Melbridge Dock emerges from storage...

 

Doncaster 2016. Melbridge Dock and Ruston Quays set up next to each other to celebrate 25 years (I think) of the show. The Dock had appeared at the very first one, and here it's displayed with my (then) latest layout, serialised in BRM. 

After that, the layout went into store, and was never seen again. 

But, for my Dad's celebration day on Sunday 31st May (all welcome), I really wanted to bring the layout that we built and exhibited for many years, out of retirement. There is a lot of him and me in this model. Arguably, without it, I wouldn't be doing what I do now for a job. 

Best guess is that Melbridge Dock appeared at over 100 shows, from small local one-day events to the biggest in the country. It even managed a trip abroad once. This layout has always meant a huge amount to me, and my Dad, which is why it deserves to be at the day to celebrate him. 

Of course, a layout that has been stored in an unheated shipping container for a decade stands a good chance of having some issues, which is why it came out a couple of weeks early for a check over. 

First question: Will it fit in the car? The chances of getting it on my Peugeot 2008 looked slim, but the Berlingo, no problem. 

I'll be honest, this isn't the best layout packing I've ever done. I haven't had a chance to practice. Each time I loaded the model in the past, the space required reduced as I worked out the best way to assemble the 3D jigsaw. Still, it's all in there, time to take it back home. 

G3 haul

 

The trouble with the rule that you can't go to a show without buying at least something, is that the purchases can be a little random. Good job I like random!

A nice kit for a Southern Railway concrete hut from Mels models. I've seen some concrete paint around, and want to try it out on this. The build might eventually become a Garden Rail feature. Just the sort of job that isn't too taxing, so could appeal to readers nervous of making models. It would also make a nice standalone build for someone wanting to dabble in a larger scale. 

Five velcro pads from RC Trains. Becuase I was looking for some of these in the boat bits stash, and can't find them. I can never find them. I swear one day I'm going to open a cupboard and there will be an avalanche of the things. I've bought loads over the years!

Finally, from the bring'n'buy, an interesting, and very cheap, cast plate that says "Tare 12 Tons". The label said wagon plate, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions? 

Talking of that stall, I felt I ought to own a length of G3 track. 

 £15 seemed like a good deal. Maybe when I get around to building some wagons to go with the loco...

Gauge 3 show 2026

 

A bit of a result this. The G3 AGM and show used to be in Flitwick, an hour's drive away. This year, it was at the motor museum in Gaydon, ten minutes travelling!

The other benefit is that the whole event is indoors, including the test track. This allowed them to put on a full programme of models running, so there was entertainment all day. Add to this a scenic G3 model, the G1 track, and an O gauge layout, and you have quite a bit to look at. 

In my bag, I'd brought my G3 model of the Hellingly Hospital Railway locomotive, hoping to have the chance to sneak it onto some track. As it was, I bagged a few minutes on the test track, borrowed a couple of wagons from the very accommodating John Tuckett, and enjoyed it trundling around. Two wagons looked just superb behind the model. 

 I could be really tempted to build myself a train like this, but with wagons at approaching £150 a pop, not an unreasonable price, and more projects than I can shake a stick at, that dream will have to wait for a while. Besides, for the loco in green the wagons should be 16 ton minerals, not attractive wooden ones. Then I start thinking about making Hellingly in G3, egged on by Simon Castens who is republishing the Iain Rice Cameo Layout book later this year. 

 Having the track indoors was nice as the weather wasn't conducive to standing around outside anyway. 

The Society had put a board up along the lines of the G1 version with booked slots so we all knew what would be running at any time. 

Elsewhere, there were many fine models, including some from John Tuckett's next project, a stunning slice of London. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing this, as Littlecliff blew me away. I'm processing the photos for this as it's appearing in BRM in a couple of months. 

Catering is provided by the museum cafe, and a very nice bacon and brie panini was enjoyed, along with some lemon meringue cake. 

I'd thought a couple of hours would be enough, but there was so much to see, and loads of chat, that I arrived shortly after 10:30 opening, and left just after 4. That counts as a good day!

