LAYOUT CLUB

James commented on my last post that he'd like to see a locomotive. Well, surprisingly enough, locos are not my forte... model ones that is, as strange as it sounds for a railway modeller! I've always enjoyed building the wagons and structures rather than the things that pull the trains. A couple of years ago I had designs on building a micro clay works layout...needless to say it never really got off the ground. As part of those plans, I was detailing my old Bachmann Class 08. As is usual for me, I decided to make life difficult and replace all of the handrails - just because I thought they looked too heavy out of the box. I also decided to apply a heavily faded, rusted and weathered loco - based on some prototype photos online. Once the transfers were applied, I decided to go one step further and replace the coupling rods. The visual difference this makes is stark - I have no idea why Bachmann represented the rods like they did. And this is how this loco still looks, several ...

Railway modelling seems to be more railway collecting these days. Why build a wagon or coach when you can just wait for one of the RTR manufacturers to make it for you?  I accept that a lot of these new, super detailed models are fantastic, and light years ahead of the Lima and Hornby models of old, but they're also very expensive. As I've touched on before, most of my modelling revolves around scratchbuilding, kitbuilding and modifying. There's nothing I like more than taking an old model, and giving it a new lease of life - a bit like the Queen Mary brakevan . I've always had an interest in parcel vans and, luckily for me, my future layout will allow me to run some parcels stock - both the BR Mk1 and plywood sided varieties. Now, Bachmann produce the Mk1 version, and I'm sure it's very nice [although the handrails are rather overscale] but there's actually nothing wrong with the far older Lima version - especially if you're prepared to do some work to ...

Some modellers are focussed and directional. I could be better described as meandering and listless! Imagine a bumper car, attempting to circumnavigate its corral of chaos, but spending more time heading in the wrong direction than the right one (presumably to the chagrin of the screaming attendant - in this analogy, they could represent my wallet!) The first entry on this blog concerned the village store for Butley Creek, what was supposed to be my first (and likely only) venture into EM gauge. However, as discussed in that piece, “The Creek” remains a pretty vaguely defined, ethereal concept. With a growing roster of EM-converted wagons (predominantly kit-built), a few Rustons, and my prized RT Models Sentinel, I felt I really ought to build something to test them on. Enter that baseboard I had dumped in the corner, originally intended for an N gauge micro, and I began to form some dangerous ideas. I felt an irrational yearning to model some really bland, unremarkable, and downright ...

In my last post about Grain Crossing Box, I mentioned that from time to time inspiration strikes when least expected. I try hard not to go down these modelling rabbit holes, but sometimes they're very hard to resist! I do like a brake van, but those with 4 wheels meet all of my current and future layout needs. Several years ago I picked up a rather battered Bachmann Queen Mary with no real intention of doing anything with it. The model was in poor shape with missing buffers and questionable "weathering". It sat, entirely forgotten about, in a box in the attic for many, many months and it was only by chance that I came across it - while looking for something else. I'm one of those modellers who much prefers the process and I'd much rather build something - and expend ridiculous effort in the process - even when it's something I don't technically need. Once that inspiration strikes, I get carried away. The Bachmann model was released in 1996 [I think] and is...