Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Garden Rail

Like quite a few others in our hobby, I’ve owned a 3D printer for a number of years and used it to produce parts for my locos, rolling stock along with bits and pieces for the side of the line. It’s also been used to make a host of other things not related to model railways, varying from toys for the grandchildren through to replacement enclosures for ZX Spectrum Microdrives. The book that started me in 3D printing is Laser Cutting and 3-D Printing for Railway Modellers, which I bought and read avidly from cover to cover back in 2017 and quickly decided 3D printing was for me. However, laser cutting was not something I considered, simply because a laser cutter requires both water cooling and smoke extraction, which was…

The London & North Western Railway was known as the premier line, being the largest railway company in Britain before the 1923 grouping, which saw it become part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway. Tanks and columns of these designs were to be found throughout the LNWR system, at platform ends, in loco depots and goods yards. They remained in use until the end of the British Railways steam era. The models are based upon the drawings in LNWR Portrayed by Jack Nelson (Peco Publications, 1975). Water Tank These 2000-gallon tanks used standard parts and were configured to suit a variety of locations. Files are provided to enable single and twin outlet types to be modelled, with either straight or cranked pipes. Brick bases are provided, with the option…

Back in the June 2024 issue of Garden Rail, you will have met Neddy, the horse with serious motivational issues. Fortunately, these were nothing that a sugar lump or two could not solve. I needed a horse to haul my early Chinese coaches, and what seemed at first to be easy, as time went on, just got complicated. Before we start, we need to understand that horses were expensive. A horse was usually bought from a breeder, it would need a groom, a driver, a harness, somewhere to live (a cosy stable with adjacent field), food and medical care. On the other hand, people would look after themselves in exchange for a small amount of money, and if they weren’t needed, they could be left to starve or move into…

I don’t know how Peter Binnie does it. A tenner for a plastic kit to produce a skip wagon, complete with wheels. Who says the larger scales have to be expensive? Skips aren’t even the simplest prototypes in the world. Give me a four-wheel wooden tub, and I’ll happily attempt a scratch-build, but a skip, no chance. Thank goodness for a kit. I love to see a train snaking around a layout, and for the best effect, you need a long line of similar wagons or coaches. Since I prefer the smaller, industrial prototypes, I’ve been gradually building up a skip train for my 45mm gauge stockbox. In 32mm, I already have a train of Tri-ang ‘Big Big’ wagons suitably weathered, but these are now quite pricey on the second-hand…

It’s hard to believe that it was way back in 1988 that Bachmann first introduced to the world what has now evolved into the popular 4-6-0 steam loco that you see at many shows and open days up and down the country. Back then, the loco was very much a toy aimed at the Christmas market, with plastic wheels and running gear, albeit in a large scale. Now the loco has come of age and can certainly hold its own when compared to other G Scale offerings, for quality of detail and, most of all, an incredibly low price, especially on the second-hand market. So, let’s take a trip back in time and have a look at the history of this popular loco and some tips on identifying what age…

Write in and share your ideas with other enthusiasts Letters are welcomed on any aspect of large-scale railway modelling. Please email the Editor: phil.parker@warnersgroup.co.uk or post to The Editor, Garden Rail Magazine, Warners Group Publications, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH. Mystery Cover Locomotive Having read the current issue of Garden Rail, I noted with interest the Blue locomotive No.6 on the cover page but could not find any information on this model, which I assume is a part of the Feldbahn Trio. Would you have further information on this model i.e. Photographs or sketches? Or would it be a possible future article in the magazine? Len Price Editor: The loco is a Brush electric loco from 1917, that worked for the War Department. The kit is from Loco Remote –…

At the Peterborough show last April, I spotted the Boot Lane Works ‘Rose’ tram loco on its stand. Although I knew I wouldn’t be able to match the quality of its painting and lining, I had to buy the kit. For the next nine months, it sat in its box in my train shed. During this time, I accumulated a number of foil wrappers that had contained my wife’s medication patches; these have, what I saw as lines of rivets embossed on them, so obviously were ideal for re-purposing, more of which later. In January, I finally unpacked the kit and made a start. I liked the way the chassis and motor mount screwed together to form a firm base. The instructions are relatively easy to follow, but I still…

Following on from the Archangel ‘Taw’, which featured in last month’s Garden Rail, I thought about what engine should come next in the series. We had a procession of visiting Archangel Bricks, Rheidols and Snowdon Rangers in the early 1980s, but I decided that ‘Mudlark’ was a better choice as it was the first entirely scratch-built loco to visit the line way back in the early 1980s. I first saw ‘Mudlark’ when the builder, Harvey Watkins, brought his new engine to one of Dave Rowlands’ Alderbrook Valley Railway steam-ups. I fell in love with this very attractive small 0-4-2T side tank based on Kerr Stuart’s Skylark Class. It was a methsfired pot boiler, which not only looked pretty but also ran very sweetly despite the small cylinders. The next time…

GARDEN RAILWAY SPECIALISTS Live Steam NGG11 Garratt 16mm scale Built between 1919 and 1925, the South African Railways Class NGG11 entered service on the Avontuur narrow gauge line through the Langkloof and also in Natal. They were the first Garratt locomotives to run in South Africa. All but one remained there for the rest of their service lives until withdrawal by 1962. NG52 was sold to Rustenburg Platinum Mines in 1956, surviving to be preserved at the Museum of Man and Science in Johannesburg in 1974. After being moved around, it was rebuilt and transferred to the Sandstone Estates Railroad, where it made its operational debut in March 2017 during the annual Stars of Sandstone event. GRS’s model is being manufactured by Bowande in China. Details Specification: · Available in…