'Layout in a Day' in Garden Rail July

Can you build a garden railway in just 8ft x 6ft, and do it in a single day?

In our July issue, the Garden Rail team proves the answer to both is yes - as our ‘Layout in a Day’ wowed visitors at this year’s National Garden Railway Show.

Also in this issue: metal 3D printing, making the most of Mostyn vans, personalising a Mini Plant locomotive, building a sheep wagon, a manrider for your permanent way staff, and a 16-ton mineral wagon for Gauge 1.

Plus reviews of Gaugemaster’s G scale BR diesel, a 16mm De Winton, and a look at a garden line powered by clockwork — along with all the latest new products for larger scale modellers.

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

Locomotive stars of the show

 

Among my worries about hauling Melbridge Dock out for a weekend, was how well the locomotive fleet would work. After all, they had been in store for a decade, and maybe my memories of their operation were rose-tinted after all this time? 

I shouldn't have worried, in the stock box, I still have a selection of reliable workhorses, four of which I feature here. 

Starting with the 02 diesel. My model pre-dates the RTR version by many years. It's a Craftsman etched brass kit with a Mashima motor inside, and probably Romford gears. The class is a favourite of mine, I've built this kit at least three times, plus my original DJH version, and the same companies O gauge model. There is a TT:120 loco sitting awaiting building too!

Moving up a number, we have the ever-reliable Mainline 03 diesel. 

By tradition, this always works the first train of the day, retiring to the display cabinet after this so the kit-built models can show off. My reasoning being that people haven't paid good money to come into a show just to see things running that have come out of boxes. I'm a bit old-fashioned in that thinking, but when the layout was in its prime in the 1990s, you didn't buy a shunter that worked, you built it. 

Yes, I know that the Bachmann model is more realistic, the bonnet is narrower for a start, but I don't think this looks bad. It resembles the 03 enough for me. At the time, it was a huge leap forward in model shunters after all. 

Talking of shunters you still can't buy RTR, the 06 diesel. 

Hornby make one, but it's pretty terrible, and no amount of detail can make it worthy of a place on my layout. This version, from a Judith Edge etched brass kit, is pretty perfect, though. It runs a lot better than I recall, but then it's a late addition to the fleet, so perhaps it never enjoyed the chance to impress me in the same way other models did. 

Finally, some steam. A Y8. 

The Y8 is our passenger locomotive, and so modelled reasonably clean. It's a K's whitemetal kit on an etched brass chassis (sorry, I can't remember the maker, but I doubt they exist now). The train is based on the Davenport Dockyard set of coaches, and photos showed it hauled by a small loco, and this is as small as they get!

Each of these models behaved impeccably for me and my operators all weekend. Running locos that I've built myself, reminded me just how much pleasure there is from seeing a model I've built with my own hands working properly. If you've not done it yourself, I heartily recommend having a go. 

Celebration day haul, with a mystery

 

There was a small second-hand stall at the open day, and of course, it liberated a fiver from my pocket towards club funds. 

The Hobby's model light set is a fascinating bit of vintage. I suspect it's not that old, as Hobby's (not Hobbies) tend to keep stuff in the range for a very long while. This has incandescent bulbs and holders, none of your LED stuff, and I dream it will be used in a vintage boat project. 

Memory Wire used to be very fashionable in the more serious end of the model railway hobby, but you hardly hear of it now. Has it all been replaced by servos?  For those new to this product, it's wire that gains in length when you pass a current through it. Use a spring to pull it back when the current is removed, and you have a useful(?) device to move signals and points. Or at least that was the idea. I've never played with it, so for a quid, I'll satisfy my curiosity. 

Tongue depressors - I stick people to lolly sticks or chip forks for painting, and I've run out. These will be perfect, and I don't need to stuff my face to acquire some tools. 

And finally, a mystery. 

I've no idea what this clamp is for, but it's so well made, and so useless to anyone other than an idiot like me, I had to buy it. 

7.5cm long and 2cm wide, it splits into two parts, which are accurately aligned with four pegs and a pair of brass corners. 

 

Inside, there is a V shape, but that's not helping me work out what this rather well-made device is for. I am stumped, and so is everyone else I know. The clamp arrived in an estate clearance, so we can't ask the maker. 

Any ideas?  

Dad's celebration day

 

What a wonderful day!

My Dad didn't want a funeral, but we felt that there ought to be some sort of celebration of his life - a chance for people to say goodbye properly, but in a fun way. 

My plan was that we'd jump onto the L&WMRS open weekend Sunday. That way the clubrooms would be open, with all the layouts working anyway. In the social area, I'd install Melbridge Dock, the layout that Dad and I built and exhibited for years. Next to it. would be a slide show with some old photos. 

On the water, we'd have three of the boats he'd built. 

"Puffin", a scratchbuilt tug, "Isobella" a Victorian steam launch, and "Felix", a ferry. 

Finally, on the outdoor track, the set of coaches he built would be doing a few circuits. 

Beside the track, which he loved, there would be a barbecue, which he'd be less keen on. 

I'll admit that putting all this together kept me busy, and a little concerned in the run up - but it all went brilliantly.  

Obviously, this is all down to the people. For a start, Mark, Duncan and their wives who ran, with the aid of my mum and sister, the burnt food and salad end of the day. No one went hungry!

Then the guys from the model boat club who sailed for me. They didn't have a special weekend, but a few came along to help out anyway. 

Chris and Andy ran the layout in the clubrooms, keeping things moving all day (all weekend in Chris's case as he was there on the Saturday). No, I wasn't being lazy, I needed to be walking around talking to people, so I recruited a few assistants to help out.  

Then there were those who just came along. Too many to mention, and several I didn't expect. The grapevine worked well!

One special guest was Earl King. A long-term friend of my parents, and arguably the person who got me involved in railway modelling. Yes, it's his fault, and now you know what he looks like. 

Thank you to everyone who joined the party, or simply thought of us on the day. We gave him a terrific send-off. One he would have enjoyed, even if he'd been slightly embarrassed at the whole thing.  

I miss my Dad. At the end of the day, when things had wound down, I sat on his bench at the boat club for a few minutes, looking out over the water as we had done so often in the past. It was lovely and peaceful. 

Then I headed back inside to run a couple of trains on Melbridge Dock, remembering some of the shows we'd done this at in the past. A proper connection. And that's what it's all about.  

Saturday Film Club: Buying second-hand railway models

My most recent video for World of Railways, covering a few things to look for when buying second-hand locomotives.