Abrail haul

 

I don't need any more kits, but when rooting around under a stand at Sunday lunchtime, it seemed rude to pass up some very cheap Wills kits. They are a handy "get out of jail" card when I need a magazine, or even a blog project. Seated people are very handy too. I've been using a few figures recently, and hadn't realised how few of these I had. These, plus the Ratio drums and Mabex transfers, cost me a tenner. 

The N gauge lorry and horse-drawn parcel wagon are potential four-step BRM projects, and only a quid each.  

My point is, that bargains are out there. I was 3/4 of the way through the show. What was there to be found on Saturday morning? Or am I just weird in the things I choose to buy?  

One thing I really don't need is an O gauge loco kit. Trouble is, I've looked longingly at this one many times. I know it's marketed as a beginner's kit, and I'm an experienced etched builder, but I just like the look of it. Being a Connoisseur product, I know it will go together nicely, and should be a fun build.

To date, I've looked, then carried out the calculation of the final cost once motor wheels and gears are added, and decided against it. Here, we have the kit with those parts, for the price of the basic kit. I pondered for most of the day, but since no one else had snapped it up by late afternoon, I gave in. The thing is, the more I look at the kit, the greater my enthusiasm to put it together. Considering my lack of enthusiasm for personal projects recently, it's worth the money for that alone.

Abrail 2026

 

How has this show flown under my toy-train-seeking-radar for so long? 

It first came to my attention when the guys building Duxbury at the club mentioned they were taking the layout. That was just after they had inserted four feet in the middle of it - cue some hard work bringing it up to standard! A job well done, judging how well the layout ran at the show with some seriously impressive length trains. 

Seeing I had a free weekend, I thought a visit to support them was in order. Then I spotted that there were over 40 layouts. "There must be some that are blokes called Dave who've just nailed a bit of track to a plank to make up the numbers." I thought. 

I was wrong. 

There were over 40 layouts, and all of them were good. Some were great. No Dave's nailing Peco to wood here!

I'm not going to try to run through the lot. There is YouTube for that, but take some sea-sickness pills first, judging by the videos I've seen. 

Instead, a couple of highlights. Basically, the layouts I'd like to build. 

Rye Sands is a beauty. OK, there's nothing much here, but what there is, is superbly done. Loads of atmosphere. Based on a prototype, we are firmly in pre-grouping territory, with lots of curved-ended wagons. 

Sheep Croft is a very buildable layout, with plenty of operating potential, yet not very long. Perfect for a home-based layout that can be left out all the time for impromptu operating sessions. The 3-link couplings were challenging, but the low operating height made things a little easier for those shunting, as well as putting the model on the eye-line of shorter visitors. 

One issue with the show was the venue. Lovely as the college was, its classroom time, and with so much on show, the place becomes a bit of a rabbit-warren. I'll admit, I missed the building full of N gauge layouts, and didn't realise until I had a proper look at the programme back home. This is annoying, as if the quality of these was as high as the rest of the show, I'd have enjoyed them. To be fair, there is nothing that can be done about this. Exhibition centres aren't found on every corner, and when you locate one, the hire costs can be horrific. 

Catering was better than expected. Branded Costa, it turns out this is just the coffee and some of the food, but there were extra goodies on offer for very reasonable prices. I enjoyed the chocolate shortbread for only £1.50 a slice. Less than half what you'd pay in a proper chain coffee shop. 

To be fair, the trade side was OK, but not special. Mind you, I still managed to spend a few quid, which I'll explain tomorrow. 

Will I go back - YES. This is a cracking event. In future, I'll have a layout-booking hat on, and look at the programme properly, so I don't miss anything! 

Saturday Film Club: 1972: Crich's National Tramway Museum

Shot in1972, this is a proper bit of history, showing the early days at Crich tramway museum, including the working quarry, which is now derelict. Early preservation era, could be a very fertile time for model railways if anyone fancies it. 

A pair of 3Fs

 

A pair of 3Fs hauled out of the display case for work, showing how much the hobby has changed over the years. 

On the left, a Bachmann model released in 2011. On the right, Tri-ang from 1958. 

Both have been worked over a little by me, but nothing massive. The Tri-ang model is my first locomotive, and was painted and detailed when I first joined the model railway club over 40 years ago. 

The newer 3F was weathered for a Hornby magazine project when it first came out. While I'm sure there will be plenty of people on forums telling the world that it was time the loco was upgraded to "modern standards", I think it still looks pretty good.  

Obviously, both tenders had received a load of real coal, a simple task that really lifts the look of the model in my eyes. 

Mind you, I don't think the 1950s model looks too bad. The general shape isn't hopeless, you'd guess the prototype if asked I think. Fortunatly, we no longer have skirts under boilers to hide the chunky cast chassis and X04 motor, nor moulded on handrails (although I liked the improvement when these were replaced). 

Garden Rail April 2026

 

We travel to Arizona for our lead feature on the impressive Grand Central Railroad — a large, action-focused line built by a dedicated team of enthusiasts.

Remaining in the United States, we present a detailed model of a locomotive converted from a farm tractor. Created by master modeller Chuck Doan, this build showcases techniques used to achieve museum-quality results.

Moving to steam, Dave Pinnigar introduces Yvette, an articulated locomotive with notable engineering interest.

On the Workbench:
• Scratch building Churchwater Slate Railway rolling stock
• Re-purposing a control unit from a toy
• Converting a toy lorry into a locomotive
• Building platform barrows
• Seasonal tasks for garden railways

We also include a preview of the upcoming National Garden Railway Show, along with the latest new products for large-scale modellers.

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