We are back

After a gap of getting on for two years, and attending the first attending our first Garden Railway AGM in three years, we had our most successful show ever. Looking forward, we are looking towards a slimmed down Wrightscale, keeping going for at least the next couple of years. One of the reasons for the success of the Show was, after three years of slow progress through COVID and many personal changes, we were able to deliver eight out of ten Baldwin Gas Mechanicals. We have pictured one of these below, resplendent in its French Horizon Blue livery. This is the fourth batch we have built over the years. The cab windows are now glazed and the headlight and rear light are illuminated. We used 2mm warm white LEDs. They really do look like incandescent electric lamps. This batch of engines, like the last, completed about six yeards ago, are powered with 3V-12V COMO 62:1 gearhead motors. They drive through a final 1:1 bevel. These motors only draw 100mA under load and should give a few hours of running on the 12 AAA battery pack.

16mm Couplings

Firstly, we are very sorry to have missed the 16mm AGM at Peterborough. We were looking forward to seeing old friends and customers, catching up with the news and gaining valuable feedback. It was a loss. When we made our booking, we were confident. We were both double-vaccinated, as, no doubt, many other attendees would be. The chance of catching COVID was much reduced, we thought, as was the prospect of passing it on to others. As we came nearer to Saturday 26th, there were alarming rumours that the coronavirus was mutating. No-one was sure whether these new forms might, or might not, affect people even though they had been vaccinated. In the end, no-one could prove a negative without time to gather evidence. We felt it safest to stay away. As you all know, we feel that our 16mm group are friends, and wouldn’t it be terrible to pass on something to our friendship circle? We cancelled. Thank you everyone who has got in touch. Yes, we are fine. We weren’t kept away by illness.

Instead of going to the Show, Malcolm has been at his workbench, putting together the 16mm scale Baldwin Gas Mechanical locotractors. We are pleased to send you photographs of progress. We have also been involved in ‘live running’ with friends. There is nothing quite like putting a model, however beautiful, through its paces on scale railway track. Although rolling stock looks perfect on the bench, once they start moving, problems become apparent. When making up a train of wagons which had been designed by another hand, we became conscious of the modellers’ dilemma. We all want our models to run as well as possible as long as they are as accurate as possible. The design and making of models is the art of satisfying these competing demands. Like any art, it can lead to slightly surprising results. On this particular running day, the problems were with the couplings. There are several proprietary model couplings which serve the modeller reliably, attaching and detaching as required. The only trouble is that they are underscale, overscale or generally non-prototypical. The wagon in question (not Wrightscale, but a beloved item in Malcolm’s treasure chest) had beautiful ‘deadscale’ couplings. They looked the part but kept on detaching mid-run. Malcolm is still wondering how to fix the problem without losing the look.

While moving along this track, so to speak, here are some thoughts about couplings as used on the Péchot system. As our friends know, this 60cm gauge system was devised by Prosper Péchot in the 1880s for the service of the French artillery. He used the designs of Paul Decauville, famous for his prefabricated agricultural railways, and improved them. His system was portable and relatively lightweight, just like the Decauville, yet it could carry significant loads, such as were needed by an army in the 1880s. Among the improvements designed by Péchot was the coupling. The drawing shown here is reproduced courtesy of the CAA, France. It was drawn in the 1890s as coupling to the twelve tonne six-wheeled bogie, but the general proinciples apply. Each bogie had a fully sprung buffer-coupling at one end and a tampon sec at the other. The literal meaning of sec is dry; in this context it meant with very much simpler springing. The link was completed with chains, to be fixed to the next item of rolling stock. Part of the genius of the design was that the link was between bogies, rather than the wagon superstructure. The bogie springing compensated for roll, dip, sheer and shock and generally kept the train moving, even on poor track.

