Tabla de contenidos para April 2025 en Model Rail

In the days before tracking devices, locomotive and rolling stock often went missing. To tackle the issue, a special experimental department was set up to track them down, and it used alternative methods such as telekinesis, divining rods, sniffer dogs (and cats) and even meditation. In this case, Bath Green Park Shed's missing S&DJR 2-8-0 No. 53809 was found by following a suspicious rainbow which led to it being located at a disused colliery. It wasn't a pot of gold, but the flames from the firebox gave off a wonderful golden glow. April 26…

As chronicled in Model Rail over much of the past year, Dave Lowery's mission to recreate a fleet of HSTs in ‘O’ gauge is almost complete. Having assembled power cars and Mk 3 coaches from kits (adapting the coach kits to allow the correct array of vehicle types to be modelled), it has been quite an odyssey, but Dave's latest rake – in Midland Pullman blue – is perhaps the most eye-catching yet. After coating the cars with a light grey primer, the off-white elements were sprayed and, when fully dry, were masked up carefully prior to the Nanking blue coats. Masking removed, a coat of clear gloss preceded the application of decals from the Fox Transfers range, before a coat of satin varnish added the final touch.…

As the range of available models in TT:120 grew significantly in 2024, we offered readers the chance to vote for their favourite models in the scale for the first time in this year's awards. It will come as no real surprise that Hornby has swept the board, as it produced 14 of the 15 models across the two categories. Peco's RCH seven-plank open wagon came fourth in the rolling stock category, only missing out on a place on the podium by 46 votes. Interestingly, all four locomotives receive a placing, with the BR Class 50 and LNER ‘A4’ both receiving exactly the same number of votes for a tie of third. ‘TT:120’ was the category with the fewest number of votes this year, however it is not far behind the…

What makes this layout great? ”Many of us can only dre a layout this size. It's immersive, it's complex and it provides plenty of operational potential. If a mix of shunting and long distance running is your thing, ‘Yeovil Central’ has everything you'd want to see.” There was a time when garages were used for cars and that was it. Today, 53% of drivers in the UK say that they never put their car in the garage, the number one reason for not doing so being that they have too many other items stored in them to fit a car in as well. 83% of people say they use the garage for additional storage and nearly half use it as a workshop or DIY space. Does a model railway count…

The plate girder rail overbridge, which forms the centrepiece for my compact West Highland Line project, is based on a real structure near Fort William oil terminal. In fact, this is my second attempt at modelling the bridge, having used it as inspiration for a small layout I built during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Then, the bridge formed a scenic break at one end of the layout. Here, however, the bridge forms an important focal point towards the centre of the scenic area, taking the West Highland main line across an access road (more of a track actually) to the lower level timber-loading siding, inspired by the facilities that once existed at Crianlarich, as explained in MR335. The main line runs along an elevated section, formed using polystyrene…

“What makes this layout great? Even when there isn't a train running there is plenty to look at at ‘Tanybwlch’. Whether it's lineside workers or hikers, you'll be spoiled for choice for viewing pleasure while you wait for the next train.” The Ffestiniog Railway is the world's oldest independent railway, and the Ffestiniog Railway Society, which exists to support the line, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Nigel Smith has been volunteering on the line for just over 40 years, and now he's taken his knowledge and experience of the prototype to shrink it down into ‘OO9’ scale. “I've found that this is one of those lines that gets under your skin when you pay it a visit on holiday and it never really leaves you. I live in…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Cavalex Models PHA/JYA aggregate wagons ◆ PRICE • £49.99 single • £99.99 twin-pack • £249.99 five-pack ◆ AVAILABILITY Ultimate Model Railways Web www.ultimatemodelrailways.com In tandem with investment in new technology at its Torr Works quarry and Merehead stone terminal, Foster Yeoman also sought to modernise its traction and rolling stock options. While the Class 59 locomotives grabbed the headlines, among the fleet of new wagons to emerge was 61 vehicles commissioned from Orenstein & Koppel in 1988. With an eye on maximising payload within the shortest possible train length, the compact PHA bogie aggregate wagons ran in semi-fixed rakes with conventional draw gear at the outer ends, and knuckle couplers employed on the ‘inner’ wagons. Operating behind Class 56s and Class 59s on Mendip stone…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Rapido Trains UK 946010 GWR Diagram E140 ‘B-set’ Post-war GWR lined livery ◆ PRICE £169.95 per set ◆ AVAILABILITY Rapido Trains stockists Web www.rapidotrains.co.uk The Great Western Railway was renowned for doing things differently, so it's no surprise to find that its method of making up non-corridor local trains varied from other companies. With an array of push-pull auto-trailers for one-coach branch trains, ‘engine-sandwich’ autotrains with two trailers, and its larger sets of non-corridor stock (as modelled in ‘OO’ by Dapol) for suburban services, the GWR also found a need for fixed two-car non-corridor formations. These were used for peak services on branch lines where one coach was inadequate, but also for adding to trains to boost capacity at peak times. On the St Ives…

