Shunting, an office and track cutting in BRM - plus Melbridge Dock!

Time for a bit of loco kit building in the May 2020 BRM. Nowadays, people aren't so likely to dig out a few sheets of brass and a soldering iron so I was pleased to find a newbie-friendly alternative.

Planet Industrials new Planet Shunter kit provides a 3D printed body on to which you attach etched panels. This makes the best of both technologies and saves an awful lot of sanding to try to give a 3D print the smooth finish we see on modern RTR. Sat on top of a SPUD, it's as easy to build a kit as you can find. Superglue is the adhesive of choice, so the thing should be within the grasp of anyone capable of building an Airfix Spitfire.

Rather more involved is my contribution to the Runcorn Salt Union project - the office block is scratchbuilt and was my first serious use of the silhouette cutter. I'm pleased with the result and look forward to seeing the completed layout.

Sadly, having just brought the DVD back for all issues of the magazine, Coronavirus issue means we can't guarantee a supply for the time being, so BRM TV is only (currently) available to digital subscribers. Not ideal, but in a quickly changing situation, there's not much we can do. It will be back, but obviously, we don't know when yet.

Anyway, the expensive bit of the job has been completed - the content is filmed and edited. This month is one of my very basic pieces where I look at cutting track. We all do it, but it's another job that can be offputting to beginners.

Finally, since this is an industrial themed issue, the Get The Look pages at the front feature my layout, Melbridge Dock. I provide a quick rundown explaining how you can produce something similar, sometimes with more modern kits making life even easier!

BRM May 2020 on RMweb