Though many authorities dislike admitting it, the German army copied the Péchot design. They then improved it. Their bogie-mounted coupling was a ‘sprung balance’, lessening the need for elaborate springing in the body of the bogie. Because one small part had to do so much, the German wagons were relatively short-lived. In contrast, many Péchot bogies survive to this day. The Péchot story is fascinating, full of human interest. 25 years later, his system and material inspired by it were used by both the Allies and the Central Powers during the First World War. Descendents of the Péchot coupling features on French, British and AEF rolling stock. The Baldwin Gas Mechanical was devised in the USA for use in Europe by both the American Expeditionary Force and the French Army. It was supplied with couplings reminiscent of the Péchot original, as photographs in the maker’s ‘Instructions for operation’ attest. Rolling stock also benefited from the Péchot design. As well as the Pershing bogie, the AEF commissioned and used rolling stock which had ‘family resemblances’ to the Péchot design. Rich Dunn has a useful page showing both styles. Though ubiquitous, the Pershing style did not have the sturdiness and manoeuvrability which characterises ‘son of’ Péchot, as can be inferred from Dunn’s text.

Back to our models; this view of the end of a Wrightscale WD Class D bogie open wagon shows a compromise between deadscale faithfulness to the Péchot-inspired original and the rough-and-tumble of a 16mm group fun-run. Illustrations 53, 54 and 55 in Light Railways of The First World War show prototypes. The sharp-eyed reader will point out that the coupling on the WD model has an addition, a tried and trusted proprietary link pin. Easily joined and released, it makes running a live steam model rather easier. As mentioned above, modelling is the art of reconciling irreconcilable aims, deadscale accuracy and function. If you think about it, life is like a model railway. It is partly rules and partly trying to escape them. WJK Davies Light Railways of the First World War David and Charles 1967 The book is unfortunately out of print, but in the archives of the Imperial War museum, useful three quarter shots can now be seen online. Rich Dunn Narrow Gauge To No Man’s Land Benchmark 1990 especially page 113 Sarah Wright Colonel Péchot Tracks To The Trenches Birse Press 2014

Wrightscale 16mm Baldwin Gas Mechanical in progress. No coupler has yet been fitted!

Soldering Live Steam

Dear customers and friends of Wrightscale, we are sorry to announce that we can’t attend the 16mm AGM and convention at Peterborough this year.

Photo of 16mm Wrightscale Wren The 16mm AGM has been the high point of the year for Wrightscale since the 1990s, a chance to meet our friends and customers, make sales and purchases and keep up with events in general. Your valuable feedback has also been important, usually complimentary, but sometimes critical. We appreciate everything you have to tell us. We took the hard decision when we found that the country wasn’t opening up from lockdown as fast as we had hoped. In spite of all the precautions and vaccinations, COVID seems to be spreading again. The Westminster Government is putting restrictions in place. The Holyrood administration is also banning Scottish travel to certain parts of England. When one ban is in place, more will follow, It was a case of looking at a rising graph and wondering how it would look a week from now. If it were just ourselves we should consider, we might have taken the risk – we have had our Astra-Zeneca-Oxford jabs. There are, however, going to be two thousand of us passing through the hall, traders, public and stewards. We felt it was unfair to come into contact with strangers and pass on some combination of virus which might turn out to be unhealthy. We hope our friends will stay in touch by telephone or email, In our last blog, we were considering the challenges of sticking a locomotive together. There is no ‘one size fits all’ glue or solder. For the Baldwin Gas Mechanical model, a locomotive that is operated by electricity, low-melt solder (max 400 degrees Celsius) will do. At a pinch, glue could be used throughout. For Live Steam, such as the Wrightscale Wren, a selection of tougher solders are required. The prototype Wren was designed as a small, light locomotive for temporary track. It needed good adhesion so that it could pull long trains of small wagons, but high speeds and long endurance were not so important. The main use of the prototype was the unglamorous job of hauling skips off a construction site.

Here is a Wren, Thomas Wicksteed built to authentic prototype plans, photo courtesy Jim Hawkesworth. We can see how the prototype satisfied the criteria. What was needed was a locomotive with a small wheelbase. It had to be light so that it could be used on poor track but have a minimum number of wheels to ensure maximum adhesion. Thus the 0-4-0 T configuration, no tender, no trailing truck, all weight concentrated over the driving wheels. The frame of the prototype was therefore small and light, as is the frame of the model. After discussion about building a satisfactory 16mm model, David Smith of Modern Outline kits drew up a design based around nickel silver etches. Nickel silver is malleable and ductile – bendy to you and me – but the genius of a David Smith design is that once the metal is folded up and reinforced where necessary, it becomes rigid. There is a big ‘but’. The folds must be perfectly aligned so that the forces applied to the model behave exactly as calculated. A David Smith etch anticipates this requirement. Each piece is etched right through at its edges and at certain other places – more later - but only partially etched at its foldlines. The frame part can easily be cut from the matrix and then easily folded up. When we say ‘easily’ there are certain considerations. While the frame is still flat, check the holes for the bearings for size and open them out slightly for a snug fit. Malcolm recommends using a vice with smooth jaws to do the bending so that the metal is always fully supported. Several parts are needed to complete the frames; with care, they fit together thanks to the slot and tab construction. Each tab on the outside of a part can be placed into an answering slot etched inside another. This sub-frame is reinforced with overlays.

