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…
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. …
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…
A few blog posts, and some time, ago I expounded on some fairly general tree making thoughts focussing on the armature. At the time tree making was not my focus and the blog described some experiments and test pieces. Hopefully useful in a general way. This time around I have spent many hours working on…
In which your correspondant ponders the merits of the journey over the destination and the benefits of technology in speeding things up… In NZR modelling ‘the layout’ is an almost mythical concept. Widely aspired to, often started, but seldom developed to a stage even approaching completion. It’s not hard to understand why. With a prototpe…
Interesting times here at NZF, where we’ve been reminded yet again of the pace of technology change. The trusty Solus 3d printer that we’ve been churning out casting patterns on for a few years has died, and been replaced with something higher resolution, faster and cheaper. While that has been going on, production of parts…
