Pires & Thadeu, Lisbon

 

"I want to go into that tat shop", I said. 

"Why? We've been in loads already.

I point at the picture of a train on the awning. That, and the stack of Oxford Diecast models in the window. 

The shop is in Lisbon's old town - the touristy bit if I'm honest. But, inside it's more interesting than most shops. Apprently, this is one of the city's oldest toy shops. You can tell that because of the somewhat faded plastic kits on the top shelf. 

There was a little bit of train track in a cabinet, but no trains. No paint or glue either. Loads of diecast cars though. Oxford ones mainly, so better than a lot of the horrors in other shops. 

The rules say that if I'm in a model shop, I have to buy something. Ryanair's rules say that if your bag is too big for the tester, it goes in the hold, at a price somewhat more than buying the airoplane. So I bent the rules a bit, and bought some stamps. To be fair, not the easiest things to get your hands on!

Address: R. Áurea 148, 1100-063 Lisboa, Portugal

Riding the trams in Lisbon

This time last week, I was on day two of a short break to Lisbon. A full-on city break with my travelling buddy. We flew out 9:30am Saturday, and back 8:30pm on the Sunday. 

Day One, once we'd landed, found a hotel, and some food, was a tour of the city funiculars - three of them. Quite a lot of walking, but worth it to tick off what I thought was a full set - only to find a fourth appeared a couple of years ago!

 

It was more than a little damp, and my trainers didn't grip well on the limestone pavements, but we explored the city, thanks to Christian, our guide, and saw a lot that we'd not have found off our own bat. If you are in the city, I'd definitely recomend this tour. 

Day 2 was all about strolling around the old town. A trip to The Lisbon Story filled in a lot of the history of the place, including a flying priest. 

A trip up The Rua Augusta Arch gave us a vantage point to watch some of the action on the river, as well as a large group of Portugal fans getting ready for the match later that day. 

Day 3 - A three hour walking tour, including a ride on the famous route 28. The one the tourists like. 

To be honest, we caught the number 12 instead, as our guide insisted on queuing up on the corrrect side of the street, where the sign is, not the narrow strip of pavement on the side where the doors open. 28 is notorioulsy difficult to get on, anyway, so this didn't help. Not to worry, the route is nearly the same, and there was space to sit, and run around the car taking photos. 

The ride was fantastic. I can't believe how steep and windy the roads these trams traverse are. Well beyond the limits of conventional wheel grip to my mind, but they charge around quite happily. The drivers have to work hard though to deal with the terrain, and insane traffic conditions. 

Our guide then took us on a tour of more interesting bits of the city. To be honest, he did go on a bit, and it wasn't long before me and another member of the tour started to wander a bit as we wanted to take photos of trams weaving through narrow streets. I manged more of this later  in the day too - and could easily spend a whole weekend doing this!

Cake-wise, there is a bakers about every three shops, and Breakfast Pastel de nata for breakfast too!

You can enjoy the full gallery here.   

Saturday Film Club: J72

While I was looking for photos of Andy York, I found this video we shot five years ago. It seems appropriate to post it here this week.

Best before dates

 

According to the top of the bottle, the big one here was made 03.11.2021, and the small one 03.12.2024. 

And on the back, it says that the shelf life it 12 months from date of manufacture. Interesting. The big bottle is past its best, and we have a couple more that are pretty poor now. 

I'd never really thought of PVA having a "best before" date, but there's obviously something in it. From now on, 500ml is enough, I'll probably use that up while it's still at its best. And if I don't, well, the stuff is cheap enough, and the next bottle will be good for 12 months too!

Andy York - RIP

 

I lost my good friend and colleague, Andy York, on Tuesday.

Exactly when I first met Andy is one of many things I can't remember. A show at the Midland Railway Centre comes to mind, but I could be wrong. It was certainly a long time ago.

We became better acquainted while I was running MREMAG.com, and our biggest “competitor” was this forum called RMweb. In truth, we complimented each other, and so Andy and I would chat by phone and email quite a bit, comparing notes, and bantering about model railways.

A while later, I found myself working for BRM, something I think Andy might have had a hand in. He was certainly involved with my taking over the editors chairs at Garden Rail and Engineering in Miniature magazines. For this alone, I owe him a debt of thanks.

Over the years, I helped out herding the cats on the forum. Andy trusted me, a rare honour. With his encouragement, I took on more layout photography for the magazine too. He would offer advice politely in a supportive way, and I think was pleased as my abilities improved.