Photo of 16mm Wren chassis by Malcolm Wright Before soldering up, the axles and wheels should be ‘tried for size’ then comes the first solder. We recommend a high temperature; otherwise, as further parts are soldered on, the first solder will melt. For the Wren, this would mean ‘silver solder’. Malcolm recommends Carrs 188 silver solder paint – also known as paste. Soldering takes place at temperatures higher than 618 degrees Celsius – more likely 740 degrees. It will of course stay firm if low-melt solder (up to 400 degrees C) is used subsequently. The parts to be soldered should be thoroughly cleaned before and after. Always wear gloves and proper eye protection. Solder paste has flux mixed in though some like to pre-paint the area with extra flux. Malcolm recommends a ‘self-cleaning’ product. Such flux is basically phosphoric acid. This is a good thing when used for its proper purpose, but potentially dangerous. This is the main reason why Wrightscale boilers and burners are supplied ready-made. We wear the gloves and eye protection so that you don’t have to. For obvious reasons, this is Live Steam after all, boilers and burners have to resist high temperatures. For the small but vital jobs – quartering the driving wheels and setting the valve events, a quality engineering retainer such as Loctite 601 is used. It requires a short period to ‘cure’ and so the timings and events should be checked before it has cured ie set firm and I mean firm! Other ‘glues’ and sealants used in making the Wren include instant silicon gasket – Malcolm recommends the Haematite product. This is vital for holding the valve chest and is applied in a 3mm band to the top edge. The valve chest top is lowered on and screwed into place; tight enough to get a small ooze of sealant. Over-tightening the screws means that sealant goes everywhere except where it is needed.

View of the Wren locomotive from the back, photo Malcolm Wright. Rather similar observations apply to the exhaust sealant. This is used where the steam-pipe goes through the burner flue and also to seal the back of the burner. This stops leaks and controls the air supply to the burner.

Glue or solder?

Solder, engineering bolts and glue are essential to our Wrightscale models. There are a variety of ways in which an item can be fixed and so what follows is a series of recommendations, in short, how Malcolm likes to build his locomotives.. We’ll leave the problems of soldering live steam for another blog, and concentrate on the Baldwin Gas mechanical.

The BGM model chassis is built on a flat surface – a sort of jig if you like. The front and back buffer beams have to be fixed to the side frames ie the basic ‘box’ of the locomotive. The assembly should be checked for ‘squareness’ of course. Malcolm uses a metal square, to check that each corner is a right angle as you secure the frames with the nuts and bolts. As a final check, make sure that the diagonals are equal which they will be if the rectangle is a true one. Then it is time for the solder. As the frames are made from laser cut steel, a high-melt solder could be used, but, unlike with live-steam construction, low-melt solder can be used throughout. Low-melt or soft solder has a melting point below 400 degrees Celsius (752 Fahrenheit) and is normally used with a flux. Flux cleans the surfaces of the metal so that the solder can bind and ensures even flow of the molten metal. Modern lead-free solder melts at 250 degrees Celsius. These solders must be reinforced with something else, hence the nuts and bolts. Low melt soldered joints have comparatively little tensile strength. On the other hand, the solder runs neatly along the joint and is generally unobtrusive and well-behaved, though do make sure that any surplus flux is cleaned away. If something has gone wrong, you can melt the solder, clean carefully and start again. If the assembly is square and true, the axle boxes can be slipped into place make sure that you have a smooth running fit. For this, engineering glue, usually Loctite, is used. Now fit the axles and wheels. You should have a smooth, running chassis.

