Layout in a box and bumper DVD full of Phil in the February BRM

One big project in BRM this month, a complete layout in a box.

If you are new to railway modelling, finding all the materials can be a challenge, so I've put together a complete package so you can build a fun inglenook shunting puzzle. All the modeller needs to add is a loco and rolling stock.

There are step-by-step instructions in the magazine, and if you fancy taking it further, more ideas on the DVD.

If you pop the DVD into your telly, be prepared for a bumper crop of me since I start by interviewing the owner of James Street at the GCR show and then move on to three practicals - assembling a provender store, track weathering and building some tree kits.

I've also been out with the camera and bagged a rather nice 009 layout, Castle Wharf Kendle.

It's just my sort of layout, small and scenically very interesting. I'd not gone to shoot this at the show I found it, but sometimes you have to grab a layout while you can, especially one as good as this.

2019 - Review of the year

It's time for that post again, the one where I look back at projects done and those that haven't progressed.

Here's the update from last year:

• 7mm scale Garratts STILL haven't been out of their boxes
• I found the 3mm scale Class 25 the other day and it hasn't bothered to build itself.
• O gauge "Flying Banana" railcar, still summoning up the courage to re-start that. 
• 4mm GWR steam railcar, I know it's one people would like to see finished. Me too.
• The Cravens DMU is probably the first candidate on this list to re-start as it should be fairly simple. 

And that is still the position with these today. I also mentioned that my Beetle was stopping the garage filling up with junk. It continues with this important task, but I have managed to get two of the spark plugs out of the engine, a pig of a job on a bug. The plan is that I'll fill the cylinders with penetrating oil to start the process of freeing up the engine.

Getting the oil in is going to be interesting. A plastic straw is required to guide it, and guess what has been vanishing from fast food places in 2019? Yes I know I can buy a box for pennies, but I really don't want 50, I want a couple. It took a while, I'm not a regular in these places, but I have them. I just need time to do the work.

I might even have persuaded the mechanic who does my parents Berlingo to look at the job of doing bodywork. Quite how I get the car to him is nearly as big a mystery as to how I'll pay for it, but that's for another day.

Anyway, projects done:

16mm Brake Van



Noah's Ark





Wooden Wagon

 

Pink Mini

That's not a lot for a year of work. OK, there are a few tiny projects too, but I feel I should have produced more. It amazes me that the J72 has been on the bench for the best part of 3 months thanks to my stop-start working on it.

Unusually for me, I've been buying locos. Two in 4mm scale, the Hornby 48DS and 0-6-0 Peckett and a G scale Piko track cleaner. Compared to some I read about on social media, I'm a rank amateur, but then clocking up £3000 of pre-orders suggest buying everything you see whereas I like to think I'm more selective. That said, the total for 2020 is likely to be higher, at least monetarily, but I can't tell you why.

Workwise, I have built three little layouts (Billy Bookcase series) and a garden railway in a day plus loads of other projects to appear in print. I'm really pleased with all of them.

I'm still working on both BRM and Garden Rail. The e-newsletter has been passed back to the office but I still create content for World of Railways, which then fills the now weekly newsletter. 

I went to the Isle of Man, but that's the extent of travelling for the year. Not very exciting, but I'm not a very exciting person and anyway, I simply don't have time for jet-setting. The trouble with the various deadlines on my calendar is that I don't understand how I'd take 2 weeks out of the schedule. Fortunately, I enjoy my job!

These have been a couple of new show - Hornby's open weekend and the Hornby Collector Club event, both of which I demonstrated at. I really enjoyed both, although wished I'd have a second body to take along so I could have escaped from behind the stand a bit more.  Perhaps I need to buy a full-sized 3D print that could sit there while I'm wandering.

Blogwise, there have been 365 posts and visits are generally the same as last year. Advertising income is down a bit, so please click on that add in the sidebar. 