This tribute could go on and on, but right now, I'm not in the best place to create content. I suggestthat for more memories, you read the thread on RMweb.

Suffice to say, Andy and I were good friends, and like the rest of the team, I'm going to miss him a heck of a lot. Yes, he could be grumpy, but then so can I, and now I don't have someone to enjoy a mutual moaning about work/hobby/other stuff with so easily. There is also the Andy-shaped hole in our team at work that we're trying to cope with. I'm doing what I can, I don't want to let him down.

Farewell Andy. I'm going to miss you. 

It's a tradition that I include colleagues names on the layouts I build. Andy appeared on Ruston Quays, with, what I thought, was appropriate business...

Warehouse Wednesday: Cotton Print factory, Glasgow

I was on my way to collect some Empire buiscuits, and spotted this building down a side street. Maybe it's not the most exciting in the world, but there is modelling potential here. No idea how old it is, but the front is more ornate than it needs to be with the coloured brickwork. A feature offset by the bricked up windows!

From another angle, you can see the large factory area. Again, not beautiful, but not a difficult job to scratchbuild. A nice background lump for a layout I think.

Get your nylocks out

 

My original plan with the NG7 layout had been to pop it on a table at shows. Not perfect, but it saved me making a set of legs for the thing. 

But, we have a new stand for exhibitions, and the nearest it had to a table, was a kidney-shaped counter about the length of the model, and less than half the width. Bugger. 

So, a bit of online shopping brings me a pair of Homcom Steel Builders trestles from Robert Dyas. Putting them together is a bit of a fiddle, and all there is is a single exploded diagram. From this, you can work out where bolts go, but not easily, which ones. Still, after a bit of trail and error, I managed to put the things together. 

The trouble with nuts and bolts, is that when you rattle them around in a car, they come undone. And when you take a trip to Doncaster, shortly followed by a trip to Glasgow, the result is missing bolts. So missing I can't even find them in the car!

Fortunatly, the bolts used for the wooden cover on the layout fitted for the duration of the show, but I've now been to the hardware shop for replacements. 

To be honest, I've over-ordered on the length of the bolts, but with a bit of luck that will stop the nuts falling off the end, even if they do unscrew themselves. I've also started to replace the vital nuts with nylock versions, so when they are screwed up tight, they will stay put!

 

These legs work well, and hopefully will perform sterling service for many years to come. If they don't fall apart first, so let's hope I've cured this!

 

Loco-motion lubricant

 

When I dragged my Hornby chassised Smallbrook Studio bodied loco out of the display case, where it had sat for year, to do some work on the NG7 layout, it occured to me that I probably ought to lubricate it. 

Not long ago, John from Deluxe, pressed a bottle of Loco-motion oil in my hand, singing its praises. Now, I'm naturally cynical about this sort of thing, but the loco has done many hours smoothly running around the layout, and I'm inclinded to say this stuff works. OK, there isn't a non-lubricated loco to test it against, but this chassis is running better than any "Smokey Joe" based model has any right to. 

Impressed, so far, yes.

London haul

 

It's the law - you go to a show, you come away with a box. So, what did I bring home from Ally Pally? 

First, I did remember to pick up MEK and Woodland Scenics scatter. Thanks for the reminders to those who remembered though. I wasn't going to be allowed to forget!

Interesting that Squires has swapped Slater's MEK for Barrie Stevenson's. This makes a difference to the price. My old half litre cost £27.80 back in February 2022. One litre from Mr Stevenson is £24.99.  I wonder how long this will last? 

Now on to the silly stuff. 

One corner of the second-hand stand, was piled high with rocket kits. Someone selling a collection apparently. Not really my thing, I can't help wondering how you stop a model of the ISS falling apart when it's made of plastic and living in gravity, but I like the look of this Mercury kit. It is pretty comprehensive with a launchpage and support vehicles. 

I'm in London, so of course I'll buy a Thames Barge kit. At 1:83, it's sadly not a useful railway scale, but the finished model will be a modest size, so it is possible I'll get this one built one day. No, I won't be trying to put radio control in it. 

The kit came from a railway preservation stand on Sunday afternoon, and I suspect they were grateful to find someone like me to take it off their hands!

Finally, the really weird one. 

 I knew nothing about this when I bought it, other than it was in the running for the weirdest thing I've ever bought from a show. And for a fiver, I am curious enough to want to know more. I have taped the box up to stop bits dropping out. Besides, who else would have paid money for the thing?

This deserves a post of its own, but in case you are wondering exactly what it is, this web page has the answer. 

