Garden Rail March 2026

Is a garden railway ever truly finished? 

Probably not, but that’s half the fun! The Tinto Valley Light Railway is a perfect example. It’s still evolving, but looking fantastic, and its builder Richard Ashton has learnt a lot along the way.

If you’ve ever dreamed of running your models on a big railway, check out the line at Buckingham Railway Centre. They’re always looking for volunteers, and it’s an amazing place to let your engines really stretch their legs. 

On the Workbench This Time:

• Building twin open wagons in wood and plastic
• Improvising a military train • Smart steaming bay designs
• Assembling a WC kit
• Winter jobs for the garden
• Turning a toy Toyota truck into a weathered model masterpiece
• Two loco builds: a Go-Go diesel and a battery-powered steam engine 

Plus: All the latest news for large-scale modellers!

 Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, or the online store. 

Warehouse Wednesday: Bourn Brook

I was in Bournville, so of course I took the route from show to station, through the Cadbury factory. And yes, I did go in the shop, and no, I didn't buy anything. 

What I did collect, was a lot of photos of the buildings. We start with this one, The Bourn Brook. 

If you click on the top image, it will be blown up so you can take a proper look. The picture shows the scene in the days of the railway, and the sign is at the real spot. I'll be honest, I can't relate the two images - possibly, I am standing on the bridge shown in the drawing. The buildings shown, now replaced with a car park.

I don't think that anyone is going to build the whole of the factory, but Bourn Brook could be turned into a 3D picture, with the trains running over the bridge between hidden fiddleyards. Maybe not the most exciting operation, but maybe it could be automated. I bet at shows, you'd enjoy a good-sized audience watching the trains go by. 

Volks Electric Railway - Car 2

 

Fate sometimes pushes projects your way. Wandering around Bournville show, I found a trader who was new to me - DoubleM Models. 

Most of the range is 3D printed narrow-gauge models. There are also some T gauge trains, which is what caught my eye. At three quid a go, I picked up a couple, and was about to pay, when I spotted in the boxes at the end of the stand, Volks Railway Tramcars 1 and 2 in 4mm scale. 

The VER was one of my Dad's favourite lines. He had travelled on it as a child, and many times since. That included the centenary day, which we arrived at by accident. 

So, what choice do I have, but to buy the kit? I'm sure if he'd been with me, we'd have been leaving with at least one - over the years, we'd discussed, and investigated ways to make a model of the line.  

The kit runs on a Kato 11-109 chassis, and they sell those too. The Kato unit is well known and respected, so a working model is guaranteed. I walked away from the stand with a ligher wallet, but all the bits for a model. 

This one's for you Dad.  

 

Dad update

Thanks very much to everyone who sent me tributes to my Dad when he passed away.

Both here, by email, and over on Facebook and Instagram, the kind comments flooded in. I've made sure that these have been shared with my Mum and sister, who appreciate every single one. 

Dad didn't want a funeral, he hated them, and all the fuss around the day. Instead, we plan to have a small commemoration at the L&WMRS clubrooms, at the end of May, or start of June. All welcome. It won't be a sombre affair; in fact, there will be minimal fuss, just as he would have wanted. You might get some rhubarb crumble if you are lucky, his favourite food!

I'm hoping to have one of his boats on the water, and the 16mm scale coaches he built circling the steam track. The main clubroom idea, is still work in progress. Dad was terrifically proud of the railway club, and all the members have achieved. 

We also hope to arrange for a bench at the boat club, in the spot where he would sit when we went down, ate a chip butty, sailed, and watched the swifts flying around, plucking flies from the air over the boating pool.  

One happy find, is the 3D scan taken of him by ModelU a few years ago.  I have a few figures, and after checking with Alan, expect a few in larger scales to be heading my way soon. All three of us will have a little Dad. It's something to consider if you see the team scanning at a show - this is a lovely record of your favourite people. I look forward to putting mini-Dad's on some models in the future. 

