Vintage spirit level

 

Picked up in an estate disposal, I didn't think many people would want an old, wooden, spirit level. After all, it looks a bit battered, and it's hardly like modern spirit levels are hard to come by. 

Looking at the brass plate on the top, this has quite some pedegree. 

J. Radbone and sons, were a Birmingham-based toolmaker. I won't try and put the history on here, as there is an excellent version online already. The factory it was produced in was apparently, in Whitmore Street, although there is no trace of it now. Over the years, Radbones was taken over, eventually becoming part of the Stanley Tools company. 

As a spirit level, it still works perfectly well. The brass corner plates ensure that, despite the wear on the wood, the level still sits where it should. 

I don't need another spirit level in the toolbox, but this has character. I can't work out how old it is, at least 63 years, since that's when the makers were first absorbed by another company. It could be a lot older though, so I wonder whose hands this level has been in. What did they measure with it? 

Garden Rail March 2026

Is a garden railway ever truly finished? 

Probably not, but that’s half the fun! The Tinto Valley Light Railway is a perfect example. It’s still evolving, but looking fantastic, and its builder Richard Ashton has learnt a lot along the way.

If you’ve ever dreamed of running your models on a big railway, check out the line at Buckingham Railway Centre. They’re always looking for volunteers, and it’s an amazing place to let your engines really stretch their legs. 

On the Workbench This Time:

• Building twin open wagons in wood and plastic
• Improvising a military train • Smart steaming bay designs
• Assembling a WC kit
• Winter jobs for the garden
• Turning a toy Toyota truck into a weathered model masterpiece
• Two loco builds: a Go-Go diesel and a battery-powered steam engine 

Plus: All the latest news for large-scale modellers!

 Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, or the online store. 

Warehouse Wednesday: Bourn Brook

I was in Bournville, so of course I took the route from show to station, through the Cadbury factory. And yes, I did go in the shop, and no, I didn't buy anything. 

What I did collect, was a lot of photos of the buildings. We start with this one, The Bourn Brook. 

If you click on the top image, it will be blown up so you can take a proper look. The picture shows the scene in the days of the railway, and the sign is at the real spot. I'll be honest, I can't relate the two images - possibly, I am standing on the bridge shown in the drawing. The buildings shown, now replaced with a car park.

I don't think that anyone is going to build the whole of the factory, but Bourn Brook could be turned into a 3D picture, with the trains running over the bridge between hidden fiddleyards. Maybe not the most exciting operation, but maybe it could be automated. I bet at shows, you'd enjoy a good-sized audience watching the trains go by. 

Volks Electric Railway - Car 2

 

Fate sometimes pushes projects your way. Wandering around Bournville show, I found a trader who was new to me - DoubleM Models. 

Most of the range is 3D printed narrow-gauge models. There are also some T gauge trains, which is what caught my eye. At three quid a go, I picked up a couple, and was about to pay, when I spotted in the boxes at the end of the stand, Volks Railway Tramcars 1 and 2 in 4mm scale. 

The VER was one of my Dad's favourite lines. He had travelled on it as a child, and many times since. That included the centenary day, which we arrived at by accident. 

So, what choice do I have, but to buy the kit? I'm sure if he'd been with me, we'd have been leaving with at least one - over the years, we'd discussed, and investigated ways to make a model of the line.  

The kit runs on a Kato 11-109 chassis, and they sell those too. The Kato unit is well known and respected, so a working model is guaranteed. I walked away from the stand with a ligher wallet, but all the bits for a model. 

This one's for you Dad.  

 

Dad update

Thanks very much to everyone who sent me tributes to my Dad when he passed away.

Both here, by email, and over on Facebook and Instagram, the kind comments flooded in. I've made sure that these have been shared with my Mum and sister, who appreciate every single one. 

Dad didn't want a funeral, he hated them, and all the fuss around the day. Instead, we plan to have a small commemoration at the L&WMRS clubrooms, at the end of May, or start of June. All welcome. It won't be a sombre affair; in fact, there will be minimal fuss, just as he would have wanted. You might get some rhubarb crumble if you are lucky, his favourite food!

I'm hoping to have one of his boats on the water, and the 16mm scale coaches he built circling the steam track. The main clubroom idea, is still work in progress. Dad was terrifically proud of the railway club, and all the members have achieved. 

We also hope to arrange for a bench at the boat club, in the spot where he would sit when we went down, ate a chip butty, sailed, and watched the swifts flying around, plucking flies from the air over the boating pool.  

One happy find, is the 3D scan taken of him by ModelU a few years ago.  I have a few figures, and after checking with Alan, expect a few in larger scales to be heading my way soon. All three of us will have a little Dad. It's something to consider if you see the team scanning at a show - this is a lovely record of your favourite people. I look forward to putting mini-Dad's on some models in the future. 

Thanks again for all the tributes and kind words. They really are appreciated.