Off to Rugby tomorrow

 

Tomorrow, I'll be exhibiting at the Heart of England show in Rugby. The plan is that I'll be filling a table with some of my narrow gauge projects, possibly in three different scales! This might even include a brand new cake cover layout that I've built for January's BRM. 

This is a change to my earlier plan, which was to take Melbridge Dock for an outing. After a weekend operating it at my Dad's celebration day, I was offered space, and after a deep breath, said yes. 

Sadly, once we got into the details, this didn't work. There's no Friday night setup, and the earliest we can get in the hall is 8am. That gives me two hours to unload, although help was offered, and I had to erect the layout on my own.  Worse, I'd be loading it into the car at 6:30 in the morning. That's a very long day. 

I seem to recall there's not a huge amount of space in the hall, and I tend to spread out a bit while putting the layout up. With everyone else doing the same thing, I can see the potential for accidental damage being quite high. 

Doing this as a team activity is a lot easier. My Dad couldn't remember the setup process as well as I could, but he was handy for those jobs when a second pair of hands made life easier, such as the fascia and information boards. He'd also keep an eye on things to reduce accidents. 

On the plus side, my proposed display fits in much better with the theme of the show, and dramatically reduces my stress levels for the day. And I'm sure people will still enjoy it, and I might be able to get a cup of tea and cake!

For more details, visit the Heart of England Modellers website. 

Flushed with success as the French WC project is complete

 

And we are done. The Artitec French WC kit is finished - for now. 

It's been an interesting and enjoyable build. Part fit is mostly excellent, although the roof isn't perfectly flat where it joins the ceiling. Not really obvious; the only solution would have been to attack both with some abrasive sheet, which is messy, and unless you are very good, it sands one surface a touch wonky. 

Instead, I'll leave things alone for a while. All that Citadel shading wash has proved to be ideal for the weathering. I wanted worn, not decrepit, and I think I've achieved this.  

What to do with the model? 

I fancy selling it in a little scene. Nothing large. Not much more than a concrete base with some grass, and a 2CV parked beside it. Maybe a little signage. Perhaps a peeling poster on one of the walls. I'm not sure, although I have a few ideas brewing in my head. 

Watch this space.  

Garden Rail December 2026 on sale

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This month, we take an in-depth look at the spectacular Indian Hill Railway, one of the country's best-known 16mm exhibition layouts, and a star attraction at the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC 21-22 November.

Then we get into the festive spirit, with a visit to the Butterley Garden Railway Association's Christmas celebrations and find inspiration at the Beacon Hill Railway.

In our practical section:

• Choose the right fuel for your live steam locomotives

• Build an impressive church complete with lighting and sound effects

• Maintenance tips to keep your railway running smoothly through winter

• A tunnel for your line

• Re-body a Bachmann gas mechanical, and make it run smoothly

• Part two of our Gauge 1 loco build

• Build a short-wheelbase open wagon

Plus, all the latest news for modellers in larger scales. 

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

LGB bubble wagon repair

 

While visiting Footplate Models a few weeks ago, Richard presented me with an LGB bubble blowing wagon. In pieces. 

"This will be great for the Marble Express at your shows", he said. 

I can't disagree, but first, I needed to put it back together. 

A quick look and it became apparent that someone had taken it apart to deal with the battery box, the contacts of which are as furry as my cat. I had a little poke, but it was beyond saving. Plan B was to fit a new battery box, and I reckoned that a AAA box would fit in the space the original four AAs did. 

All this would be a waste of time if the motor didn't work. It's a double-ended unit with a fan and gear on each end. Fortunately, all was well, so I just needed to figure out where the power should be fed into the switch. 

This took a couple of goes, but with only a modest amount of bad language, I managed to solder the wires in place. And then realised these wires were too short if I wanted to slide the box out to change the batteries. Good thing the iron was still warm. 

Of course, on the first go, the motor was running in reverse - not ideal if we want to blow air out, not suck it in. I had left the iron plugged in. 

The side panel was loose, but a dig around in my drawer full of small bits produced three screws that would hold it. Proof that you should never throw anything away. 

A bit of butchery of the original battery box allows the AAA version to slide inside it. It sticks out of the end of the cover slightly, but when fitted in the wagon, this is obvious. 

The drive band that moves the bubble wands is a touch loose, but generally works. I've no idea where I'd get a replacement from, so if it becomes too much of an issue, I'll investigate a drive band kit. For the moment though, we have bubbles!

 

Painting the toilet part 1

 

The instructions for this model are fascinating when it comes to paint. Every colour is mixed, and Artitec details how much of each colour should be added to the mix. 

This is nice, but a bit of a faff, especially if you need a second batch of a particular colour and then have to match the colour you used before. So, I went my own way, aiming for 80% of the result, for 20% of the effort. 

I was lucky that the one colour you don't have to mix is for the woodwork - Humbrol Matt Leather (62). There is a pot in my stash, picked up cheaply in a bag of five tinlets from Anoraks Anonymous. A single coat of this produces, to my eye, a nicely worn paint finish. I've never planned this is a perfect building. 

The stucco walls are simply Cream (103) stippled with Light Stone (121) using a sponge. It looks just like the photo on the box, and if I need to touch an area up, the paint is in the pot.  

ME Show haul

 

For once at a show, I had a shopping list. OK, it was "Battery Boxes", but at least there was a plan. A couple of work projects require them, and I knew Component Shop had a stand - although it took me a couple of circuits to spot them!

While waiting, I was taken by a long, flexible LED, and it was too cheap to say no to. Once I've fired it up, I'll post on here. 

Talking of cheap, one trader had brass section at 2012 prices, so I stocked up. How this stuff was still on the stand after four days is a mystery. It just shows, there are bargains out there, you just have to look out for them.