Model Rail November 2021

The transport of minerals by rail, particularly coal, dates back to the 17th Century and precipitated the building of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825. Providing the mine owners of County Durham with access to the River Tees for the shipment of coal to London – and thereby breaking the monopoly of Tyneside and Wearside operations – the S&DR also paved the way for the railway mania that followed. Coal traffic has, until very recently, remained a vital commodity for Britain’s railways. Therefore, it’s an intrinsic element of many model railways, regardless of era and location. Indeed, coal has been on my mind recently, not least with the need to stock up our bunker in readiness for winter, but also while assessing Accurascale’s MDO/MDV mineral wagons (see page 96). The appearance…

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Model Rail and Rapido Trains UK have come to a mutual agreement to cancel the proposed ‘OO’ gauge LBSCR ‘E1’ 0-6-0T. First unveiled in 2018, the project has gently simmered on the back burner since. Model Rail Editor George Dent said, “We had been confident that the ‘E1’ would be a great addition to our range of exclusive models. However, with so many existing projects on the go, we’ve been re-assessing our future plans. The ‘E1’ was simply a project too far for us.” Rapido Trains UK’s sales and marketing manager Richard Foster said, “The ‘E1’ was always going to be a complicated project. To cater for all the proposed versions would have involved lots of additional moulds and additional slides. Every single one of these changes pushes the price up.” However,…

Sculpture club This set of five miniature spatulas from AK Interactive (Ref. AK9051) provides a range of shapes and sizes to make light work of all manner of mixing, filling and sculpting tasks. Particularly useful for shaping scenic contours in plaster, the polished steel work surfaces are easily cleaned, while the wooden handles are comfortable. Price: £6.99 Availability: Scale Model Shop Tel: 01422 405040 Web: www.scalemodelshop.co.uk Create a stir The Mr Mix set, from the Japanese Mr Hobby range, provides two bulb-type pipettes and a pair of polished steel stirrers. The latter feature an integral spoon at one end which is great for measuring out small amounts of paint when mixing colours. The paddle shape at the other end makes fast work of dispersing pigments while stirring paint. Price: £7.30 Availability: Scale Model Shop Tel: 01422 405040 Web: www.scalemodelshop.co.uk Foam call Deluxe Materials’…

(ALL SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE ON COVID-19) October 30 BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE. CANCELLED Exeter Garden Railway Show. CANCELLED TRIMLEY ST MARY, FELIXSTOWE Felixstowe Area Group – ‘N’ Gauge Group Open Day. The Welcome Hall, High Road, Trimley St Mary, IP11 0NT.Time: 1100-1600. Admission: Free.Web: www.felixstowengauge.org.uk October 30-31 DYCE, ABERDEEN. Aberdeen Model Railway Exhibition, Aberdeen Model Railway Club, Aberdeen Airport Dyce Hotel, Sure Hotel Collection by Best Western, Farburn Terrace, Dyce, Aberdeen, AB21 7DW. Time: Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1000-1600. Admission: Adult £6; Children £3; Students £5; Family (2 adults + up to 3 children) £15; under 3s Free.Web: www.facebook.com/Aberdeen ModelRailwayClub GLASGOW. Cathcart Model Railway Exhibition (organiser: Clydeside MRC), Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, 2025 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow. G43 1NE. Time: Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1000-1600. Admission: Adult £5, Concession £4.50, Child £2.50, Family (2+2) £13. Web: www.clydesidemrc.com/ cathcartexhibition HATHERLEY, CHELTENHAM. Cheltenham Great Western Modellers Group, Autumn Model…

Working from home has become much more of ‘a thing’ in the past 20 months. Lots of folks who were in the privileged position of transferring their jobs to a spare room or kitchen table, whether temporarily or permanently, have had to come to grips with the costs and benefits of this new way of working. I’ve been working at home for nearly 20 years now, usually spending just one day per week in the office. As many of us have discovered, home working has advantages, but it also poses many challenges. Which is why, a few years back, I opted for a rented workshop, to help put some distance between home and work life, and to retain a degree of social contact. On top of my editorial duties, I’m also…