Saturday Film Club - Happy Birthday Groudle Glen Railway!

A bumper set of videos to celebrate the GGR's birthday today. 

 

 

Shaun the Sheep, and the man who can't do maths...

 

Before his stroke, my Dad and I used to enjoy watching Shaun the Sheep each morning. It's more fun than the news for a start. He really appreciated the effort required for the stop-motion animation. I loved the way a complicated story could be told in five minutes with no dialogue. We both enjoyed the stories. 

Anyway, Big Chris at the railway club offered to 3D print some sheep for me. In G scale. But, along the way, he got his scales a bit wrong. So we have G scale sheep, and something along the lines of 1:12 ones!

The Shaun printed, is the version from the Wallace and Gromit film, A Close Shave. He's got a jumper on. 

Those who know the film well, will have spotted that the red line around the cuffs should be a zig-zag, but it's hard enough to paint a straight one, so if it bothers you, tough.  

 

Dad's train

 

A nice sunny Thursday evening gave me the chance to take out the newly named locomotive "Brian" and give it a run on the club track. 

Initially, all went well. 

But after three circuits, the loco stopped, making a grinding noise. Investigation showed the gears had eaten themselves. 

This wasn't good. However, to compound matters, the reason this happened is, because I am STUPID. Talking to Boot Lane, it seems there is a little bottle of oil in the package, which I seem to have lost. In the instructions, which I didn't read properly, is a note that the gears MUST be lightly oiled. Something I didn't do. 

They have kindly provided me with replacement gears, and oil, which I have been sternly told, should be used this time! 

Colourful graffiti

 

 

Spotted in York earlier this year, a nice piece of colourful graffiti at the top of a building. 

Graffiti is a fact of life, and has been for many years. Replicating it on a model is challenging, as some of it is distasteful, and we like our models to be suitable for a family audience, at least at an exhibition. This could be copied though, and would be safe for young eyes, as well as adding a splash of colour to a model.  

Putting Puffin on the water

Time to launch the second of my Dad's boats, for his celebration day on the 31st. I've already sailed his Victorian launch, but the other vessel I really wanted to see in action is "Puffin", a small tugboat. 

Scratchbuilt from a Basset-Lowke drawing, I think, I've always liked this model, but it's especially important as Dad built absolutely everything. OK, I did the paintwork and electronics, but otherwise, it's all him. 

Inside, there were a few issues. The battery pack had died through lack of use, and it was fitted with 27mHz radio gear. A new pack was ordered from Howes, and a spare RadioLink receiver fitted. I'm not using Planet this time as I want the opportunity to sail three boats, and I only have two Planet transmitters. I'll probably change it over eventually, but right now, it all seems to work. 

Carefully placed on the water, it seems the model is stupidly fast, or at least it would be if I opened it up! A couple of clicks on the transmitter, and we were plodding around at a suitable speed for the tugboat. 

Puffin sits well on the water, and doesn't seem to let any in. The day was a bit breezy, but there was very little roll. All the weight that gets the model down to the waterline, and broad beam, see to this!

I managed 10 minutes sailing, but there was no sign of the battery running out of charge, so we should be good for a long enough sail on the big day. 

You did a good job there Dad. 

 

Lifeboat day haul

 

Obviously, I can't spend the day with lifeboats, without picking up something from the supporters' stand. And it's never too early to do your Christmas shopping and pick up some cards! And an umbrella. 

Over on the Bring'n'Buy stand, I'd placed a small pile of old plastic RTR boats as part of my current clear-out. I've hung on to three Tri-ang models, because I collect this make, but Scalecraft and similar have gone - yes I sold them!  

£45 in. £8 out. One plaque seen above, with an RNLI badge on it (a rare thing, according to someone who knows about this stuff), and a battery charger. 

A fiver for this. It doesn't have the mains connection, but it does have all the output leads, some of which I'm missing from my current charger. At some point, I will make up replacements, but this solves the problem for now. 

Finally, a couple of vintage badges. 