Thanks again for all the tributes and kind words. They really are appreciated. 

Bournville 2026

Last Saturday, I needed a day out. A day out by train. Handily, I promised Andy Christie some time ago, that I'd pay a visit to his show in Bournville. 

The event, as I understand it, is to raise funds to cosmetically restore a Cadbury locomotive, so we were in a church, in the shadow of the famous chocolate works.  

And a very enjoyable show it was too. There were several layouts on my photo list (past, present and future) plus others I just enjoyed. 

Smallwood from the Reditch club is grimy blue diesel territory. There's some nice modelling, especially this shopping centre, complete with nostalgic brands. I have a feeling this might be a future shoot. Lots of angles for a variety of pictures. 

I can't find the name of this layout, but it's French narrow gauge, so by rights, I shouldn't have liked it as much as I do. Some nice atmospheric modelling on show. Apparently it's been around a long while, but this is the first time I've spotted it. 

Todmorden is known to me, and still looks great. I wish the depth of field my phone offers could do justice to this shot. 

 

I've talked to the owner of the Barrel before, and it was originally to be an Andy shoot. Obviously, I'm going to get the chance to have a go in the future with a bit of luck, and I think it will be an interesting challenge. 

How about this? A 1:12 scale carriage, complete with scenery passing by the windows. This is the work of Esha Bijutkar, an incredibly talented young artist. Check her out on Instagram. 

Finally, there was a temporary G gauge railway, with live steam locos running. The church has great faith in the loco owners, as the line was laid directly on the parquet floor!

And cake, of course. 

Victoria sponge or tiny scone? I think both...

All this, plus plenty of good chats, including a couple with people who knew him, about my Dad. 

Best of all, there was a train ride, and a stroll through Bournville, which is fascinating. Just the day out I needed.  

Saturday Film Club: Shock Closure! The UK Model Shop Directory Closes its Doors

Last week, the model railway world was shocked to discover UK Modelshops website had closed down. In this interview, Adrian Hall explains what has happened. 

There is a valuable lesson here. So many hobby websites rely on a single person to operate them. Often, it's a thankless job as disgruntled users will let you know how unhappy they are, without once contributing to keeping the service going. Even Facebook groups suffer this way, with people unable to understand that the moderators aren't offering a 24/7/365 service, for no money. 

Adrian devoted huge chunks of his life to keeping the very useful (I'll certainly miss it) service going. I got to know him while running MREmag, another unpaid (for most of the time) occupation. 

This is relevant, because I, and before me, Andy, find myself defending RMweb becoming a commercial entity. Truth is, Andy sold the forum to Warners because otherwise it would also have disappeared. Costs were rising dramatically, and the work to keep the doors open was more than a spare-time person could handle. 

So, if you use any hobby website maintained by volunteers,  be nice to them. If they say they need donations to keep it running, donate. And please don't give them grief. They are giving up their hobby time to entertain you. 

Off to Doncaster

 
I'm off to sunny Donny today, for The Festival of British Railway Modelling. 

I'll be loitering on the World of Railways stand most of the time, with a few old projects on a table to talk about. 

Please drop in for a chat. If you want to say something nice about my Dad, then that's lovely, but not too much. While I'm not china, and handling it very well (I think), I'm there to talk about model railways and making things. 

And that is what I like to do. 

Looking forward to seeing you at the show! 

Brian Parker - RIP

 

On Wednesday night, my dad, Brian Parker, passed away peacefully. 

It's very difficult to know what to write in this blog post. He was my father, friend, helper and the person, who more than anyone else, made me who I am today (well, it had to be someone's fault). 

Some of my earliest memories are of him building a balsa and tissue aeroplane. He would also help me with my more complicated Lego - there is a photo somewhere of him putting together an oil rig I'd received for Christmas. 

Dad supplied me with my first train - a Tri-ang 3F he'd repainted into maroon with a golden dome. He didn't think I'd like a plain black engine! Sadly, in a fit of realism, I repainted it black again years later. 

