Missenden Railway Modellers - Spring Weekend

[David B]

Not so much an exhibition, but it is hoped there will be a display of models that people have worked on at the courses at Missenden Abbey over the years.

2012 marks the 30th year of courses being held at Missenden Abbey and many members of the Scalefour Society have been on courses in that time. The big event, the well established Spring Modelling Weekend, is on 9th to 11th March and places are being booked as you read this. It would be lovely to see as many faces as possible, so if you fancy meeting up with old friends, have a look on the website and bring along models you have worked on. There will be a modest prize for each person who brings a model along to show.

See: Missenden Abbey Railway Modellers

David

[Mark Tatlow]

I am in negotiation with the authorities at the moment.............

[David B]

Well done, Mark. How are negotiations going with the rest of you?

[Paul Willis]

Well done, Mark. How are negotiations going with the rest of you?

What negotiations? She goes racing motorbikes, I go to Missenden

It doesn't clash with a race weekend, so I'm already booked!

Last year there was something very much resembling a P4 modellers' group in Tim Watson's chassis workshop. I hope that many more of you would be tempted to give it a try. It's a great way of getting started on a project, or tackling that thorny problem that has been troubling you for weeks.

You won' find a better environment for getting down to some dedicated modelling!

http://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/

Flymo

[John McAleely]

Just booked my place with the lovely folk at Missenden Abbey!

[Paul Willis]

And in my Inbox, a reminder from the lovely people at Missenden, in case you haven't booked a place yet...

"With about 30 days to go to the Spring Weekend, 9-11th of March 2012,
there are still some places. There has been a flurry of bookings during
January, and quite a few already this month. With the current uncertainty
with the economy, it is understandable that some people are leaving it
later than normal to book, but please do not leave it to the last minute
as residential accommodation does get more difficult to guarantee the
longer one waits.

This year will be the 30th year of Courses at Missenden Abbey, and my last
as the Course Organiser. We have something special to mark this. Not sure
what, but we are working on it!

Looking forward to seeing you on one of our courses during our 30th year
of Railway Modelling at Missenden Abbey.

Christopher Langdon
Course Organiser
Missenden Abbey Railway Modelling Weekends
www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk"

I'm booked
Flymo

[Mark Tatlow]

Permission granted, place booked.

see those that are going there....................

[Paul Willis]

Permission granted, place booked.

see those that are going there....................

Oh, so what will you be building this year?

Are you going to keep moving the period back and bring along something Highland?

Cheers
Flymo

[David B]

Looks like several S4 members will be at the weekend. I wonder if we will form a quorum. Room for a few more . . . ?

David

[John McAleely]

Perhaps we should ask Danny how to form an area group? MAAG perhaps?

I plan to go in the opposite direction to Mark, and move forward in time from my 03. I will be starting a steam loco though!

[Mark Tatlow]

Are you going to keep moving the period back and bring along something Highland?

yes I reckon so; there is so much to choose from..............

maybe a barney, or a banking tank or perhaps a castle (a proper castle mind; none of those - what was it the deputy chairman of the scalefour society called them? - green tanks with rivets......)

[Paul Willis]

Are you going to keep moving the period back and bring along something Highland?

maybe a barney, or a banking tank or perhaps a castle (a proper castle mind; none of those - what was it the deputy chairman of the scalefour society called them? - green tanks with rivets......)

Well, you may be surprised...

As a bit of a change, I may have a product of Swindon (or Wolverhampton...) with me. It really depends if I fancy messing around with white metal more than etched nickel silver.

Flymo

[Paul Willis]

Just over one week to go... As a taster, and perhaps to tempt any last minute bookings - there are still a very limited number of places available, and the company will be excellent - here are a selection of pictures from the 2011 Spring Modelling weekend.

My travelling workbench set up for action. One of the great things about Missenden is if you don't have a tool, or want to try a different technique, a quick blag normally produces results. I've already had a request to bring my pillar drill along!

Missenden workbench 2.jpg

Bringing along research material is a must for "getting it all right"

Missenden2011-01 (Large).jpg

Early on in the proceedings Tim Watson (of Copenhagen Fields fame) gives his excellent soldering demonstration. Stripy jumpers are optional, even if you modelling in the wider gauges...

Missenden2011-06 (Large).jpg

Fairly rapidly, some assemblies come together:

Missenden 2011-2 008.jpg

And the chassis (CSBs and all) starts to take shape...

Tram 001.jpg

So, to sum up, it's loads of fun, you get lots of modelling done, and great company and plenty to learn as well. This is just the loco building - there are workshops on painting, scenics, and trackbuilding as well.

See you there?
Flymo

[John McAleely]

Well, I've just arrived back from what is now my second Missenden weekend, and I had a lot of fun.

