Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i British Railway Modelling (BRM)

LAYOUT | 00 | BARRIHANDIE It is 2018, and the members of the Wirral and North Wales Model Railway Group were I relaxing in their clubroom over mugs of tea and the mandatory chocolate biscuits when one of the members spoke up, “It's about time we started a new 4mm 00 gauge layout”. After a few more cups of tea and even more chocolate biscuits, the challenge was taken up. Various ideas were put forward. Light Railway Layout Designs by that much-missed modelling guru, Iain Rice, was perused. In his book, a fictitious railway terminus called ‘Gairloch’ was found, based on a location somewhere in north west Scotland, complete with a harbour scene. With thoughts of sound-chipped Class 37s and 26s, boats and trawlers, all that spectacular scenery, and not…

Name: David Westwood Age: 73 Number of years modelling: Over 60 First layout: First exhibition layout was called ‘Claydon’, but that was over 20 years ago. My very first permanent one was when I was 13 or 14 but its name is lost in the mists of time, if indeed it ever had one. Favourite era/region: All my layouts have been based in the early-'60s and are BR Western Region. Favourite locomotive: Anything that produces steam and smells of hot oil, but I do have a soft spot for one I used to see regularly in my trainspotting days, 4073 Totnes Castle. I was born and brought up in the West Midlands but for the last 30 years have lived just north of Leicester. I was always interested in railways…

OVER 70 quid for a static grass applicator? That's the sort of figure that makes many modellers decide the technique is not for them. However, how does £6 for 50 grass tufts sound? Well, using your static grass tool, you can make that many, saving some cash towards the purchase of the applicator. Better still, you can customise them to suit your needs. For manufacturing reasons, commercial tufts all tend to be the same size and shape. Real tufts are all different, just like homemade versions. And you can use the same colour fibres on the rest of your layout, so the tufts blend in perfectly. Making your own tufts is quick and easy. It's also a great way to use up static grass left over from other projects, keeping…

THERE IS an excellent range of ready-to-deploy vehicles these days, but there are times when you want to tailor a vehicle and add your own graphics. For the garage scene I am building, I need some vehicles that are bespoke so that I can depict the corporate image of the company. I will also show how to adapt a vehicle while retaining the existing livery and how to portray a commercial vehicle adapted for leisure use. This will be achieved using waterslide transfers. The first job is to remove any existing decals, although if possible, try to obtain a plain vehicle if you can. White, undecorated vehicles are commonly sold. Next, vehicles will have decals added and then they will be finished with some weathering. The gloss finish of the…

LAST MONTH, we started the build of the LCUT Creative ‘Small Drive Through Goods Shed’ by adding brick interior walls out of Slater's Plastikard, before putting together the goods platform and the main elevations to create the basic shell of the building. This month, we'll be doing some scratch-building and adding roof trusses, as well as creating a completely different style of canopy to that from the original kit. That will enable us to firmly plant the building, in this case, as an example found on the Southern Railway. PLANNING IN ADVANCE Before creating roof trusses, we'll need a plan! On the wall without apertures, the roof trusses will sit only on the new, inner brick wall. On the platform side, the trusses will extend through both walls to support…

By the time of my photography, South Yorkshire was in the grip of a decline of its traditional mining and heavy industries with dereliction all around. Personally, I found this a shame as the rail movements associated with these industries had either gone or were on their last legs. Collieries were closing all the time. In its heyday, photographers were quite active in the area, but by my time, few people with a camera visited north of Masborough station. Heading west from Conisbrough, the former Great Central Railway (GCR) line to Sheffield closely follows the canal and river navigation between Doncaster and Sheffield, and this could present opportunities but also restrict lineside access. In the mid-1980s, the Swinton Curve linking the GCR route at Mexborough to the Midland line at…

This layout was originally conceived as a joint venture with Peter Korrison (sadly no longer with us), Richard Barton and myself to produce a portable layout to take out to the occasional exhibition. There had been many wagon builders and wagon repair works all over the country. When we were planning the trackplan, we hadn't fixed on a location, but much of the inspiration had come from an article in the December 1972 Model Railway about the wagon repair works in Radstock, Somerset. We also drew on pictures in the series of books by Bill Hudson on private owner wagons featuring Charles Roberts’ wagon works. In the end, the location was fixed on South Wales, where there had been numerous wagon works, building and servicing the fleets of private owner…