Not too expensive an event. OK, I could live without everything apart from the MEK and scatter, but where's the fun in that? 

The London Festival of Railway Modelling 2025

Busy shows make for terrible show reports on this blog I'm afraid, and Ally Pally this year was very busy. With our stand being just inside the door, the crowds, and sadly the draughts, found us early, and on Saturday at least, kept me busy all day talking about toy trains. 

The NG7 layout went down really well with loads of interest in all aspects of its design and construction. Maybe it's a London thing, but building a roundy-roundy in a small space seemed to really catch peoples imagination. That, and kids loved watching the train go around and around. 

Sunday, was as you'd expect, a bit quieter, but this simply gave me time to get another layout shoot in, the third of the weekend. I broke my rules about not shooting when a show is open here - but the model in question was in the West hall, and there was plenty of trade to grab the punters before they got to us. 

From what I saw, the layout quality was really high, and appreciated by the audience. I asked our video guy to get some trains moving shots to accompany the various layouts appearances on the page, and he had problems because people were lined up along the barriers all weekend so he struggled to get in!

Anyway, all this means I just have a few random shots for you: 

One highlight was that on the Saturday evening, we'd booked to go and watch ice hockey, or as the Candians call it, hockey, at the rink on the side of Ally Pally. To be honest, it wasn't that exciting, the place lacked atmosphere. But, we had to walk back to the car along the front, and I finally got to enjoy the spectacle of London at night I've only glimpsed in the past. 

The photo doesn't do the scene justice sadly. Maybe I'll get the chance to try again next year. 

Anyway, a busy show with lots of chat. Thanks to those blog readers who came along to say hello. Sorry I didn't know everyone's names. As I type this, I've fallen asleep twice today already, and by the end of Sunday, I'm not even sure I could remember my own!

Saturday Film Club: Pinchcliffe Grand prix (1975)

OK, you are going to have to enjoy this in Danish, but it's well worth it for the visuals. 

According to Jalopnik.com, Norwegian stop motion filmmaker Ivo Caprino took nearly five years to bring his tiny race car vision to life. Sadly, the project ran out of money, but he completed it anyway. What we have here is the big Formula One race at the end of the film - where bicycle repair man Theodore Rimspoke and his sidekicks Lambert (hedgehog) and Sonny (magpie) take on the badie, Gore-Slimey, who stole their engine...

The sequence is rumoured to have inspired the pod racing scene in one of the Star Wars prequels, and there is more than a hint of Steampunk, and Wallace and Gromit in here too. 

Oh, and someone built the car for real:

Some delicate painting, and we are done

 

Finishing he Brandbright wagon took a bit of time, but I'm pleased with the results. 

Inside, there is a coat of Coach and Wagon Works light teak wood stain. I like the colour, and it matches my recenlty built brakevan, but I'm concious that it might not offer much protection from the rain. The firm make some matt varnish for outdoor use, so I'll pick up a bottle in the future. 

Outside, there is sanding sealer, followed by a spray of grey car primer. I masked the inside, and removed the wheels and axleboxes to avoid grey where I didn't want it. 

Then the fiddly bit. All the metalwork was hand painted with Revell No.9 (Anthracite). A large, pointy brush allowed me to do the sides of the metalwork without too much paint in the wrong place. A damp brush was enough to tidy up any mistakes. Mind you, there is best part of a coupe of hours work in all this, over two sessions. 

Job done - and I'm really pleased with this. OK, it's not an exciting piece of rolling stock. It IS nice and solid. Exactly what I want to put behind a steam locomotive in the future. 

Thanks again to those who helped me out of my modelling funk. I can't promise to always be full of joy, but this simple project has helped a lot, and got a box off the shelf!

Ferns, kitbashing and painting people in the May BRM

Is it BRM time already? It is, and in May, I've been busy. 

First, the NG7 layout needed a station. I had a Dapol Chelfam kit in stock, but the finished model will be too large for my layout. What to do? Kitbash it of course, and this gives me the chance to introduce people to this noble art. 

As an aside, this project was the one that helped me get my modelling mojo back. A couple of days hacking away at quality cardboard was just what I needed. No idea why, other than I really enjoyed the task, and am well pleased with the results. 

Moving on to scenery, I try out some laser-cut ferns. The fronds are impossibly thin, but they really look the part. 

New rolling stock in NG7, this time a coach from Peco, which I have reviewed. 

Finally, for BRMTV, I've been painting figures. It's not as difficult as you might think!

Layout photos this month are the OO gauge layout, "Somewhere". 

