Back Issue: December 2013 AMRM

The December 2013 issue of AMRM is now available as a back issue direct from the AMRM office.


The December issue cover features a shot of the Indian Pacific crossing the flooded creek on the ACT Model Railway Society's HO scale exhibition layout, Yendys.

The contents of the December issue.

This issue's feature layout is a small (with a very 'buildable' idea for a 'minimum space' layout) slice of mid-20th century Geelong, featuring the long gone tramways of that rural Victorian city.

Even more impressive is that the layout resides in Canada!

Our occasional Lineside section features some images of three exhibition layouts set in or near Sydney.

It's been a long journey, but we have finally got to the end of Ian Black's comprehensive series on building the NSWGR & VR's 'glamour' train of the 1960s/'70s, the incomparable Southern Aurora. This last installment covers construction of the PHN power cars.

For those who want a nice, simple scratchbuilding project, Maikha Ly shows us how easy it is to build a typical suburban house.

All layouts need something to support them, so David Mitchell presents another way of building baseboards which will be particularly useful to those living in small spaces and/or rented accommodation.

The 'traditional' materials for scratchbuilding are often overlooked these days, given the amazingly versatile materials that are available now, but Barry Lloyd shows that good results can be obtained by 'looking back'...

Our theme for 2013, our 50th Anniversary year, has certainly been 'looking back' and we conclude with part three of our Gallery feature highlighting significant commercial models of the last half century, this time covering the years 1987 to 2012, using photos of the display organised by the AMRA (NSW) branch at the 2012 Liverpool exhibition.

Reviewed in this issue are the SDS Models NSWGR BCW/NSCF bogie cattle wagons and NSWPTC FMW/NRWF F.J.Walker refrigerated wagons, On Track Models NSWGR BOB set passenger cars, Trainorama NSWGR MRC refrigerated cars, Ozrail Models VR L sheep vans and a Chevrolet 'Blitz' truck kit from Times Gone By (all HO scale), plus ready-to-place SAR and VR colour light signals in N scale from San Mateo Line and a power amplifier for the ESU Loksound DCC chip from DCC Solutions.

With six pages of reviews, plus the article content and eight pages of new product news, this issue of AMRM should give our readers some enjoyable holiday reading over Christmas (if you can wait that long!) 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers!

Purchase this issue of AMRM as a back issue.

Ring the office on (02) 9311 2036 and have your credit card handy

or

Order a back issue from our website

James McInerney

Production Manager

What was supposed to be on p70...

A full-page ad marking the release of Ozrail Model Train's VR L class sheep van was supposed to appear on p70 of the October 2013 issue of AMRM, however, in one of those frustrating oversights that sometime occur when we are rushing towards our print deadline, the wrong file (the old half-page ad merely announcing that it was 'coming') was used instead and it wasn't picked up during proofreading. 

This is the ad that was supposed to appear on p70.

We apologise unreservedly to Ozrail Model Trains for this error.

However, it does give us the opportunity to include a nice, big image of a new L class van here. VR and SAR modellers enjoy!

As mentioned in the Recent Releases section of the October AMRM, and now here on the ad that was supposed to appear, the Ozrail Model Trains HO scale VR L sheep van is now available, in both arc and gable roofed versions.

James McInerney

Production Manager

Back Issue: October 2013 AMRM

The October 2013 issue of AMRM is now available as a back issue directly from AMRM.

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The contents of the October issue.

This issue we Barry Lloyd's extensive home layout, based on the old South Australian Railways. It is a perfect example of what can be done with purchased items and good design. As is usual for the October issue, the photos are provided by the extremely talented John Dennis.

Continuing with our '50 years' theme, Ian Barnes has done some number crunching and analysed the statistical breakup of just what AMRM has covered over the last 50 years. It might sound a rather 'dry' subject, but that has not stopped Ian from writing a rather interesting essay. 

Once more, we have got together a variety of modelling project articles, ranging from 'serious' scratchbuilding to a simple modification of a r-t-r item to create a variation not available 'over the counter'. 

Dennis Toohey describes how to use jigs to construct multiple copies of items, in this case the framing for a rather large roundhouse.

