L&WMRS Open Day - September 2026

 

We've just enjoyed the post-TINGS club open day. With a stand at a major show, it seems sensible to follow-up by offering people the chance to visit our not that easy to find clubrooms, in daylight. We lay on tea, cake, and lots of working model railways. 

 

All very nice, but it was the team behind our modular project who really pulled out all the stops for this event, with some stunning modelling. 

 

All products of the 3D printer, plus an awful lot of work painting and finishing the basic prints. And yes, that is Godzilla. Printed in clear material, then painted, and fitted with lights. Press a button on the front of the layout, and his spines illuminate, and the giant screen on the building stops showing Japanese adverts, and instead advises the population to flee. 

I've been busy...

 

...so I'm behind on my blogging. In lieu of a proper post, here is a picture of our cat, Stampy. 

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.  

Saturday Film Club: Class 14: Why Britain Scrapped These New Locomotives After Just 5 Years

The Class 14 "Teddy Bear" has, to my eyes, always been an attractive loco. Sadly, it was a bit of a failure - the traffic it was designed to handle was fading away as the locos were delivered. This video covers it nicely, with some well-researched archive footage. 

But, the highlight for me is at 12:50, when we see a self-propelled rail-mounted Coles crane batting along a bit of track. I don't recall seeing one of these in action before, and it can certainly move!

I built a static model of this in the September 2025 issue of BRM, using a base from 247 Developments, with a Corgi Trackside top.  

Worth it for the postage!

Ever a sucker for a bit of Manx tat on eBay, I won a couple of very vintage badges. They arrived, and the big surprise was the fabulous collection of Isle of Man post office stamps on the envelope. Easily as much fun as the badges, and definitely deserving of a place in the collection! 

R486 Town Bank in The Collector

My quest to build all the 1980s and 90s Hornby "Made in West Germany" kits continues, with one of the lesser-known models, R486 Town Bank, in The Collector. 

To be honest, I thought this would be a nice quick kit to build, commensurate with the tight deadline I was working under. As it turned out, it is a bit more involved, thanks to the corner shape. When it comes to the roof, I needed to come up with some techniques (in the article) to hold on to everything while the glue dried. 

One of the most interesting points is that the box describes the model shown as "enhanced". It's not; it's an early scratchbuilt prototype. Look at the brickpaper covering and dormers that don't match the ones in the kit. That cash machine is better than we get in to the box too. 

What it doesn't show is the red telephone box also included. Quite a nice kit too.  

For speed, I made extensive use of acrylic paint pens, and they were very handy too for window frames and doors. 

This is a nice kit, that could form the basis of a detailed model. Inside the doors, which I modelled open, there is a bit of interior. Given time, more could be scratch-built, so the blinds were superfluous. Or perhaps it could become; a trendy wine bar?