Tabla de contenidos para December 2025 en Model Rail

www.facebook.com/modelrail www.twitter.com/modelrailuk www.instagram.com/modelrailmag The recent announcement of EFE Rail's forthcoming ‘OO’ Class 313 and Class 314 EMUs has excited many enthusiasts, thanks to the prototypes spanning several important eras. It also goes some way to bridging a significant gap in the market. Fans of Southern region ‘slam door’ third-rail EMUs have had numerous ready-to-run models to choose from over the past few decades, thanks to Hornby and Bachmann, while the post-British Rail era is increasingly well catered for. However, in terms of BR's second-generation EMUs, apart from kits or bespoke offerings from the likes of Bratchell Models, there has been precious little to choose from. Revolution's ‘N’ gauge versions of the ‘313’ and ‘314’ – due to arrive with retailers soon – generated lots of interest during their development, and,…

Keep up to date with Model Rail News online. First announced in early October (see last month's issue), production of the BR Class 13 ‘Master and Slave’ diesel shunters – formed of pairs of modified Class 08s – is now complete, with models due to arrive with stockists before the end of the year. This production run may well prove to be a one-off and, with some versions reported to be close to selling out on pre-order, it might be a case of grabbing one while you can. What's available? 35-945 Class 13 D4502, BR green with ‘wasp’ ends 35-946 Class 13 13003 BR Rail blue When are they due? December Prices: £399.95-£569.95…

The EFE Rail Plasser & Theurer YOB crane gains a further production run, with a 1970s BR Departmental yellow version, plus a more contemporary Balfour Beatty-branded machine. Priced at £99.95 each, they're due at the turn of the year. Meanwhile, BR RTC-liveried Mk 1 BSO ‘Laboratory 10’ will be a popular addition to Bachmann's Collectors Club range. Standard price is £67.95, but Collectors Club members get their usual 10% discount. Web: www.bachmann-collectorsclub.co.uk…

Dapol recently unveiled the first engineering prototype of its forthcoming ‘OO’ gauge Class 323 EMU. The fully functioning, unpainted model is currently undergoing testing and appraisal, and, despite a few issues being identified, things are looking promising. The three-car units will be available in DCC-ready, DCC-fitted and DCC sound-equipped format, with all versions offering posable pantographs and a full interior and exterior lighting suite. Although Dapol has promised to honour the prices of existing pre-orders, rising project costs has seen a slight increase in the RRP for new orders. Seven livery options have been proposed so far, covering the key schemes carried by the prototypes, ranging from early Regional Railways (for both Centro and GMPTE regions) to the current Northern white/blue. When's it due? Mid-2026 Prices: from £361.00 Web: www.dapol.co.uk…

The latest exclusive commission from Kernow Model Rail Centre is a Bachmann Class 47/4 in the ever-popular Network SouthEast livery. It depicts 47521 in the revised version of the blue, white and red scheme, as applied in the summer of 1989. The ‘47’ was widely employed on Waterloo-Exeter expresses during this time, before transferring to the RES fleet in the mid ‘90s. Bachmann's extensive tooling allows prototypical details to be captured, including a flush headcode panel at the No. 2 end. The model will be available only from Kernow's stores and is available in DCC-ready, DCC sound and DCC Sound Deluxe formats, the latter with Bachmann's auto-release tension lock coupling system at each end. Models are available to pre-order now, with delivery due in May 2026. Prices: from £214.99 Web:…

In a culmination of 15 years of work by founder Cliff Parsons and his team, Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre (AIMREC) opened its new exhibition premises on November 15. AIMREC's purpose is to safeguard and display a collection of classic model railways, in various scales, for visitors to enjoy, while seeking to inspire new generations of modellers. AIMREC currently has a host of well-known layouts in its care, including ‘The Gresley Beat’ and ‘Pempoul’. The new building will initially be open on Saturdays up to December 20 and again from January 9. Opening times are 1030-1600, and free parking is available on site. Entry to AIMREC's adjacent studio and workshop, including tea room, model and bookshop, remains free of charge. Where is it? Mill Farm Business Units, Fridd Lane,…

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LOOK FOR THE SIGNS Give every room in the house that platform feel with these fun metal British Rail station signs, which can be personalised for the rail lover in your life. A great value stocking filler (with smaller signs from just £6.99), we love the fact they can be clean and fresh looking, or ‘weathered’ as though freshly pilfered from the trackside. Product: Personalised BR station metal sign Price: £6.99 to £24.99 depending on size Availability: Six Zero One Web: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SixZeroOne PLOUGH AHEAD Get your layout ready for the winter months with a set of snowploughs. Accurascale has recently re-released the former Hattons Originals BR Beilhack ’ploughs, which made use of redundant bogies from Class 40 and 45 diesel locomotives. Introduced by British Rail in the late 1980s, they're…

