Glyn Valley Bridge

The July BRM has a second article from me - the build of the Dapol kit for the narrow gauge girder bridge. This is based on the design used on the Glyn Valley Tramway, three of which took the railway across the Ceiriog river, and at least a couple of them still stand today.

The kit uses laser-cut card in the same way as the loco shed which I featured in the April BRM. Careful neat assembly paying close attention to the instructions results in a nice structure. I think the planked deck works particularly well, with gaps between the planking. After painting, it's hard to recognise that this is made of card. 

I was also rather pleased with the river, which I modelled on the Ceiriog at Dolywern where one of the original bridges is just visible from the road bridge. It uses the same heavy gloss acrylic medium I used to add waves to the stream on Hexworthy, with the waves formed using the airbrush. 

Of course, you don't need to model the Glyn Valley Tramway to make use of this kit!

It's great to see the trade supporting 009 with suitable structures.

Whittingly in print

The July Railway Modeller, which features the new Rapido Manning Wardle on the cover, also includes an article on Whittingly Hospital. The magazine has been following up the Rail200 competition by featuring some of the finalists which were at the National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC.

Whittingly is presented in the Micro Marvels feature over four pages, and makes excellent use of the photos that the editor, Craig Tilley, took at the NEC and which show the model really well. I was glad I'd taken some stock along to pose on the layout, as the Peckett and the few wagons do add life to the scene. The lights were still working at that point too, although the batteries expired later that Sunday!

It's great to see the layout in print, but it does remind me of my plan to turn it into a working layout!

Quite by coincidence, the July BRM includes a piece I wrote on building an industrial warehouse using Wills materials. Look familiar?

It was actually quite a simple build and so made a good scratch-building example. Using the Wills industrial windows and brick sheets with the openings ready takes care of the more daunting aspects of modelling buildings. It also shows how scratch-building is the best solution to filling a specific gap.

Of course, if I extend the layout, this low-relief structure will need to be extended!

The Red Lion - A BRM project

Another of my projects features in the May BRM - and is even shown on the cover.

The project uses the Hornby Rose and Crown pub. You might think that a ready-to-plant building leaves little scope for modelling, but there's a lot that can be done to make a model more individual and realistic. I touched up the finish, re-branded signage as the Red Lion, and set it in surroundings including a beer garden, playground, and car park. 

For a simple project, it was a lot of fun, and shows how a little work can really enhance a ready made building. 

Glyn Valley Tramway Loco Shed.

April's BRM magazine shows another of my projects as a step-by-step guide. This one is is a Dapol laser-cut card kit for a narrow gauge engine shed. 

The prototype for the model was the Glyn Valley Tramway engine shed at Glyn Ceiriog, and still stands and can be seen on google streetview. 

It's a fine kit that makes a nice model. A first for me was using colouring pencils on the brickwork, which has worked really well. I modified assembly to allow the roof to be removed, and sat it on some card to lift it so my Glyn Valley Tram loco fitted through the door. I suspect the prototype was measured from current ground level, which might be equivalent to what was once rail height! 

It's nice to have a building kit that is intended for narrow gauge models. It will hold 3 009 locos, and would suit layouts in many different settings.

Weathering 009 Coaches in BRM

December's BRM magazine has another of my articles. This time it is covering subtle weathering and detailing of ready to run coaches, for which I used a couple of 009 coaches for Hexworthy. 

The techniques are those I've used on other 009 coaches and have described here. I do use an airbrush, but in a very simple way, and the basic tasks include painting details and adding figures as well as adding shadows, smoke, and road dust.

The coaches look so much better for the small investment in time, and remain smart enough for use on a preserved railway, but have lost the box-fresh plasticky look for a more real-life appearance. 

Garden diorama in 7mm scale

The October BRM magazine contains another of my "Getting Practical" contributions. This issue has been out a few weeks now, but I was a bit busy last month and forgot to post about it!

This garden diorama in 7mm scale is the subject of my longest step-by-step article yet, which covers the garden buildings, scenic setting, and a range of details. 

The three Dapol laser-cut kits for the greenhouse, shed, and chicken coop, along with the ready-made tomato plants and runner bean plants, were the basis of the project. Coming up with the setting in which to use them, and selecting the detailing parts to finish the scene, was a lot of fun. 

