Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i British Railway Modelling (BRM)

By far the most challenging structure was the station building, surprisingly complex for a small terminus. It dated from the opening, but in 1896 a ticket office extension was added at the rear, a stroke of luck, as those later architects’ drawings have survived. From the left is the Ticket Office and Waiting Room, a Ladies Room and, beyond the main building, the Gentlemen’s. The separate tall building had a porters’ room and above, accessed only by a ladder, was a water tank. Construction was of brick with a timber framework, with inset brick panels in alternative red and white bricks laid diagonally. Upper panels were plaster-filled and the lower ones of flint. I constructed the structure in 120 thou Plastikard for strength, with timber framing from Evergreen strip. Some…

Way back in 2011, Winchester Railway Modellers had an influx of new members and we decided to start something new to develop skills and harness existing knowledge. We figured we could shoehorn a small end-to-end layout into our already crowded club rooms. The team started to bat around ideas and realised the existing large OO gauge layout wasn’t serving our needs and was never likely to get to exhibition standard. It was time to move it on and reuse the space. Time to 'go large' with our plans. Several proposals for locations and eras were put forward by members and we had more than enough ideas. A few of the members had been perusing the Quail maps of the southern region and came across some oddball track formations at Redbridge…

Even today, Redbridge is quite a busy place and, in the era we usually exhibit, depicting 1966/67, there was a great variety of movements. Like most club layouts, we rely on members to provide stock. Luckily, we have some expert rolling stock modellers. All the locomotives are proprietary items, though many have been detailed and weathered and most are sound-fitted. For coaching stock, we have a number of proprietary items along with some 'top notch' kit-bash and custom build rakes like the Bournemouth Belle and a fine range of Bulleids. It's not often you come across a modified Gresley restaurant car in BR Southern green! At exhibitions, we try to run trains that reflect actual train movements for the period. From our many hours of research, we have come across…

Announcing that a high-speed passenger train was to be inaugurated in 1956 between Edinburgh and London, leaving both capital cities at 4pm each weekday - except Saturday - aroused a great deal of interest and favourable comment from railway enthusiasts of the day. Such a service was particularly attractive for the business community. This new train created real railway history as it was, at the time, the fastest-ever winter timing since the 'Coronation', which ran during the 1937/'39 high-speed era of the LNER. The link with the pre-War 'Coronation' train is very much a physical one, as 'The Talisman' used some of the former coaches in its consist. All the coaches of this set were painted in the standard BR maroon livery outside. There was accommodation for 62 first-class and…

One way to tackle the plastic problem facing mankind is simply not to throw away plastic products that are already in existence. We also need to adopt a ‘Repair Shop’ attitude and start to bring older items back to life. There are many model railway items that could be reused with a bit of time and attention. Often these items have had a full life. They may well be unboxed, damaged or stored in dusty conditions. Perhaps they have been played with by children. As long as they are not too far gone, they can be turned into quality items ready for deployment next to the latest accessories. Reusing old items can be an interesting exercise, bring a sense of achievement and provide something unique for your railway. The changes…

While we patiently wait for Bachmann’s OO9 Quarry Hunslets to arrive (which won’t be long now), the staff sprung a surprise upon us in the Winter 2022 British Railway Announcements, showing a completed model of the Penhryn Quarry ‘Mainline’ 0-4-0 Hunslet tanks. We received the review sample the next day and stock will arrive in shops within a matter of weeks. The story of these particular locomotives starts with Charles, named after the son of the second Baron Penrhyn, built in 1882 by the Hunslet Engine Company of Leeds, to haul loaded trains from the foot of the inclines of the Penrhyn, or Bethesda, Quarry which, at that time, was the largest slate quarry in the world along the 1ft 10¾in gauge line some six miles to Port Penrhyn, just…

The MHA ballast/spoil box wagons were built using redundant HAA underframes by RFS(E) Doncaster in 1997. An initial order for 250 extended in increments of batches of 250 wagons, until eventually over 1,150 were converted using two distinct body styles. Early examples wore the fish-kind name 'Coalfish', as were other MHA and MPA 46T two-axle spoil wagons, and some are still in use today with DB. Accurascale has produced four packs of three wagons, two packs with EWS branding (as delivered) and two with later DB markings suitable for use from 2009 onwards. If modelling trains after that date, it’s permissible to mix the packs as the EWS logos still appeared for several years. These wagons differ from Hornby’s MHA by the number of vertical strengtheners on the side of…