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new railway modelling exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. The National Festival of Railway Modelling will take place over the weekend of November 23 & 24, 2024. The new show is being organised by Warners Group Publications, which has a rich history of producing the UK's best model railway shows. The company already organises The London Festival of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace, The Festival of British Railway Modelling in Doncaster and the Bristol Model Railway Exhibition. As well as the three leading shows, the company also publishes British Railway Modelling magazine (BRM), Narrow Gauge World, Garden Rail and Traction, plus websites World-of-Railways.co.uk and RMweb.co.uk. Details are still being confirmed, but the team organising The National Festival of…

The ‘Twins’, Nos. 10000 and 10001, were the first main line diesel locomotives built in Britain, and this iconic duo is now reproduced in N scale for the first time. Claiming an impressive specification, the new Graham Farish model includes a coreless motor with twin flywheels driving all axles, all-wheel electrical pick-up, a Next18 DCC decoder interface and pre-fitted speaker, and sound-fitted options for every model. The models are fitted with working headcode marker lights at each end, with the option to select either passenger or freight headcodes – with additional headcodes available when used on DCC. Cab lights are also available to DCC users, while the directional lights can be turned off at each end when operated on both DCC and Analogue Control. The ‘Twins’ operated between 1947 and…

Dapol's design team is currently reviewing the 1st shots and preparing comments to help the factory make any necessary improvements. Expected to be in stores by autumn 2024, one area that is being particularly scrutinised by the team at Dapol is the pantographs. Specification: • Detailed body and roof with extra fitted detail items • 5-pole Super Creep motor with slow running speed • All-wheel drive and pick-up • Posable/non-functional) High-Speed and Cross-Arm pantographs (as appropriate) • Accessory bag with optional fitted parts Proposed liveries: • 2D-087-001 Class 87 Hal'o'the Wynd 87031 BR Blue • 2D-087-002 Class 87 Iron Duke 87017 Intercity Swallow • 2D-087-003 Class 87 Robert Burns 87035 Virgin Trains • 2D-087-004 Class 87 87022 DRS • 2D-087-005 Class 87…

The new Class 31 (and Class 30) locomotives follow in the footsteps of the all-new Class 47 from Bachmann Branchline, which was first released in 2021. With the Class 47, Bachmann introduced two brand new innovations to the British market – these being the first models to feature a motorised fan system and the first to have glazing that is specially treated to replicate the tinting of the prototype's windscreens. These features adorn the top-of-the-range sound-fitted deluxe models and with the new Class 31, Bachmann has added another new feature to its deluxe format models – and another brand-new innovation never before seen on a British-outline model – automatic DCC uncoupling. Bachmann's Auto-Release Coupling System is fitted as standard to all sound-fitted deluxe models and this DCC-operated feature provides handsfree…

The 80/88DS class was introduced by Ruston & Hornsby of Lincoln in 1938, with the first 16 of these small four-wheel chain-driven diesel mechanical locomotives being powered by Ruston's 80 bhp 4VPO four-cylinder engine. Subsequent locomotives in the class, of which there were 255, had the more powerful 88 bhp Ruston 4VPB or 4VPHL engines, which used compressed air admitted directly into the cylinders for starting. While the locomotive was running, a reservoir was charged to 300 psi via the braking system although, after a long period out of use, the reservoir had to be charged by a small donkey engine and separate compressor. This was located behind the distinctive raised cover on the right-hand side of the locomotive engine compartment of the 88DS. The 88DS also had a new…

We were in Barrihandie on our way to a holiday on the Western Isles of Scotland. The port of Barrihandie is a jumping-off point for ferry crossings to the Hebridean Islands off the west coast of Scotland. A sudden low-pressure weather front had blown in from the Atlantic, and our ferry was cancelled. So, while waiting for the weather to improve, we found ourselves in the public bar of the town's Pier Hotel. In the corner of the bar was an old chap nursing his measure of whisky and a half pint. He introduced himself to us. It turned out he was a lifelong resident of the town, and had spent all his life working locally on the railway. We had never been to Barrihandie before, and it seemed a…

