Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Garden Rail

COACHING STOCK We have a first in this issue. Not one, not two, but three articles on building coaches! Passenger-carrying vehicles are normally under-represented in my pile of upcoming articles. Quite why is a bit of a mystery. Let’s face it, all of our experience of narrow gauge lines is riding in a coach. The railways we see are basically passenger operations. There will be a little goods stock, but it’s mostly for show. The trouble is, wagons are, in my opinion, much more interesting. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Your train can consist of a real mix of different types without looking unrealistic. Paintwork can vary from nice and new to absolutely decrepit. Coaches, on the other hand, can look very similar, and our preserved…

Clearing out items from my files that I will never get around to building, I came across the MRC drawings of a GWR Conical Water Tower, as preserved at several heritage railways. These were enlarged to 1:32 scale to suit my line. I have long since forgotten how to generate a drawing for a conical structure, but an Ovaltine plastic container is pretty close, and free. The screw top was cut off carefully with a hacksaw and the circular top and hatch was constructed from styrene sheet. The base is three-ply, the tank support is wood dowel from the spares box and the whole lot is screwed together from under the base through a countersunk hole. A hole was drilled in the centre of the Ovaltine container base and fixed…

In issue 360, I detailed the construction of my 1/15 scale recreation of the iconic Dolgoch Viaduct, destined to form the centrepiece of my garden layout featuring sections of the Talyllyn Railway – in this article, I’ll detail the finishing methods I’ve used to complete the model. Previously, we left the viaduct with the main construction complete, but lacking track on the bridge deck. Due to my choice of scale, I’m scratch-building Talyllyn pattern track using PVC Foamex for the sleepers, which I’m embossing to suggest woodgrain. Although slightly over height, the ex-LGB rail does look nice from above and captures the TR feel better than other rail sections currently available. Stage one of finishing was the application of a suitable primer, for which I use an automotive acrylic primer…

When I built my new photoplank set/micro layout, I wanted to explore the versatility of it by photographing various-scaled trains, in both Gauge One and G. Most of my G models are around the classic LGB/Playmobil size, but I wanted something a little more industrial and smaller to try out - partly to see how the set would work as an industrialstyle tramway. I had hoped to start lasercutting my own designs, but lockdown rather scuppered that idea, stranding me several miles from the cutter. As a stopgap, I decided to cobble something together for the test shoot of the photo set from scraps and odds and ends. It would need to be done in a hurry though, as I’d only have a couple of days of nice weather in…

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. Diesel engine settings I am building the IC Loco featured back in March issue. Primarily a steam man, I have now spent the best part of two days trying to get a Kyosho GX12 (the same engine Alan Bird used in the article) to run reliably without stalling – without success. Maybe my ineptitude, I don’t know if you can, but I thought it was worth a punt to see if you could forward this email to Alan, in particular, I’m keen to know: • What fuel Alan…

The story of the North Teign Light Railway might well be entitled; ‘How not to build a railway’. A number of false starts and a healthy amount of learning on the job meant that the line was truly organic in its growth, having no fixed plan and changing as needs demanded it must and whims decided it should. It has been a point of pride seeing how the railway has evolved, and all who have been acquainted with it in its five years have delighted in watching its development. Having started at the ripe age of 19, the railway was built not in my own garden, but that of my grandparents, with whom I live, and it was always known this arrangement would run its course. Indeed, an unfortunate turn…

Send us your pics We always welcome pictures from our readers, either of your line, or a piece of rolling stock you have built. If you are proud of your model, let’s share the pride! Please email the Editor: phil.parker@warnersgroup.co.uk…

Where does the time go? Was it really a month since I tackled the coach body for part one of this article? Well, since then, I have been giving things a little tidy up. I retouched the coach ends where they meet the sides and then had copious amounts of caffeine as I studied the instructions for the final chapter of this build and review. Also, thanks to BLC, I have a little treat in store for you, but you’ll have to read on to find out more about that. As I had already done the lion’s share of the preparation and painting, I can see this chassis will be quick and easy to complete, although at this stage, I don’t know how quick and easy it will be! It…

Pre-grouping coaches have a lot of advantages for modellers. Like most early railway stock, they tend to be quite small, making models much more manageable. Trains were short, so you don’t need dozens of vehicles either. The big problem with coaches from this period is that there are dozens of different designs. Many companies either produced their own or ordered a variation on a standard design from a manufacturer. And every single one of them was different. No rakes of Mk. 1’s to be had here! In smaller scales, this has been a problem. People are willing to buy something for a pretty pre-grouping loco to haul, but in numbers so small there is no chance of a commericaly viable production run. The solution pioneered by Hattons and Hornby is…

ROUNDHOUSE ENGINEERING Darjeeling A Class 16mm scale A total of eight Darjeeling A Class locomotives were supplied to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway by Sharp Stewart of Manchester between 1882 and 1883. Sharp Stewart contracted the Hunslet Locomotive Company to produce four of the eight, who in turn contracted the Fowler engine builder to produce some components for these four; meaning that this engine represents the work of a number famed British narrow gauge engine builders! Overall, they proved more successful than the previous design provided to the DHR and, with a few modifications down the years, most stayed in service until 1911. Engine No.9 was the longest-lasting, remaining in use up till 1954. They would have worked alongside their perhaps more well-known siblings, the B Class, which was introduced in…

Ashover is the latest loco kit from Chris Rennie at Loco Remote and was released in August 2024. Probably better known for the remote controllers, the firm has also produced a number of loco kits in both 32 and 45mm gauges. It is perhaps worth noting the way these are released. To start, Chris posts on Facebook and the Loco Remote website seeking expressions of interest in a proposed kit and his order book stays open for a short period. He assembles the parts and then notifies you that the kit is ready, at this point payment is made and ‘Postman Pat’ knocks on the door a couple of days later. It sounds a bit convoluted, but it isn’t. Checking my records for this article, I ordered on July 8…

The Build 1 | The kit as it was received, Ken at Brandbright included wheels and some extra parts from Trenarren models. I have to say this makes the kit much more appealing to me, having all the components in the one box, rather than having to hunt around for the parts to finish the model. 2 | I glued together the first and second layers of the sides. On the first side, I used neat wood glue but it went off too quickly and was very difficult to clean up. For the second side, I diluted it with some water, which made it much easier to position and to wipe off excess glue. 3 | The ends were glued up, using a square to hold them perpendicular. I attached…

Awhile ago, I was given some parts from an OO gauge coach washing plant. Included in these were the two upright stands, complete with washing brushes, which would normally sit either side of the track in the wash area. They lay at the side of my workbench for several months, frequently catching my eye, and each time I was thinking, there must be some way I could put them to use on my SM32 scale layout. Eventually, one day, I imagined that somewhere there was a railway with an autumn leaf problem. If the brushes were laid flat and glued end to end, they could make a suitable-sized leaf sweeper. Next question was, how would this work if it had been proposed in real life by a narrowgauge railway? Bearing…

NEXT MONTH ON SALE FEBRUARY 13 TH The Turtle Creek Line – Alan Mumbray’s G scale garden railway has to contend with full-size live animals. Also, in our MARCH issue: • The Midlands Garden Railway Show Guide • Designing and 3D printing your own rolling stock with Rik Bennett • Plus, much more……