Off the rails Lying on a steep, remote embankment in the Scottish Highlands following a derailment, the fate of GBRf locomotive 66734 inspired Paul Gosden to create this hugely detailed diorama. In June 2012, drama struck the West Highland Line, which runs from Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. Diesel-electric freight locomotive No. 66734 – operated by GB Railfreight (GBRf) – and five of its wagons derailed, sliding down a steep embankment near the remote Loch Treig, 12 miles east of Fort William. The result of a landslide above the track caused by heavy rain, the incident sparked one of the most challenging (and costly) recovery operations ever faced by engineers as the 130-ton locomotive came to rest perched on a ledge above the water, hanging…

SCOTTISH INTER-CITY UNITS They may not have been the most elegant of BR's diesel multiple units, especially on the outside, but the Swindon-built Class 126s helped to modernise passenger services in southern Scotland, especially between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Introduced in 1956, the vehicles of each three-car set were based closely on BR's Mk 1 carriage design, and the initial batch featured two large windscreens and a full-width cab. However, subsequent builds incorporated smaller cabs and gangways at each end to facilitate joining into longer rakes, thus rendering their appearance even more ungainly. This fascinating pictorial overview charts their operating career until withdrawal in 1983, with plenty of useful information. From a modeller's perspective, other existing titles offer more technical information, but the largely colour images contained here are vital for…

On the wagon front, Bachmann's ever-popular Presflo powder tank wagon returns in Blue Circle and Tunnel cement liveries, plus an unusual blue ICI salt version. The BR 20t bulk grain hopper, Mk 1 ‘Carflat’ and 14t/20t anchor-mounted tank wagons also reappear, in a range of interesting guises. The latest of Bachmann's regional retailer exclusives feature the landmark BR Class 150 ‘Sprinters’ in geographically appropriate colour schemes. Amongst the quartet, London Northwestern livery is offered on a ‘150’ for the first time. What's available? 32-932RJ/SF Class 150/1 150101 Northern white/blue 32-943SD/SF Class 150/1 150139 London Northwestern Railway green/grey 32-944SS/SF Class 150/2 150245 Anglia turquoise 32-945DB/SF Class 150/2 150213 Transport for Wales grey/red When are they due? May 2026 Prices: £309.95 (DCC-ready), £419.95 (DCC sound)…

Keep up to date with Model Rail News online. Late October saw Hornby unveil a raft of new steam, diesel and electric locomotive models, all of which are due to arrive with stockists between December and February. With the first examples of the all-new GWR ‘Saint’ 4-6-0 soon to arrive into stock, Hornby has added an extra version to its roster in the form of No. 2920 Saint David, in lined BR black. The LMS rebuilt ‘Patriot’ makes a return too, with a choice of LMS post-war black (without smoke deflectors) or BR lined green. A further LNER ‘J52’ – No. 68846 – joins previous classmates, while the SR ‘M7’ also gains a new version. For modern image enthusiasts, a DB red Class 67 is always welcome, while 87012 is…

Dapol has also shared progress on its Class 66s, with a full set of decorated samples of ‘O’ gauge ‘Sheds’, showcasing the EWS, Freightliner, DRS and GBRf schemes on offer. The latter operator boasts three different liveries in the Dapol range, including the vibrant Biffa red 66783 and BR ‘large logo’ blue 66789 in addition to 66709 in the more usual blue/orange house colours, albeit with MSC container ship decals on each side. Dropping down a few scales, Dapol's all-new ‘N’ gauge ‘66’ is also taking shape, with fully decorated samples of each version received and tested. Production was due to get under way imminently, with an expected arrival within Q1 of 2026. The ‘O’ gauge versions should appear around the same time. Prices: from £172.80 (‘N’), from £395.00 (‘O’)…

November 22 GUILDFORD, SURREY. The Guildford O Gauge Group, O Gauge Model Railway Exhibition & Trade Fair. Leisure Complex, Parkway, Guildford GU1 1UP. Time: 10:00– 16:00. Admission: Adults £8. Tel: 07736 374529. LLANDUDNO, NORTH WALES. Deganwy Railway Modellers Exhibition. Craig Y Don Community Centre, Queens Road, Llandudno LL30 1TE. Time: 10:00–16:00. Admission: Adults £5; Children £2.50; Under-5s Free. Tel: 07736 374529. Email: coastlinepope@outlook.com November 22 & 23 THORNBURY, BRISTOL. Thornbury & South Glos Model Railway Club Model Railway Exhibition. Turnberries Community Centre, Bath Road, Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2BB. Times: Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:00. Admission: Adults £8; Under-16s £3; Families (2+2) £18. Web: www.tsgmrc.co.uk November 29 ORPINGTON, GREATER LONDON. Orpington & District MRS Great Model Railway Sale. Pratts Bottom Village Hall, Norsted Lane, off Rushmore Hill, Pratts Bottom BR6 7PQ. Time:…