For 2020, more of the same I suspect. I have a number of projects I'd like to work on and maybe there will even be a bit more time as my workload sorts itself out a bit and perhaps I become a bit more focussed and efficient. In the meantime, I'll do my best to provide a bit more entertainment for you in the next year. Thanks for reading!

Colour, or at least black

Close-up photos can be cruel. On this loco, they exposed the horrible mould line up the front of the chimney.

Once scraped away, there was a line along the top of the boiler too. When that was dealt with I had loads of unpainted plastic showing. Time to break out the airbrush, or at least wait until the weather warmed up a little and Christmas was out of the way.

I'm pleased to say that sprayed Revell No.8 is a pretty good match for the weathered paint finish on this loco. I gave the top of the boiler and firebox a dose of dirty black to show the sooty grime that had landed from the chimney.

While I was at it, a bit of rust and track colour shot around the model helps blend things together nicely. A bit of work with powder will finish the job, but I'll fit the cab interior first. A wash under those buffers would be a good idea too.

Head scratching on the J72 cab interior

I don't understand the cab interior. The diagram and instructions don't really help me much. Maybe I'm just a thicko.

Fortunately, I know what I want to do - fill the gap so you can't see through the bottom of the floor. The old chassis filled the cab but the replacement is full of air compared to that.

So, I've folded it up as best I can. Cut a slot in the back edge to sort of correspond with the lump in the body moulding. I'll spray it black and then glue in place.

The plan involves a crew hanging out of the sides anyway so you won't really notice. While I'm not doing the fantastic cab interiror with all the controls of the Bachmann model, this will do fine.

Is it time to revolutionise the exhibition experience?

From Montignac Model Boat show report in Model Boats magazine:

I was aware of a large table being set up at the front of the hall and shortly after the hall opened to the public at 10:00, we exhibitors were summoned for a small glass of the local honey wine and some locally baked biscuits. Quite a start to the show!

What an excellent idea. Some libations and a little sustenance for those who have been setting up and will man the stands during the event.

The report continues:

A typical French touch was that the show closed for lunch between 12:00 and 14:00. 

Now that is a good idea. Imagine everyone being chucked out of Warley for a couple of hours so the exhibiters can get a bite to eat. 10,000 people head to the on-site 'spoons while those of us inside the barriers can have a stroll around the hall, chat and perhaps a bit more local drink (probably not honey wine in Birmingham)!

So civilised. I hope it catches on...

Saturday Film Club: Painting a scene

It's holiday time, so spend longer than normal gawping at this video from many years ago. 

I love Bob Ross programmes. They are my go-to stress reliever - watching a scene gradually appear in front of my eyes is relaxing and fun. There's a bit of me convinced that I could do just as good a job thanks to his tuition too.

Practically, I'm sure those techniques for creating skies would work just as well on model railway backscenes. Maybe I'll try it one day. In the meantime, there are more pictures to watch being painted. Many, many more... 

Vote Turbocar!

Those top chaps from the Wishlist Poll are having a bit of fun over Christmas - they have set up the "Quirky Poll" - a survey of some of the weirder things that model railway fans might want. Hovertrain? Maglev? Paget Loco? All on the list.

It's just for fun, but if you could just nip along and vote for the Battlespace Turbo car, I'm sure Hornby will finally get the message.

The Quirky Poll.

R3705 Ruston 48DS

No-one who knows me will be surprised I ordered a Hornby Ruston 48DS as soon as I could. This was after a few weeks of knowing it was coming, but not being able to rush down to my local model shop because of a pesky embargo on the information. What made it worse was that I had been told they were "on the boat".

As it turns out, the boat was slow because I've only just picked up the red version with wasp stripes, but no worry, it was worth the wait.

My model came from the local shop, Classic Train and Motor bus. Although I didn't expect any problems, I still had the model test run before handing over the money. Had there been an issue, it would have gone back with no fuss, and no tantrums on social media.

