Quay's
On the outdoor part of my SM32, 'Brockhampton and Umbridge Railway', I have a small quay where, according to the history of the line, stone was shipped from the nearby quarry. The village grew to support this venture until the stone ran out and the quay silted up through lack of use. During the busy period of supply, it became necessary to use a self-propelled loading crane running on track parallel to the railway and the harbour wall to handle the heavy stone blocks. Although the activity has ended, the crane remains as a reminder of those days.
To build the crane I used my favourite material, Plastikard. It isn't any particular type of crane, just something which looks the part (I think!). It went together very quickly once I started and fortunately, I had everything I needed to hand. To give a wood-grain effect to the cab I used a razor saw, drawn sideways, to scratch grooves into the surface planking. The first picture shows it in raw material state with winding drum covered with electric cable to represent lifting wire, and plastic driving gear wheel. It is mounted on a slew ring, but is permanently fixed. The second picture is still minus chassis and wheels but in grey primer to give a good painting surface. I prefer 'Citadel' acrylic paints which I buy from 'Games Workshop'.
The chassis is the same material fitted with 'G' scale wheels on extended axles and stands on 'G' scale rail set into a ballasted roadway. Plastic axle boxes complete the picture.
After painting and weathering it stands complete on the track prior to fitting in-situ. The final picture shows the location on the railway to understand how the loading process would have been conducted.
Boxes and Locks
As my Stephenson's Rocket collection expands, I have a need to store and transport them to shows in a safe and secure way. In the past I have made wooden boxes for each individual item of 16mm/ft (SM32) locos and stock, however, when taking a number of items to shows, the handling of these becomes tiresome. The main advantage is the models are protected against dust and damage and many have been stored this way, in felt lined plywood boxes, for about 45 years with no sign of surface damage.
The Rockets present a new problem in that it is an all-or-nothing occasion when I decide to display them at shows. As a collection they only tell their story when displayed together and the production of Rocket models over the years can be explained. Some early die-cast models of the 40's and 50's are tiny so would be totally impractical to box individually. Others of unusual material construction need a different approach and are permanently mounted on plinths (usually on track) and can be held in position by means of a slide system. There is no danger of them coming into contact with each other in transit and the boxes can easily be carried by hand or moved on castors.
Dimensions vary so location of all the models is identified by photographs stuck in each bay. I know all Rocket models have a certain similarity, but there are often minor differences which sometimes makes it easier to locate them. Although I have built many of them and handled every one many times, even I can be mistaken.
The pictures show my solution to the problem of storage and movement to shows. The boxes are of 3mm plywood, framed with 30 x 15mm softwood, to keep weight down. Access is through a plywood sliding door at the front so the models on their plinths can be slid into plastic electrical trunking guides. Fold-down handles at each end and castors in all four corners of the base make lifting/pushing very easily done.
As it stands my collection fills four boxes and another will soon be built. The display at our last show covered 14ft. of table space and is the first time I have been able to show them together this way. As can be seen, I will not be downsizing my car anytime soon!