My copy of Model Railway Journal No. 274 has arrived in the post. It has the usual MRJ-style mix of articles but with an interesting twist... an 'N' gauge layout. The layout is Blueball Summit and is BR(W) in the blue diesel period. The article is nine pages long with good colour photographs.
Best wishes.
John
Thanks very much for posting that, John. I went looking for the layout and found some photos on another forum. I think I am going to have to move my ambitions for Stobs up a few notches as a result. Blueball Summit has to be one of the finest examples of NQ2 (Not Quite 2mm) out there. It's on the exhibition circuit, so I'll have to see if I can catch up with it at a show somewhere.
Richard
Thanks for the heads-up, folks. I'll watch out for that issue arriving on our shores. :beers:
Layout video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzULsM3QP1Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzULsM3QP1Y)
Looks big! Is there a trackplan in MRJ?
Quote from: Bealman on October 22, 2019, 12:39:00 AM
Looks big! Is there a trackplan in MRJ?
Scenic section is 10 feet long. A decent size but not huge.
I've been following a full build and development thread on RMWeb:
https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82477-blueball-summit/&tab=comments#comment-1349282 (https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82477-blueball-summit/&tab=comments#comment-1349282)
Great Layout. Loved the video. Music was a bit naff though :D
Then you'll probably like this video better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7iV0TDqUDA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7iV0TDqUDA)
Quote from: longbow on October 24, 2019, 12:04:24 PM
Then you'll probably like this video better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7iV0TDqUDA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7iV0TDqUDA)
:) Spot on! It really is a crackin' layout.
This issue of MRJ arrived in the newsagents yesterday. While it's very tempting, the price is not!
At A$16, that's well over the UK price.
'James St' is in the (BRM) issue dated 3/1/20; not sure of the issue number.
Martyn
The issue I refer to is has Blueball Summit.
I have always been surprised at the much higher cost of all books/mags in AUS when I have visited, about 2-3 times more.
Isn't James St in the latest BRM rather than the MRJ?
Izzy
MRJ is normally worthwhile for the inspiration and ideas it gives, but this issue with Blueball Summit is definitely worth the price - its only the 2nd or 3rd N gauge layout to appear in MRJ.
Cheers Mike
Blueball Summit had passed me by. Great looking layout. I'm 99% sold on the idea of Easitrac with N gauge pointwork 'next time'!
MRJ...I always have a quick look at the issues contents, as it sure can be inspirational.
I'm especially attracted to buying a magazine about hands-on modelling, and one that isn't a good third adverts that occur month after month. Shame there isn't more N gauge though.
Oops, yes, sorry.
James St is IN BRM, not MRJ.
Sorry again.....
Martyn
Quote from: njee20 on January 03, 2020, 11:49:53 AM
Blueball Summit had passed me by. Great looking layout. I'm 99% sold on the idea of Easitrac with N gauge pointwork 'next time'!
Why Easitrac which is 9.5mm gauge 2FS track when FiNetrax 9mm gauge and points to N gauge clearances are available ?
9.42mm for Easitrac, and simply because it's cheaper (£3.75 a metre versus £6) and I'd need quite a bit. No stock adjustments needed as long as build turnouts to N gauge standards. I'm already a member of the 2mm SA to get hold of PCB strip etc.
You can also get 10m 'coils' of rail through the 2mm SA, minimising rail joints. Although I've heard it can be a bit prone to twisting.
I've got some of the Finetrax flat bottom turnouts, which look great, and I may well use those in strategic places, but they're just that bit less flexible (literally and metaphorically) than handbuilding on copper-clad. They're also expensive (a handbuilt point is about £2 of parts), and I'm not wild keen on the aesthetic of the cast frog. Then again, they're more detailed.
Apologies for the hijack.
Quote from: Izzy on January 03, 2020, 08:35:42 AM
I have always been surprised at the much higher cost of all books/mags in AUS when I have visited, about 2-3 times more.
It is not that bad in Ireland, but UK publications can cost 50% more than the cover price - apart from the conversion rate, there is VAT to add. Which is why I wait until I go to Enniskillen to buy any magazines I require.
Quote from: red_death on January 03, 2020, 10:29:12 AM
MRJ is normally worthwhile for the inspiration and ideas it gives, but this issue with Blueball Summit is definitely worth the price - its only the 2nd or 3rd N gauge layout to appear in MRJ.
Cheers Mike
You're starting to talk me into it >:D
Quote from: njee20 on January 03, 2020, 05:25:30 PM
9.42mm for Easitrac, and simply because it's cheaper (£3.75 a metre versus £6) and I'd need quite a bit. No stock adjustments needed as long as build turnouts to N gauge standards. I'm already a member of the 2mm SA to get hold of PCB strip etc.