Anyway, you'll have read reviews already and know this is a good model, but is it as good as my kit built version?

 

 

Yes it is. And better still, my kit version doesn't look too shabby beside its plastic brother. There's no need for it to hide away. I'll happily run both.

But, does it fit the little engine shed I built for the Collectors Club magazine?

Not quite. I need to shave about 1.5mm off the top of the door. Not bad considering I was basing my measurements on the etched kit. I'm relieved to say that you can follow the instructions and make a mini shed for your 48DS from a resin building.

Anyway, I am very happy with my model. That's no less than 2 RTR locos bought in a year, something of a record for me. Will there be more ordered from the new range? Yes there will, but I can't tell you what yet...

Merry Christmas

Using rollers

David asks:

I just ordered a set of GW rollers, which I have noticed you also use. Any top tips on their use, please?

An interesting question which I've been pondering for a few days. First - good choice of tool. GW Models stuff is well made and will last for ages. If you are going to buy tools, it's nice to go for the best. Mind you, are there cheap rolling bars?

I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer as I'm not really sure I'm using them properly myself, however, if I tell you what I do, helpfull readers will comment below and tell us what I'm doing wrong.

Basically, I use the Allan key to slacken off the bolts at the end so the metal can be slid underneath without bending. Then I gently do them up so the metal is just slightly curved. This is rolled back and forth.

Once happy, I tighten them up a bit more, trying to turn both the same amount. More rolling and basically repeat until the correct curve is achieved. This is normally slightly more curve than you want as the metal will spring back a bit.

Is this right? Well, it works for me. I think the key is not to try to put too much of a bend in the metal in one go. Impatience is likely to result in flats or the metal sticking in the rollers. There is a sweet spot where they are gripping tight enough to move the metal but not too tight so it jams. That, you can only assess while working.

I hope this helps. As I say, more advice eagerly accepted.

Farewell Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling

Just before Christmas, some sad news - The Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling is to close after three years.

According to the letter sent to advertisers and distributors:

Unfortunately, this current January edition of the Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling will be the last, as the title can no longer sustain itself as a free newspaper.

You might think I'd be pleased to see a rival publication go under, but I'm not. I wrote for the magazine several times in my pre-BRM days and always found them very pleasant to deal with. They paid up quickly for a start, always something to warm the cockles of a freelancers heart.

I also got my first full cover photo back in April 2017 with them, the issue is framed on my office wall.

I didn't see the RMMGtM as a direct competitor. To quote the letter again:

We always saw the Railway Magazine Guide to Modelling as a first step publication, helping push enthusiasts to other established title, including our own monthly publications - including The Railway Magazine, Rail Express and Heritage Railway. So although this particular publication will sadly no longer be produced, we hope some of the readers will have been bitten by the railways and modelling bug, and continue to read some of our great content in those other titles. 

That's fair enough. The content was far more human interest than mainstream magazines. You didn't get extensive step-by-step pieces of the sort I write. They had the short of readable but light articles that you might enjoy while waiting for a train instead. If you had discovered your local model shop thanks to the GMRC, picking up a free copy of this would be a nice gentle introduction to railway modelling.

While I'm sure there will be plenty of people trying to work out what this means for the hobby (and deciding it means doom) I don't think it tells us much. The readers didn't desert the magazine, which was given away free after all, so you can't tell if the content appealed or not. Nor if the number of readers was falling as the hobby goes down the tubes and all the modellers die of old age as many delight in telling us is happening.

If there is a conclusion to be drawn it's that advertisers expect a return on their investment. Adverts should drive sales and maybe selling mainly to people who are only reading a mag because it's free means your ad is being seen by people who simply don't want to spend any money. I know that it's a very different situation with Garden Rail fortunately!

So, farewell to a brave experiment that will join a host of other long-gone model railway magazines (MORILL,, Practical Model Railways, Scale Trains etc.) into model railway folklore.