Apparently, these are very old, and came to the Enthusiasts section as an estate sale. I'm assuming I can't claim to be President, but I do have a model Brede, and this now lives in the box with it. 

Lifeboat day 2026

Lifeboat day dawned grey and cloudy, but when I arrived at the lakeside, everything was set up, and looking good. I'd even got there early to help, but I think that despite the emails during the week, much of this work had been carried out the night before. 

Good news as it turned out, because people had travelled to the event from quite some distance, including a group from the Blackpool MBC.  

There were all sorts of orange boats, plus a few blue and white earlier vessels to be seen. I'd taken my Brede, and launched it early in the day - at that point when everyone seems unwilling to get their hulls wet. It performed well, but ran out of electricity before the main parade. Never mind, we struggled around a bit, and at least stayed on top of the wet stuff. 

Not everyone did. 

Speeding off, and then slamming the brakes on, saw this superstructure jump off the hull, and need resucue by someone in a wetsuit!

Incidentally, the funny colour of the water is a fish-safe chemical that keeps the weed down. 

By lunchtime, the sun had come out, and I was enjoying a sausage in a bun, followed by some cake.  

All in all, a really pleasant day by the water. I even made a profit on the Bring'n'Buy stand!

You can see more photos over on Flickr. 

Saturday Film Club: Paint like a Pro - Three Top tips for mastering Acrylics

A video by my colleague Steven Draper with some useful hints on mastering acrylic paints. I learnt a bit, and now need to do some shopping!

Testing Dad's boats part 1

 

If I'm going to see some of my Dad's boats on the water during his celebration day, I better see if any of them are working. 

First up, Isobella, a Victorian steam launch named after my grandmother.

Dad was always very proud of this boat. He made a smashing job of the woodwork on the deck, and the glazed engine cover (the bit that looks like a cold frame), so it was top of my list for the day. 

None of the boats have been sailed in years, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that the NmH battery pack still seemed to be fully charged. Initially, I assumed there was something wrong to make the charger show a full pack. After a bit of faffing with the radio, I proved it would turn the prop, and make the steering servo work. So, off to the lake. 

On the water, the model lists very slightly, but happily pottered around for over 15 minutes, looking lovely in the evening sun as it did. I correctly remembered that this was a very nice sail too. Other than another charge, this one is ready to go. 

While I was there, we had some action on the steam track. A rather nice loco under construction, based on Roundhouse underpinnings. That's the joy of being at a club, you never know what you'll see. 

 

We go eco in June's BRM

 

I like making things, and in this issue, the thing I made that gave me the most satisfaction is a ground source heat pump. 

Given a pack of solar panels, I needed to turn these into a four-step project, and so I've gone full eco on an old Hornby kit. Panels, heat pump and an electric car charging point. Not sure I've ever seen this modelled before, am I a trailblazer for green model railways? 

The camera has been out again, too. 

Venture Park (OO)

Pedwardine Forest (OO)

Porthllechen (OO9)

 BRM Magazine is available from all good newsagents, or our online store. 

 

 

Supermodels, Rugby

 

On bank holiday Monday, I'd planned to go to Stanford Hall VW Show. I toddled off, and when I arrived, the gates were shut. Odd, I thought. So I drove on to a spot where I could park, and check the times on my phone. 

The gates would have been open. If I'd turned up the day before...

What to do? OK, it's only a 23-mile trip, but it seemed a shame to waste petrol. However, there was a model shop that had been popping up on my social media for months, and it was in Rugby, and I was on the northern edge. 

A quick check to make sure it would be open, and the satnav guided me to Hillmorton, about 15 minutes before opening time. A little stroll allowed me time in the fascinating Maddens hardware store and newsgents - a place that has obviously been part of the street scene for many years, and all the better for it. 

Going back to Supermodels as the doors were opened, I enjoyed a browse. The shop contains some of the stock seen on the website, but what is there is an excellent selection of plastic and figure modeller paints, including ranges I don't know, but will do when I try some of my purchases. No Humbrol, but Maddens have a rack of that. 