“I've had one of those days,” is a greeting I've both heard and used frequently, during my life when I've asked, or been asked, “How are you?”. Making model railways is reputedly a therapeutic pastime and something that's recommended for our mental wellbeing. Well, most of the time! There's no doubt that I relax and am totally absorbed when I'm building a model. I have Dutch, Canadian and British model railways under construction or renovation at present, and I'm working in ‘N’, ‘OO’, ‘HO’, and ‘O’ gauges when I'm not testing and reviewing models for this magazine. It is thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable, most of the time. It is also fascinating to challenge oneself from time to time. I recently embarked on a project which has included building a small…

Headline news among Bachmann's Winter 2026 announcements is the forthcoming Class 313 and 314 electric multiple units, produced under the EFE Rail banner. The models portray some of the ‘PEP’ family of EMUs built by BR in the 1970s, which have never been offered in RTR ‘OO’ before. Developed from early experiments, the Prototype Electro Pneumatic trains led to various production classes being introduced, the first being the three-car Class 313 dual-voltage units. Built by BR between 1976-77, they were able to operate under 25kV AC overhead lines or on the 750V DC third rail system and they went on to work around the London and South East area until retirement in 2023. The Class 314s were built for 25kV AC operation only and replaced aging EMUs on the electrified…

Bachmann's all-new ‘N’ gauge GWR ‘Halls’ and ‘Modified Halls’, produced under the Farish brand, are nearing completion, with four models to choose from in the initial batch, all coupled to Collett tenders. All are offered with or without DCC sound. What's planned? 372-010 GWR ‘49XX’ No. 4962 Ragley Hall, BR Lined green, early crest 372-011 GWR ‘49XX’ No. 4936 Kinlet Hall, BR Lined green late crest 372-450 GWR Modified Hall No. 6960 Raveningham Hall, GWR lined green 372-451 GWR Modified Hall No. 7904 Fountains Hall, BR lined black, early crest When are they due? Early 2026 Prices: £189.95-£299.95…

Unveiled at the recent MIOG show at Crewe Heritage Centre (see report on page 14), Heljan is to add the Class 37/5 and 37/7 sub-class to its ‘O’ gauge locomotive stable. Emerging during a mid-life refurbishment programme, these freight-oriented Type 3s featured numerous modifications, and Heljan's first production batch will portray former split-headcode locomotives with revised, flush nose ends, along with other appropriate details. The tooling caters for the idiosyncrasies of both subclasses, including the ‘heavyweight’ Class 37/7s. For now, seven livery versions are being produced, including a Colas ‘37/5’ exclusively for Tower Models, all of which are available to pre-order now. A specially hand-decorated sample was produced for the MIOG event by Model Rail’s Dave Lowery, depicting 37517 in ‘red stripe’ Railfreight livery, complete with large TOPS numbers and…

By popular demand, Irish Railway Models is to produce another run of Northern Irish ‘Enterprise’ Mk 2 coaches, with the original maroon and blue livery reproduced for the first time. This will provide the perfect match for the forthcoming IRM Hunslet Bo-Bo diesel locomotives. As part of the new production run, the tooling for Grille car No. 547 has been tweaked to portray the vehicle in original condition and a mix of Mk 2b and Mk 2c prototypes are being faithfully replicated, including a BDTS driving trailer car, with 12 new models being produced in all. All coaches are being supplied individually and feature internal lighting with ‘stay-alive’ capacitor units and prototypically wider bogie frames to suit Irish railways (and make conversion to finescale standards easier) These Mk 2s are…

“The real pleasure was simply watching the children – and their parents – discovering the fun of playing with trains” Playing trains…? Recently, the Revolution team travelled to the charming Welsh seaside town of Aberystwyth to take part in a model railway event at the famous Vale of Rheidol railway. Regular readers will, of course, know that Revolution is producing models of the three iconic 2-6-2 narrow gauge tank locomotives that operate on the line for Model Rail. However, our reason for visiting was a Revolution Takeover on ‘Making Tracks’, the remarkable travelling layout built by well-known model railway enthusiast Pete Waterman and the Railnuts team. ‘Making Tracks’ was officially declared the world's largest portable model railway 18 months ago, and its visit to the Vale of Rheidol during school…

Meet the Model Rail Expert Modellers Project difficulty ranges from easy: one screwdriver, to very hard: five screwdrivers.…

Our reviewers George Dent Model Rail’s modern image expert also has a passion for steam. Richard Gunn A keen ‘N’ gauge modeller with eclectic tastes. How we test At Model Rail, we pride ourselves on the quality, thoroughness and unbiased nature of our reviews. We assess models on their looks, performance, features and value for money. We also run them on our own test tracks, which feature various gradients and numerous challenging track configurations.…