Es Davies describes a very long term project to build a special load. However, repeating his steps should not take anyone else 30 years!

Peter Schierloh shows how a few minor mods can make a proprietary product look more realistic.

Peter Ennis returns with another in his ongoing series on constructing VR rolling stock. This time he backdates a Trainorama ZLP.

Following on from last issue, Gallery features part two of the feature highlighting significant commercial models of the last half century, covering the years 1979 to 1988, using photos of the display organised by the AMRA (NSW) branch at the 2012 Liverpool exhibition.

Not forgetting Beyond the Fence, featuring rural community facilities photographed by Maikha Ly, and other small articles containing information of benefit to the modeller.

Then the sixteen pages of reviews and new product news should , particularly if you are going to the AMRA (NSW) Liverpool exhibition, help plan your next couple of month's acquisitions! We review the Southern Rail Explorer/Endeavour railcars, overhead stanchions and NDHF concrete sleeper wagons, as well as the Trainorama GM class diesels, a rather clever little video camera that will fit on a N scale wagon and the two latest volumes of John Dunn's history of Comeng.

If you enjoy reading it half as much as I enjoyed putting it together, you will be very pleased!

Purchase this issue of AMRM as a back issue.

Ring the office on (02) 9311 2036 and have your credit card handy

or

Order a back issue from our website

James McInerney

Production Manager

Back Issues: August 2013

The August 2013 issue of AMRM is now available as a back issue.

The contents of the August issue.

This issue we feature Matt Sawtell's interpretation of NSW's iconic Wolgan Valley Railway, complete with Shays, towering sandstone cliffs and the Newnes pub!

Bob Gallagher's three-part history of AMRM concludes with the story 'to date', including a section by yours truly on how today's AMRM is put together!

This time we have managed to put together a bit of a 'modeller's issue', with some very interesting articles that will, hopefully, inspire some busy workbenches!

The art of cutting up Lima cars is not dead, as Dennis Clarke ably illustrates. This article includes a full page drawing of the prototype from David Bennett.

'The Master', Frank Kelly, shows how to scratchbuild a steam locomotive in brass. The article is accompanied by superb O (¼") scale drawings from AMRM's newest volunteer draftsmen, Lindsay Bennett. Btw, there is no truth to the rumour that AMRM has a policy of only recruiting draftsmen with the last name 'Bennett'!

For those looking for tips on improving the running of proprietary models, Barry Lloyd's experiences with his 'Redhen' railcars may prove illuminating.

Our 'honorary Aussie', Dennis Murphy has provided another easy to follow article on building and 'naturalising' a simple US kit.

We have even managed to include scenery building in this issue, with this simple guide to growing trees from David Bartle.

It is not just the latest models that can benefit from sound and the sophisticated control circuitry of modern DCC chips. Mike Walters shows how easy it can be to fit sound to older models.

Continuing our '50 years of modelling' theme for 2013, this issue's Gallery features the first part, covering the years 1946 to 1979, of the display, organised by the AMRA (NSW) branch, seen at the 2012 Liverpool exhibition.

All this, plus smaller, though no less useful, articles should make this issue another one to remember!

Then, of course, we have twelve pages of reviews and new product news should keep you up to date with developments in the commercial side of the hobby. We review the Haskell/Wuiske QR HOn3½ QLX louvred van and KQJX cattle wagon, Ezi Kits HO scale NSWGR D class locomotive kit, some of the recent NSWGR  11'6" wheelbase vans from Austrains, the 'elephant wagon' variant of the NSWGR CW cattle wagon from IDR Railway castings, DCC Sound's customised Loksound DCC chip for the Auscision 422 class, the latest issue of Byways of Steam and Nick Anchen's latest book Engineman of the Victorian Railways Volume II.

Purchase this issue of AMRM as a back issue.

Ring the office on (02) 9311 2036 and have your credit card handy

or

Order a back issue from our website

James McInerney

Production Manager

Back Issues: June 2013

The June 2013 issue of AMRM is now available as a back issue.

The contents of the June issue.

In keeping with the 'looking back' theme of our 50th anniversary year, this issue's feature layout is Andrew Collier's 'under construction' VR suburban layout, Glenburn, set in the 1920s/'30s and showing that a 'non-standard' era layout is eminently buildable with intelligent selection of commercial products and some scratchbuilding.

