bobcatt's 2 bits
An informal journal of various model railway projects.
I neither accept nor assume any responsibility for the results of actions by persons attempting to duplicate my efforts regardless of the methods employed. Always wear proper safety equipment and follow manufacturer's instructions for tool and material usage.
4.14.2025
Time Travel
A "luffing" crane built from a 1976 Meccano outfit. I spent countless hours as a kid working with this amazing invention. I hesitate to call it a toy.
5.24.2015
setting the scene
Last weekend I learned some techniques for making scenery.
Trevor Marshall asked me to visit the TrainmastersTV studios with him so I could participate in his latest "Roadshow" episode. My job was to ask silly questions, and he would show me how easy it was to generate basic grasslands. It was far easier than I expected.
My forte has always been electrical and mechanical aspects of layouts. If you want a pair of .128" diameter holes drilled .750" apart, or you need a wiring harness connecting you control panel to the tracks, I'm your man. But high-school art classes were a long time ago, and I was much better at mechanical draughting than "sketching from life" even then.
Starting with a blank slate (a 12" square slab of extruded foam insulation in this case) Trevor showed me how to add gentle contours, foundation colour & texture, realistic ground cover, and even small shrubs to create a pleasing diorama in just a few hours. The results I achieved were satisfying and visually acceptable; I'm sure with more practise I could improve to the point where I would surprise myself with the finished product.
Trevor has a more complete write-up of the event. Please visit his site for more detailed description.
Trevor Marshall asked me to visit the TrainmastersTV studios with him so I could participate in his latest "Roadshow" episode. My job was to ask silly questions, and he would show me how easy it was to generate basic grasslands. It was far easier than I expected.
My forte has always been electrical and mechanical aspects of layouts. If you want a pair of .128" diameter holes drilled .750" apart, or you need a wiring harness connecting you control panel to the tracks, I'm your man. But high-school art classes were a long time ago, and I was much better at mechanical draughting than "sketching from life" even then.
Starting with a blank slate (a 12" square slab of extruded foam insulation in this case) Trevor showed me how to add gentle contours, foundation colour & texture, realistic ground cover, and even small shrubs to create a pleasing diorama in just a few hours. The results I achieved were satisfying and visually acceptable; I'm sure with more practise I could improve to the point where I would surprise myself with the finished product.
Trevor has a more complete write-up of the event. Please visit his site for more detailed description.
5.02.2015
after the long pause
Nothing happens for a long time, then everything happens at once.
---
The recent Schomberg Narrow Gauge Show (the 10th annual!) was an excellent outing; a full day of discussion, diversion, and divesting.
I was happy to find new homes for a number of items, including a bunch of On30 equipment that has been ageing in its boxes in my basement. I was also able to pass along sizable quantities of good reference material to two fellow modellers in the area; all the Mainline Modeler mags & all the Railroad Model Craftsman mags that have been thumbed through and referenced for several years. These go on to a new life and stay out of landfill (where they don't belong).
In a feat of heroic restraint, I purchased nothing for myself save a delicious currant cake from the Scottish bakery down the street. Ravening hordes of model railroaders had already swept the venue clean of meat pies prior to my arrival.
---
Not long before the aforementioned event, a show organiser asked me to present a short clinic on the use of machine-tools for model making tasks. I had no idea what would be appropriate to offer, as the days of Model Railroader magazine contributor Carl Traub & home lathes seem long past. After much head-scratching, I decided to cover what could be done with a basic drill press that went beyond just drilling single holes in pieces of wood. Different accessories and processes were presented, several of which the group were unaware. One retired machinist told me that he'd never heard of one item I'd shown; the sensitive drill chuck. The talk went long (and cut into lunch time) but it was well attended and everyone stayed until the end. Enough interest was shown to prompt me to think about a recorded demo (on that, more later).
Dinner with friends at the local pub afterwards put the icing on the cake that day.
---
The module wiring episode of TrainMastersTV has been released, where Trevor Marshall and I tackle the problem of getting electrons to the trains. Hard to believe this segment was filmed several months ago. Great fun to do, though I wish there were more time to explain some of the "whys".
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In moving the RMCs to their new home, I was able to stop by the TrainMastersTV studio and check out producer Barry Silverthorn's latest layout build progress. It looks like a great start to an engaging track plan, offering some unique viewing angles of the trains in operation.
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Trevor Marshall held an op session on his Port Rowan branch layout last week. I finally got to meet D&H modeller Michel Boucher from Ottawa, and learned some new ways to think about train moves during switching. Premium resin kit designer & builder Pierre Oliver joined Trevor, Michel and I at a favourite local restaurant to have dinner with 23 other railway enthusiasts to top off the day's activities.
A visit to the Credit Valley Railway Co. for more supplies (followed of course by lunch) the next day made for a well-rounded visit with a new friend. I now own my 5th set of Xuron cutters which hopefully will not share the sordid fates of its earlier brethren (lost, stolen, destroyed, lost).
