Fairlight Works

Narrow Gauge Midlands

On show at Narrow Gauge Midlands / the 009 Society AGM yesterday was a new ready-to-run chassis by N-Drive Productions designed specifically for 009 kits – intended to replace all those old N-gauge mechanisms that are so hard to buy these days. Construction is a moulded plastic chassis block (which can be cut down to suit the body) with etched sideframes and a Mashima motor.

This sample on display was pretty much identical in size to the Bachmann Dock Tank chassis, but the pricelist suggests a longer wheelbase Ibertren Cuckoo substitute will be the first available priced at £40 for steam or £35 for diesel with varying sizes of wheels. A six-coupled version is planned as well. There will be full details in the next 009 News if you’re a society member but I’m sure the newsstand magazines will be covering it too.

I wish the project every success as it’s going to be so useful – I’m sure it will be great for 09 and GNine applications as well.

There were some great layouts on show as well. I was particularly impressed David Calderwood’s Craignure and Torosay which fits a remarkable amount of detail in to a layout only 10″ deep (expect for the return loops at the ends) by using a series of small vignettes that join up to form a trip along the railway. At one end is an attractive harbour, with train ferry.

And at the other a fantastic open-cast mine served by a rack railway and a spiral track leading down into the depths. This part of the layout was originally built for the ExpoNG Cubic Challenge in 2005.

Finally I got the chance to examine a couple of completed Lxd2 kits – one running on the same Bullant power bogies I will be using for mine (when I eventually build it). After hearing how well and easily the nickel silver body goes together it’s certainly given me renewed determination to get it done.

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