Small, and industrial, it's very much my kind of model railway. Then we have my first shoot of a TT:120 project, "Camelot".

As always, British Railway Modelling magazine is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets, and online: www.world-of-railways.co.uk

You should have read the instructions

 

A few days ago, I mentioned a spacer that is fitted behind the bufferbeam to set the solebars in place, but the instructions specifically say not to glue in place. I didn't spot this, so by this stage, the offending part is very firmly fixed. 

The reason it shouldn't be there is that the bolt on the back of the coupling isn't long enought to reach through it, and allow a nut to be put on the end. In fact, the end of said bolt is flush with the face of the spacer. And the hole isn't big enough to get the nut in. 

I had a quick poke to see if I could persaude the glue to let go and release the spacer, but nothing doing. I had to make the hole bigger. 

The solution was a screwdriver fitted with a chuck, and 6.5mm diameter drill bit. This was just long enough to let me butcher out the hole so a nut could be fitted in, and the coupling screwed up tight. It's not idea, but it works, and that's all that matters. 

 

Bodgery, but satisfying bodgery. 

 

 

One door opens...

 

 

Some nifty design allows builders to enjoy opening side doors on the Brandbright wagon. The straps on the side are moulded around a brass wire, which you cut so about 2mm sticks out of the side of each. This then sits in whitmetal hinge bottoms. With a bit of tweaking, it all works OK. 

 

So, why have I, someone who loves a working gimmick, glued it all solid? 

 

Well, the idea is sound, but I'm not convinced the hinge bottoms will stay stuck under the floor for a start. Using superglue on them, it all seems a bit fragile. Mayne if they could be screwed in place, I'd be happer. 

 

Being practical though, the wagon is, as the instructions suggest, just more robust with the door firmly fixed with some PVA. I want a wagon that I can use without treating it like fine china. And having the ability to say "hey look, the door can open" isn't a compesation. 

 

So, it's firmly fixed in place, and I don't feel the slightest bit guilty.

Bargain hunting at a small show

I started writing these "haul posts" as a bit of fun, and easy content for the blog. This one though, shows why small shows can be just as entertatining as larger events, perhaps more so if you are searching for bargains. 

Here's the pile from the Stratford Upon Avon Model Railway Show second-hand stall. 

First, a couple of sealed plastic kits. 

Kits from the Hornby "Town & Country" range are always in my sights. Most of the range is stashed away for future builds, probably for the Hornby Collectors Club, but they are good enough for more general use. Many have made it into the Gaugemaster Fordhampton range, and even if they haven't, they are often available second-hand. This was one of three identical kits in the pile. 

The Mini was also one of three, and to be honest, I bought it as a fun to stick together model. At least the finished car won't be huge!

Something very Phil, is this Dutch barge. 

I think it's a modified Artitec Rhine river boat. I thought, there should be a mast up front, but looking at the website, it's a tall bollard. Not bad for a quid. 

Moving on to "collectable" model railway wagons, we start with R137 operating cement wagon. 

In really nice condition with all ladders and printing present. From a box of 50p wagons. The same box R131 wagon with wheel load. I've writen about this in the past, and always liked it. The wheel load is a mix of plain and spoked wheels. Is this original? 

Very handily, there was a R342 car transporter. 

OK, the box is mashed, but I was after the cars. In the future, I have a project that could do with some nice Tri-ang vehicles for the final photo. There are some in my collection, but I have to go and dig them out. For a whole pound, I'll save myself the bother. As an added bonus, I don't have the car transporter in my collection. 

The real gem from the same box is this: 

R561 in really nice condition. The Tri-ang Toys and Pedigree Prams paper sticker is perfect, in fact the whole thing is lovely and clean. There isn't one of these in the collection, and it's always been one I fancy because of the own-brand livery. No box, but for the price I can hardly complain!

A couple of points - I arrived at the show when it opened, but was chatting for 20 minutes before getting to the stall. Also, I did this in two bites, and both times rounded up my bill to both save messing with change, and add a bit more to the club coffers. Considering the bargains I bagged, this is only fair, I'd have paid more over-the-odds but I ran out of cash!

It was nice to see plenty of kits picking up ready-made buildings for peanuts. These will be poridly added to their train sets very quickly, I know that's how I'd have worked!

Back to the main point, there is no way I'd have snagged this lot at a big show. Dealers there can afford to take stock how with them, knowing it will be out again the following weekend. A club stand has to price to sell as once the who closes, so does the opportunity to offload stock. So, if you are being sniffy about a local event, perhaps this might change your mind? 

