Model Rail May 2022

With the news full of the situation in Ukraine, modelling has provided a refuge over the past month. Immersing oneself in a practical pastime is one of life’s greatest tonics. With my wife working away from home recently, I’ve been passing the quiet evenings with a range of kit-building tasks, including a bunch of plastic wagon kits (see page 21). Do I really need any more wagons? Are you kidding? One of my previous jobs was as a librarian, and I still retain an enthusiasm for cataloguing stuff, including my model railway collection. Despite having a clear-out before a series of house moves between 2019-20, I still have over 800 ‘OO’ gauge wagons, well over half of which have been kit or scratchbuilt. Considering that most of my layouts have been…

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The Big Picture There are three words on the cover of every issue of Model Rail, ‘innovative’, ‘in-depth’ and ‘independent’. Then, on the contents page, there’s another, ‘inspiration’. Within the pages we produce every 28 days we aim to provide you with photographs and articles designed to get your creative mind flowing. It’s lovely, therefore, to see layouts inspired by projects we’ve previously featured. Readers will remember Chris Sykes and his ‘Amberfield’ layout from MR296, and now he’s back with another ‘N’ gauge layout inspired by Chris Nevard’s Cornish commission to Kernow Model Rail Centre. You can read all about his creation in an upcoming issue of Model Rail.…

QUARRY HUNSLET PROGRESS REPORT At the recent exhibition at London’s Alexandra Palace, Bachmann Europe took the opportunity to showcase progress on a number of current projects. Perhaps most eye-catching of all was the appearance of the narrow gauge ‘Quarry Hunslet’ livery samples. The diminutive 0-4-0STs feature intricate lining to the frames and bodywork and the painted components really show off the wealth of exterior and interior detail. BACHMANN NARROW GAUGE ‘QUARRY HUNSLET’ 0-4-0STs What’s planned? ◆ 391-050 Dinorwic Quarry red, Alice, £139.95 ◆ 391-051 Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry blue, Britomart, £149.95 ◆ 391-052 Penrhyn Quarry lined black, Nesta, £139.95 ◆ 391-053 Dorothea Quarry lined green, Dorothea, £149.95 When’s it due?Summer/autumn 2022 DECORATED BULLEID STOCK SHOWCASED Bachmann Branchline’s mission to produce a fleet of re-tooled Bulleid coaching stock has taken another step closer to fruition, with the production of factory-decorated samples. The tooling…

Bachmann Europe has taken an unexpected step towards promoting involvement in crafts and practical hobbies by opening a model centre in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Located in the heart of the town’s high street, the store will offer hands-on demonstrations and taster sessions to the public, in the hope of inspiring a new generation to take up a range of model hobbies. As we closed for press, the MCC (Model, Collect, Create) store was due to open soon and, while products will be for sale on the premises, Bachmann was eager to reassure its stockists that the venture is not intended as a traditional model railway shop and there will be no online or mail order sales. Instead, the centre is designed to offer a showcase of the wide range of products that…

As part of a reorganisation of the Science Museum’s Locomotion Models arm, Dennis Lovett has decided to stand down from his part-time post as Exclusive Models Marketing Executive. A well-known and highly respected figure within the hobby, Dennis has played a pivotal role in the growth of Locomotion Models, following his retirement from Bachmann Europe in 2018. Before that, Dennis was a journalist and worked within the rail industry for almost 30 years, latterly in the Corporate Affairs department at Virgin Trains. Dennis said “after retiring from Bachmann, I was invited to take a part-time role with Locomotion Models and to assist in developing and promoting some exciting new models. With the business requiring a full-time marketing position, now is the time to step back and finally retire from day-to-day involvement.…