There are plastic kits, and loads of tools. Some interesting 3D-printed figures too, but I don't really need a sandworm to add to the project pile, tempting as it was. It's the sort of place where railway modellers can find useful equipment that you don't often see at shows. 

Talking of railways, there are none here. An agreement with the nearby Tony's Trains ensures that they don't step on each other's toes in this respect. Since both are so close, if you visit one, you might as well drop in on the other. An excellent arrangement. 

More on the Supermodels website.  

Faller Track

 

For the Layout in a Day, I like to include both 32 and 45mm gauge tracks. The trouble is, that we were going to have an awful lot of 45mm this year according to the plan. This wouldn't leave enough space of a circuit of Tri-ang Big Big track, as I've use every year since I started building these layouts. 

Messing around with AnyRail, I found that the track library includes the Faller 32mm gauge system, and it appeared to offer tighter curves than Big Big. With a bit of fiddling, we could squeeze an oval in. 

Could I get my hands on any of those obsolete tracks? eBay to the rescue, for just over £15, I was the owner of an oval, plus spare straights. It's a lot like Big Big, even down to the connectors on the ends of the track pieces, the Faller version is just smaller, and not compatible. 

Next, would the stock negotiate these tighter curves? I set the oval up on the dining room table, and gave it a go. Yes, this a proper Table Top railway!

Fortunately, my love of small locos ensured no problems. Everything seemed perfectly happy. OK, at speed, it all looks a bit hair-raising, but on a flat surface, no problem. 

At the show, I found the track a little stiffer than Tri-ang, and once bedded into the ballast, the only issue was the overhanging plants. It's a small oval, and I was keen to fit plenty of greenery in the middle. That meant the trains pushed through the fronds in places, but only the heaver locos were happy with this. Still, they stayed on the track well enough, which is what mattered. 

I'll keep an eye out for more of this stuff. It's very handy. Maybe a couple of points so we can have a proper layout at a future event? 

Key Model World haul

 

No surprise that my rucksack came back a little fuller from KMW, than it started with. I wasn't looking for projects, but when has that ever stopped me? 

First up, a Polish (I think) kit for a glider. Costing only £4, it was odd enough to appeal, and at 1:72, possibly even useful. Looking inside, it appears that these gliders don't have canopies, or at least there isn't one in the sealed bag. 

Then a vintage Hornby bank kit. I pick these up when I see them for sensible money, for my column in The Collector. It looks like an attractive model, and not one you see very often. Under that is a Langley vac-formed 7mm scale viaduct. Useful if I ever need an O gauge photo plank with a background. I've also bought another Wills halt kit. No idea what I keep acquiring these, but it was only a couple of quid. 

More practically, some paint pens I fancy trying out. I've been reading good things about them, so want to try for myself, 

Finally, a monkey bike. No, I don't know why this appealed, but I just loved the look of it. Well, it's fun to buy a silly kit. 

And, most excitingly, the first person I chatted to, was my old friend Chris Mead, builder of the layout "Overlord". He presented me with some jam. 

And it's very good jam. The rhubarb and ginger is delicious on my breakfast sourdough toast. So nice, I need to ask him for another jar...

Key Model World 2026

Year 3 of KMW, promised to see the event evolve into the multi-disciplinary show that I have always hoped it would. If ever there was an exhibition designed for me, this should be it. 

Signs were good. We had a bit of sizable Scalextric, and radio control cars, as well as trains and plastic modelling. 

However, while the new content was good, and the railways an excellent selection, there are issues that those of us who have been around some modelling disciplines for a while are not surprised at. 

Many years ago, I was involved with the Town & Country Festival, at what is now Stoneleigh Park. This was a family day out with animals and other farming stuff, traction engines, horses, and models. I helped out with the railway section, but there were also halls for boats, plastic models, model engineering and RC cars. A good August Bank holiday day out. 

But, in the meetings, comments about the lack of change among some of the displays were raised. The railway stuff changed every year, but others seemed to trot out the same models each time. The plastic modellers defended this by saying people expected to see the "old favourites". 