You can also get 10m 'coils' of rail through the 2mm SA, minimising rail joints. Although I've heard it can be a bit prone to twisting.
I've got some of the Finetrax flat bottom turnouts, which look great, and I may well use those in strategic places, but they're just that bit less flexible (literally and metaphorically) than handbuilding on copper-clad. They're also expensive (a handbuilt point is about £2 of parts), and I'm not wild keen on the aesthetic of the cast frog. Then again, they're more detailed.
Apologies for the hijack.
Of course if you've paid the 2mm society fees then easitrack is a little cheaper (not as much as you suggest as the code 40 10 mm coils are now in limited supply according to the website),
BUT I agree with you regarding points - I have used 2 fiNetrax points which look very nice when the cast frog is infilled with black/brown paint but my layout requirements also dictated a fairly tight curved point which I made using 2mm FS copperclad sleepers (I'm a lapsed 2mm fs member). I used N gauge tracksettas to draw on paper the rail positions I required and glued the sleepers on the paper. Soldered the rails on top - relatively easy.....
The £3.75 assumes you use the 50cm lengths of rail (£7.50 for twenty 500mm lengths), so it's an apples:apples comparison. If you use the coils the price per metre is £3.30. Yes they're in short stock, I've got 3. Membership cost is saved if you need more than about 6m of track. I'll need about 50m. I wasn't expecting to have to justify the full costs.
I just plan with Templot, which I find very satisfying.
I'll just be happy to get the magazine ;D ;)
I weakened. Look what I bought. I'm blaming you, Mike! ;)
(https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/85/255-060120031526-85802184.jpeg)
I'm glad you bought it, George. It's a good issue.
It's great to see 'N' gauge in the Journal.
The Mike Sharman obituary is fascinating. I met him once and found him to be a lovely chap.
And the article on theatre-style lighting is interesting.
Happy reading.
Best wishes.
John
Only had a quick glance so far.
Haven't seen the Mike Sharman obituary yet.
Didn't he scratch build broad gauge during the seventies?
As I say, I haven't really looked at the mag yet. :beers:
Quote from: Bealman on January 06, 2020, 09:20:24 AM
Haven't seen the Mike Sharman obituary yet.
Didn't he scratch build broad gauge during the seventies?
Video of Mike's work here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquYCNKQy70 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquYCNKQy70)
Yes, it was a good obituary, bringing back memories of the Mike's Models ads in RM, and his articles on his quirky broad gauge layouts with amazing pointwork.
Thanks for the video link, which I saw some time ago, but of course, forgot about. It certainly reminds me of the brilliance of his work on all levels! :thumbsup:
Some 009 in there as well!
After reading the article about Blueball Summit and studying the photos in some detail, I am still of the opinion that Roger's Wrenton layout has a place in this journal.
The only hurdle I see is that (in my opinion) MRJ seem to have an aversion to proprietary track such as Peco code 55.
They have however, published a 00 layout (twice) which has old Peco Streamline track.
They justified this by saying they were mesmerized by the modelling standards of that particular layout.
I don't see Wrenton as being any different, and believe it deserves to be featured in MRJ.
Epilogue....
I have just finished reading the article by Maurice Hopper in this issue.
I'm sorry, Mr Hopper (age 69), but as you have rammed your opinions down my throat, here's Bealman's opinions (age 68):
In one of the last paragraphs, the statement "I am sure many will have stopped reading by now" is pretty much on the mark. I've never read such a self-opinionated load of :poop: for a long while. In fact, I find it difficult to believe MRJ actually published that.
Please, MRJ, stick to showcasing great layouts and interesting modelling projects, and leave the psychology to the academics.
Although having completed Psychology 101 years ago before switching over to a REAL science degree, my observation was that many of the academics were themselves in need of help.
For those of us not in possession of this particular journal, what was the article about?
I quote from the article:
"....relates to the principles of Gestalt psychology which divides an object of study into a set of elements to be analysed separately with the object of reducing the complexity of the whole."
Come on, man.... it's a bloody model railway magazine!
You may have guessed that I'm quite incensed by this article >:(
That reminds me, must finish off my article "Self and Other: the eigen-image of N gauge modellers as a minority within a logarithmic matrix of scales" for the next NGS Journal.
:laughabovepost: :smiley-laughing:
After reading the aforesaid article, you might just get published! ;D ;)
In the Private Eye "Pseuds" corner ;)
I think the article could be summed up as "Having a hobby you enjoy is likely to be good for your mental well-being". I don't disagree but the psychology dress-up for it was not necessary, and it failed to justify the validity of the proposition.