Soldering the next part is no longer an option, otherwise your existing joins will fall apart when heated. Loctite glue has the advantage of not needing heat. At the same time, it and other glues need respect and understanding. Soldering flux removes any films of corrosion or grease; glues on the other hand depend on careful preparation beforehand. Clean well! Another important point, glue tends to flow everywhere. Care is needed, a little at a time only! Unlike soldering, Loctite needs an hour at room temperature to harden – ‘curing’ in the jargon. If you have second thoughts, the Loctite bond can be broken with heat, so check before it is too late. To rephrase the old proverb, check three times, glue once! Loctite is also recommended to set the motion. Once again, respect the nature of Loctite. The leading crank has to be set first and left to cure. If all is well then tackle the other side. When both sides are running properly, pinning (with 10BA bolts) can take place. With the wheels and connecting rods in place, the locomotive begins to take on its true character. At this point, the cosmetic gearbox is added, plus the drive shaft. There is a lot of white metal, some of it for show but concealing working parts in brass. The white-metal parts are fixed together before mounting. As these parts are assembled ‘off-line’ so to speak, most parts are soldered, with the occasional dab of superglue. For obvious reasons, it is important that the solder is low melt or the white metal itself would begin to liquefy. The same considerations about pre-cleaning, flux and after-care apply as above.

The alternative is epoxy resin. Malcolm is not very fond of epoxy. It is true that soldering seems a bit of a faff, especially if you do not have a selection of soldering irons and other devices. On the other hand, proper use of epoxy resin is harder work than you might think. To produce the desired polymer, it must be pre-mixed and the right amount of hardener/curative added, an important ingredient allowing resistance, durability etc. Once this curative is added to the mix, it heats up. No heat, no reaction, no polymer! Most epoxy resin kits on sale to the public only contain a small amount of curative. Rather than going to the bother of adding the recommended amount and mixing, mixing, mixing, people add curative to excess. Surprise, surprise, the stingy allowance in the tube is soon used up. Many customers resort to purloining someone else’s tube, so if you buy an popular Epoxy Resin kit from a large retailer, check that the product still has its little tube of curative. Alternatively, use low-melt solder! The electrical system needs specialist electrical solder. Epoxy resin will NOT do here as it is a polymer with high electrical resistance! The circuit is wired up ‘off-line’ so have no fear of melting the metal. Once assembled the electrics and gears are bolted into place and transmit drive to the axles through the jack shaft. If this has been assembled properly, all will be well.

The basic cab structure is assembled separately using slot-and-tab construction originally designed by David Sharp of Modern Outline Kits. Nickel-steel etched plates are folded up. These plates are all numbered on the ‘waste’ side of the etch. Do not cut out components until they are needed; otherwise you end up with a pile of USOs – unidentifiable sharp objects. After detaching a piece and before working it, draw a file over the underside edges which otherwise might give you a nasty cut. Wearing fine gloves may also help. The fold-lines are all indicated on the underside of the etch. When Malcolm has to make a right angle, he adapts his vice into a forming tool with two 15mm (6”) lengths of square 18mm ( ¾ “) angle. He lines up the fold-line, tightens the vice and then bends with care. The cab roof is gently curved and needs a different forming tool. Malcolm recommends a cloth folded up to form a generous pad. He also recommends practising on scrap brass or nickel silver before attacking the etch! As long as this done neatly, the plates can tabbed into each other and soldered. Low melt solder will do – even super-glue.

Proud owners of a 16mm Baldwin Gas Mechanical

There are things we believe to be beautiful, things we know to be useful and another category of precious stuff. These are our playthings. Don’t be misled by a word rooted in ‘play’. These ‘toys’ have stimulated curiosity, companionship, competition and rivalry. They bind together the events and processes of the world. They are prized objects which encapsulate a personal or national history. A model of a Baldwin Gas Mechanical, also known as a petrol locotractor, brings together two chapters of human history. Every knobble and bump tells a story. The battered prototype in this picture has many tales to tell. If you want to create new stories, you can run it on your layout. Otherwise you can keep it on display.