Get involved and visit rmweb.co.uk/topic/156891-showus-yours-realisticmodelling/ and post your pictures A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY The Romford Model Engineering Club was established in 1934 and is one of the first Model Engineering clubs in the British Isles and this year we celebrate our 90th anniversary. Just prior to WW11, it built the first continuous model railway track in the country and has continued to operate at various locations in the Havering area. Our present track, some 830ft in length, is situated at Ardleigh Green, Hornchurch, and is probably one of the most picturesque track sites as it is located in a small wood with the track winding through the trees. As a club, we are not solely railwayorientated, and probably our greatest pleasure is derived from our twicemonthly meetings. Held on the first and…

TOOL of the MONTH Engineers’ Square Neat modelling is modelling that looks good. Since very few of us can judge a right angle by eye, a square to check things is a good idea. I use them for everything, although probably not as often as I should! Buildings, chassis, even fence posts, the number of uses is huge. A three-inch square is a good first choice, but other sizes have their uses too, which is why most people own more than one. Ask Phil What's your number one tip for ballasting? At shows, everyone seems to be asking about ballasting at the moment. Mostly, they know the basics but are unhappy with the results. Now, the job isn't difficult, but some practice is a good idea, so don't start work on the…

BRIDGE WEATHERING is one thing that tends to be prominent to pedestrians in towns and cities when the pavement passes under bridges. It is often quite dramatic, as substances leach from the building materials and adjacent earthwork. It isn't quite so visible on a model, but is important for completeness and because it is a nice effect to mimic. Acrylic paint is used throughout and is essential if you use the chipping fluid technique illustrated as it won't work with other paint such as enamel. TOP TIP: When weathering with powders, cut the bristles down with scissors to aid precision. Stiff-haired bristles tend to be more robust. 1 Start with an overall dark brown colour. Dab on progressively lighter shades of brown using a piece of sponge held with tweezers. Twist…

IN 1937, Richard Maunsell designed a class of diesel shunter for the Southern Railway so that its performance could be compared with the steam shunting locomotives of the day. Three locomotives were built and put to use in Norwood yard in South London. In WW2, all three shunters were commandeered by the War Department to ferry guns and ammunition to coastal batteries near Dover since, being diesel-fuelled, they would not give away the battery locations to the enemy. All three locomotives survived into BR ownership, as Class D3/12, and operated on the Southern and Western Regions. They were withdrawn in 1964 and, unfortunately, scrapped thereafter. 1 Golden Arrow Models has for some time offered a 4mm resin kit for the D3/12 shunter body, originally designed to fit the Lima Class…

Welcome to this issue of Traction in British Railway Modelling. As usual, we have a variety of articles written by railwaymen, historians and enthusiasts. In this issue, we look at the problems of running the HSTs over the steep inclines in Devon, those often-neglected diesel shunters, diesel locos at work in South Yorkshire and an enthusiast's journeys with his school's railway club. As always, we welcome contributions to Traction and, if you have an idea for a future article, please get in touch with me by email. It's your magazine after all! steverabone@hotmail.com…

In the early days, there was no option but to be accommodated in bunk rooms, whereas in later I years it was possible to reside in individual seating. ‘The Royal Highlander’ may not have the luxury and glamour of the more famous ‘Orient Express’, but the atmosphere created by this ‘special’ train can more than match a departure from Istanbul! It may not be the setting for Agatha Christie's ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ – and as far as I am aware, no-one was ever murdered on the ‘Royal Highlander – but it is no less evocative a scene than the one portrayed in fiction. Artist Philip D Hawkins has captured so well on canvas the precise atmosphere that would shortly reach a crescendo prior to departure as the high-pressure…

Accurascale's tooling suite of Mk. 1 suburban coaches allows modellers to recreate a rake of these workhorses for the first time in a ready-to-run format. With the first batch of carmine and blue coaches nearing completion at the factory and due in stock in quarter two of this year, Accurascale can turn its attention to the maroon coaches. Accurascale is offering the Midland Region BS, C, S and SO in Maroon, with and without lining. The lined Midland vehicles typically carried their lining lower than the BR spec, to match against the lined Stanier stock. Accurascale will also be covering the Scottish Region, with a BS, C and S in Maroon, all lined, but in BR and Stanier positions. Being based on circa 1962 photos, the First Class yellow stripe…