I'd always been a kid who enjoyed making things, and one day, he presented me with a bag of balswood offcuts, a knife, and some glue. And that was it, I was allowed to get on with it, hacking away at the wood. The idea was that I would learn about sharp knives, and to be fair, I still have a full complement of fingers.

There were also many plastic kits from his stash that I was allowed to build, not always brilliantly, but I learned a lot in the process. Some of those have become collectables, but this didn't bother him. I was taught that plastic kits were for building. 

Dad had an interest in aircraft, and assisted at the local air cadets. Somehow, this involved us in visiting an air museum, where I saw a Sunderland Flying Boat. I was smitten by this, and so a few months later, I came downstairs to find he had assembled and painted an Airfix model. Sadly, this didn't survive, but I still have a couple of figures from it. I've promised myself that I will one day build another, and include these people in it. 

Years later, he accompanied me to the Leamington & Warwick MRS every Thursday evening. Trains were my thing, but he was happy to come along and help out. On our first night, he saw track being made using SMP parts. "I'll never be able to do that.", he said. Three layouts later, he seemed to have the hang of it. 

Of course, we exhibited layouts together for many years. Dad never learned to drive, so this side fell to me, but he was always happy with his supporting role. I made the rolling stock, he, the buildings and boats. We trekked up and down the country with Melbridge, Flockburgh and Hellingly and really enjoyed ourselves.

We also visited a lot of shows. Much of this was by train, and we enjoyed many lovely days out. 

Back at the L&WMRS, he took on organising the annual show for several years, successful events that helped boost club funds, leading to the success the club undoubtedly is now - something Brian was always very proud of.  

There is so much I should write, and maybe I'll continue with a few stories in the future, but right now, I'm not in the best place to put together a complete history. 

Suffice to say, I'm going to miss my Dad. Of course, like any good modeller, he has bequeathed a pile of unbuilt kits, and half finished project to add to my own collection.  

Thanks for everything Dad. 

Note: There will be a brief hiatus in blogging for a few days.

Time for a new loco cradle

 

I think it's really time to deposit this Peco loco cradle in the bin. It's performed admirably for many years, but the foam has really lost its spring. 

To be fair, I bought a replacement some time ago, and this has just been kicking around on a shelf and gradually degrading. The foam has gone brittle, and bits keep falling off. As you can see, it's more pancake than U-shape. It just goes to show that some things simply fall apart over time. 

And before someone shouts "inbuilt obselecance" - I think that well over a decade (possibly two) of use isn't bad for a foam cradle. I know, in the old days, we had cradles made from granite...

Warehouse Wednesday: 7 1/4 tunnel

Tidying up on my computer, I found this photo of a tunnel mouth on the Heath Park Miniature Railways and Tramway in Cardiff, operated by the Cardiff Model Engineering Society. 

I was there to shoot a OO gauge layout, but couldn't resist a stroll around the very attractive Heath Park site. During the sunny months, the group operate regular trains around the 5 and 7 1/4 inch tracks. 

Playmobil 45mm gauge track

 

We are giving away the Planet diesel I have been building in recent issues of Garden Rail, to someone who has bought advanced tickets to the April show. 

Since I was in the studio, I recruited Steven to help me make a quick video of the little beast. And for this, I needed some track. We have some 5ft lengths of LGB, but these are costly and a pain to move around. Instead, I dug out some of the Playmobil plastic track I bought on impulse at the Llangollen show a year ago. 

This track appeared because toy legislation banned Playmobil from selling track-powered trains. All their models went over to battery-electric, something that I suspect was much appreciated by parents, as they could stop fiddling with fishplates and wondering why the train suddenly ran out of electric juice. Kids would be happy, because the radio controls brought more play value, lights and sound, with them. 

This stuff is lovely and chunky, comes in 268mm lengths (no idea why) and clips together. For more permanent setups, there are some clips that fit in the square holes at the ends, to really hold things together. For my purposes, the simple clipping seems pretty solid. 

