TINGS 2026

The International N Gauge Show is always a bit of a work trip. I'm on the lookout for layouts that will photograph well for BRM, and this year, despite being a little emptier than normal, the show delivered. I think there were 5-6 that I'd like to point a camera at properly. 

One of the highlights was Kato's "Oscar" - a tiny 009 locomotive which is very near being delivered. 

It really is tiny, with a very useful-looking chassis built around a coreless motor and brass worm gear/flywheel combination. Running was superb, and I can see a whole raft of 3D-printed bodies being produced for it. 

You know I like weird stuff; well, the Japanese layout Tsuro no Michi provided this with a CatBus on the roof of one of the buildings. 

Inspired by the CatBus, I've booked a trip to see My Neighbour Totoro on stage in London. Not what I expected to be inspired to do, by a model railway show!

And of course, cake. 6 out of 10 for the Victoria sponge. It was a little stodgy, but perfectly edible. 

I arrived as the doors opened, and left just before chucking out time. In my mind, this makes for a good day out, and excellent value for money. 

All the photos are over on Flickr.  

Saturday Film Club: Was this the Midland Railway's Most Beautiful Locomotive?

Maybe. But it's no Sea Lion is it? 

The golden fishplate

 

With Andy and Louise's BBC Gardener's World Live layout in the current issue of Garden Rail, I should show you this souvenir of the show - the Golden Fishplate. 

Laying all the track for this mammoth project took many days, but by Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before the judges were due to arrive, Andy finally connected up the last bit of the circuit. With a clean fishplate, the golden (OK, brass) one. We all cheered, and then went back to work. 

At the end of the show, we pulled the tracks apart as quickly as possible. There was a lot to dismantle, and while LGB stuff will stand up to abuse, it's probably not going to like having real railway sleepers dropped on it. 

We stripped the layout in an hour, and at this point, I found myself presented with the section fitted with the Golden Fishplate. 

I'm not sure what to do with this next - maybe put it in a frame of some sort as a reminder of a very special event. It's touching that Andy decided to hand it to me. After a couple of days of hard playing trains, it was very welcome!

Better barge corners

 

I wasn't going to mess around too much with this kit, but once the sides and ends of the cabin were fitted, the corners didn't look very good. Picture on the Petitie Properties website suggest I haven't done anything wrong either. 

To me, the solution was obvious: stick some slips of stripwood in the corner gaps, and sand them flat. Shock horror, the plan worked. I found some suitable wood, which was slightly oversize, and PVA'd it in place. Then went away and let it dry properly. 

A couple of days later, and with a sharp blade in my scalpel, the wood was trimmed back. A little sanding, and an acceptable finish was obtained. Again, not perfect, but I want to get this thing done. 

 I'm not unhappy with the result. It's one of those jobs that you do, and no one notices you've done it. But they would if I hadn't bothered. 

Warehouse Wednesday: Rundown barns

Hat tip to Duncan Young for finding these wonderfully atmospheric shots, and arranging permission for me to post them here. He tells me they are from Hunwick in County Durham, taken by Richard Lloyd, but that's all I know. 

Well, apart from them being full of very modelable features. Look at those collapsing doors. Easy enough to model with some scribed and Plastikard that is then attacked with a knife. 

Then we have the windows. Boarded up on the brick barn, and largely devoid of glazing on the stone one. Wiggly tin roofs, I could go on, but I need to find an excuse to make a model!