Having examined the OO GWR Castle and LNER A1 representatives of Hornby's centenary celebrations of the Big Four, it's now the turn of the LMS’ representative in the form of Fowler's highly-successful 2-6-4T. Hornby is in a bit of a quandary with regard to which loco they choose to be the LMS’ representative to celebrate the Big Four because, whereas the GWR Castle and LNER A1 (and the SR's King Arthur) all were the top link express passenger locos for their respective companies in 1923, what did (does) Hornby make as an equivalent; the Compound? A very long-inthetooth model by today's standards and nowhere in the same league as the others. Not only that, the 2-6-4T was not built until 1927, some four years after the Grouping, so it will…

Due to retirement, the popular manufacturer of etch brass kits in N, 3mm, OO, O and On30 ceased trading at the end of February. After 32 years in the business, and countless exhibition appearances, Nick Tilson has decided to retire from the etched parts business. Sadly, despite efforts to sell the firm as a going concern, there were no takers. Last orders could be placed until 28th February, with the final day being 29th February. We wish Nick all the best and hope he enjoys a long and happy retirement.…

Wessex Wagons has revealed several limited-edition wagons that are now available for customers to order. The new models come boxed with a numbered certificate and the prices below do not include postage. Wessex Wagons is currently running a special offer where if you buy five wagons, you only pay the postage for four. (No. 446a) LMS/SDJR Loco Coal 5 Plank wagon No. 358377 (available pristine and weathered) - £16 (£16.50 weathered) (No. 447) Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway - £18 (No. 448) Wadworth Brewery of Devizes - £18 (No. 445) H & G Simonds Ltd - Seven Bridges Brewery of Reading - £18 (No. 441) London & South Western Railway No.4275. 5 plank open wagon - £16 (No. 443) Lakemans Brewery of Brixham. Van No. 1 - £18 (No. 438)…

EDITOR'S COMMENT When the last issue went to press, we were very busy gearing up for our Doncaster show, The Festival of British Railway Modelling 2024. It was a great weekend, with around 5,500 thousand railway fans through the door across the two days. If you went along, I hope you had a fantastic weekend – we certainly did! The show season is well and truly started, and we have two more great events happening over the next few months, The London Festival of Railway Modelling (March 16-17th) and The Bristol Model Railway Exhibition (May 1-3rd), we hope to see you there. Also announced at our Doncaster show was the HUGE news that we will be putting on a new show at the NEC in Birmingham in November – The…

When the line from Swindon to Gloucester was built, Burdock never had a station, despite vigorous campaigning by local farmers and businesses. The farmers were particularly aggrieved because they were looking forward to not having to travel to Chalford or Stroud to collect feed or take animals to market. This situation may have continued had not a Gloucestershire MP bought the Manor House in Burdock. He immediately began lobbying for a station so he could travel more easily to London. It also helped that he was on the board of the GWR. As a result, in 1872, in conjunction with the conversion from broad gauge, Burdock finally got its station. Only a halt to begin with, but the village was growing and, as new businesses opened up, there was an…

THIS LINESIDE store is typical of those found all over the railway system from steam and into diesel eras. It is a small kit and ideal for trying out new ideas. When perusing the assembly instructions, I noticed they contained a picture of the real thing in a dilapidated state and decided that, with some modification, the kit could be made to depict the structure in this condition. Principally, this involves making changes to the roof to model missing slates and reveal more of the underlying roof structure. To speed construction up, and to allow fitment of a modified roof, I did things in a different order to the instructions. I used PVA glue throughout and acrylic paint. The kit builds into a realistic model, although I would prefer it…

The Achilles’ heel of the HST set working on one engine was its ability to climb gradients. Brunel had brilliant foresight when he surveyed his ‘billiard table’ route for the original route between London and Bristol. But when he moved further west and was involved with the South Devon Railway, the topography presented a whole new set of problems. Always the innovator, his preferred option for working over the severe gradients between Exeter and Plymouth was the atmospheric railway using a piston in a tube between the rails to assist forward progress by sucking trains along into a partial vacuum. Its downfall was the lack of materials and technology available at the time. The slot in the tube, which allowed the piston to be attached to the locomotive, needed an…

