to be the guy caught at the rail crossing when one of these approached !
Suburban mother and Gunzl widow Amanda Jane was working in the kitchen, listening to her five-year-old son playing
with his new electric train set in the living room. She heard the train stop and her son saying, 'All of you bast**ds who want off,
get off now, 'cos we're in a hurry! And all of you bast**ds who are getting on, get on now, 'cos we're going down the tracks'.
Amanda Jane went in and told her son, 'We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now I want you to go to your room
and stay there for two hours. When you come out, you may play with your train, but I want you to use nice language.'
Two hours later, the son came out of the bedroom and resumed playing with his train. Soon the train
stopped and Amanda Jane heard her son say, 'All passengers who are disembarking the train please remember to take all of your belongings with you. We thank you for travelling with us today and hope
your trip was a pleasant one.'
She hears the little boy continue, 'For those of you just boarding, we ask you to stow all of your hand
luggage under your seat. Remember, there is no smoking on the train. We hope you will have a pleasant
and relaxing journey with us today.' As Amanda Jane began to smile, the child added.......... “For those
of you who are pissed off about the TWO HOUR delay, please see the Fat Controller in the kitchen NOW.”
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
Page 14
DISPATCHER November 2009
Totally Off Subject: “The World’s Most Experienced Airline”
Courtesy : Qantas Flight
Operations Newsletter
Maybe this…
can be explained by the following letter :
A Qantas Captain is answering his Chief Pilot’s
"Request for further Information."
Sir,
In your icy, indeed hostile, telephone call of yesterday, you
requested a report about the alleged proceedings involving
my crew at the Qantas 75th Birthday celebration at the slip
port. As the reports from the local authorities and the head
of the Australian legation were undoubtedly a complete
fabrication, I take the opportunity to put the truth of the
matter on file.
Qantas management’s kind offer to "buy a round of drinks"
was taken on board by the crew who decided to upgrade
the event to its correct status, so appropriate quantities of
libation and food were purchased, with festivities being
held in my hotel suite. An enjoyable evening ensued, but
insufficient supplies had been obtained, so several members
of the crew left for further purchases at a local pub.
crashers, whom we could not know were hotel security,
forced their way in just as most of us happened to be leaning against the bed watching the dancing.
The subsequent events in the foyer of the hotel are an
equally vicious distortion of the facts. I was explaining the
importance of the 75th Birthday to the General Manager of
the hotel and noting that other guests were fabricating stories of noise, drinking and singing at the celebration, when
F/O Smith (ex-SAS) and several other keep-fit enthusiasts,
in keeping with their almost monastic pursuit of health,
organised the race up the drapes which hang along the
foyer wall. It says nothing for the workmanship of some of
these nations that the fittings were torn from the wall before most of the crew were even halfway up. At this stage,
in an amazing display of international posturing, the Governor of the city, who was attending the National Day cocktail party in the foyer, cast some denigrating remarks about
Australian culture.
In a truly magnanimous gesture, ten bar girls from that establishment helped carry the beer back to the hotel. To
demonstrate our appreciation of their assistance, we served
them some cool drink. They then offered to show us some
Although he misunderstood our gestures of greeting, felocal culture, and, in order not to offend, we allowed them
male flight attendant Williams rescued the situation with
to dance some exotic dances.
her depth of knowledge of local culture. Her rendition of
The banging on the walls of my room had, by now, quite the Fertility Dancing Maiden in the foyer’s ''Pool of Rehonestly, become invasive, and it was disturbing the danc- membrance'' was nothing short of breathtaking. Normally
ers, so we arranged an amusing little deterrent. S/0 Brown’s this dance is performed wearing just a sarong skirt so FFA
impersonation of the Police Officer was excellent! In full Williams'' extra step to nature was a bold step forward. UnQantas uniform, with an aluminium rubbish bin upside fortunately, during one intricate step, FFA Williams slipped
down on his head, he goose-stepped to each room and ha- and fell beneath the fountain, so we were lucky that S/0
rangued the occupants with a very witty diatribe about dis- Brown, who had the great presence of mind to strip to
turbing hotel guests. I personally heard nothing of his al- avoid getting his uniform wet, leapt in to help.
leged threats of life in Alcatraz or the Gulags, claimed by
That the tiles of the pool were slippery is beyond dispute, as
the sister of the Minister of Police whose room was,
it took nearly ten minutes of threshing about before S/O
unluckily, next door.
Brown could actually complete his rescue. Such concern
I have no doubt that this woman was the sneak who called was there for these two exemplary crew member's safety,
security and hotel management and I absolutely refute that that the rest of the crew were forced to assist, and I deny
the shout "Look out, here come the Indians! Circle the that this massed altruistic rescue attempt could be conwagons!" was made. The simple coincidence of security strued as a ''Water Polo'' game! This slanderous accusation
arriving just as we stood the double bed on its side across was first put to me by the Chief of the Riot Squad, whose
the door to make the dance floor bigger is obvious. The
storm troopers had apparently been called by some over
major damage to the room occurred when a group of gate zealous Fascists at the cocktail party.