The Baldwin Gas Mechanical model is not beautiful in the conventional sense. It was made for running on a 32mm gauge layout with other models and with other Sixteen Millers. The model is accompanied by challenge, fun and companionship. We have been called the playful animal. Cubs and calves put off childish things when they enter the adult world; we don’t ever, quite. Running a model on a layout is fun. It also brings back a lost world, a world of conflict in the case of Baldwin Gas Mechanical. (First World War 1914-18) Once the war had ended, the BGM was repurposed for a world in flux. Beneath the fun, we are looking at a tribute and memorial. The original design for the Baldwin Gas Mechanical was created in 1916 during the 1914-18 War. In 1914, instead of a rapid invasion of Paris or Berlin, the combatants dug in along the Western Front. On each side of the Front, a million or so soldiers faced each other. The quantity of food, water ammunition etc required was mind-boggling. Given the technology of the time, the most practical means of transport was the portable railway with specially designed Prime Movers and wagons. Back in the 1880s, Prosper Péchot had devised a 60cm gauge system for the French Army. In 1888, the Péchot system was copied by the Germans and much developed.

The steam locomotives used in the 19th century soon proved unsuitable for trench war-fare, puffing out highly visible clouds of smoke in daylight and showers of sparks at night. Railway design rapidly looked to petrol power, electric and even, in a German locomotive, to diesel. Although the Eastern Front never had lengthy and extensive trench warfare, some narrow gauge petrol powered locomotives were needed. The USA was a power-house of internal combustion engines. The mighty Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, for instance, was relatively close to the thriving motor industries of Detroit. In 1916, some petrol-powered ‘locotractors’ were delivered to Russia. Soon after, the French Army ordered their own ‘locotracteurs’ to a slightly different design and to 60cm gauge, 600 units in all. The Wrightscale model seen above and below has used this design.

In April 1917, the USA entered the War. Among their first military orders were 126 Baldwin locotractors, known as Baldwin Gas Mechanicals, to the French design, and a further 65 more compact BGMs. The British never placed an order during the war but a very celebrated BGM made its way to Britain after the War. See below. Sadly we know of no surviving examples of the Russian design but a number of locotractors – Baldwin Gas Mechanicals – have survived. After 1919, surviving locomotives and rolling stock were sold off, to quarries, agricultural concerns such as sugar beet producers and manufacturers eg beet refineries. A celebrated BGM survives on the Ffestiniog preserved railway. It was originally acquired in the 1920s when the railway served slate quarries. It was re-engineered in the 1950s and given the name Moelwyn to celebrate the mountain Moelwyn Mawr, site of many quarries. The BGM in our first photograph was snapped by Malcolm at Tacots des lacs circa 2000. It was originally a US locomotive; you can tell, not just from the ‘U.S.A.’ painted on the side, but also the number 7108. Baldwin supplied 126 locotractors to this design to the AEF, numbered 7001 to 7126. The locomotive has had a hard life, losing its wheels and running gear as well as its chimney and lamps. Tacots des lacs (lakeside jalopies) was created by enthusiasts in flooded and abandoned sand workings. At the time, they had rescued a lot of 60cm gauge material as well as the BGM pictured – on the understanding that they were restored. In case you were asking, the battered locomotive standing behind is possibly a mash-up of locomotive parts. Eric Fresné describes just a chimera. Its lower part consisted of a steam chassis upon which was built a diesel loco. Malcolm fell in love with the locomotive preserved at Froissy, seen in a photo taken in the 1990s. Delivered by Baldwin to the French Army, it had already been lovingly restored to museum quality. It has long been designated a Monument de France.

For the reasons given above, he realised straightaway that a model would be a fine addition to a 16mm scale layout and he has been making them for roughly thirty years. The historians Stuart Baker, Eric Fresné, Dr Christian Cénac and Rich Dunn all have a soft spot for this piece of military hardware. See Richard Dunn ‘Narrow Gauge To No Man’s Land – US Army 60cm railways of the First World War in France’ Benchmark Press Eric Fresné ‘70 years of sugar beet railways in France’ LR Presse see especially page 103 Sarah Wright ‘Tracks To The Trenches’ Birse Press For images of Moelwyn search www.festipedia.org.uk

Colonel Péchot and modern issues

We listened with interest to the debate between EU Central purchasing and the NHS. The big debate is whether the Astra-Zeneca-Oxford COVID vaccine does more harm than good.This is typical of British people our age. To our minds, the side effects reported have been scanty in comparison with the benefits of having been vaccinated. There are some vaccine sceptics on this side of the Channel but more on the other. Relatively few French people have been vaccinated. At the same time, France has put the blame on vaccine manufacturers. ‘They have’ so the story goes, ‘exported the precious doses to Britain and deprived their own folk.’ Mmm. It is more complicated than that. Interestingly, there are echoes of what happened in the late 19th century. In order to redress what they saw as an imbalance, there was talk of commandeering the vaccines produced in their territory.

