Page 8 - January February 2000

UNCOUPLED
Kegworth/Loughborough. Then take the first left (at Cotts factory), and about half a mile
along this road there is a crossroads with a playing field on the opposite right hand side, turn right here and then left into the hall, which
is behind the playing fields. The Black Diamonds extend our welcome and hope to see you all in our new premises.
Locos in the news...
Last issue I mentioned the HO Y6b (or it might be a “USRA” Y3 - better still) rumoured to be coming from Life-Like. Tom Winlow later informed me that Bachmann are to produce a Shay and a Russian Decapod. The latter might sound an odd choice but there were a lot around and they went to several roads. Frisco, though only having a few, made such good use of them, that the type was sometimes called the Frisco Russian.
Bob Warren also mentioned the new articulated, and heard that a USRA 0-8-0 could be next - very useful animal.
News also is that the Stewart LV C628 is coming out in the red livery, following the snowbird scheme. (Of course by the time you read all this it might already have happened!)
Thanks from Tony Martin...
During the Peterborough Convention, visitors were welcomed by Tony Martin to his Oakland Division (B&O) HO layout (below). Tony would like to thank firstly the six “Black Diamonds” who operated the layout - Charles Adcock, Barrie Foster, Les Keuneke, John Lowe, Steve Quick and Ted Roberts.
Next, thanks to Tony’s wife Jenny who kept all supplied with refreshments during the day; and finally thanks to John Cox and Tim Lowe for help in improving the layout scenery.
Without the unstinting work of all the above, the convention visitors would not have had such enjoyable visits.
Ian Wheeler e-mails “Beanery Sells Stuff” (sometimes!)... “Dear Martin,
By now you will probably have received my cheque (donation to Region from sale of books - ed.) and enclosed hasty note. Just thought you’d like to know that the Beanery ad. attracted half a dozen buyers who mopped up all the Canadian books in just over a week.
On the subject of my outdoor HO railroad (article printed some time ago) - the Wyo & Fairweather Railroad has recently been restored to a green-field site after being exposed to the ravages of nature for about six years. Readers might like to know that nearly all the track (even most of the pointwork) was salvaged in good condition and that it will all be re-used on the hoped-for loft layout, due to commence some time during the next millennium. Peco are to be congratulated on the durability of their code 100 products.”
Chalk Weathering...
Recently converted to the use of chalks for weathering (another thing I can blame on that Winlow fellow) I found a good kit in W. H. Smiths, called “Art” 24 Soft Pastels. Though about £9, you get a lot of chalk, 24 colours, each a stick about 3” long and 1/4” square. The easiest way I found to powder the chalk was to scrape the stick gently with the edge of a craft knife blade. As Tom had instructed me, you use a small dry artists’ paintbrush to pick up the dust and apply it.
Several of the 24 colours are ideal for weathering, but I also found that less obvious colours are usable by mixing them. For example an unlikely mix of bright green and vivid purple formed a gungy grey-brown that is ideal - I think I’ll name the resultant colour “Decrepit”. I was going to name it “Boyask’s Decrepit”, but thought better of it. Those wanting less outlay can probably get a useful handful of individual pastels
Tony Martin and John Sprattley during one of the Convention visits to Tony’s HO scale Oak- land Division.
(Eds. Note: Bob got his Aztec as a complete pack with instruction video from M. Klein in Baltimore, discounted to $90. Internal postage was $3.50.)
Also I have tried out some of the Polly Scale paints at times and have found that windshield wiper fluid is a great cleaner, as is ammonia. Save the proprietary solvents for thinning the paints, although I’ve read that some modellers use the windshield fluid for thinning the paint. I’m a bit reluctant to try the same as I’d sure hate to ruin a model with improper thinner.
Your description of the approach used to move electricity from the rails to the motor of the Triplex was interesting. It’s a wonder that no one, including Athearn, has come up with a better method of conductivity with Athearn’s run-of-the- mill diesels. The only one that I know of is to replace the metal strip with wire soldered at the appropriate places. To accommodate removal of the trucks I used dress snaps (I think this is what we Brits called press studs - Ed.) on the metal strip affixed to each truck and to the ends of the wire. The snaps provide ‘swingability’ as well as ‘removability’.
However I like to see an approach that’s often used with the improved diesels and that is wipers riding against the sides of the wheels. Another aspect of the Athearn wheel that I use to reduce the sparking is to polish the wheel tread. Since the wheels are made of a sintered material there are myriads of small ‘holes’ in the tread which induces the sparking. By polishing the tread many of those ‘holes’ are removed. Of course one can always replace the wheels but why go to that expense. At one time Athearn used brass turned wheels on their diesels but guess found out that using sintered wheels was a lot cheaper and, of course, that helps hold down the cost to the modeller”.
From Barrie Foster...
Black Diamonds have moved. For sometime the group has been looking for new premises, as it has outgrown the old village hall at Shardlow. Well at long last we have found a larger hall and in January we held our first meet there. So from the time you read this we will now be using the village hall in Kegworth. The new venue is easy to reach – take the A6 off the M1 at Junction 24 heading for
8 ROUNDHOUSE
John Firth