---
The recent Schomberg Narrow Gauge Show (the 10th annual!) was an excellent outing; a full day of discussion, diversion, and divesting.
I was happy to find new homes for a number of items, including a bunch of On30 equipment that has been ageing in its boxes in my basement. I was also able to pass along sizable quantities of good reference material to two fellow modellers in the area; all the Mainline Modeler mags & all the Railroad Model Craftsman mags that have been thumbed through and referenced for several years. These go on to a new life and stay out of landfill (where they don't belong).
In a feat of heroic restraint, I purchased nothing for myself save a delicious currant cake from the Scottish bakery down the street. Ravening hordes of model railroaders had already swept the venue clean of meat pies prior to my arrival.
---
![]() |
note how I blend into the wall using urbane camouflage |
Dinner with friends at the local pub afterwards put the icing on the cake that day.
---
The module wiring episode of TrainMastersTV has been released, where Trevor Marshall and I tackle the problem of getting electrons to the trains. Hard to believe this segment was filmed several months ago. Great fun to do, though I wish there were more time to explain some of the "whys".
---
In moving the RMCs to their new home, I was able to stop by the TrainMastersTV studio and check out producer Barry Silverthorn's latest layout build progress. It looks like a great start to an engaging track plan, offering some unique viewing angles of the trains in operation.
---
Trevor Marshall held an op session on his Port Rowan branch layout last week. I finally got to meet D&H modeller Michel Boucher from Ottawa, and learned some new ways to think about train moves during switching. Premium resin kit designer & builder Pierre Oliver joined Trevor, Michel and I at a favourite local restaurant to have dinner with 23 other railway enthusiasts to top off the day's activities.
A visit to the Credit Valley Railway Co. for more supplies (followed of course by lunch) the next day made for a well-rounded visit with a new friend. I now own my 5th set of Xuron cutters which hopefully will not share the sordid fates of its earlier brethren (lost, stolen, destroyed, lost).
9.14.2014
a thousand cuts
It seems that this year everything has crowded in to the months of August and September.
Meetings, travel, visitors, new opportunities, household repairs, appointments, special events, etc.
I've never had to turn down or miss so many things in rapid succession.
Additionally, the change of seasons is virtually upon us. A whole raft of tasks that must be completed before the snow flies now loom menacingly close.
On the upside, I have achieved more in the last few weeks than I have in some time - which is very gratifying. The back deck has been repaired, a park bench rebuilt, kitchen walls repaired & plastered, front door & kitchen walls painted, and flooring repaired.
Only a thousand more little things to do…
Meetings, travel, visitors, new opportunities, household repairs, appointments, special events, etc.
I've never had to turn down or miss so many things in rapid succession.
Additionally, the change of seasons is virtually upon us. A whole raft of tasks that must be completed before the snow flies now loom menacingly close.
On the upside, I have achieved more in the last few weeks than I have in some time - which is very gratifying. The back deck has been repaired, a park bench rebuilt, kitchen walls repaired & plastered, front door & kitchen walls painted, and flooring repaired.
Only a thousand more little things to do…
6.23.2014
a grand day out
A visitor came to call from far away, a friend of Pierre Oliver's.
I zipped in to the top end of town and took the subway south. It was one of the new Bombardier-built trains without bulkheads. Going around curves can be a bit disconcerting, but the equipment seems well made and the ride is smooth. A big difference from the old British-made equipment I remember travelling on many (many?) years ago.
Pierre's friend Thorsten is a Fremo modeller from Germany who is also planning a US style layout in a rare European basement. Pierre went to a big Fremo meet in Nordhorn back in 2009 and wrote extensive commentary in his own blog.
If you don't know what Fremo is, you should look into it. Their organisation, display, and operation of massive modular layouts puts most of the public efforts I've seen here to shame.
If you don't know what Fremo is, you should look into it. Their organisation, display, and operation of massive modular layouts puts most of the public efforts I've seen here to shame.
As an aside, Pierre happens to be the proprietor of Elgin Car Shops and makes some of the finest resin rolling stock kits you'll ever see. Crisp and clean castings, fine etched frets, and clear instructions.
We all gathered at Trevor Marshall's Port Rowan layout for an op session. Initially, I played the dual roles of Fat Brakeman and Confused Conductor while Thorsten operated the locomotive. Trevor had added yet another refinement to the paperwork which, of course, threw me off for no good reason.

Later, he performed the conducting duties while Pierre ran an extra. Frankly, Thorsten did a better job than I did despite never having seen the layout or paperwork before. I'd better pull up my socks!
After the trains were all safely back on the sector plate, we dropped in at Harbord House for a meal and refreshment. Long and enjoyable discussions of trains, both real and model, followed.
A quick run up the subway brought me back out of the core and homeward.
We all gathered at Trevor Marshall's Port Rowan layout for an op session. Initially, I played the dual roles of Fat Brakeman and Confused Conductor while Thorsten operated the locomotive. Trevor had added yet another refinement to the paperwork which, of course, threw me off for no good reason.