Between 1992 and 1888, a feud with certain similarities raged between two branches of the French Army. It was not vaccines at stake but national security. On one side were ranged the forces of the French Génie, their Sapppers. On the other were the French Artillerie, supporting one of their own, Prosper Péchot (pictured above just before he retired. For the full story, you can read ‘Colonel Péchot: Tracks To The Trenches’. The problem was ‘What if France were dragged into a war? How would all the supplies necessary for a modern army be dragged overland?’ The Sappers proposed to commandeer the rail, wagons and locomotives of the substantial metre gauge net-works being built in France. If these were relaid, they could supply the Army. The young Péchot proposed a special design of prefabricated 60cm (two foot) gauge track. It could be quickly laid on indifferent country lanes. A special design of wagon could go over this track, laden with every sort of supply from fresh water to large calibre guns. The picture below shows the special military locomotive which was designed soon after. Péchot was encouraged by Paul Decauville, specialist in industrial prefabricated railways. He knew what he what he was talking about but was naïve enough to cost his proposal.

Something somewhat similar happened in 2020. The enemy was not a foreign army but a minute virus. Short-term resistance to the threat was provided by locking down whole economies. Resistance long-term depended on finding an effective vaccine. In both the 19th and 21st century, genuine innovation was going to be needed. The theory of vaccination has been around for centuries. Dead or weakened pathogens were used to stimulate an immune response. The challenge in 2020 was to develop messenger RNA technology to trigger the response. The body itself produces the viral proteins needed to respond to the intruder. The virus was new and the technology was new. As with innovative military transport, potential costs were enormous. Enter the modern Péchot and Decauville. Roughly speaking, Professor Sarah Gilbert of the Oxford Jenner Institure, Pascal Soriot of Astra Zeneca and BioNTech researchers correspond to Péchot.

In the 19th century, Péchot used his squaddies to create and refine his innovative transport system. In the 21st, Jenner and BioNTech used their labs. They needed backing. Kate Bingham was more a financier but had some experience in speculative therapies. Her strategy was to ensure that these teams could work on several research projects. It was going to be expensive. Britain backed these projects offered by Pfizer-BioNTech, Astra-Zeneca/Oxford University and others. It was too important just to ‘let the market decide’ which therapies to back, test and prepare for use. The British tax-payer helped out. A lot of dedicated work and considerable outlay meant that in December 2020, the first British pensioners were rolling up their sleeves to be injected. The response from EU central purchasing is very like that of the 19th century Sappers. They decided to commandeer medicines from their native industries. The Pfizer-BioNTech jab is the workhorse of Europe’s faltering vaccination plan and is being manufactured in Belgium. Thus, they wanted to keep all the medicines for themselves - regardless of any existing contracts.

Copyright Malcolm Wright As with the 19th century Sappers, this plan was faulty. After the EU threatened to limit vaccine exports to the UK, observers pointed out that a factory based in Snaith, Yorks was producing a key ingredient. The messenger RNA which enables the vaccine to work has to be coated with lipid nanoparticles. Otherwise, the life-saver becomes just another poison. If one side were to commandeer resources, so could the other. Problems also arose for the French Army. When th emotherland was under attack, they fell back on their plan to commandeer narrow gauge railway material so that they could supply the Western Front. Although the Péchot System was officially adopted by the French Army, very little was made. In 1914, the Army found itself in urgent need of thousands of kilometres of track, wagons etc and did some commandeering from the civilian world. The drawing above, by Malcolm Wright shows a narrow gauge wagon, Type A used on the Tramways of Tarn,which was commandeered from the protesting railway company.The picture below shows a former station of the Tramway, at Lavaur. In a short time, all the stock had to be returned. The story is told in Tramways A Vapeur du Tarn.

