Rewanui is basically a shunting plank. Operationally, it is simply no fun without effective and reliable means to couple and uncouple vehicles. Additionally, it’s over 1400mm off the ground and surrounded by trees and the odd structure, so any ‘hand of god’ stuff needs to be very occasional at worst. In short, Rewanui’s success…
Any layout is a melange of challenges large and small. A bunch of these have slunk incrementally forward of late, which is just as well since another exhibition outing is looming. Rewanui has featured here from time to time without really exploring the design in detail. The whole thing was (mostly, hopefully) thought out some…
At some point in any railway modeller’s journey there comes a time when locomotive and layout control needs to be addressed. For me this wasn’t a sudden thing, but more an evolving process over many years. Completed and conceived locomotives have been designed with sound in mind for quite a while. Given that sounds need…
In which your scribe continues his narration of the construction of We198… In the first thrilling instalment of this little exposition, I presented a CAD render of the cylinder and motion. Those parts have since been refined, printed and cast. The cylinder/slidebar/motion bracket were cast as a single part, as this simplifies construction significantly and…
The first of, what may be, a series of posts describing the build of We 198. The culmination of over 30 years of interest and occasional research on the class. The class, it’s genesis, and development have been well summarised in the recent NZMRG publication by Alex Smith. The heavily abridged version, for the purpose…
The 2023 Christchurch show, this last weekend, was my first as an exhibitor in a long time and Rewanui’s first outing. Deadlines are great for focussing effort, and a great deal was accomplished in the lead up that would otherwise have languished in the ‘too hard’ basket. Rewanui is a work in progress but I…
The layout is progressing apace driven by a, perhaps ill-advised, commitment to exhibit it in the near future. As is the way of such things, the need to progress matters throws up those issues that have been lurking in the too hard basket. One such is the fiddle yard. Another is disguising the hole in…
Track has always been a bit of a problem for the NZR modeller. Does one use something proprietary, with it’s virtues of speed, simplicity and robustness? Tempting as these virtues are, commercial track bears little resemblance to NZR practice. Worth considering for a yard with buried sleepers, but not good where the structure is visible. …
Modelling steam engine underframes I am the first to admit I have not completed all that many locos, but I have designed a few and completed a lot more running underframes, so maybe that qualifies me for the forthcoming pontification. I’m currently in the throes of finishing a couple, and developing a couple more, so…
Here on the blog, I’ve pontificated on all manner of matters relating to Rewanui (real and model), but it has been a while since the line’s raison d’être has featured. The extraction, movement to the bins and loading of the coal is outside the scope of the model (taking place ‘off scene’ as it were),…
Rewanui, and the mines that shipped coal from the various bins there, was situated in the narrow valley of the Seven Mile Creek. The creek, it’s tributaries, and the bridges that span them are significant features of the prototype and my representation of it. The creeks are not especially large, but they are quite steep…
If you are modelling the New Zealand scene then there’s a good chance you could, or maybe should, incorporate some tree ferns into your modelling. Not only are they common in the wild but they are also cultivated as ornamentals in gardens. Modelling characteristic foliage is a good way to place a layout or diorama…
