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Scalefour Stores - Conductor rail supports |
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Scalefour Stores - Conductor rail supports |
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SCALEFOUR SOCIETY LAUNCHES FIRST ACCURATE 4MM SCALE CONDUCTOR RAIL COMPONENTS
Modellers of the Southern and London Transport 3rd and 4th rail electric systems in 4mm scale have never, until now, been able to obtain components that enable the conductor rails and their supports to be modelled accurately. They have instead had to use existing non-scale products or develop their own methods for setting the conductor rail. Following on from its production of scale correct-section 150 lb/yd conductor rail, the Scalefour Society is releasing accurate matching scale plastic and etch conductor rail supports which will represent the most common Southern and London Transport types and enable 3rd and 4th rails to be set at the correct heights relative to the running rails. The packets of plastic supports and etched cradles enable the production of supports for outside 3rd rail, the lower centre 4th rail, and also the low supports for Southern 3rd rail where bent down at the ends. Each packet will provide for 60 to 70 supports depending on the system being modelled - this equates to at least 2.3m of plain 3-rail track or about half that length for 4-rail track. The recommended assembly of the plastic support parts is by using solvent, and cyano-acrylate glue for attaching the etched cradle. The cradle can be bent to the correct shape by using a simple jig, and the conductor rail clips into the cradle. As a separate product, the specialised end-ramps used on London Transport are also available as nickel-silver castings. It is anticipated that these components will fill a gap in the finescale modelling market that has been glaring for far too long, especially with the increasing interest in non-overhead electric traction, and at last enable the correct scale modelling of Southern and London Transport electrified trackwork. The conductor rail, ramps, and the conductor rail supports are available exclusively to members of the Scalefour Society, and available to the public at Scaleforum. The conductor rail supports are priced at £4.50 per pack. Images of the supports, which are available for editorial use, can be found below. (If required a higher resolution image of the sprue can be downloaded via this link) |
| (right) Some assembled supports, unpainted and painted, showing the 4 types that can be made. Non-authentic semi-gloss paint was used in an attempt to highlight detail - these things are very difficult to photograph. |  |
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(below) Sprues: there are 10 sprues plus an etch in each pack. |
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| photos by Trevor Grout and Russ Elliott | |