Over a cup of tea at a recent meeting of the Heart of England Railway Modellers group - a lovely, friendly event hosted by 7mm Narrow Gauge area group - we were chatting to the owner of ‘Amery Hill Quarry’. The layout is a simple model, about 3ft x 2ft in size. You can probably work out from the photograph that trains collect their stone load from a conveyor belt at the top of the hill, then descend via a spiral until they reach a quayside at the bottom. A wagon tippler then dumps the stone into a waiting barge. Now empty, the train heads back up the hill. It’s a simple enough sequence, but one that has entertained people for more than 40 years. No clever operation, simply load…

I grew up in Mid-Sussex, travelling by train to school in Brighton in the 1950s. The Brighton Works 'Terrier' in full Stroudley livery made a lasting impression and I did a little volunteering on the Bluebell Line prior to its opening, before a family move far away from Sussex. My preference has always been to model a specific prototype – in the early 1970s, my first working layout was 'Fittleworth' on the Midhurst branch in EM gauge. A through station needs two fiddle yards, unless the layout is circular, and both require a lot of space in 7mm:1ft scale. I looked for a possible LBSCR terminus to model, but those in Sussex were far too large, with the exception of the Dyke. This had a lovely Downland setting, but offered…

BRM: When was the HRCA formed? Nicholas: April 1969, when Hornby ceased production of its O gauge trains. My late father was one of the founder members, number 15, and as a child, I was 15a. My mother is now number 15, and having got a little older, I now hold membership number 16. We are the longest serving members. BRM: Presumably, when the HRCA was formed, it was intended to serve the needs of the O gauge, and Dublo enthusiasts? Nicholas: Not quite. Initially, only O gauge was supported, and when it was suggested that Dublo be included, some members disagreed! Now, however, we cover both Dublo, and the French Acho system. Our only limit is that we are only interested in models produced in Liverpool. We leave the…

One of my favourite childhood memories is from the early-1970s with my dad watching the trains passing by on the WCML, at a place called Stableford, near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire. I can still hear the rails singing and the fence wires rattling as an AL1 roared by, resplendent in BR blue with Mk.1 and Mk.2 coaches in tow. To recreate this memory in OO gauge, there are two ready-to-run options. Firstly, the model produced by Tri-ang-Hornby, which to my eye sits too high on its bogies and does not truly capture the 'look' of an AL1. Second is the Trix/Liliput model, which to me, looks more like the prototype and is thus a good contender for upgrading. There is a third Hornby Dublo model, but this is based on an…

With more than a dozen new tooling or product upgrade projects already delivered during 2022, Bachmann Europe's Winter British Railway Announcements sees a trio of new tooling projects unveiled for delivery this year, along with further product upgrades and new liveries for existing models from Bachmann Branchline and Graham Farish. The new items can be purchased from Bachmann stockists, with the first release from the Winter 2022 British Railway Announcements due to arrive with stockists as this issue went to press. For OO9 For OO For N gauge New tooling from EFE New tooling has been created for Bachmann’s EFE Rail range. Unveiled during its 2022 winter announcements and building on the success of the EFE Rail 00 scale ‘Gate Stock’ coaches, new LSWR cross country coaches have been developed…

In the flurry of new models to arrive this month for review, here’s one that's really caught my attention. It was early 2020 when The Model Centre (TMC) revealed its plans for the commissioning of exclusive OO gauge models of the first five production Class 45 'Peak’ locomotives, from manufacturer, Heljan. These were produced alongside Heljan’s standard ‘later’ version models of the Class, a sample for which has also been kindly sent for review in next month’s issue. TMC’s exclusive models were expected to be released alongside Heljan's in late-2020, but we know how most of our plans for 2020 went… Brief history The first five locomotives - later becoming Class 45 under TOPS - were released to traffic as D11 - D15 and had detail differences to the remainder…

Rapido Trains has fulfilled its promise to deliver two new South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SECR) vehicles. Unveiled earlier this year, to join its growing range of rolling stock for 4mm:1ft scale/ OO gauge, its new Diagram 1426 van and Diagram 1744 ballast wagon have been sent for review. The models share the same 9ft 6in underframe as its previously announced five- and seven-plank open wagons. The two-plank opens, as used by the permanent way, are available in 11 liveries, spanning their SECR, SR and BR careers. Such was their long lifespan, that it was as late as 1971 that the last wagons were officially withdrawn from the network by BR, making them among the last of the pre-grouping items in the Southern Region CCE’s fleet. There are no tooling…