Later, he performed the conducting duties while Pierre ran an extra. Frankly, Thorsten did a better job than I did despite never having seen the layout or paperwork before. I'd better pull up my socks!
Thorsten had brought along some of the new leg brackets being made for Fremo modules. They seem to be galvanised steel, water-jet cut and stamped, with a swaged threaded insert for an M8 thumbscrew. Very nicely made. These take a square aluminium tube or wooden leg and offer a slight amount of adjustment for height via the thumbscrew. It shows what can be done by a focused group of builders looking for good engineering solutions.
After the trains were all safely back on the sector plate, we dropped in at Harbord House for a meal and refreshment. Long and enjoyable discussions of trains, both real and model, followed.
A quick run up the subway brought me back out of the core and homeward.
4.23.2014
passing on
Oliver Clubine, owner of Ridgehill Scale Models and founder of the S Scale Workshop, passed away on the morning of April 22, 2014.
Oliver built race cars, model railways, and friendships.
I remember meeting him briefly at the annual Copetown Train Show quite a few years ago. I was just getting into S scale, and he was THE local supplier for all things 1:64. Once you knew Oliver, you were in touch with the whole S community and a wealth of information.
Over the next few years, I attended several of his annual Christmas S get-togethers. I was dabbling with Newfoundland Railway equipment in Sn42. At one of these events he opined that I should enter one of my scratchbuilt cars in a contest, and gave me one of his over-the-glasses "Are you pulling my leg?" looks when I said I didn't think it was good enough to do so.
For many years Oliver and his model rail crew (including his son David) displayed and operated the S scale Ridgehill Central Ry at local shows. The workmanship was excellent, and I always enjoyed seeing the layout in action.
When it came time to build a new layout in a modular format, he asked me to participate; he thought I would "fit in" with the group. Frankly, I was flattered. While I tried to come up with something that was "good enough" visually and was an electro-mechanically reliable part of the whole arrangement, I always felt like I was somehow letting down the side except for the electron-pushing part of things - dealing with any DCC issues that cropped up.
One day a couple of years ago, on a whim, I paid him a visit at his race shop. We had the chance to talk about a lot of things (including model railways), and I was able to lend a hand unloading a semi-trailer full of specialty racing tyres. Shoving a 2-wheeled dolly back and forth through the tall stacks of rubber was easy enough even in the (indifferent) shape I was in at the time. Afterwards I shared a very nice, homemade lunch with Oliver and his wife Sandra. It was a good day with a friend, and I'm glad I made the trip.
My own health has been up-and-down for some time now which has limited certain activities in the hobby, especially with respect to public shows. I've missed quite a few events where Oliver was present, despite his own tribulations. Opportunities lost.
His passing gives me a lot to think about. I will greatly miss his input and enthusiasm.
Goodbye and thank you, Oliver.
Oliver built race cars, model railways, and friendships.
I remember meeting him briefly at the annual Copetown Train Show quite a few years ago. I was just getting into S scale, and he was THE local supplier for all things 1:64. Once you knew Oliver, you were in touch with the whole S community and a wealth of information.
Over the next few years, I attended several of his annual Christmas S get-togethers. I was dabbling with Newfoundland Railway equipment in Sn42. At one of these events he opined that I should enter one of my scratchbuilt cars in a contest, and gave me one of his over-the-glasses "Are you pulling my leg?" looks when I said I didn't think it was good enough to do so.
For many years Oliver and his model rail crew (including his son David) displayed and operated the S scale Ridgehill Central Ry at local shows. The workmanship was excellent, and I always enjoyed seeing the layout in action.
When it came time to build a new layout in a modular format, he asked me to participate; he thought I would "fit in" with the group. Frankly, I was flattered. While I tried to come up with something that was "good enough" visually and was an electro-mechanically reliable part of the whole arrangement, I always felt like I was somehow letting down the side except for the electron-pushing part of things - dealing with any DCC issues that cropped up.
One day a couple of years ago, on a whim, I paid him a visit at his race shop. We had the chance to talk about a lot of things (including model railways), and I was able to lend a hand unloading a semi-trailer full of specialty racing tyres. Shoving a 2-wheeled dolly back and forth through the tall stacks of rubber was easy enough even in the (indifferent) shape I was in at the time. Afterwards I shared a very nice, homemade lunch with Oliver and his wife Sandra. It was a good day with a friend, and I'm glad I made the trip.
My own health has been up-and-down for some time now which has limited certain activities in the hobby, especially with respect to public shows. I've missed quite a few events where Oliver was present, despite his own tribulations. Opportunities lost.
His passing gives me a lot to think about. I will greatly miss his input and enthusiasm.
Goodbye and thank you, Oliver.
11.23.2013
revisionist history
However long it takes, I will gradually be moving all tool and workshop related posts from this blog to a new blog, Artem Factotum.
This blog will slowly return to model railway themed content.
This blog will slowly return to model railway themed content.
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