And this is the problem here. I've been to each KMW, and I'm starting to recognise displays from previous years. There is a G-scale railway in the plastic section, which I remember. It's excellent, but needs a break. The same with the boats, fantastic models, especially a properly weathered tugboat, but some were also on a return visit. 

I suspect this is down to bookings being made with organisations, or SIGs, unlike the layouts, which are booked directly. The group of plastic, or ship, modellers then puts on the display drawn from the people who will come out and bring models. That's not a big pool in some cases, but the most important thing is to fill the tables. 

This is a terrific shame. KMW is a good event. Assuming there is one next year (the crowd seemed a little thin) then I'll be there. I enjoyed a good day out, and am sure this will continue. Perhaps the other disciplines just need to learn to put on a bit more show. 

There are photos from the show on Flickr.  

Saturday Film Club: How A Small Irish Town Built The World's First Commercial Monorail

I've never fancied visiting Ireland, that's what being a child in the 1970s does for you. Except for here. Maybe, as I've ridden on the Wuppertal, it should be on the list. 

Plastic tram, made in Hong Kong

He's a blast from the past, a plastic tramcar, Made in Hong Kong. 

Other than the code number L No.547, and the title "A Double Decker Tramcar", there's no indication of the manufacturer. When I was a kid (cue the Hovis advert music), Made in Hong Kong meant cheap tat, and to be fair, this isn't a quality toy, but it looks lovely. 

Costing 3/6 when new (is that lot?) I'm thinking this is a 1960s toy, but that's a guess. Even the internet can't help much, other than show me lots of other toy trams. 6 inches long, it's a nice size for play, and there is quite a bit of detail. 

Drive comes from a flywheel unit underneath. This had come loose when I bought the tram, so it's been refixed with lashings of superglue, giving me a white shadow around it. This required me to open the model up by sliding a blade around the bottom edge of the roof. The glue joint broke pretty cleanly, and once the model had been washed to remove all the dust, it's gone back together really well.

Thursday steam

 

As the evenings become longer, there's the chance for some steaming before the model railway club tea is served up. 

My Roundhouse Lady Anne hasn't seen much track action since it was rebuilt by Black Country Metal Basher, John Campbell, so I thought it was time for a little run. Admittedly, the last attempt was curtailed because the roof-mounted battery box was playing up, and I've not got around to replacing it, but as all seemed to be working, I decided to take the risk. 

On track, filling the gas tank was still a bit of a faff, no matter which can adaptor I use, I'm never happy with the process. I can't work out sometimes when the gas is going in, standing there like a numpty with apparently nothing happening. Eventually, it squirted back out, so I assume the tank is full. 

Lighting up with my new pizo-electric lighter was a different kettle of fish. No problem at all, the spark being nice and visible, quickly causing a pop noise and the sound of a working burner. 

After a few minutes, although the gauge was only showing 10psi, the loco seemed to want to move, so I shoved it back and forth - a veritable fountain emerging from the chimney as we moved, despite me extracting over 20ml from the boiler after the fill. This soon stopped, and the loco wanted to be off, so I hitched up the goods train, and she trundled away. 

Once warmed up a little, the loco was happy to run in full forward, with the regulator half-closed. Basically, keeping my fingers off the radio sticks, and letting it go. If I wanted more speed, there was plenty of it, this is a lively loco when you want it to be!

After ten or so circuits, I felt the speed was falling off, and since I'm lazy, pulled up in the steaming area to save wandering around the line to retrieve a day loco. 

Not a spectacular run, but a good, solid one. The sort of confidence-building session that makes me keener to do more. The evening sun made the bodywork glisten, and reminded me, I really should buy a safety valve cover. Something to polish like a proper steam engine owner. 

 

Garden Rail June

We have the technology – or at least Uwe Richter does. His German garden line may have started as a clever way to use up spare paving stones, but it can now run autonomously, or be handed over to younger modellers for hands-on fun the whole family can enjoy.

Overlooking the Isle of Man, we visit the Little Angel line through a series of postcard-style views charting its development. Staying with the Manx theme, Dave Pinniger builds his first steam locomotive kit – a “Caledonia” lookalike.