Originally, there were four 0-4-0 diesel mechanical machines, built by Andrew Barclay, introduced in early 1956, numbered as 11503 to 11506, and allocated to Stratford in East London. They were intended for use on the local dock lines, where the short wheelbase made them ideally suited to the tight curves. Between March 1959 and July 1961, they were renumbered D2953 to D2956. A fifth locomotive, different in minor detail from the original four (for example it had metal cab doors instead of wooden), originally Departmental No. 81, was renumbered as D2956 after the original D2956 (ex 11506) was withdrawn. Under the National Traction Plan, this small non-standard class of shunters was an obvious candidate for early withdrawal, but two locomotives (D2954 and D2955), in use on the Holyhead Breakwater Tramway,…

BRM AWARDS 2024 The full results, including a full detailed breakdown of your votes, can be found at RMweb.co.uk…

LAYOUT | 009 | LLANFAIR CAEREINION The reasons people model railways are many and various, a frequent one is trying to reproduce the railway you remember from your youth. Which, in my case, would mainly consist of Westerns on the Berks and Hants line, followed by seeing them being cut up at Swindon during my apprenticeship there. My personal motivation is trying to recreate a railway scene that has long since gone. This has, however, led to rather a lot of layouts, I'm currently up to eight, mainly Irish but with two Welsh and one Scottish layout just for variety. All of them are exhibition layouts as I enjoy building more than operating. This is also partially so I finish things as, without the deadline of an exhibition, I often…

Revolution Trains is offering the Class 320 and 321 Electric Units in 00 gauge, having previously produced these trains in N, after extensive lobbying from 4mm enthusiasts in both England and Scotland. The models will be available in a variety of liveries and will feature directional lighting, DC Silent and DCC versions with sound and working deployable (though not conducting) pantograph. CAD work is underway, and order books will be open soon. The models are likely to be priced in line with Revolution's other 00 unit models at around £300 for the 3-car Class 320 and £350 for the 4-car Class 321, with DCC Sound costing around £100 extra.…

Rapido Trains will be expanding its range of OO Gauge wagons, with the first-ever Caledonian Railway wagon diagram to be produced in ready-to-run, the Caledonian Railway Dia.67 Van. The OO Gauge Caledonian Railway Dia.67 Van features external and underframe details, including brass bearings, NEM coupling pockets, and tooling covers two different wheel styles, Morton hand brakes, duel or vacuum fitted brakes, and three different axlebox and spring arrangements. Liveries include the eye-catching Caledonian wagon oxide for the pre-grouping examples, several LMS and BR variants, and a selection of popular private owner brands, such as Cadbury, NCB, PLA, and RNAD. Priced at £34.95, the new models are currently in the design phase, with order books open and available directly from Rapido or its official retailers.…

Accurascale has revealed the decorated samples of the Andrew Barclay tank engines, which it had taken over following the closure of Hattons. The decorated samples of these colourful tank locomotives have been assessed by the Accurascale engineering department and compared to photographs of the real locomotives, as well as the decoration templates created by Hattons for each locomotive. Accurascale noted on the NCB locomotive that the buffer shanks need to be black instead of red, and the handbrake centre section should be blue, not black. On the Caledonia Works locomotive, the lining on the cylinders does not extend to the full length of the cylinder, so this will also be corrected. Efficient also has some lining quirks that needed correcting, including placement on the tank sides, the thickness and again…

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society has commissioned its own OO scale model of 37403 from Accurascale. It will be produced as it has run since 2016, in British Rail large logo livery with centre headcode, original tail lights, cast bogies and western-style lamp brackets. The new model will be delivered in special Scottish Railway Preservation Society packaging and will be available in DCC-ready format with a 21-pin DCC socket, or with Accurascale's Accurathrash sound fitted. Priced at £169.99 for DCC ready and £259.99 for DCC sound, with postage and packaging extra. It can be pre-ordered from The Scottish Railway Preservation Society and is due for delivery by the end of 2025.…

Squires has added the kits and accessories from DJH Model Loco to its range. Roger Lewis of Squires said, “I am sure many will have heard the sad news that DJH Group Ltd is closing down and ceasing all manufacturing. I am very pleased to say that Squires is purchasing the assets of DJH Model Loco Ltd. This includes the tooling, masters, CADs, original drawings, etc., to produce the ranges previously offered, including the O Gauge, OO and HO ranges and the Motor and Gearboxes that DJH produced. We wish to continue the ready-to-run range of O Gauge locomotives and to also offer the bespoke building service as currently offered by DJH.”…