Clik here to view.
Late night measuring
Given the job of building one of the main buildings on the BRM Runcorn Salt layout, I decided I better make a mock-up. The trouble was, all I had to work on were some photos and no measurements...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The least posh of modelling materials
Yesterday I showed you my mock-up building for BRM's Runcorn Salt Works project, which prompted the comment "Better start hoarding cereal packets - something tells me that their days are numbered..."I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday: Woolwich Ferry
In London, we used to find the Ernest Bevin, one of the Woolwich ferries. Pensioned off last year, I managed to take a trip towards the end of their working lives.
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Splat
When I'm taking photos and people are watching, the question I'm asked the most is "What's that blue tripod thing?"An invaluable part of my kit, the Miggo Splat is a flexible set of legs that can be...
View ArticleClik here to view.
E-R Models Monorail
Bargain of Doncaster show for me was this E-R Models HO scale monorail.The 39cm long train comes with an oval of track plus the supports, clips to hold the rails together really strongly and some other...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: Carboard train
It's a train made of cardboard, made by someone called Creative Phil who makes great use of the stuff for some amazing creations!
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mission Control
Welcome to the L&WMRS clubrooms on a typical Thursday night.Hold on. Sorry, that's a photo of Mission Control during the moon landings. This is the photo from Thursday.Loads more computing power!...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The most dangerous tool in my box - apparently
Occasionally, I get a bit of feedback on the pieces I've written or filmed. Most of the time it's positive but occasionally, you get odd stuff. Recently, someone took me to task in an unsigned letter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Modelling glasses
Last week, I spent quite a bit of time at the workbench for a magazine project. It made me realise just how often I change my glasses.I have three pairs:Normal everyday ones. "Reading" glasses for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday - VIC 27
From 2005, this photo shows VIC 27 in the guise of the Vital Spark languishing at Ardrishag. It sat there for many years after use in the BBC Para Handy TV series. Puffers are the perfect prototype for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
On the trail of Thomas in the latest BRM
Thomas the Tank is 75 this year and we're celebrating this in the latest issue of BRM. I've reported from the London Toy Fair covering all the announcements made there, but especially Bachmann's new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tri-ang Transcontinental shunter refurbishment
A fiver? Of course I need a yellow Tri-ang shunter to add to my collection.OK, there is a black dock shunter already in there but I didn't have the yellow version for shunting Giraffe Cars.It's a...
View ArticleSaturday Film Club: The Dinky Toys Story
We all played with toy cars as kids and there is no more iconic brand for your British child of a certain age than Dinky. This documentary is interesting as it shows part way through some typical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Now wash your hands...
With the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) virus, I wonder if we will see a change in behaviour at model railway exhibitions?A quick look at the NHS website, suggests a very simple way to avoid the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Answering Questions
Time for a bit of admin answering questions posed in the comments on recent posts.Paul B asks on the post "A Hen's Tooth": I now have one, with the plastic spike and the original box. Works as well....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Attack of the silhouette cutter
In the stash of projects for the last couple of years has been a silhouette cutting machine. It's a clever device a bit like a low-rent laser cutter. Instead of light, the tool uses a small...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waterborne Wednesday: Steel day boat
Shall I take photos of the pretty boats at the Black Country Museum? No, I'll concentrate on the rusty steel hull. I'd assumed this is a lighter, or perhaps "butty" boat that would work with a powered...
View ArticleClik here to view.
We knew you'd buy that...
Last Thursday, there was a bit of a clear-out of stuff from Pete Blakeman's estate. Many O gauge locos, some rolling stock and loads of boxes of bits were brought out and sold to his friends. Among the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Leamington Show this weekend
This weekend is the L&WMRS exhibition - more details on the website. I shall mostly be found in the car park wearing a big flourescent jacket and helping people find somewhere to leave their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Saturday Film Club: Out of Scale
For his recent birthday, I bought my dad a book: He loves classic Disney and this gave him a real laugh. The story concerns Donald Duck and his model railroad. Finding a real tree, he replaces it with...
View Article