There are many local model shops who will miss this mag as it drew people in to pick up their copy, but how many of them were just hanging around and not putting their hands in their pockets? I know my local shop has a few of those...

The social side of model railways

A couple of weeks ago, this video caught my eye on LinkedIn.



The maker explains how he knows lots of people, but has none he would consider a friend. This is sad, but not untypical, especially for men.

However, I think this is where model railways and boats can help. If you embrace, at least partly, the social side of joining a club, then you get to skip the end of this film where he goes off to what I suspect is an awkward session in a pub with people trying to come together to force a friendship.

Instead, a hobby gives you common ground. You have something to talk about. Yes, there are idiots that will bore the arse off you, and it's worse in a hobby home to many on the autistic spectrum and lacking in social skills, but that's life. Move on and talk to someone else.

I'm a massive fan of clubs. Joining one at 14 helped a very shy kid come out of his shell a bit. I'm a long way from gregarious (although I can pretend sometimes) but it helps. Maybe I know very few I could call at 2am with a problem, but at least I know that once a week I can go (to quote the opening of Cheers) somewhere where they know my name and sometimes even pretend I am interesting.

So, if you are feeling isolated, find your local club. Accept you'll need to muck in a bit and the members are not there to entertain you and you'll be fine. No skills are necessary - if someone is cutting a piece of wood, the person they like most will grab the other end to help. You don't need to be an expert to do this!

Saturday Film Club: Restoring old street lights

Apparenlty, even in 1963, Britons still yearned for the past. Then we were bust replacing our street lights with modern ones, but those old lamps were being restored and sold back to us as antiques. 

It all goes to show that nothing changes!

January 2020 Garden Rail

 

We head into 2020 with the latest issue of Garden Rail. The lead layout is a 7/8th scale model that makes use of the scenery surrounding the line to make the scene look huge in photos. 

We've also managed to drop in another layout construction piece. At this time of year, when you can trample over the flowerbeds with impunity, it's a chance to extend or even built a new line, so I've tried to provide a few examples over the last few months to help people get going. 

Of course, there is plenty of other construction going on and hopefully some helpful hints for modellers including some very clever fake steam generation that made a quick appearance because I fancy having a go at it... 

Full contents listing on RMweb. 

Painting a Mini - In the pink

What did I buy on my first visit to Tornado Books and Hobbies?

Pink paint. Tamiya pink paint.

Well, it's not a colour I tend to keep in stock. I don't think I've ever painted something properly pink. Flesh colour, but not proper pink.

Anyway, I wasn't entirely sure of the paint codes, but reasoned that the firm wouldn't make different shades with spray and brushable versions.

That they produce it at all in impressive - I wonder what Japanese modellers use it for?

Anyway, the body received a coat of white primer and then despite it not being the ideal temperature to spray things, I heated the up the metal with a hairdryer and shot some pink in all the shuts.

It seemed to be covering well. Better still, the paint dried quickly. I'd allowed for coats to harden overnight but the stuff was handlable within minutes.

Covering the basic body worked well, but I was worried about the plastic bits. Out of curiosity, I hand-painted them without stripping the purple paint away. It was buffed with a fibreglass pencil to reduce the colour a bit and provide a surface to key to, but after this, a couple of coats did the job. I was impressed and relieved! OK, you can see a slight shade different on the wind mirrors compared to the doors, but it's a not enough of an issue to have me digging out the Superstrip.

Around the top edge of the body, there is a chrome strip. My bow-pen did a reasonable job here. Not perfect, but good enough for what is a toy. The silver paint might be going off and didn't flow quite as well as I might like, but it stayed where I wanted it and that's good enough. I'm sure the new owner won't be too worried.

After that, reassembly was (to quote Haynes), the reverse of the above. As I couldn't heat-seal plastic parts in place, there is a lot of epoxy glue holding them in instead. This is a toy to be played with and if possible I don't want bits falling off.