One of the few new model announcements made at this year's Model Rail Scotland event was the Hunslet 0-6-0DH industrial shunter from Revolution Trains. Having produced an excellent model of this diminutive prototype for the N Gauge Society in 2021, the Revolution team is now developing a ‘OO’ version. Representing one of Hunslet's most successful designs, the 50-55ton prototypes were constructed between 1965-1989 for a diverse range of industrial customers, with many examples still in use today. Produced with support from Hunslet Locomotive Company, Revolution's tooling suite will allow for various detail differences to be observed, and some will even feature flashing rooftop warning lights. Four versions announced so far, depicting locomotives employed by the National Coal Board, British Steel, Esso and Harry Needle Railroad Company. More are expected to…

Laser-cut kits have been around for some time, especially in the USA, but they've only become mainstream here in the UK relatively recently, with several suppliers like Petite Properties, Scale Model Scenery, LCUT Creative and Fair Price Models to name just a few championing the medium which is frequently based around thin plywood, card, paper and MDF. Peco has also joined the scene with a range of buildings, many of which are currently based on Scottish prototypes. The kit employed here is based on the now-listed former Highland Railway signal box at Helmsdale in Sutherland, Scotland. I'd seen the kit lurking on the shelf in my local model shop several times, and wondered if it might just pass for a more southerly building on a Colonel Stephens-inspired light railway, with…

It's easy to assume that the Great Western Railway built one style of footbridge, the distinctive lattice girder pattern with a corrugated iron roof and stairs with a landing at two-thirds height. That design has been modelled by various manufacturers in ‘OO’, perhaps most recently Hornby Skaledale. However, your station may be more rural, and might not warrant a covered footbridge, or you might prefer to build a kit rather than use a ready-made product. These days there are few surviving GWR lattice girder footbridges. BR was ruthless in removing the roof covering of many in the 1960s, allowing the structure itself to deteriorate more rapidly. Station closures and replacement by modern disabled-accessible bridges have seen most of these late 19th-century bridges scrapped. MODEL L-Cut Creative B00-31 GWR style platform…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Heljan • 2626 BR Class 26/1 26032 BR blue with twin headlights • 2645 Class 26/1 26038 Railfreight ‘red stripe’ ◆ PRICE £209.00 (£219.00 weathered) ◆ AVAILABILITY Heljan stockists Web www.heljan.co.uk With Heljan's ‘OO’ Class 26 proving extremely popular since its first release in 2006, it was no surprise when the Danish manufacturer revealed its plans to fully revise its tooling for the Sulzer Type 2. The aim was to offer greater finesse, improved DCC functionality and to allow greater variety in terms of prototype detail differences across their operational lifetime. It has taken a few years for the project to come to fruition, but models arrived in the UK during January, including our own exclusive commission of BR blue 26043 (see page 100). As…