I have straights and curves, plus four points. Again, nice and chunky, with good, positive motion when you twist the knob beside the switchblades. 

In the video, the little shunter ran happily along it. Making it ideal for temporary lines. No steam though, the plastic wouldn't take kindly to dropped hot fluids!

 

Syston Haul

The rule is that when you go to a show, you must come back with some new toys. 

But. There are very few new toys that I actually need, and not many that I want right now. So, complying with the rule at Syston wasn't easy. 

Spotted in a box, is this nice, playworn, Matchbox hovercraft. I like hovercraft, and for a couple of quid, it complied with the rules. I'll kid myself that one day I'll take it apart and restore it. The stickers could be reproduced on a computer, and they are only bits of paper stuck on. The liver, well a can of white spray paint will sort that. 

For the moment, I'm enjoying it as a desk toy, making hovercraft noises as I push it up and down. I am a big kid. But then you knew that. 

Rather more relevant, and also found under a stand (it's where the good stuff is, but don't tell anyone) is this Hornby Dublio TPO set. 

Despite being an operating accessory fan, I've never got into the TPO sets. There is an orange Tri-ang one in the collection, but that's it. 

What interests me about the Dublo version, is that it works in a very different way to the later Tri-ang and Hornby models. Those are purely mechanical. Dublo uses electricity. There is a pickup skate sticking out of the side of the coach, and what I assume is a matching tongue sticking out of the delivery/collection space. 

How all this works is a mystery to me. I know I could probably look it up, but I'll have fun finding out by experimentation. 

All this, in nice condition, for £15. OK, there are no mailbags, but for some reason, I already have some. There has been some depreciation going on, as there is a paper label inside for £95 - an optimistic price, even when HD was worth proper money!

Syston 2026

 

That's what I want to see when I arrive at a show!

The event itself is held in a social club next to the clubrooms, but feeding, and the club layouts, are upstairs. We'll come to that later. 

This is another small show, that punches above its weight. The first layout I spotted, was David Wright's new project Bessie Bulls. It's more diorama than model railway, but I know I'll be photographing it for BRM at some point. 

I saw Effingham Street at Stafford, and it's another one on my  "to do" list. 

Lydd on Sea is a simple model, but it captures the atmosphere of Dungeness. That seaside desolation and emptiness. 

Always pleased to see a tramway layout, The Electric Tram grabbed my attention. The presentation was very nice, but they were having running problems, although this didn't seem to reduce interest in the model.  

Crawford Viaduct models the real viaduct, and looks lovely. The design allows for a constant procession of N gauge trains too. 

 

There were other layouts, but my phone is producing such tiny depth of field (I need to look at that) that the photos weren't great. Several will be on the end of my professional attention in the future though. 

But what of the food? 

Well, the hot cobbs were overfilled with sausage - I think the treasurer might suggest two sausages split, rather than four full ones, would be better for the club funds. 

I wasn't complaining! Mind you, I was too full for cake...

But it would have been rude not to try some, so a piece of Victoria sponge came home with me. I'd actually had a discussion about the consistency of the buttercream with the owner of the layout Fried Egg Street, and Bachmann's own Richard Proudman. Amazing who you meet at these events, and what you talk about!

Saturday Film Club: The Hospital with its own Private Railway - Hellingly Hospital Railway

A really nicely put together film about Hellingly. There's even a photo I don't think I've seen before. 

A hut and a warehouse in March BRM

It's all buildings from me in the latest issue of BRM. 

We start with a little etched brass hut from Severn Models. 

I've tried to demystify working with brass. There's no soldering for a start, which always puts people off. 

Then a bigger build, with a canalside warehouse. 

I really enjoyed this build, handy as it took place over a weekend around Christmas, as the planned project turned out to be a bit of a disaster and ended up in the bin. In its place, we have this Plastikard wonder, which I'm really pleased with. 