I'll admit to being quite pleased with this. The colour is great. The paints, a brand I've not used for many years, worked really well. I hope its new owner likes it as much.

Waterborne Wednesday: Fishing boat decks

In the pile of model boats to be built is a 1/12th scale kit for a modern, small fishing vessel. Because of this, I've taken loads of pictures showing the back of these boats and no two seem to be the same. 

I'm assuming the basic mechanics of the operating bits work the same way, but the structures found vary so much. Some look a lot stronger than others, but I can't imagine the weight of catch varies that much on boats of similar size. 

Looking at these boats makes me more impressed when I have fish'n'chips. There's no way I'd want to be a long way out at sea in inclement weather on something so small!

Painting a Mini - Disassembly

I've been asked for a model Mini as a Christmas present for a friend. It has to be a convertible, and the new owner loves pink things. She also doesn't read this blog, so by writing up the job I'm not spoiling a surprise.

The best I could find was this 1:24 version. Sadly, they only sell purple, so I needed to do some work.

Taking the model apart was interesting. On the positive side, the main bits are screwed together. Finding the last pair are under the rear wheels which have to be pulled out on their axle to permit access.

There are a few more screws for the doors and windscreen. Most of the other bits are clipped in place and come away with a bit of waggling.

Worst are the lights which are heat-sealed inside the body. Carving away the heated "mushroom" and then poking out worked pretty well. At this point, I realised that I needed to work in a box are things like the front spotlights are very tiny, easy to use and difficult to replace. I piled them up on the seats hoping all the bits would stay together.

Next, the metal bits found themselves in a bath of DIY store paint stripper. I'm pleased to say this worked a treat and the shell was quickly reduced to bare metal. The trick is to be patient. Let the stripper do its job, the poke at the metal with an old toothbrush.

Wear thick gloves too. I started with nitrile ones and my fingers started tingling. They don't offer enough protection it seems.

Hornby St Pancras pop-up store

In London for some beer, I nipped into St Pancras station with the aim of spotting the latest train operator there - Hornby.

The famous manufacturer has opened a pop-up store in the lower levels of the station, where the beer barrels used to be and now you find high-end shops.

It's an interesting move. On the stand, you find trains, Airfix, Scalextric, Corgi and other diecasts. There's no paint or modelling materials, this is all aimed at the souvenir market for those nipping over to France on the train.  Prices are all full RRP, and compared to some of the other outlets nearby, this seems cheap!

I'm told that the pop-up is working well. Sales are good and I suspect that as a brand with wide recognition, the chance to buy something properly British works for those walking by.

At the end of the stand there is a model railway. Nothing big - space isn't going to be cheap - but a train running around catches the eye. Enough that they could have sold it several times a week!

In addition to selling from the counter, the attentive staff hand out Welcome Cards which offer a discount at the Hornby Hobbies website until the end of the year. Presumably, since this is likely to be a new group of customers, that will get them interested later and spread the name further. I wonder how many will be carrying a train set or slot car track home that they hadn't planned on buying?

The pop-up is in place until Christmas Eve.

National Festival of Model Railways 2019

It's Christmas time at the model railway show - and the layouts have festive features. 

My day at Peterborough was largely spent working with the Market Deeping MRC who were building a layout in a weekend. They didn't need much help from me apart from some panic shopping when materials ran low, but we did film a few progress reports which will appear in the mag at some point. 

I also shot a couple of layouts and filmed an interview with another owner. There was a bit of shopping for future magazine projects. I'm trying to plan ahead. 

All this means there are plenty of photos for you to see over on Flickr. 

And I really did need cake at one point, but couldn't find anything I fancied. I must have a word with the organisers...

Saturday Film Club: Spray painting Minis

This is pertinent to next week's blog posts. 

In the meantime, wonder at the breathtakingly sexist comentry and enjoy the interesting industrial buildings in the background.