Planet Industrials may be a new name for many, but it has a history of provision for names and accessories for industrial locomotives under its Narrow Planet genesis and, more recently, for kits for industrials. This model of a Kerr, Stuart and Company 0-6-0 ‘Victory’ tank is its first ready-to-run model, and it’s a fantastic opener from the owners, Stephen Fulljames and James Hilton. A small class of 10 industrial locomotives may seem a niche choice of prototype for a new manufacturer, but the ‘Victory’ portrays a class that started life under the Railway Operating Department during World War One and ended life in the late 1960s at South Wales’ collieries. Kerr Stuart built the locomotives in 1917 at its California works in Stoke-onTrent for the Inland Waterways and Docks…

TECHNIQUES Coniferous trees are common in the United Kingdom and where they are present, they are often found in abundance. They have integrated themselves into the landscape so much that some organisations, such as The National Trust, HAVE A POLICY TO REMOVE THEM, SO THEY DON’T crowd out native species. All except the larch are evergreen and add wonderful colour to layouts set in winter. These trees from Primo Models are some of the best I've seen, being very realistic, and although model trees are always going to be delicate, they are very well made. I painted the toadstools as fly agaric, which are common around pine trees in autumn. Top Tips Pine trees: Only the Scots Pine is native to Britain, but many others have been introduced, mostly during…

A question often asked is “what is the best way to wire a turnout for DCC?” Like most questions, in our hobby there is no straight answer to this. One of the first things to consider is what type of turnout you have. Dead frog - Sometimes called Insulfrog. The crossing 'V' of the turnout is made of plastic and there is no electrical connection between the moving 'switch blades' and the crossing wing rails. The diverging rails are also not connected to each other. Hornby Set Track turnouts are a good example of this. Live frog - where the crossing 'V' and diverging rails are electrically connected and all parts of the crossing carry current to the locomotive. All hand-built turnouts and Peco Electrofrogs are constructed like this. Peco…

At exhibitions the layout is usually operated by five people - the signaller (controlling all mainline movements), an up driver, a down driver and two shunting the works. If we have enough operators, we have another body out front engaging with the public (retrieving derailed stock!). We operate to a sequence that is defined in a spreadsheet with the train descriptions and DCC addresses of the locomotives in another. The instructions for the operators are built dynamically as HTML webpages from these spreadsheets and displayed on screens at the rear of the layout. The signaller advances through the sequence as each move is completed. The displays mean the operators can easily see what they are required to do and which DCC address they should use. If we have a locomotive…

You never know what you can do until you try. When it was suggested to me that I should add lights to a 4mm:1ft scale Bedford OB bus, I wondered if this was actually possible, like many older prototypes, the headlights are in pods either side of the radiator. This doesn't give much space to work, and the thin supporting stalks aren't ideal for hiding wires. My first thought was to make something with fibre-optic cable. Actually, my first thought was to hide the model and hope everyone had forgotten about it - no such luck! I thought that I might be able to melt the plastic into a headlight-shaped blob. As it happens, this didn't work at all, but I still think the method has potential, so I'll look…

Lord Cransley’s middle son, Henry, who had served in the trenches of the Great War, was so appalled by the injuries he had witnessed, that on his return home he vowed to do something to help and rehabilitate wounded men. To begin with, he purchased a quantity of narrow gauge equipment repatriated from France and laid a line from the estate yard to the village of Cransley in one direction and Fox End village in the other, a distance of seven and a quarter miles. Several buildings at the Manor House were converted into early rehabilitation facilities for the injured men to retrain with new skills. This little line speeded up the collection and distribution of the estate's various farms and market gardens, with produce being sent to Cransley Station…

New bogie box wagons have arrived from Revolution Trains for 2mm:1ft scale / N gauge. Previously manufactured for 4mm:1ft scale in 2019, its well-received JNA/MMA wagons seemed a logical choice to scale down for modellers of the smaller scale, given their now widespread use on the network with a variety of operators. Introduced in 2016, more than 500 JNA/ MMA ‘EALNOS’ bogie box wagons are in service across the network. The prototype has two main types - wagons in operation with DB and Tarmac having nine bodyside ribs, while the remainder has 11 ribs. Within both types, some also have small bodyside doors to aid cleaning out the inside. Some have parking brake wheels on the lower edge of the body, while some have it on the bogie at one…