The French Army scrabbled around for years playing catch-up. The Germans had watched the development of the Péchot System with interest and created their own version – same gauge, same design of wagon and at first almost the same design of locomotives. By the end of 1917, the French Army had, almost, caught up. See also www.research.ox.ac.uk Jamie Nimmo ‘Welcome to Snaith’ article in Sunday Times Business 28th March Colonel Péchot: Tracks To The Trenches Birse Press Tramways A Vapeur Du Tarn Oakwood Publishing

Wrightscale and ethically sourced products

Much has been said about buying from reputable suppliers – who respect their contractors and the environment. Items which are sourced responsibly are likely to offer a longer lifetime of service and to have better guarantees of workmanship. We can also use the ‘power of the purse’ to influence bad regimes and irresponsible suppliers.

Wrightscale WD Baldwin 4-6-0 in 16mm scale

Disappointingly, suppliers know the power of the purse. Rather than fix problems, they try to mislead their customers. The worse they treat their workers, the more likely they are to lie to the public. The Public Relations Department of Apple, for instance, have been caught out in blatant untruths about workers’ welfare (more in my next blog).

Don’t trust everyone!

Unfortunately, very little manufacturing remains in this country and so we are forced to source many of our purchases from abroad. In itself, this makes repair and recycling difficult and the transport involved requires much in the way of resources. It also makes it harder to check on the welfare of workers.

Where we can use the ‘power of the purse’ more effectively is in discretionary spending. We model railway enthusiasts know that many tempting products come from foreign sources. This usually means China where most of our model railway ‘names’ have arrangements with Chinese factories.

Another Wrightscale classic. Accept no imitations

Now it is true that most Chinese employees are quite well paid and can take foreign holidays or study abroad. They could choose to live away from Shanghai or Gwangzhou, but many of them actively like the ’buzz’ of a busy city. What we might find crowded, they consider normal and natural. They find rural Scotland or La France Profonde rather unnerving, preferring instead to spend their holidays in the crowds of Princes Street or Tottenham Court Road.

Unfortunately, we have to accept that this growing prosperity depends on a hidden army of cheap labourers. In China, as in other jurisdictions, this can mean prisoners. There have always been prisoners expiating ‘crimes against the state’ but recently, numbers have grown. A million Uighurs, and others, have gone for re-education. After this process, they are not released. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a sizeable fraction of this million are used in government labour transfer schemes. People are basically rented out to factories. These claims have been checked and, sadly, further organisations and their factories have been shown to use these tied hands..

Large western companies have been named and shamed – Sony, Volkswagen, Nike and Apple. Their PR departments aver that ‘thorough audits of workers’ welfare’ take place. TTP, a US human rights group has found a number of embarrassing documents, even film clips online. These suggest an uncomfortable truth about some of the workers producing items for these big ‘names’. Many are badly treated and company audits are not thorough.

Wrightscale products are made in a clean and airy environment

Complete 100% auditing is difficult, even for a large company. There is more in a further blog.

Many smaller companies, including manufacturers of 16mm scale models have also outsourced their manufactures to China. Given that some of these companies are run by a small number of executives, not chosen for their language skill, can we trust them to take care of workers in a foreign country?

As suggested before, the upper, above-surface layers of these manufacturies consist of well-qualified employees. These would be the managers, purchasers and sales-force. The stratum below would also be skilled and well paid. These are the designers and tool-makers. Because this skilled elite is not numerous, there is competition for their services; their pay and conditions rise steadily.

I have a great respect for this elite. Much of their production is quite excellent. Unfortunately, they can apply their talents of reverse engineering in unfortunate ways. More in another blog.

It will be the assembly-line workers, cleaners and packers who are more likely to be badly treated. If I were a factory manager, these are the jobs I’d give to the ‘labour transfer’ scheme. The welfare of these workers would be the responsibility of the Chinese state, not me.

In an environment of fear and oppression, it is hard to enforce quality control. From personal experience, many items of Chinese manufacture look alright but fail after a few hours of use. If a customer complained, a new one would be supplied – up until about five years ago, without question.

As the cost of imports gradually increases, retailers are becoming less obliging. If the item was out of warranty, then too bad. In real terms, it didn’t cost much.  As these items have been bought so cheaply, we probably don’t complain often enough. We have lost the habit.

Many railway model producers ‘off-shored’ their manufacture to China.  To their credit, one or two such as DAPOL plan to bring production back to Europe.

Most Wrightscale production takes place in our workshop where recycling and workers’ welfare can be personally supervised. (More in a further blog)

We try without being trying! 

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute ASPI is based in AUSTRALIA

The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) is based in the USA