Ruston & Hornsby carved itself a niche within the railway industry by building small petrol- and diesel-powered locomotives for a huge range of customers in the UK and overseas. Indeed, the Lincoln-based firm would go on to become one of Britain's foremost builders of diesel locomotives. The 88DS type first appeared in 1938, with the first example constructed for Tunnel Cement's facility in Essex. Many more orders followed, resulting in a fleet of 88hp locomotives created for diverse industrial users, such as steelworks, quarries, collieries, chemical works, gas works and power stations throughout the UK. Powered by Ruston's own diesel power plant, coupled to a mechanical transmission, the twin axles were chain driven. Despite their small size, an 88DS was capable of moving a train of up to 500t on…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Accurascale/Locomotion Models ACC2973 Class 55 ‘Deltic’ 55002 The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Rail blue ◆ PRICE £169.99 (DCC-ready), £259.99 (DCC sound) ◆ PERIOD V22-21 ◆ AVAILABILITY Locomotion Models Web www.locomotionmodels.com Accurascale's ‘Deltics’ took the ‘OO’ gauge market by storm in the summer of 2022 and modellers have been eagerly awaiting the second production run, which landed in the UK recently. Amongst Accurascale's own products, featuring a range of BR blue and green versions – plus another run of the Porterbrook purple D9016 Gordon Highlander – is an exclusive rendition of preserved 55002 The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, crafted especially for Locomotion Models. A number of minor improvements have been made to Accurascale's tooling, following customer feedback, with the handbrake chains now supplied as…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Oxford Rail RCH 12ton brake vans • OR76TK2011 Pratt's Perfection Spirit No. 795 • OR76TK2009 Naval Store No. 87 • OR76TK2010 Royal Daylight No. 745 ◆ PRICE £23.95 each ◆ AVAILABILITY Oxford Rail stockists Web www.oxforddie-cast.co.uk First released in 2020, Oxford Rail's 12ton tank wagons greatly impressed the Model Rail team, offering a convincing re-creation of the once-ubiquitous Railway Clearing House Diagram 72 vehicle, first introduced in 1907. Employed by a great variety of private owners during the ensuing decades – and duly painted in all manner of attractive liveries – it makes an ideal choice for a RTR model in ‘OO’. Therefore, it's great to see the model returning to the Oxford Rail range after a hiatus, with three new versions now available. Oxford…

PROTOTYPE POWER CARS STEAL THE SHOW One of the most striking additions to Bachmann's Branchline range of ‘OO’ locomotives is the Prototype HST power car (HSDT). The project was launched initially in 2023 as a joint venture with Locomotion Models and Rails of Sheffield's Railway Icons brand, with the resulting model depicting 252001 arriving recently. Now, Bachmann's impressive model will also be available in the Collector's Club range. Offered as a twin set, featuring both Class 41 Prototype power cars numbered as 41001 and 41002, the models are decorated in their original grey/blue livery with yellow warning panels. Both power cars are fully motorised and feature pre-installed speakers and PluX22 DCC sockets, plus a full array of lighting functions. Additionally, a single powercar is offered in 41001's later Departmental guise…

With practical modelling time at a real premium these days, I've had limited opportunity to move forward with my ‘OO’ layout ‘Lisburn Lane’. I'm beginning to lose track, but I must be into my fourth year of working on this project, which is much longer than initially envisaged. That said, it's surprising how much can be achieved by simply spending the odd half-hour at a time, and I'm reassuring myself that some progress is better than no progress. Most recently, the foreground area has received a shabby siding, which will be harnessed to pose some of my customised rolling stock beside the wagon repair facility. The premise consists of a former through siding from the main running lines, which traverses an overbridge across the low-level colliery line, and disappears through…

It was another steady year for ‘N’ gauge with four all-new locomotives and eight new rolling stock items released in 2024. Graham Farish narrowly beat Revolution Trains to the top spot with the LMS 10000/10001 ‘Twins’ by fewer than 50 votes over the Class 59, with Sonic Models’ GWR ‘Large Prairie’ securing third. Revolution Trains rolling stock secured more than 50% of the total vote share in that category, and has climbed to the top spot in the Manufacturer of the Year category, displacing Bachmann Europe which drops to second. ‘N’ ROLLING STOCK OF THE YEAR 1st Revolution Trains Southern Region General Manager's saloon 31.5% 2nd Revolution Trains FNA-D flask wagons 19.1% 3rd Rapido Trains UK SECR wagon pack 17.5% ◆ Others 31.9% ‘N’ LOCOMOTIVE OF THE YEAR 1st Graham…

Whatever we might think about Oliver Bulleid's headstrong attempt to give steam traction a final fling, I've always been fascinated by his ‘Leader’ 0-6-0+0-6-0T design. It enjoyed (though that's hardly an appropriate word) the briefest of test careers on the Brighton line and around Brighton and Eastleigh. It suffered numerous failures and, as R.A. Riddles pointed out, was so overweight that it was unsuited to the work for which it had been intended. The task list Rectifications - definite Paint bufferbeams Fit route indicator discs (supplied with model) Remake the coal load Correct the B-F-B wheels Detail painting Straighten/refit lamp irons Change numbers Fit ‘ACE’ headboard Rectifications - maybe Correct the lighting Fit wash-out plugs Add crew Open a door MODEL KR Models Bulleid ‘Leader’ ◆ Price £162.50 AVAILABILITY www.krmodels.net…