The details include chickens, chicken wire fencing, plant pots, a bench, a potting table (in the greenhouse), wheelbarrow and garden tools. 

It was also fun to experiment with new scenic treatments such as card paving slabs and real soil.

Check out the magazine for the full details!

Railway wagon weighbridge

If it's been a bit quiet on here lately, it's because of organising the group exhibition at the end of March and some prep of my layout for it, plus a couple of magazine projects. This month's BRM features one of them, a railway wagon weighbridge from a Ratio kit.

This new kit uses a mixture of laser-cut wooden parts for the weighbridge itself, which includes a surprising level of detail, and an injection-moulded plastic hut. There's even a short length of Peco set-track which is used in the weighbridge deck. 

As you can see, it makes a nice model which would make an unusual feature on a layout. 

Toilets!

In the business of the exhibitions over the last couple of months I'd forgotten to highlight an article of mine in the November BRM.

The article covers the build of the least glamorous of station facilities - the toilet! In this case, it's a Dapol 7mm scale laser-cut kit based on the gent's at Chelfham on the Lynton and Barnstaple railway, so has a narrow-gauge connection. 

The laser cut card is a relatively recent medium for model railway kits. The article shows how I assembled and painted it, and added some extra details to bring it to life. 

Platform lights in BRM

The August issue of BRM - out now - has a "Getting Practical" article by me!

The "Getting Practical" section provides a step-by-step how-to for a range of different modelling projects. My article covers adding working platform lamps, something I have done on my own layouts but that may seem daunting to someone who hasn't tackled a similar project before. 

It's a straightforward project that can make a big difference to a layout, and uses some excellent slimline modern style lamps from Kytes Lights. 

Effective aren't they? (it took me a lot of attempts to get a decent photo in the dark!)

New 009 Society Handbook

Back at the Narrow Gauge South show in April I was given a copy of the new 009 Society Handbook. This is now the third edition, it has been over two decades since the second edition and the first was published around the time I joined the Society over 30 years ago. I found it a useful reference then (my copy looks rather dog-eared), and I hope the new edition is just as useful to 009 modellers now - especially those new to the scale. This edition is a thick spiral-bound A4 book illustrated throughout in colour, and covers topics such as DCC and 3D printing as well as the age-old challenges of track laying, wiring, couplings, scratch-building, and even exhibiting your layout. 

The reason I was given a copy was because I had contributed a section on how to model inset track, using my experiences from building Loctern Quay and Slugworth which used different techniques, along with a short description of how the prototypes do inset track. 

The 4-page article includes lots of photos which I'd used on this blog, so I was able to illustrate the processes. 

As well as the article I'd provided, some of my photos were used in a couple of other sections written by Richard Glover, one covering different types of fiddle yards showed the "easy cassette" system I used on Awngate. 

Another section on micro layout design featured photos of my Southon Yard, and Joshua's Slugworth & Co., both of which were EXPO-NG competition winners. 

I have to say it's a real honour to have input to this handbook alongside many well-known modellers, the works of some of whom were an inspiration to me when I started in 009, or over the years since. The format of the handbook may look similar to the original, but it has been thoroughly updated with new content and covering new topics. If you model in 009 it is well worth picking up a copy from the Society sales. 

Loctern Quay featured in BRM

Loctern Quay is featured in the August issue of British Railway Modelling magazine.

My little 009 layout gets 8 pages, with lots of photographs including a double-page spread, and a little "thumbnail" on the cover.

I spent an afternoon in the garden taking a selection of photos in good light, and they have come out really well, so it is nice to see so many of them used. I think the BRM team have done a great job setting out the article. 

 

Loctern Quay is a winner!

Just got the latest 009 News...

Loctern Quay is the winner of the 009 Society competition!

Awngate in BRM

Awngate is featured in this month's (well, September) edition of British Railway Modelling. It's always nice to see my work in print, in this case 6 pages featuring some fine photos taken by Phil Parker.

Thakeham Hudson Hunslet article

In print again!



The latest issue of Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review has my article on building the Hudson Hunslet Diesel - a model of the prototype used at Thakeham. It's always an honour when my work is worthy of making it into print, and especially a magazine featuring such high quality modelling as this one. The editor, Roy C Link, has done a great job of presenting the article, and the rest of the magazine has some top class articles too.