Scalefour North 2013

[Wizard of the Moor]

A couple of late changes to the show line up:

- CD3D will not be attending with their tradestand.

- Dave Bywater will not be able to demonstrate rolling stock and track construction.

Both of these cancellations are due to sudden illness within the families of those concerned.

We apologise for any disappointment caused and send our best wishes for speedy recoveries.

James & the Scalefour North team

[dcockling]

Some pictures taken during setting up earlier on Friday.

S4N13_01.jpg

S4N13_04.jpg

S4N13_05.jpg

It was all coming together nicely when I left, see you all tomorrow

All the Best
Danny

[Paul Willis]

Alternatively, has anyone a 4-wheeled shunter, suitable for Humber Dock's sharp curves which they could lend me for the weekend? I have a Sentinel Y1 as well but I'd like to have some cover!

I'll be arriving at the Show at opening on Saturday clutching a certain GER Tram locomotive...

It's DCC fitted - I can't remember if you're DC or DCC.

The purpose of bringing it was in case anyone was interested in seeing how the kit builds up. However if it helps you are welcome to it for the weekend.

Flymo

[Penrhos1920]

Have had a great day talking about Skinningrove ZigZag project and how I've used Templot. I couple of folk have said I hope I can remember how to do that when I get home. If that's you and you've forgotten, drop me a PM or email using one of the buttons on the side of this posting. There are a couple of people I've promised information to; if you're one of them and you haven't got a reply in week or so please do the same to remind me.

Richard

[Tim V]

A good busy day at the show.

[Andy C]

I went in at 10, thoroughly expecting to be "in another place" at half twelve. As it happens I left the show at 15:15 having had a really good day, jaw aching from talking to so many people. I never got to the other place, which is the first time in years that little lapse has happened

Some smashing layouts as well, good show James!

[johnp]

I had a good time at the exhibition once I had got there. I made the mistake of going to Kirkgate station instead of Westgate. I won't make that mistake again.

Apart from that could I make a plea to the organisers to arrange for some seating to be available away from the general hubub so that we can rest I weary bones!

Congratulations to the organiser. I f the numbers of people there while I was there were any indication it was very popular.

Regards,

John

[Jim Summers]

Another fine day of looking and chatting at Scalefour North. The Society at its best.
Congratulations to all involved.

Jim

[Tony W]

I went in at 10, thoroughly expecting to be "in another place" at half twelve. As it happens I left the show at 15:15 having had a really good day, jaw aching from talking to so many people. I never got to the other place, which is the first time in years that little lapse has happened

Standards are slipping Andy - I guess its an age thing. I'll bet you made up for it when you got home though!

Tony

[allanferguson]

Well, I enjoyed the show. And I enjoyed my 560 miles of train travel to get there and back! So many thanks to the organisers, exhibitors, demonstrators and lecturers, who'll be slaving away again tomorrow.

I wore my badge, but I didn't see many others. Could I encourage members to make themselves known to each other -- it's the only time many of us meet face to face. And I have enough problems with Nominal Aphasia!

Allan F

[dcockling]

Some pics

S4N13_07.jpg

S4N13_08.jpg

S4N13_09.jpg

[Andy C]

I went in at 10, thoroughly expecting to be "in another place" at half twelve. As it happens I left the show at 15:15 having had a really good day, jaw aching from talking to so many people. I never got to the other place, which is the first time in years that little lapse has happened

Standards are slipping Andy - I guess its an age thing. I'll bet you made up for it when you got home though!

Tony

Indeed I did make up for it, I think next year I will have to do both days so that I can visit "the other place" and not let standards slip. Ive already been admonished by Mr Edmondson for the lack of form.

[Andrew Ullyott]

Just wanted to say thanks to the organising team for making us feel so welcome. Really friendly show.

[chrisf]

I wore my badge, but I didn't see many others. Could I encourage members to make themselves known to each other -- it's the only time many of us meet face to face.

Allan F

Allan, I agree with you 100%. It is good to know that we are not all shrinking violets.

Mind you ... by wearing my badge, which I did on Saturday, I have discovered an unexpected side effect. Somebody thought that my user name was not 'chrisf' but 'Christ'. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Chris

[Tim V]

Back extremely tired after the show. It's a long hike to Wakefield from Bristol, just as well that it is isn't moving towns next year.

The Clive Evans trophy was carried up to the show in the Clutton van, having been won last year by Rolvendon (one of our Bristol group's member's layout), then carried back down the motorway - as Clutton won it

Thanks to all who voted for Clutton.

[Hardwicke]

Ian, Did you sort out the Y7? You handed it over to Chris when I was buying bits for my YE DE2.
Which has also had problems. Bought second hand 00 with too much slop in the bearings it was never going to work (The quartering had gone out of true). I removed the rear bearings last night and got a new one in, but on adding the second it became apparent that the builder had initially cut out the frame for a hornblock on one side only. Which has now come un-soldered. It was late last night so I gave up. I'll return to it later this week. Hopefully new hornblcks to give some float on one wheel, will allow it to work. I could always turn the motor round and drive off the front axle and it saves cutting out one side of the frame or should I pivot the gear axle?

[Ian Everett]

Ian, Did you sort out the Y7?

Yes thank you. Chris Gibbins found me a suitable High Level gear box and Mashima motor to replace the Portescap in the Y7, so that will shortly be a much better runner than it has ever been.