For some years I have bought ready-made sheets of waterslide transfers of graffiti for use on rolling stock, buildings and retaining walls. I happened to have a BR VDA wagon knocking around and its vibrant Railfreight livery looked a little plain and pristine for my liking. It needed a bit of graffiti and weathering to bring it to life. Instead of using off-the-shelf graffiti decals, however, this time I thought I'd try my hand at making my own transfers. I ordered a pack of five A4-sized clear waterslide transfer sheets from Amazon and, although larger packs offer better value for money, I wanted to have a trial run first with a smaller pack, before committing. Accordingly, the cost of the sheets worked out at around £1.50 each, which is not…

British Railways Type 2s D5300-19 emerged from the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. works in Smethwick during 1958, equipped with 1,160hp Sulzer diesel engines. Ordered as part of BR's Pilot Scheme programme, the BRCW/ Sulzer Type 2s proved one of the more capable designs, leading to a further 26 examples (D5320-46) being built the following year. While the pilot batch (Class 26/0) initially went to work in the London area, the later batch (‘26/1’) went straight to Scotland, with the entire fleet soon consolidated north of the border. The ‘26/0s’ operated within lowland areas for the most part, but the ‘26/1s’ – which featured a different pattern of ventilation grilles, cabside windows and revised suspension – headed for the Highlands, which demanded the fitting of tablet exchange equipment and…

◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Accurascale BR Mk 2c ACC2694 CK SC7551 blue/grey ScotRail • ACC2697 TSO 5614 Trans-Pennine • ACC2703 TSO(T) 6528 WCRC maroon • ACC2704 BSO 9440 WCRC maroon ◆ PRICE £74.95 each ◆ AVAILABILITY Accurascale stockists Web www.accurascale.com As featured on page 29 of this issue, Accurascale's BR Mk 2b coaches scooped the runner's up spot in our Model of the Year awards for 2024. There's no doubting that their arrival piqued the interest of modellers of the post-1960s BR era, and this follow-up production run of the slightly different Mk 2c vehicles is proving just as popular. Originally intended as a simple continuation of the Mk 2b design, the 250 carriages built at Derby in 1969-70 were re-designated as Mk 2c and five different vehicle types…

◆ GAUGE ‘N’ ◆ MODEL Sonic Models S2303-04 Newton Chambers Car Transporter cars, three-pack, BR blue/grey ◆ PRICE £124.95 per pack ◆ AVAILABILITY Rails of Sheffield Web www.railsofsheffield.com British Railways launched its Motorail brand in the late 1950s, enticing motorists to take their cars by train between key urban centres. In pre-motorway Britain, tourists aiming to tour Scotland or the West Country faced the prospect of countless hours navigating narrow roads and clogged town centres, so eliminating the most arduous stretches was an attractive prospect. Initially, BR made use of Mk 1 GUV vans for the transit of motor cars, but the Eastern Region commissioned Newton Chambers to construct a fleet of 14 cars with double-decked interiors to maximise capacity. Entering traffic in 1960/61, the carriages operated Motorail services on…

◆ GAUGE ‘N’ ◆ MODELS Peco NR1200B/NR1201B/NR1202B BR ‘Clayhood’ wagons, bauxite ◆ PRICE £22.50 each ◆ AVAILABILITY Peco stockists Web www.peco-uk.com BR's 13ton capacity ‘Clayhood’ covered open wagons were once an everyday sight, working to and from many different locations in Devon and Cornwall, transporting ball clay and china clay to various destinations and ports. Nearly 900 examples were built during the 1950s and examples lasted in daily service well into the 1980s before being superseded by modern steel-bodied hoppers. The ‘Clayhood’ forms the latest member of Peco's fleet of RTR ‘N’ gauge wagons to be upgraded, following the various timber- and steel-bodied mineral wagons which appeared over the past couple of years. Three individual wagons are currently available, featuring a mix of UCV and OOV TOPS codes, depicting vacuum-braked…