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March 2012 Trade developments Major new range of "affordable" live steam announced. After previously stepping back from a range of Gauge One developments, Ian Pearse at Accucraft has decided to re-enter the fray in no small way, albeit concentrating on the "live steam" end of things. After various individuals creatively "bashed" a 16mm scale live steamer named Ruby into quite convincing imitations of the Southern's B4 tank (led by John Rogers in Australia and culminating in Mark Cannon in Cornwall) Ian was recently persuaded to produce a ready to run gas fired 1/32 scale model of the B4. At the time of writing this is shortly due to hit the shops, a prototype has been extensively and successfully tested, and Ian has gone on to announce a follow up programme featuring four Great Western locomotives! This is an ambitious plan which will hopefully be rewarded with great success for Ian and his company which I hope will lead Ian to re-visit his plans for ready to run coaches. I say this based upon the lack of progress from Trevor Taylor on this front and, more significantly, the absolutely beautiful job Ian made with his Welshpool and Llanfair coaches in 16mm scale. Speaking of Trevor Taylor, the Gauge One model company continues to develop more locomotives. Following the Britannia the current project is to produce an A4 whilst on the wagon front a rather good oil tanker has been produced and is now available, alongside the previous nice but flawed mineral wagon. Speaking of A4s the very engaging Lawrie Loveless has turned his attention to Gauge One and was exhibiting at Warley a whole range of exquisite track powered A4s, produced out in Korea to a very high standard. He also had a very nice Gresley full brake on show which will also be available alongside other matching coaches. I am afraid this brought out the diesel philistine in me, rather fancying one in that dreadful all over BR blue, which is one livery option that I am sure Lawrie won't offer! Slaters haven't produced anything new for Gauge One for a while but have successfully moved premises, so hopefully some new developments are in the pipeline. As far as I am aware this is still likely to be a Midland brake van as David told me a while ago that a pattern for what will be another cast in oner resin body had already been made. The very talented John Dale of Old Originals has sold the rights to his Manning Wardle to Trevor Cousens of Mercian but still has his superb Ruston 48DS kit available - build-able into several variations, notably "key hole" or enclosed cab types. John tells me that the next batch will have to cost a bit more than the original £85.00 but it will still be an absolute bargain. Complete with all etches and castings, with the buyer to source wheels, motor and gears. Slaters have produced the wheels, still available in my shop at the old price of £13.48 per axle, reference F8830R. If John sells more 48DS kits he will probably develop another kit or two, which would be very welcome - so get on and order one now! Talking of my Shop I now stock all Slaters Gauge One parts in 1/32 scale, including the three wagon kits, couplings, wagon wheels etc. Tower Models and Finescale Brass continue as the sources of imported brass RTR in this scale, mostly big engines and all track powered. I wonder how well Tower's L&YR "pug" has sold? It looks especially lovely to my eyes and I'm still tempted but other projects, the cost, and the need to change all the wheels have so far kept me away from it. At the Bristol O Gauge show back in January I met Graham Baker of Gramodels and purchased from him a very nice 1/32 resin body for an LSWR open wagon, which I believe he developed for the estimable Peter Korzilious for one of his wagon chassis kits. Graham is very good with the resin and plans to introduce a couple more wagon kits in 1/32, one being the First World War inspired "Rectank". This will be well worth getting hold of based upon my conversation with Graham and the high qulity of everythng ele he has produced. G1MRA After another AGM we have, I think, acquired an even more progressive committee and I am looking forward to further positive developments. I very much enjoyed putting on a modelling display at Stoneleigh with Derek Pollard back in November and we both had some very jolly conversations wth lots of G1MRA members and visitors. It was especially nice to meet and talk with Chris Ludlow our current chairman, who provided a beautiful David Brutnell built locomotive for display, and Chris Tolhurst was also there - together with the pair of Britannia's that he and Derek are "breathing on" - quite amazing models. As I have mentioned to various people, I do intend to start a new group to promote a "modelled" approach to Gauge One at 1/32 scale, it is likely to be called the "One32 Society" and will seek to promote this approach in ways that G1MRA will never be able to do, given its "broad church" approach and very fine but very strong affiliation with live steam. Although it will be "without" G1MRA it is in no way intended to compete with or replace the association but rather to complement it in the promotion of Gauge One model railways. I shall announce more details here as things develop. The Web Apart from "my" FS32 Yahoo group and the G1MRA Yahoo group and forum, ably run by David Halfpenny on behalf of the G1MRA membership, over the last year or so I have found a modelling forum called Western Thunder to be the most accomodating and useful "destination" on the internet for my own approach. Although it is growing and changing its emphasis slightly as a result (which may diminish its appeal from my own point of view) it is where I have been posting the results of my own G1 endeavours, and I can recommend it to anyone else with a similar outlook. It tends to focus on the larger modelling scales and on the whole attracts people who are interested in building things rather than just buying them. Cynric Williams, the very fine fellow who runs it all has even been seduced into 1/32 scale, poor chap. He has already provided a dedicated G1/32 section within the forum - what more could anyone ask for? Looking back, I find the "Yahoo Group" format dated and limited and don't really understand why some people are so wedded to it to the exclusion of better "forum" alternatives. I am very tempted to extinguish my own FS32group in favour of recommending a section on "Western Thunder" as an alternative. Although it has a reasonable membership we none of us use it very much and it appears to me to be pretty much moribund and pointless. Personal trains I am still making tangible progress in the garden, but it is all taking much longer than I would wish - for various reasons. Looking on the bright side I completed a lot of groundworks in 2011 and now have quite a lot of trackbed upon which to lay railway lines.
This is the completed base for the station and yard area of Wenbridge Junction.
Amongst various other odd modelling projects, I am altering a Slaters Midland van to its Someset and Dorset cupboard doored "cousin".
As before, If you know of any product or information which should be added to this site, then please let me know. |
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Steve Harrod's repainted Bachmann 03 on a short goods working out on the line. |
A largely larger scale modelling forum with dedicated G1/32 section. |
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The intention of this site is to build a point of reference and centre of information for all individuals with an interest in 1/32nd scale standard gauge modelling. The fact that most prototypes discussed are British reflects the author's first interest and that outside of the UK Gauge One is generally practised at 1/32nd scale already. The author of this site is Simon Castens, who takes responsibility for all opinions expressed and any mistakes that might have escaped his attention. If you would like to comment on anything written here, then please do so. Last updated 2nd March 2012. "ScaleOne32" standards, published 7th January 2006. | |||||
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