Stratford Upon Avon Model Railway Show 2025

 

My plans for a toy-train free weekend were thwarted by UK Modelshops newsletter dropping into my In-Box, and alerting me to the Stratford Upon Avon Model Railway Show on a previously free Sunday. 

I've always been of the opinion, often expressed, that if there is a toy train show locally, you should support it. Partly to keep the event viable for the organisers, but also because you never know what you will find. Local shows are where new layouts appear for a first trip out, and with my proffesional head on, sometimes I can bag a shoot, and even an exhibtion booking, before the layout becomes better known. 

Stratford promised 11 layouts, and in truth, apart from the ex-Chris Nevard Combwich West, none were magazine fodder, but they were still interesting. To be fair, nearly all were personal projects, and most still under construction. They worked, but lacked finesse. On the other hand, it was a great chance to chat to the builders and pick up ideas. 

 The "Layout Phil would like to build" award goes to HolyWell Town. A facinating little prototype that even in 4mm scale, fits into eight feet, plus a fiddle yard. There's a lot of operting potential too, thanks to a tiny headshunt, which is slightly longer than the real one!

Llantwy was also rather nice - basically a simple OO, with a 009 extension, that was a mass of nicely modelled cameo scenes that provided plenty for the audience to spot. 

And of course, smaller shows involve home-brewed catering. 

As I came in the door, I spotted some delicious looking chocolate cake, and an hour or so later, having been warned it was running out by one of the members, I sat down for a cuppa to try it out. Declicious - not too sweet and sickly, just how I like it.

So, nice cake, some interesting layouts, a good second-hand stall (more on that tomorrow) and loads of chat. Being a local show, I knew quite a few people and enjoyed being able to catch up with a few friends. A lovely morning.

Saturday Film Club: Warwickshire Lines (Stratford-upon-Avon - Leamington Spa - Coventry - Nuneaton) - DRIVER'S EYE VIEW

While I'm away, you can enjoy some views of trains much nearer home for me. I've travelled on these lines, but have to look out the side window, at lease I do since the removal of those classic DMU's where you could sit behind the driver!

London bound

 

This weekend, I'm scheduled to be at the London Fesitval of Railway Modelling at Alexandra Palace. 

Current plans have me loading up the NG7 layout for a couple of days playing trains, and chatting. There might be some layout shoots, and I suspect the second-hand stall will extract some money from me. 

In the meantime, please visit the LFORM website for full details. If you drop by, remind me I need coarse Woodland Scenics scatter, and a big can of Mek-Pak please.

Big locomotives, and small ones, in Garden Rail April

 

Feldbahn railways are a German speciality, and so it's no surprise that they are a popular subject with the locals, including Uwe Hannemann, whose impressive layout we feature this month. If small locomotives and rolling stock appeal, then you will love this line.

We delve back in history for a look at some early coal-fired 16mm scale locomotives, and also review one of LGB's latest – the Harz mountain railway Mallet, a truly impressive model.

On the workbench:

• A Baguley 677 diesel
• Bolster wagons for 16mm and 7/8^th scales
• Traders carts for a model market
• Cherry trees for your line
• Photo planks
• Building a Pickering brake van

All this, plus the latest news for the large-scale modeller. 

 Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, and our online store: www.world-of-railways.co.uk

Ends on, and another mistake

 

How hard can putting the ends on a four-plank wagon be? 

Allow for the sides, basically stick the ends in the middle of the floor, run PVA along the bottom, and then superglue the whitemetal stanchions in place to brace the whole lot. 

There are pitfalls for the unwary. The stanchions have extra boltheads at the bottom, so make sure they go on the right way up. Some pencil lines drawn with a square are a good idea so they are fitted accuratly, tricky if you are eyeballing it with superglue drying. FWIW, the middle two are 10mm either sides of the edges of the coupling hole, and the ends, 2mm in from the edges. 

 The sharp-eyed will notice that the floor wood changed colour as it emerges from the stanchion. There is a reason for this. 

 At one end, I managed to nudge the bufferbeam out a touch when filling the solebars. This left a gap about 1/2mm when the end was fitted to along with the bufferbeam. Nothing really to worry about, but I decided to sort it out by glueing a bit of leftover fret in the gap. Once dry overnight, I trimmed it with a saw and then sanded like mad until it was perfect. 

I'm quite pleased with myself. Of course, it shouldn't have been necessary, the other end is perfect, but I always say that the art of good modelling is learning to bodge...