Page 4 - January February 2000

President’s Car...
Michael E. Spray
Another new year under way, what happened to 1999? I can hardly believe that my last year as President has started, together with what I think of as the modelling season, too wet and cold to work in the garden or visit the seaside!
I trust that members had their fair share of railroading models for Christmas; mine was an Athearn Genesis SD75 - ab- solutely brilliant in all respects. Whilst on the subject of models, I’m sorry to hear that O scale specialists Gilmaur have ceased trading after over 20 years of ser- vice to members and non-members. I would like to make it clear that Rod Coombs and Jason Dickie still have a stock to sell and should be contacted for mail order supplies. They will be attend- ing Region meets with a view to selling stock items. Many thanks to Rod and Jason for the service they have given. They will be missed, and we wish them well for the future.
Details of this year’s Convention have been published and I understand that bookings are running high, but so far no- one has come forward with a bid for 2001. Come on members! I’m sure some- one out there is itching to have a go! De- tails to our Region Meets Officer Paul Atkinson please. Time is running out and not to have a Convention in 2001 is un- thinkable, but that is how things stand at present.
Past President and Cyder Belt contact Jym Phillips has relinquished his respon- sibilities to the Division and is replaced by staunch supporter and electronics whiz-kid Bob Taylor, who can be con- tacted on 0117 983 6036, or found wiring a layout somewhere in the UK! Jym re- mains a Cyder Belt member - this situa- tion came about after the recent Directory was published.
Now come on, members, what about this 2001 Convention?
Is the future plastic?
Barrie Foster (Artwork: Trevor Jones)
A year or so ago, at a show at which the Black Diamonds were also exhibiting, I saw an English N gauge layout that put my mind into overdrive. It had plastic baseboards.
I knew that this idea had been around for some years, but this was the first one that I’d been able to inspect. The owner, to whom I must apologise for not remember- ing his name, was very helpful and when I queried the baseboard strength, he in- formed me that it could take his weight, nearly sixteen stone.
Well, this got me thinking. At home I’d started to build a portable layout along one wall of my garage. It was made from con- ventional methods; half-inch ply with well braced Sundeala tops. The 13’ x 2’ area was split into two boards, one of which contains a Diamond Scale turntable. Very traditional, very solid and very heavy. To cap it all, on a recent visit to the States, I’d ac- quired a laser-cut N&W station depot. It was too big for the space I’d allocated. As I’d said, I was now thinking, and it dawned on me that if I attempted to lift a base- board, even with assistance, firstly I might end up with a hernia and secondly a slip could easily wreck my precious building. So I made the decision to rebuild - the track plan didn’t work too well operationally was my excuse!
A new layout emerged on the drawing board, slightly longer but split into four boards, and now I looked into the plastic situation. After checking out builders’ sup- ply merchants and insulation suppliers I found that there are two basic types that
come in sheet form. One is made from a polystyrene base with the other being polyurethane. Although cost wasn’t a consideration at the time, there was a big difference; polystyrene was a quarter of the price com- pared to polyurethane for a two-inch thick sheet. Also it was easier to get in small quantities. So I arrived home with some sheets of polystyrene.
The first units I made were to accept a pair of slide-in legs. These are basically two cross-members 3” deep with timber spacers. Each side was made from 6mm MDF with two BD” wood spacers to position and hold each leg in place. A timber cap over the leg ensured that it would not go through the layout. I cut a strip of plastic to fill the area between the cross members. See Diagram 1.
This idea is not a total success, as the layout tends to wobble a bit but, as it’s pressed
Watching you, watching me!
First Prize in the Prototype Slide Section in the 1999 Contest went to Jane Lee. Westbound autoracks are seen leaving Essex, Montana, headed by SD40-2 #6903 in “heritage” paint scheme. 22/3/99
4 ROUNDHOUSE