But what a weekend!

It started horrendously for me but then just got better and better. For the first time ever I had elected to travel and set up on the Saturday morning but I slept through my 6 o'clock alarm and was woken by my wife at 7.30. So, 90 minutes late I set out for Wakefield in a panic. But I got there at 9.45 and had Humber Dock up and running by 10.15 - with a lot of help from Society members.

As I reported earlier, my Y7 0-4-0T, one of my two dock shunters, failed on Friday night, when its Portescap motor became detached from the gearbox. However, my cri de coeur was responded too most generously by more members, and in the end we had an over-abundance of suitable power. My thanks go particularly to Clive Impey, who supplied two small diesel shunters and a saddle tank, all of which ran superbly and looked beautiful. I particularly liked the tiny Planet diesel, which, as Clive jested, even had its own "sound system" - its gears.

Fellow CRAG member, Stephen Paulin, who had titivated my tug "Ian" beautifully, also brought an English Electric diesel shunter and Cravens DMU, known, I believe, to our younger members as an 08 and 105. These looked the part and ran incredibly silently and smoothly at walking pace - necessary on the street tramway across the swingbridge at the dock entrance.

Steve Duckworth lent me his ungainly but charming LMS Sentinel but the setts in the roadways fouled its rail-scraping buffer beams, so it could not be used. Gordon Luck brought boxes full of rolling stock but by this time our tiny fiddle yard was too congested so it never came out to play. Nevertheless I owe Steve and Gordon a great debt of gratitude for their typical generosity to a modeller in need.

So, overall it was a very successful weekend. Rebuilding the trackwork proved to have been well worth while as the layout performed better than I could have hoped, with superb slow running and only a couple of derailments, which were really down to operator error.

Thanks are also due to the many people who organised the show so well; even to the caterers who learnt from their Saturday's shock - when all the pies they had baked for the whole weekend sold out on the first morning. They learnt from their mistake, rolled their sleeves up on Saturday night and produced much more for Sunday. But particularly I must thank Ian Clarke and Derek Mayhew who helped operate, made tea, comforted and helped pack up.

I did not have much time to look at other exhibits, demonstrators or traders but what I saw was uniformly excellent. But the overall impression of the weekend was of an incredibly friendly, helpful and enthusiastic Society. How anybody could think that the Scalefour Society is elitist or exclusive, I don't know.

Here's to next year in its new venue, when I promise to roll up with Clecklewyke on time - on the Friday evening!

Ian

[Richard S]

I went along on Sunday with my youngest son (4). Many thanks to all the exhibitors who chatted to him, pointed out features on their layouts and let him operate the wifi DCC demo. A splendid show all round; big pat on the back to all those who gave their time to put it on.

[21C141]

Had a really enjoyable day at our first Scalefour event.
Many thanks to the guys on Barrow Road for letting me push my first P4 etched brass compensated wagon through their pointwork. Now I know it works its given me some encouragement to get on with some track building. C&L (exactoscale) bits arrived today so no excuse now.

My only regret was not buying the South East Finecast N Class Loco kit on the 'Bring & Buy' stand. If anyone knows if it wasn't sold and could put me in contact with the owner I'd be most grateful.

Ray.

[barrowroad]

Hi Ray,

I wasn't about when you tested the wagon on Barrow Road, but John who you spoke to was very impressed by your wagon especially as I understand it is your first attempt. Keep up the good work with the pointwork.

Cheers,

Robin

[Terry Bendall]

Fellow CRAG member, Stephen Paulin, who had titivated my tug "Ian" beautifully, also brought an English Electric diesel shunter and Cravens DMU, known, I believe, to our younger members as an 08 and 105.

Some of us who are not so young also know these designations.

It was a very enjoyable show with lots of good things to see. Clutton's win of the Walton-Evans Trophy was of course well deserved although the other layouts that came close were also worthy of the award. I am looking forward to seeing Barrow Road in a more complete state - it is certainly very impressive.

All shows of course need a team of people to make them happen but I think a particular vote of thanks must go to the members of the Manchester Model Railway Society who operate the bring and buy each year. It is a fairly thankless task and those who help there don't get to see a lot of the show but it is just one more component of the show that is helpful to members.

Terry Bendall

[Jo Palmer]

I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend at Scalefour North with my layout Lower Exbury. It was only its third exhibition outing and it was great to receive so many lovely comments about it and to have a chance to chat to so many people. A huge thanks to all the organizers for their efforts, it was as always a very friendly and relaxed show.

[barrowroad]

I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and it was pleasing to win the Eileen's Award for my scratch build roof for the Barrow Road roundhouse.

The show was also the first trial of my 'breadboard trolley' transport system which along with a borrowed 7ft ramp - thank's Tony - enabled rapid unloading on Friday - 10mins - and a very speedy departure on Sunday.

Many thanks to my team of Morgan, Chris, John and Dave and for the loan of your stock over the weekend which enabled a record number of locos populating the layout.

Thanks to all the S4N team for the invitation and your efforts over the weekend and thanks for the many kind comments about the layout from the visitors.

Robin

[Ian Everett]

I wonder if anyone could clear up a mystery? When I got home I discovered that my J72 0-6-0T was missing. I wonder if anyone picked it up by mistake? I would be grateful if exhibitors would check your stock boxes to see.

Ian

[40C]

Checked, and nothing here Ian.

Gordon Luck