On the workbench:
• DHR Class One locomotive
• Budget-busting radio control
• How to paint a FR Fairlie
• Slate waste wagons
• 3D scanning for club members
• A springtime scene
• Designing a layout for the BBC Gardeners’ World show

Plus all the latest products for modellers working in the larger scales.

Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, or online: https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/

Strong repairs

 

Ahead of the show, the Garden Rail van needed a wheel fixing back on. The 3D printed parts are a bit brittle, and tiny joint between wheel and "axle" had snapped. 

Simply glueing the wheel back on wouldn't have worked, ot at least not for very long, so I drilled the support out for a 1.5mm diameter plastic rod. This is fitted into the hole with superglue, and quickly becomes solid. 

The rod is cut short, and a hole is drilled in the back of the wheel. This hole is slightly larger than the rod, but lashings of glue ensured a nice, tidy result. Best of all, it survived the show intact!

I used the same technique for a somewhat different repair too. 

Lady Liberty made it all the way back from New York, sans hand and torch. Fortunately, they were found and handed over with instructions that I was to fix the statue before eating the M&M's in the box.

More plastic rod and superglue quickly sorted out this souvenir - and the chocolates were delicious.  
 

NGRS haul

With such a busy show, I didn't have a lot of time for shopping, and a few of the things I fancied, had sold out by the time I got around to them!

Browsing the ModelTown stand, and influenced by past articles in Garden Rail, by Mark Thatcher, I picked up a bargain Bond microcar, and a pedal car. These will be a bit of fun, and the sort of model that I can use on the Layout in a Day, as well as other places. I've also sat in one of the Bond cars years ago on the Isle of Man, which makes it even more appealing. 

The other impulse buy is a business card display from Porterhouse Models. A 3D printed loco, with slot for your card.  Fun, and not expensive. 

Apart from that, there are a lot of boxes containing kits for review, so I better start digging into those! 

NGRS 2026

 

You won't be surprised when I say this was a busy one. Since Warners are looking after the trade now, I was able to get in early on the Friday, but ironically, other than setting up my tables, I couldn't take advantage of this to get cracking with the "Layout in a Day" build. 

The plan this year was that Andy, from Amazing Little Trains, would be supplying the 45mm gauge track, to demonstrate the DCC system he imports. And Andy wasn't due until the official get-in time of 2pm. 

Still, once he arrived, we got stuck into laying track and quickly had a working layout. In total, three hours build time saw a fully working garden railway, with loops and sidings, created. I'd also laid an oval of 32mm gauge track (I'll blog about this later) to keep what the Association calls "The True Gauge" visible. 

When the day dawned, it was pleasing that the number of pre-booked tickets, was within 100 of the TOTAL attendance the previous year. By the end of the day, over 1500 visitors had been through, a 25% increase. 

I'd recruited Amy and Ben Bucki to run the layout so I could wander around properly. This they did to great effect, with Andy joining in too. Lots of people, young and old, ran trains using the fancy DCC phone-control system, and they had a great time doing it. Our sounds competed with the Marble Express at the other end of the stand, especially the diesel that made ice cream van noises!

I didn't get to wander as much as might have liked, there being far too much chatting to do. Apologies if you couldn't get to me, perhaps I need to have a full-sized Little Phil made to help!

What I saw, was a very busy show with some fantastic models on display. Everything from a £45 loco kit (PS Models sold out of those) to £5000+ steam locomotives. People were buying too, with a few stands stripped of items. All good news for the hobby. 

I was very happy, and not a little relieved as I always am. The layout looked great, and proved that you don't need a huge amount of space to build a garden railway. For the first time, thanks to Andy, we put on a proper garden line, not just a couple of circuits of track. Anyone could enjoy operating it as the plan offered plenty of play value. 

So, another good year. All being well, we'll do it all again. I hope so, as I've recorded a load of video for next year's promotional efforts. Well, the marketing team have their work cut out beating this years attendance figures!