We continue Bob Gallagher's three-part history of AMRM with the second part, covering the 'middle years' when great changes occurred and AMRM nearly disappeared due to a disaster that occurred when the printer burnt down in 1980!

Those building their own Southern Aurora will be pleased to read the fifth part of Ian Black's magnum opus, covering construction of the MHN passenger brake vans.

We also have the second part of Peter Jarvis's article on constructing a NSWGR water tank.

For those 'south of the border' we have a Prototype File on the VR's Castlemaine B signal box. The author, John Gilbert, will follow this up in a future issue with the construction of an HO scale model based on the box.

John Burford, a regular contributor, has penned an 'autobiography' of his 50 years in the model railway hobby, paralleling the development of the hobby over the last half century.

With great topicality, Ben O'Malley has written a 'how to' guide on fitting a DCC chip to the recently released Auscision 73 class.

This issue's Gallery features photographs from the 2012 Adelaide Model Railway Show by well-known photographer (and airman), Maikha Ly.

All this, plus many smaller, though no less useful, articles should make our 300th issue one to remember!

Eleven pages of reviews and new product news should keep you up to date with developments in the commercial side of the hobby. We review the Auscision 422 and 73 class locomotives, the Wuiske/Haskell r-t-r QR QSC/QSCW/QLCP vans, the ILM RU 'dress-up' kit and two new books from Train Hobby.

Purchase this issue of AMRM as a back issue.

Ring the office on (02) 9311 2036 and have your credit card handy

or

Order a back issue from our website

James McInerney

Production Manager

Back Issues: April 2013 (50th Anniversary issue)

The April 2013 issue of AMRM is now available as a back issue.
This was our 50th anniversary (1963-2013) issue and has been expanded to the
maximum number of pages we can have printed!

The contents of the April  issue

To mark our 50th year of publication, we are featuring a layout that has marked a number of AMRM milestones in the past, Brian Parry's Colo Vale. This fine layout has been featured on AMRM's first colour cover in 1980 and was also the feature layout for our 25th anniversary issue in 1988. The advances in production values AMRM has achieved in the last 25 years is amply illustrated when this article is compared to the previous one!

The general contents of this issue are generally on the theme of 'looking back' with the major component being the first part of Bob Gallagher's three-part history of AMRM, this installment covering the early years before he took over in 1975.

As an insight into the difficulties facing the pioneers of the hobby, Garry Kahler has written an article outlining how he scratchbuilt a NSWGR ACX composite sleeping car in HO scale, using materials and techniques not much changed since the 1960s.

Adapting and modifying proprietary kits has been a theme from the very early days of AMRM and Peter Jarvis continues the theme with the first part of a two-part essay on modifying and detailling the Casula NSWGR cast iron water tank kit.

However, not everything was 'golden' in years gone by. One of the biggest advances over the last 20 years or so has been the development of digital control systems. David Mitchell shows how easy it is to fit a DCC chip to a proprietary diesel.

Individual models are but a 'means to an end' to a fully working and scenicked layout. Craig Veitch continues his layout building saga with the latest installment detailing how he laid his track.

This issue's expanded Gallery section features some of the models constructed by one of the true pioneers of the hobby, Howard Armstrong, during the last 50 years.

All this, along with Beyond the Fence, Lineside, building modern structures, a useful workshop tool, solving the Eureka HUB car 'green window' problem and the return of Branchline Ramblings should give you plenty of reading entertainment till our next issue, which will be our 300th!

Then there is the seventeen pages pages of reviews and new product news, including a Prototype File and tandem reviews of the SDS and Southern Rail Tulloch 10,000 gallon rail tank cars, plus  reviews of the Eureka HUB cars and many other useful items, which should somewhat satisfy the need to find out about 'the latest'.

Due to lack of space, we have had to hold the next chapter of Ian Black's series on constructing the Southern Aurora, covering the MHN passenger brake vans, over till next issue.

Purchase this issue of AMRM as a back issue.

Ring the office on (02) 9311 2036 and have your credit card handy

or

Order a back issue from our website

James McInerney

Production Manager