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... 

Bog done

 

With the hinges sorted, all that remained to finish the wooden toilet was to fit the latch, which is in the kit, and glue the roof down. 

 A tenner well spent I think. Everything goes together nicely. I've made a bit of a meal of it with the woodstain and a couple of extra details. On balance, I wish I'd added some strips of venner down the front to hide the plywood. I'm not doing it now, as matching the stain would be a nightmare. Anyway, the kit is cheap enough to just go and buy another. 

Was this the fun stick-it-together project I needed? It certainly came pretty close. The model could be assembled in minutes if built straight from the box. I just feel the need to mess around, but then that's the fun part isn't it?  

Warehouse Wednesday: Irish flour mill

Hat tip to Duncan Young for this: 

This was lifted with permission of the administrator from the Disused Stations site. It’s a rail-served flour mill in Ireland (5’ 3” gauge). It oozes modelling potential-short wheelbase wagons, delicious pointwork and a good starter for a micro layout with simple electrics? 

Some nice simple buildings to scratchbuild by the look of it. All a bit grey and (I suspect) 1950s industrial. Just my sort of thing. Thanks for the find! 

Hinges

 

I've been pondering the door hinges for the wooden WC for some time. The kit is provided with a couple of laser-cut plastic versions. These look nice, but of course, they won't work, and my inner child says it would be more fun if the door could be opened. 

Complicated, but accurate versions soldered up out of bits of brass and tiny tube were considered, but even if I did manage to make these, the process was going to be frustrating. 

Then I had a brainwave. Take a strip of brass, bend it around some rod, clamp it tightly, and glue it to the door. My initial idea for the rod, was to use a staple, but brass is weatherproof, and there was a better chance of the things working. 

Result - a couple of hinges that actually work. Time to make them, a couple of minutes, or about 1% of the time taken to come up with the idea!

At last, a good use for the Sun!

 

Just a little detail for the wooden WC - something to clean up with after your visit!

The newspaper front pages come from ScaleModelScenery, but in 4mm scale. I had them for a magazine project, and thought "why not enlarge them for this one?"

The result looks OK, and makes me chuckle. A Peco track pin keeps them in place. I had to drill a hole all the way through the wall, glue the pin in place, and then cut the excess away on the outside with some flush cutters.  

Saturday at Kidderminster

Between Christmas and New Year, I like to take a train ride to Kidderminster. It's nice to watch a few trains, browse the big book sale in the museum (also home of fabulous cake) and wander down to Footplate Models for a chat and nose around. 

Upon arrival, at the platform, I found "Hagley Hall," which is a Great Western chuffer. 

Next to it was 46 045, which I may well have spotted back in the 1980s. Not really sure I'm with the idea that rail blue is "heritage", but then like many people my age, I think the 1980s were only 20 years ago. 

09 107 was on shunting duties, bringing in the teak set of coaches. I like the way these have weathered and picked up a little dirt. I'm sure this is closer to how they would have operated in service. 

I love a Class 37, and 37 508 was sat in the bay platform, not doing anything. Not sure the livery does anything for it in my opinion, but it's none of my business. Whoever owns it, the loco looks tidy - not bad for a 62-year-old diesel loco!

As "Hagley Hall" departed, LMS Mogul 13268 arrived, and looked fantastic running through the smoke and steam from the departing train. 

After my book buying, lunch and Footplate trip, I returned to the station to find 37 415 waiting, anoyingly (for photos) beyond the end of the platform. It appeared to be working an enthusiast special, judging from those on board. 

So, not a bad trip. Six different, and interesting locomotives. According to the information board, there was a heritage DMU floating around, but I didn't manage to catch sight of that.  A good way to get some festive fresh air!

Saturday Film Club: The Origins of Groudle Glen

Why is the Groudle Glen Railway the best in the world? 

It's not just because of the trains, even though these are the best in the world, it's the whole package. The Glen was once a major tourist attraction, and this video provides loads of history as well as the chuffy bits, so sit back and enjoy. 

Then book your trip to see it for real later this year... 

Annie

For many years, one of my regular contributors to Garden Rail was Dave Skertchly, with the tales of his Vale of Weedol tramway. Dave's stuff could be a bit off the wall occasionally, but always interesting, practical and amusing. Each article would sign off with him ruminating over a pint of Auld Phagbut beer on the latest escapade. 

Dave was always a pleasure to work with, and his hands-on style of modelling appealed to the practical part of my brain. No kits, no fancy tools, and apart from a diversion into carbon fibre, no weird materials. This was budget modelling, showing that if you were willing to get your hands dirty, a line full of character, was within your grasp. 

Sadly, the Vale of Weedol is no more. Dave and Mrs Dave have downsized to an apartment. The railway has been dismantled, and disposed of via Facebook garden railway groups. When I first spotted this, I enquired about owning one of Dave's locos for old time's sake. I don't have a 32mm gauge line to put it on, but that doesn't matter. I have some track, so maybe one day...

Anyway, Dave was obviously keen to find good homes for his models and knowing my love of the Groudle Glen Railway, offered me Annie. A Bagnall loco that is due back to the railway anytime soon. 

A few days ago, Annie arrived in here nice wooden box. Apart from the driver having lost his footing on the footplate, she's perfect. 

Best of all, she's the result of a friend tinkering in his shed, and making something wonderful. I'm proud to own her.  

 

Garden Rail - February 2026

Beat the winter blues with a trip to sunny Wiltshire! We visit Ian Folland’s incredible 7/8ths scale Chalke District Railway. Join the slow worms basking in the sun to enjoy realistic trains and the gorgeous scenery of this wonderful garden line. 

But that’s not all! In this issue: 

• Explore the 16mm Blackwater Valley Railway 
• Discover a nursery with its own 2ft gauge railway for garden plant lovers 
• Our new train game, coming to a show near you soon. 

On the Workbench: 

• Building a high-level garden line 
• A diesel servicing point for your locos 
• Kippo Models’ stunning Gauge 3 engine shed

 Plus, the latest Product News for large-scale modellers – including Roundhouse’s brand-new steam locomotive! 

Garden Rail is available from all good newsagents, and our online store.  

Defunct battery charger

 

Spotted beside Platform 4 at Leamington station, this (presumably) defunct DMU battery charger. 

I'm sure someone can give chapter and verse on these things, there's probably an enthusiasts society, but I just know they have been in residence for many years.

What caught my eye was the ivy growing over the top of it. I love modelling ivy, it hides all sorts of dodgy workmanship on model buildings, and blends things into the countryside really well, naturally softening hard edges. I'd never considered it on something like this, but I will in the future. 

Once this was the future of course. Now it's just old junk. We all go that way eventually, I suppose.  

 

Wiggly brass roof

 

A few days ago, Woz asked, "Where is the dunny roof ?"

Well, here it is. Although a laser-cut top is provided to look like roofing felt, I decided wiggly tin would be more plausible. This was helped by me having a wiggly tin-making tool kicking around. 

Green Stuff World's corrugator tool, is a pretty light-duty device designed to be used on foil, pewter or cardboard. I don't fancy cardboard for a model that might encounter rain, and I didn't have any foil or pewter handy. I have some litho sheet, but can't remember where is is right now. I do have brass, and after a little experimenting, found it would emboss the thinnest shim sheet (5 thouish) in my stash. 

The process is a little brutal. I clamped the tool in my vice, and rolled the sheet back and forth, gradually tightening the clamp. 

I'm pleased with the result. It looks like proper corrugated iron. For now, it's painted with red oxide primer, but I'll add more colour later.