Continued next page
Page 15
DISPATCHER November 2009
Off Subject: “The World’s Most Experienced Airline” continued
Order had nearly been restored when the fire started. I prefer F/O Smith’s version of events that the drapes had
caught fire from being against a light fitting, and that he
dropped his cigarette lighter whilst trying to escape the
flames. Had host management fulfilled their responsibilities
and used fire retardant material instead of velvet, the fire
would not have spread to the rest of the hotel.
The responsible attitude shown by my crew in
assisting the bar staff to carry out drinks from
the cocktail party is to be commended, not condemned, and the attempt by male members of
the crew to extinguish pockets of fire using natural means has been totally misrepresented in
some quarters. I cannot overstate how strongly I resent the
assertions made in the Chief Fire Officer’s report.
I did not know Her Majesty was to be aboard our aircraft,
but I am sure that her 12-hour visit to that country was appreciated by local dignitaries and probably HRH herself. (I
must mention that the local manager is far too obsequious Smarmy! Smarmy! You should have seen him bowing and
scraping. Never make a Prime Minister, that chap!)
Finally, I note that not since ''Rainman'' has Qantas been
mentioned in so many newspapers. (Some people in Qantas
would die for coverage like that.) The main newspaper at
the slip port coincidentally mentioned Qantas 75 times on
its front page alone, although some of the coupled epithets
can only be described as the worst journalistic excesses of
the gutter press.
I trust that now I have outlined the correct version of
events, we may allow ourselves a discreet smile as to the
I made an official protest about these matters when the lack of social sophistication of some of these developing
head of the Australian Legation visited us at the Police Sta- nations and put all this behind us. As far as I am concerned,
tion the next morning. However, not only did Ambassador the crew carried on the finest Qantas traditions.
Jones not attempt to refute the preposterous allegations Regards, Captain......
made against me and my crew, but also by failing to secure
our release immediately, caused the subsequent aircraft de- P.S. I checked amongst the language qualified members of
the crew, but no one was up to speed on Latin. Can you
lay.
recommend anyone in the International Department who
could translate ''Persona Non Grata''?
On The Road Again ……….
Rail ‘N’ Thusiast
1113 Riversdale Road Surrey Hills
at the Yarra Trams Terminus—Route 70
Phone: 03 9888 9500 Fax: 03 9437 0585
Email: [email protected]
Open Monday to Saturday
End of the Line Hobbies—Your One Stop Hobby Shop
Club Discount: End of the Line Hobbies is offering SANGS members a 5% discount off all purchases. To be eligible you must be a current financial member and mention SANGS Club Discount Program at
the time of purchase. The club will receive the same amount as a gift
voucher for use as the club sees fit. The purchases can be by email,
telephone, fax, post and even at exhibitions.
Telephone: 08 8552 7900
Fax: 08 08552 7933
Email: [email protected]
Last Page
DISPATCHER November 2009
On the Platform with Famous Figures: Episode 4
Marilyn Monroe at Grand Central Station
Hollywood movie stars of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s made much use of American transcontinental express trains.
Many preferred rail travel to flying and certainly news photographers were usually on hand at
the big stations to snap the stars.
Movie companies too, were ever eager to publicise their talent on station platforms or waving
from rear-end observation cars.
In this pic taken in the early 1960s we have a glamorous Marilyn Monroe gracing a New York
Central’s Grand Central Station platform in New York. She’s probably just been seeing JFK.
Melanie Sykes at London’s St. Pancras Station
Pint of ale in hand, Melanie Sykes is fronting up to the Eurostar at London’s St. Pancras Station.
Melanie Who? I hear you ask. Well it seems that she is well known in the Old Dart.
The former bikini-clad Boddingtons Beer girl and face of Head & Shoulders Shampoo is never far from a TV screen in Britain.
THE MONSTER QUIZ
Current holder of
SANGS’ annual
“Smarty Pants” Award
President
Chris Finney
8449 4620
[email protected]
Vice President
David Orr
8264 7582
[email protected]
Secretary
Greg Milner
8276 9948
[email protected]
The Treasurer
David List
8252 2314
*new French carrier pigeons*
Grand Father & Guru
Ian Bannon
8356 6750
[email protected]
Librarian/Drinks Waiter
[Lord] Ted Heath
8522 6774
[email protected]
Club Trailer El Supremo
Hutch
8344 8271
[email protected]
Exhibitionist Man
Thomas Grafton
82352202
[email protected]
Victorian Correspondent
George Johnstone
P.O. RAAF [Retd] On a need to know basis
GREG MILNER
* Treasurer’s Current Carrier Pigeon Count
Presidential
Limo
SANGS
SANGS’ clubrooms are on the ground floor of the Semaphore RSL building
Open: Tuesday evenings [approx 5.30-8pm] and Saturday afternoons [approx 11.30-5pm]
Open Days:Held at holiday times; details are advised in Dispatcher, and by eMail beforehand
General Meetings: Start at 1.30pm on the first Saturday of the month
Postal Address: SANGS, PO Box 95, Semaphore SA 5019
Remember the AGM Saturday 7 November
That’s it for this month