Townstreet Signal box in Hornby Magazine

I've been very busy at work recently, which has limited my contribution to the May issue of Hornby Magazine a little. In the reviews section I take a look at a very nice Hold'n'Fold tool from Eileens Emporium. It's a tool you only buy once, and if you can afford it, or persuade someone it would make an excellent present, then for the kitbuilder it is a good investment.

Parker's Guide covers a project that I thought would be quick and easy and turned out to be time consuming and easy, but really good fun. At Warley I fell for a Townstreet stone signal box. It's possibly one of the best looking models I've seen for years. The plaster casting really capture the stone texture better than plastic can do.

What sealed it for me though, was the detailed interior. This looks homely, in a way that a box in the middle of nowhere would look. There is a comfy armchair and coats hung on hooks by the door. You can imagine the signalmen spending a long time in here with a roaring fire to keep them warm - well those aren't double glazed windows you know !

Assembly is quick. Painting takes time but the effort is repaid with excellent results that aren't difficult to reproduce. Now all I need is to build a scene for it to sit in.