Gauge 3 Society AGM and the future.

[Mike W]

The Gauge 3 Society’s annual exhibition was held this weekend at Flitwick, Bedfordshire and I was really encouraged by the models there. I’ll not list them all, but Slaters were showing their newly finished and painted Kirtley 0-6-0 and it was just superb, such that even Nick Bain’s adjacent LSWR 4-4-0 only just upstaged it! There were several mainline diesel kits, Barrett with their live steam or electric GER 0-6-0T, Peter Korzilius had more than one new wagon kit and they were lovely too. Walsall seemed to have 57 varieties of carriages. Kippo had all sorts of resin things, and there was a lot more too. Even Brunel Models have kits now, in addition to their superb bespoke buildings.

Oh, and Williams Models had a few wagon kits.

I am really encouraged that with this level of trade support, some very talented modellers and an all round good humoured and most enjoyable day, the future of Gauge3 is looking very positive, even exciting!

Mike

 

[NickB]

It's great to hear you say that, Mike. I made the point in my AGM report that G3 may once have been a group of people running their live steamers on each other's garden railways, but today it is much more than that. Battery electric power is fully embraced - when I looked they were in the majority on the test track - and there are people in G3 using different materials and different manufacturing methods, and building smaller layouts that reflect the space available to most of us. We must embrace and celebrate that diversity.

The G3S is attending more events with better displays. But we still need to do a lot of work to get the word out beyond our own constituency.

(Gets off soapbox, gets back to the Summer Newsletter).

Nick

 

[midnightmiller]

Afternoon All

Really p'd off that I had to miss it . Any pic's or do I have to wait for the mag ?




john

 

[Mike W]

John, if you must do silly things like slipping a disc, well ..... Sorry, I only took pictures of my own stand and that was before most had arrived.

Seriously, take care. Denise says you need them to do serious tests on that back and don't take any chances.

Mike

 

[Mike W]

Nick, You put it more elloquently than I can! But we all use the same scale, the same gauge and the same standards. Whether you have a coal fired pacific doing 70mph on a nine coach train through sweeping 30ft radius curves in the garden, or a 4-coupled shunter with half a dozen wagons and two points on a scenic layout in a small room we all appreciate the modelling. Most electric modellers I know have a secret desire to try a steamer and everyone with a railway designed for steam seems to have at least one electric loco, if only for emergency use!

Mike

 

[Arty]

I hope Jon Nazareth won’t mind me posting a pic of one of his creations, displayed on Geoff Nicholls Rundle layout.

 

[john lewsey]

It's lovely isn't it. Just very very nice

 

[Ian_T]

Just a few more for you John...

 

[geoff_nicholls]

I had an enjoyable (and exhausting) day at Flitwick with my layout Rundle Quay.
An added bonus was that Phil Barker of Garden Rail came to the show and I'm now putting together an article about Rundle for Garden Rail.I was pleased that several members accepted my invite and brought their stock for a run round, though it did get a bit silly later on.

 

[Ian_T]

Yes, thank you for the running rights Geoff!

 

[Sleeper Agent]

Had a good day there and probably burned close to a grand in the end but came away with a tidy few secondhand additions and kit n' bits to keep me busy for a while! Believe I've been to the last four now and this one seemed to the be the best attended.
My camera snaps aren't the best but here's a few showing some of the cracking models on display.

 

[daifly]

Am I the only one that finds that a collection of 'sterile' toys masquerading as models?

Most look as if they've just been taken out of the manufacturers box and none of them have ever done a days work in their lives. Not a hint of oiliness, weathering or life anywhere. Such a shame as, no doubt, hours of work has gone into their construction. Maybe that's what floats the Gauge 3 modellers boats but it doesn't do it for me.

Dave

 

[Sleeper Agent]

Easily rectified with weathering at a later date if desired but while a fair observation a somewhat brusque post with nothing else in the mix.
Anyhoo here's the best of the rest. Slater's long awaited Midland kit was my personal fave but the two photos don't do the finish on the Kirtley justice.
Afraid I'm not familiar enough to put names to all the various displays but I'm sure the upcoming quarterly will cover a few.