The camera has been out, firstly for Bristol Avon Bridge in OO. 

If you remember blue diesel days, this is a properly nostalgic model. I do, so the shoot was a bit of a memory-jogging moment. The photo here isn't the most impressive, but I remember seeing views like this in the 1980s. It just takes you back to the moment. 

Sticking with blue bangers, we have the stunning, O gauge, Invermire. 

If you know Scottish railways at all, you will recognise the scene around the viaduct. I had to stop myself from taking all the pictures here - but those I did are some of the most attractive photos I've ever taken, and look brilliant on the pages of the magazine.

Subscribers can also enjoy watching trains running on  BRM TV. 

BRM is available from all good newagents, or the online store.  

Time for a break

 

For various reasons, I need to take a few days' break from blogging. Please talk among yourselves, I'll be back soon. 

The Valley Railway Adventure

 

Last Saturday, I nipped over to Evesham Country Park, to buy some unfashionable shoes. While I was there, I couldn't resist watching the steam train in operation, and taking a few photos. 

I've always thought this would make a nice prototype for a model. There's plenty of it. The problem would be scratchbuilding the stock of course. 

 

For more details of the line, visit the website. 

Saturday Film Club: Toton Yard Hump-shunting 1950

Ahhh, the happy days when everyone thought railways had a real future moving freight. When you needed a super shunting yard to make things efficient. Not just loads of lorries. 

Scalextric 2012 Olympics Velodrome

 

This is Simon Kohler's fault. Reading his autobiography, the 2012 Olympic Velodrome set, was given a bit of a kicking. Of course, that made me want one. It could sit in my collection with the other great disaster, the 3DS. 

A quick look on eBay, where there is plenty of choice, and just under twenty quid later, including postage, a rather tidy set was mine. The question is, is it any good? 

Inside, it's all nicely packed in a moulded cardboard tray. There is track, a couple of cyclists, power supply, controllers, and some cardboard decoration. 

All set up, the first thing you notice is that the Team GB board is smaller than the oval - not quite as shown on the box. 

The track feels a bit cheap, and as this is a banked circuit, I'd say that's not a good thing. Remember, the whole lot rests on the inner edge. There are no supports, it just sort of wobbles in mid air. Not a big problem, but this doesn't scream "quality" to me. 

The cyclists are quite impressive. 

Each man is attached to a motorised sidecar. The front wheels revolve, a nice touch. I'm told they are a bit fragile, and liable to lose the moving wheel when leaving the track. It's worth looking out for this if you fancy a set yourself. I spotted a few incomplete ones for sale. 

Under the sidecar, is a motorised unit with a pair of drive wheels, and the required thing to run in the slot. The braids on my set look a little poorly, but a spare set is included in the box. I guess that standard micro Scalextrix spares would work. 

You can also see a pair of magnets that grip the steel rails, providing power. This will increase grip, and stop the cyclist flying off all the time.  

Unclip the lid, and inside is a standard 3-pole Scalextric motor driving the wheels. Both chassis benefited from some of Deluxe Materials magic jollop, but soon ran very smoothly. OK, we didn't have a huge amount of speed control, but then this isn't a P4 shunting layout. 

So, is it any good? 

Not really. The fundamental problem is that the inner track is shorter than the outer one, which gives one cyclist an advantage over the other. The pair of chicaines adds a little jeopardy, but the cyclists appear to be able to squeeze past each other without too much trouble. 

The idea is interesting, but play value will be limited, not helped by the fragile nature of the set. I bet there are a lot that never made it to the loft dump. The number on eBay suggests many people had a go, and put it all back in the box. 

You can't even add track for a more interesting race. OK, this is realistic, but is that the point? 

Another noble Hornby failure. I have a lot of sympathy for their Olympic range. If you remember, it wasn't until two weeks before the event that the country got behind it. Had we realised how good it was going to be earlier, who knows how much tat we might have been persuaded to buy?

I'm not sure that would have saved the velodrome though...