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Issue 9 1986 « Previous issue | Next issue »
Edited by Bob Barlow & Gerry Beale
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4mm Finescale Grows Up
p.163
4mm/P4
Scalefour Society founder member and finescale pioneer Joe Brook-Smith - widely known for the track-building system which bears his name - traces the developments which led inexorably to P4 standards and the schism which created the society.
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The Pronto Prairie
p.166
4mm/P4
The quickest and simplest steam outline conversion to P4, detailed by Allan Sibley.
Basic P4 conversion of the Airfix/Dapol 61xx large prairie.
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Diesels, Double-quick
p.168
4mm/EM, 4mm/P4
'Finescaling' diesels has never been easier, thanks to Ultrascale conversion packs. Monty Wells tackles a representative seletion.
EM/P4 conversions of the Hornby class 25, Lima class 52 and Lima class 20.
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Speedy Stock Suspension
p.170
4mm/P4, 4mm/EM
One of the things that drew Bob Barlow towards P4 was the sight of a slowly rolling train of wagons with daylight flickering between the spokes, unencumbered by oversize flanges. Finescale wheels need help to stay on the rails, but it need not be a hard job.
Overview of various methods of wagon suspension/compensation and the available components, including Scalefour Society rocking W-irons, Locomotion pivot units, and Hammond springing units.
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Painless Permanent Way
p.172
4mm/P4
A brief resumé of ready-made trackwork and simple pointwork for P4.
Gibson flexi-track and track components SMP flexi-track and point kits. Ratio track bases. Peco 'Individulay' components. J&M point components. Includes list of suppliers' contact details.
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No. 1 Shop: Matters Arising
p.173
4mm/P4
Debunking some of the myths about P4.
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Have Bits, will travel...
p.173
Beth Evans, keeper of the all-important Scalefour Stores, discusses the growth of the society's trading armand the occasional problems of modellers confronted by a woman who really knows her stuff. The 'we', incidentally, refers to Beth and her husband Clive, who happens to be the society Chairman.
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What the Scalefour Society has to offer
p.174
4mm/P4
Help, encouragement, fellowship and goods. Mike Williams explains how the Scalefour Society's objects are put into practice.
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Ten Years of Area Groups
p.175
Brief outline of the history and purpose of the Scalefour Society's area groups.
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Perpetrating Pampisford
p.175
4mm/P4
The life and works of a Scalefour Society Area Group - Cambridge area in this case - by Geraint Hughes.
Background on the formation and development of the Scalefour Society's Cambridge Area Group and their exhibition layout, Pampisford.
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Winchester Chesil
p.177
4mm/P4
The magnificent layout of the Southampton Area Group of the Scalefour Society, described by Peter Squibb.
Mid-1920's GWR model of WInchester (Chesil) station.
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Traversing on the brink
p.179
The run-round loop, vital to the operation of most termini, invariably occupies much of the available space. However, the 'Bevleys' traverser provides a means of combining much of the run-round loop with off-stage storage, thus saving much valuable space and offering a whole range of possibilities for compressing lengthy track layouts. Bev Lowery explains how she and her husband Dave solved their run-round problem and made operating conditions a little easier on their superb 4mm layout.
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MRJ Portfolio
p.181
4mm/P4
It is all very well expending thousands of words on the wonders of 4mm finescale modelling, but those who do not yet indulge might reasonably ask for the evidence. So here it is, unadulterated by technical data, blow-by-blow constructional descriptions and the philosophical ramblings so beloved of us rivet-counters. Everything in this secgtion of 'Portfolio' is the work of Scalefour Society members. And every picture has been submitted because the modellers involved believe that membership of the society has helped them progress. In MRJ's view, the real case for 'going finescale' rests in these illustrated pages.
Dock scene from 'Exbridge' by Dave & Shirley Rowe. Pendon cottages by Stephen Williams. Metropolitan Railway coaches by Clive Croome. Merchant Navy pacific by Alan Ketley,
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Alternative Trailers
p.184
4mm/P4
There have ben many conversions of the popular and dimensionally accurate Airfix auto-coach since its first appearance.However, despite previous accounts and even a specialist conversion kit, things are not always as simple as they seem. The R-T-R model falls between two stools so Scalefour Society members Mike Jolly and Mike Clarkehave each taken different diagrams and produced some really worthwhile results. Mike Jolly tackled the A30 using the hitherto scant published information, whilst out of their frustration and after some heavy coaxing (and heavy hints!), Mike Clarke subsequently sought out the prototypes and carried out a thorough investigation and built the A28. Thus the myth that the GWR has been exhaustively catered for in existing publications is exploded again.
Comprehensive, step-by-step conversion details including drawings and prototype photos.
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Butley Mills
p.195
4mm/P4
Iain Rice's little bit of Suffolk in Devon is finished at last. It's taken a while, but, to be fair, he did have to do it all by pushbike! 'The Mills' is an ideal P4 starter - or a useful sharpener for the more experienced.
East Suffolk Light Railway, minimum space 1950s-era layout.
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Coach Suspension Systems
p.201
4mm
Mike Trice, who has ben deeply involved in experimentation and development within the Scalefour Society, discusses the 'poor relation' in the compensation debate.
Overview of some of the commercially available suspension systems for bogie vehicles.
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A Sprung Underframe for Six-Wheelers
p.203
Andy Wiles of IKB Models describes his simple but ingenious means of keeping six-wheeled vehicles on the rails using leaf springs.
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Styrene Behaviour
p.204
Believing that he had found the ideal modelling material, Dave Rowe used sheet polystyrene extensively - indeed, almost exclusively in the case of his remarkable Milkwood dioramas. Strange happenings and nagging doubts led him into an extended series of tests, the results of which - unscientific as they are - represent findings of enourmous importance to modellers.
Assessing the impact of various solvents, cements and paints on styrene sheet products.
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Small Suppliers Forum
p.205
Olfa - compas cutter. Euro Tools - micro drills.
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Building a 7mm scale 'Jinty' from a Gibson kit
p.206
7mm
The LMS '3F' class 0-6-0T, known to generations of enthusiasts by the sobriquet 'Jinty', is an esential requirement for any LMS based layout. Peter Truman has rushed out this model to provide some balance to an otherwise 4mm dominated issue and it thus takes its place as the first completed component for the forthcoming MRJ project layout. Here Peter describes the kit and his method of construction.
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The Specialist Trader's View
p.213
Nick Stanbury, former head of Kemp Models (home of Perseverance, Westward and the rest), takes a characteristically robust look at what it's like selling to modellers like us.