 

[Mikemill]

Am I the only one that finds that a collection of 'sterile' toys masquerading as models?

Most look as if they've just been taken out of the manufacturers box and none of them have ever done a days work in their lives. Not a hint of oiliness, weathering or life anywhere. Such a shame as, no doubt, hours of work has gone into their construction. Maybe that's what floats the Gauge 3 modellers boats but it doesn't do it for me.

Dave

Dave

I find your comment ‘sterile toys’ offensive. I can assure you the models shown are built by highly skilled members of the G3 Society.

How people wish to finish their models is an individual choice and should not diminish their quality.

As to emulating the prototype many railway men took great pride in their engines and put a lot of effort in turning out their engines in pristine condition. GWR enginemen used tallow to polish their engines and make them shine, with the addition of sand to the tallow they could burnish brass fittings.

So, I suggest you do a bit more research in future before making unjust comments.

Mike

 

[daifly]

I did acknowledge that no doubt many hours had gone into their construction. I was merely asking if I was the only one that found them 'sterile'. For a scale which should permit high levels of detail, I found them bland. Your opinion clearly differs from mine but I was just expressing an opinion with which you clearly disagree. Unless you were told that they were G3, most could easily be mistaken for 4mm factory-produced models.

 

[oldravendale]

As you acknowledge, Dave, the way models are presented is according to the wishes of the builder/owner. The vast majority of the 7mm models I build (not that there are a huge number of them) are in what would be considered a factory finish (not that many if any of them are to exhibition standard). That suits me but I'm in a small minority in these pages. It doesn't mean I'm wrong - nor are you in preferring yours to be weathered. As we've said on these pages many times previously this is a broad church and one of the things we value is the tolerance.

Brian

 

[Mike W]

I don't take offence at Dave's comments, its a fair point. However, as a manufacturer I want to display my models on my stand as a true representation of what you can make. The customer is free to do with them as he wishes. The customer is also entitled to see a model with all its detail and all its flaws, not covered or hidden with weathering. Indeed, there is a good case for displaying built kits completely unpainted, so you can see exactly what you get in the box, but that doesn't give a true representation of what your model will look like when painted and lettered. In short, damned if you do and damned if you don't! But it a fair point.

As for the pictures of models running on layouts, I believe many were newly finished and I suspect will be toned down before the next outing.

Mike

 

[Jon Nazareth]

Maybe the models are depicted as if they had just left the workshops after being built and with a fresh coat of paint.

Jon

 

[40057]

I hesitate before joining this discussion, not least because I certainly don’t want to offend anybody.

One test (not the only one) of a ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ model is ‘could a photograph of the model be confused with a photo of the real thing?’ We can all apply that test and draw our own conclusions for any model on WT (or elsewhere).

Speaking generally, and based on quite a small number, I have often found Gauge 3 models to be unconvincing. This is perverse since there is clearly more opportunity to include even the smallest details when the model is relatively so large. I think the problem is, partly at least, large flat surfaces. Sheet metal work on real locomotives and coaches is generally not flat, often nowhere near. There are wrinkles, creases, subtly concave surfaces between the elements of the supporting structure behind the sheet metal. In the smaller scales, the surface can be modelled as flat and it looks fine. The paint may even introduce some scale-size undulations without the modeller trying. But I think, by the time a model is Gauge 3-size, representing sheet metal as a perfectly flat surface is not going to look convincing. It does show in such a large model, and makes it look like a model.

I am not sure I would have either the inclination or the ability to introduce deliberate scale irregularities into sheet metal were I modelling in Gauge 3. So I’ll not criticise others. But as an observer, my impression is Gauge 3 models can look unconvincingly too neat.

 

[Mike W]

Another interesting comment which can apply to other scales too. The later LNWR tenders appear to have flat sides but, as you say, they were actually fixed to internal framework with vertical rows of countersunk rivets whch produced just a slight line in reflections. The late Jim Richards saw that and reproduced it in his 7mm models, so I see no reason not to attempt it in larger scales too - but I havn't tried it!

Mike