Clik here to view.
18100
An oddity from the cupboard - a model of Metropolitan-Vickers gas turbine locomotive.The body appears to be a single-piece fibreglass moulding. The detail isn't great, but it could be a lot worse. The...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: The Day Stan Left
If you like well-made films and industrial railways, then you'll enjoy this one.The 1970s archive footage is shot on 16mm film by someone who can work a camera. Better still, the sound was recorded at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Warley 2019
Warley this year nearly didn't start for me. Arriving on Friday afternoon on the train, I walked across the bridge connecting the NEC to the station. Passing through the security scanner, I set off the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wot I bought at Warley
Internet law tells us that after you have been to Warley, posting photos of the stuff you have bought on social media is essential. ESPECIALLY ON N GAUGE FORUMS WHERE YOU HAVE TO POST IN CAPITALS AND...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tornado Books and Hobbies - Birmingham
The loss of Ian Allan was bad news for modellers in Birmingham city centre, but all is not lost. One of the managers has stepped in to fill the void with Tornado books and hobbies.Situated beside the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday: Northern Star
Back in 2014, I enjoyed a couple of stopovers in Hong Kong as part of my Australia trip. On the second one, I was determined to visit Hong Kong island itself to rise on one of the famous double-deck...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Supermarket, signal box and soldering in BRM
It's all the S's this month in BRM.First, we have a supermarket diorama. Starting with a selection of Gaugemaster buildings and road products, I've assembled a scene common on the sides of our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Peterborough this weekend
All being well, by the time you read this, I should be at the Peterborough Arena for The National Festival of Railway Modelling.I'm there early for meetings and a layout shoot but Saturday will see me...
View ArticleSaturday Fim Clubg: Leek & Manifold Railway
A short feature this week showing some running on the Leek & Manifold Railway in the 1930s. The highlight is right at the start showing the loading of one of the lines wagons for transporting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Who needs a "proper" camera?
You know what's special about this photo?Or this one?Both were taken at Pendon, on my mobile 'phone. And both are really good. Unlike my "proper" camera, the phone has made a good job of the white...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Crochet tree
One of my favourite features on The Great Model Railway Challenge TV show recently was the forest of trees on the Loco Ladies layout, all created using crochet by team captain Carol. I know judge Kathy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rods on the J72
While watching the last episode of the BBC's fairly awful version of War of the Worlds, the one where the writer looked up the plot on Wikipedia and then decided he could do better, I fitted the rods...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday: Spud
OK, this isn't a classic 3/4 view of a canal boat, but it's interesting all the same. For a start, look at how the boat sits tail-down on the water. The engine is presumably the heaviest part, or has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Building flying Harry Potter cars
I've never seen a Harry Potter film. Not properly anyway. I projected one once when that was my job, but to be honest I was nipping in an out of the booth and cashing up so I didn't really follow it....
View ArticleClik here to view.
R576 Tunnel
Classic train set. A random lump of hill for your trains to pass through.Never mind that in real life, removing it would have been easier than making a path through the middle - that's for the...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: Spray painting Minis
This is pertinent to next week's blog posts. In the meantime, wonder at the breathtakingly sexist comentry and enjoy the interesting industrial buildings in the background.
View ArticleClik here to view.
National Festival of Model Railways 2019
It's Christmas time at the model railway show - and the layouts have festive features. My day at Peterborough was largely spent working with the Market Deeping MRC who were building a layout in a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hornby St Pancras pop-up store
In London for some beer, I nipped into St Pancras station with the aim of spotting the latest train operator there - Hornby.The famous manufacturer has opened a pop-up store in the lower levels of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Painting a Mini - Disassembly
I've been asked for a model Mini as a Christmas present for a friend. It has to be a convertible, and the new owner loves pink things. She also doesn't read this blog, so by writing up the job I'm not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday: Fishing boat decks
In the pile of model boats to be built is a 1/12th scale kit for a modern, small fishing vessel. Because of this, I've taken loads of pictures showing the back of these boats and no two seem to be the...
View Article