General Election Announced!

Yesterday I had an urgent phone call. A general election is scheduled to be held in Denmark on 24 March with all 179 seats in the Danish Parliament the Folketing up for election. The call was a reminder that election posters had to be fitted to all available telegraph poles in the Nystrup Gravel yard. It was standard practice that the main Danish parties could display election posters around the company grounds.

Just as I was shunting with the Fowler, the phone rang and minutes later I was hurrying to put up election posters on the layout. 

Nystrup Gravel is a town in the eastern part of Denmark and the gravel works are well documented, but as the layout's time frame is somewhat ambiguously placed in the beginning of the 1950's the posters aren't specific to any of the general elections that took place in the loosely set timeframe. In Denmark we had general elections in 1947, 1950, two elections in 1953 and again in 1957. On my model of Nystrup Gravel the posters were in use last time we had a general election - back in 2022.

'Don't make dad loose his job' the 1950 poster from the Social Democratic Party says. The socialdemocrats were in power through much of the 1950's laying the foundations for the Danish welfare state.

The Conservative Party's poster seems slighty croocked in this image. As always it's the photographers fault! 

Even loco No. 8 has been fitted with a poster! Probably just a practical joke, while volunteers were hanging posters around the yard.

While we wait for the results of the election there is work being done on detailing parts for the frame on the Baguley-Drewry locomotive. It's very varied work encompassing both plastic construction and soldering of metal. 

New Set of Tools

I have managed to model for the better part of 30 years with a miserable collection of 5 mini screwdrivers and pliers when assembling and disassembling models and equipment. Having gone up in size from 1/35 scale to 1/19 I have begun to feel the need for something a bit more substantial. And let's face it: those old mini screwdrivers aren't looking their best anymore.

A new box of mini bits for modelling and small household maintenance tasks.

A little seaching online revealed a multitude of cheap Chinese tools that would probably cover my needs, but I'm not too keen on Chinese stuff. iFixit seemed like higher quality and while not being from a European manufacturer looked like a decent deal. Consequently I bought an iFixit 'Mako Precision Bit Set' (number IF145-299-4 64) hopefully containing high quality bits in small sizes.

The set contains an ergonomic bit driver with a magnetic bit socket and an added 150 mm flexible extension in addition to 64 bits of different types. Most usefull so far on my current Baguley-Drewry project has been the nut sockets (supplied in the sizes 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 5.0 and 5.5 mm) and the screwdriver bits.

Opening the magnetically attached lid on the tool box reveal its contents. The magnets secure the lid well and there is very limited risk of the lid to separate unintentionally.

The bit driver fits snuggly into my hand and holds the bits well.

The old and worn mini screwdrivers are now ready to go in the scrap bin for recycling. Their departure will also provide much needed room in my toolbox. Not for new tools, but for the possibility of actually finding what I'm looking for.

Baguley-Drewry Progress

The 1/19 scale Baguley-Drewry loco is having a rough time. Some rather serious changes have been inflicted with tools I'm not usually using for building models. The frames have been stripped of the original couplings and moulded-on details on the frame ends. New scratchbuilt buffers/coupling are being designed and I'm exploring how best to position battery and Loco Remote equipment. All part of the first stage in the loco's transformation.

A snapshot of the sawed-off Baguley-Drewry on the layout. The developments on the large diesel loco has attracted the attention of a railway enthusiast using his simple box camera to snap a photo of the locomotive.

As the loco was used primarily with standard steel skips at Nystrup Gravel the buffers installed at the sugar beet railways were exchanged with something resembling a standard buffer/coupling from Danish loco producer Nagbøl Machineworks. Probably items that the workshop at Nystrup made themselves. In model I will be making the buffers from plasticard that will be bolted/glued to the frame. To ease painting and handling during use of the saw I removed the sidesteps. Easily done as they were simply bolted in place.  

I used a fine toothed metal saw to cut of the lifting brackets and the rectangular protrusions on the frame ends. To enable a trouble free use of the saw and to minimise risk of damage to the model, it was solidly clamped to the worktable before the saw was used. I mounted the loco on two scraps of surplus board to take the pressure from the clamps and avoiding damage to the loco's wheels and bearings. The loco's motor was wrapped in masking tape to keep metal debris out of it. After sawing I cleaned up the resulting minor unevenness and flash with a file.

All 4 steps were removed. That will ease painting of the steps as well as frame details. I used a new set of tools that will make much of my assembly work on 1/19 models easier and safer.

With a fine toothed metal saw I cut of the lifting brackets and the rectangular protrusions with a, too me at least, unknown function. The centre coupling had been unbolted and removed before the saw was applied.

Apart from cleaning the loco from unwanted parts I have been giving some thoughts to where battery, wiring and Loco Remote unit could best be placed and how lamps and warning lights will be installed. The grand plan isn't there yet, but the basics have been decided. A 9 V battery fits between the frames in the forward part of the loco. From there wires will lead to the Loco Remote placed under the bonnet and from there to the motor.

The Baguley-Drewry seen from below with the rechargable battery in the front end of the frames. I will need to find room for an on/off switch somewhere close by. That shouldn't be impossible.

Side view of the loco with the Loco Remote unit placed in its future location. There seems to resonable room for wires and perhaps even for an extra feature with added lights.

With the first task completed on the rebuilding of the Baguley-Drewry I consider me off with a rather decent start on the project. Particularly removing the cast on parts on the frame ends had worried me a good deal, but with a good plan and careful use of the saw the result didn't turn out bad. Next project is making the buffers and adding a few details to the frames before installing battery and Loco Remote.