Here's my friday starting point:

Missenden-2012-2.jpg

And here is what I achieved:

Missenden-2012-5.jpg

(apologies for the colour). The last photo is a posed one - I need to fettle the chassis to rolling state, but I have assembled the mainframes, laminated the coupling rods, and assembled the driving wheels.

Importantly, I also got a review of last years project:

Missenden-2012-1.jpg

Which gave me a lot of confidence that I had finished the job, and it just needs some oiling (!) and running in. The ability to get advice 'on tap' is for me the big advantage of a weekend like this. Whenever I stall with a problem or question, there is advice and encouragement to continue available immediately! Nice surroundings, fine company and model trains are also important of course

[Paul Willis]

Well, I've just arrived back from what is now my second Missenden weekend, and I had a lot of fun.
...
The ability to get advice 'on tap' is for me the big advantage of a weekend like this. Whenever I stall with a problem or question, there is advice and encouragement to continue available immediately! Nice surroundings, fine company and model trains are also important of course

Seconded, very strongly!

I'm just about to dump the parts of my GER Y5 that I built over the weekend in the ultrasonic tank, to shake off all of that soldering crud...

Great to see everyone again at Missenden. I'm already looking to see if I can do the Autumn course

Flymo

[martin goodall]

I have noticed several enthusiastic write-ups of the weekend courses at Missenden Abbey both here and on RM-web.

Has anyone tried the longer summer course in August?

My wife has found a course on at the same time that might be of interest to her (studying Dutch paintings), so we might possibly go for the week together.

The reason for my asking about it is that the Sunday to Friday course looks much less focused (basically, any sort of model-making project of the attendee's choice, not specifically locos or other discrete subject), so I don't know what tutoring can be expected, as compared with the Spring/Autumn weekend courses.

My chosen subject would probably be a coach-building project: a GWR Diagram E7 clerestorey tri-compo - part scratch built, but using Trevor Charlton etched zinc parts for sides and ends, etc. I might even fire up my RSU for the very first time!

Any comments?

[David B]

There are already 18 signed up for the Summer Retreat. It is a very pleasant, relaxed week; I have been to both the previous ones. You can achieve a lot, have loads of fun, relax (no gardening, shopping, kids . . .) chat, learn and have an exclusive visit to Pendon - just the group.

Tim Shackleton has negotiated a generous sponsorship from The Airbrush Company and will be bringing his portable weathering studio to the Summer Retreat (and to future Missenden weekends). The studio is fully equipped with a range of Iwata airbrushes, compressed air supply, spray booths and other essentials.

If anyone has particular questions about the Summer Retreat (or indeed other Missenden courses), I suggest getting in touch with the Organizer, Chris Langdon.

David

[Paul Willis]

I have noticed several enthusiastic write-ups of the weekend courses at Missenden Abbey both here and on RM-web.

The reason for my asking about it is that the Sunday to Friday course looks much less focused (basically, any sort of model-making project of the attendee's choice, not specifically locos or other discrete subject), so I don't know what tutoring can be expected, as compared with the Spring/Autumn weekend courses.

My chosen subject would probably be a coach-building project: a GWR Diagram E7 clerestorey tri-compo - part scratch built, but using Trevor Charlton etched zinc parts for sides and ends, etc. I might even fire up my RSU for the very first time!

Any comments?

Hi Martin,

Having now become a regular on the weekend course, I would comment that they can be as focussed or unfocussed as you wish them to be... For the last two years I've gone there with the distinct intention of building a complete P4 locomotive in a weekend, and failed spectacularly on both occasions. However it has been tremendous fun.

You certainly can take along whatever you wish, and the tuition that you get out of it will be exactly what you want. Having been in Tim Watson's loco-building workshop, I know that the advice and demonstrations that you get are superb. Equally, I've been very happy to be left alone for big chunks of time to get my head down for some serious modelling time (broken only by a pint or two of real ale).

So it doesn't *have* to be an either/or decision. I can't spare the holiday time for a full week, so it has to be weekends for me. You may be more fortunate, in which case enjoy!

HTH
Flymo

[andrewnummelin]

I would back Flymo's comments 100%.
Take a problem to the weekend (something that doesn't work, or something that you do not know how to do) and it's odds on that you will leave with the problem solved. And you'll probably learn a few things you hadn't thought about before you went as well.
Do take something extra as well as a main project - it's easy to forget some little thing and find your progress is blocked - last time I went with a coach building problem, got a solution and then realised that I couldn't go on until I had painted the interiors.........

[martin goodall]

Thanks for the various helpful comments.

I am now booked in for the 'Summer Retreat'.