In the good old days, you could nip down to your local model shop and buy a real rocket engine. Not your Estes sort of safe version, but one made of metal, that you assembled yourself.
My Dad had a Jetex engine. I don't recall us firing it up, but the idea fascinated me. He always planned to put it in an aeroplane, but this car looks pretty cool. There was a boat too, but I fear it would plough into the bank if I tried it out on the KMBC lake!
New, to me, this gas-mechanical loco in 16mm scale. I first saw the model on my late friend Ken's layout a couple of years ago. Produced by AnDell, the locomotive ran superbly and with all those rods flapping around, looked great.
I wanted one, but AnDell are long since gone, so my only chance was second-hand, but nothing appeared.
You might wonder why there is a Little Phil on the footplate. Well, when I first saw the model, it looked odd without a driver. There's always a model of me in my bag, so I tried it on the footplate - a perfect fit. So, for Christmas, I gave Ken a driver for his loco, suitably painted into overalls.
Battery-powered, from cells within the bonnet, the wheels are driven by a conventional gear. However, the rods and jackshaft drive are purely for show, a Delrin chain linking everything up. No wonder the model runs so smoothly!
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Control uses an AnDell radio set which works perfectly. I assume, from the short length of the aerial, that it's a 2.4 system. No xtals are visible, which is a relief. The loco is a delight to drive. Only problem is, it's 32mm gauge only, and I don't have a track for this easily available. Never mind, this is a nice reminder of a friend, and I'm sure I'll find somewhere for it to streatch its legs.
We head down to the allotment for some fast vegetable action as Tom Taylor's once modest railway has grown to become a popular attraction with regular open days.
On the workbench:
If you fancy a small RTR battery-powered locomotive, we test Woodleigh Engineering's 'Igor'.
For vintage steam fans, there is a good look at Finescale Engineering's Hunslets.
And don't miss our essential guide to April's National Garden Railway Show – the UK's biggest event for modellers in larger scales!
The trickiest part of any tramway model is the overhead. Unless you model a very specific location, such as Wolverhampton with its stud contact, or London with the slots and skate, overhead wires are very much part of the scene.
From Birmingham, we have another option, at least for modern image modellers. Part of the route in the city requires the trams to operate from batteries, as there isn't any overhead. The thinking was that the line runs through some historic buildings, and no one fancies screwing overhead cables to these, so for a short section, the trams drop their pans, and run on batteries.
Here, I found a little work with reamers was needed to ensure the plastic buffer head and shank slid freely in the casings. Nothing more than a couple of twists, but worth it as they won't "wear in" in operation. Not unless you push the things endlessly anyway, and that's not my idea of a hobby.
Even with the other collar on the end of the casing, the shaft and spring will go in from the front, being retained by a metal nut on the back. I added a little superglue to this once assembled, we don't want it unscrewing itself and falling on the track, never to be recovered.
Coupling hooks just slide through the headstock, the spring goes on the back, and is retained by the split pin. This slides easy though, and is a little bit fiddly to open up so it stays in place. A two-plier job.
