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Enter the wonderful world of railway modelling and explore this charming and worthwhile hobby, with modelling enthusiast Chris Ford.

Railway modelling is a lifestyle hobby enjoyed by millions of people from all walks of life, including famous stars like Sir Rod Stewart, Jools Holland, Pete Waterman and even Hollywood A-listers such as Tom Hanks. As a mainstream leisure activity, it encompasses a huge array of artistic, creative and technical aptitudes. It is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, a great way to learn lots of new skills, and can be enjoyed equally at home or by participating in a local club or group. But knowing where to begin and how to navigate one’s way through the myriad of wondrous things the hobby offers can often be overwhelming to both newcomers and experienced modellers alike.

Hence, this brand new publication which takes a candid and sometimes humorous look at the hobby today, guiding the reader through the multitude of options and choices with which he or she is faced. From what size of models to choose? Where to house a layout in the home? What controllers do I use? Where to get more advice? Should I join a club? In fact, all the information one needs to integrate this ever-fascinating hobby into one’s busy life and including examples of many inspirational model railways built by hobbyists of all persuasions.

The author, Chris Ford, is a lifelong enthusiast who has built layouts in various scales and gauges and is a frequent contributor to Railway Modeller.

In this months issue...

WINTER WONDERLAND

A traditional Christmas scene, with a twist - Huib Maaskant shows how he created a setting for a television advertisement.

KERETAPI MINYAK SAWIT

Jan van Mourik and Henk Wust had the idea of creating a layout in HOe based on a Malaysian palm oil factory and its associated narrow gauge railway.

EASTON - PLAN OF THE MONTH

Ken Wearing was drawn to North American in N after modelling British 00.

+PLUS!

All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!

 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

Ellerton Road
Alan Turner recounts the story behind this 7mm scale pre-Grouping Midland Railway layout, which has been constructed over the past two decades by the East Staffordshire Group of the ScaleSeven organisation.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Hayling Island
Ray Newman rekindled childhood memories of the 41h-mile Hayling Island branch - which closed 60 years ago - by creating a faithful depiction in 00 of the line's characterful terminus..

 

PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...

In this months issue...

KREIT

Anthony Bilton was inspired by an old album of photos and created a table-top tail chaser in HOe recalling the Stubaitalbahn south of Innsbruck in the 1960s.

STUTTGART

One man's dream in N, regrettably never fully realised - the remarkable private achievement of Wolfgang Frey, preserved for posterity and now open to the public.

VALBRUNA LUSSARI

A halt in the eastern Alps - Luca Klobas presents his new HO diorama, set on the Pontebbana line in Italy.

PLUS!

 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

Potters Bar & South Mimms
Phil Clarke chose to replicate the glamour of the East Coast Main Line during the 1930s, when Gresley's A3 and A4 Pacifies reigned supreme, with this digitally controlled system housed in a loft space.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Tunbridge Wells West
Andy Offen has fulfilled a dream by modelling this former London Brighton & South Coast Railway station in Kent as it appeared in the BR steam era, in N gauge.

 

PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...

In this months issue...

AUSSERBERG

Roger Ellis describes his fixed home Swiss HO layout based on the Bern-L??tschberg-Simplon which offers the opportunity to run some long trains.

MOULIN MARGOT

Claude Fandel created a large scale field railway scene in a small space, in collaboration with Marcel Ackle.

LA PLAINE SAINT-DENIS

A micro layout in HO set in the Paris suburbs -Wieger Pasman demonstrates that less can be more.

PLUS!

This track models the most common form of concrete sleepering in use in Britain today, with flat bottom rail. PECO Streamline O Gauge Code 143 - Concrete Flexible Track.

SL-702FB PECO Streamline O Code 143 Flexible Track & Concrete SleeperTie

Flat bottom rail, 914mm, 3ft length / Nickel silver rail

View the film here: 

 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

Westcliff
For his pre-Grouping Great Western layout, Richard Butler imagined how West Bay in Dorset might have appeared had it developed into the thriving holiday resort envisaged by the original promoters of the railway.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Abbots Ripton
To mark this year's centenary of the 1923 Grouping, Josh Williams suggests an East Coast Main Line layout set in the first year of the London & North Eastern Railway's existence.

In this months issue...

CENTRAL ALONZO

Sugar and passengers on the Hershey Railroad in Cuba - Andy Gautrey continues his fascination with electrified interurban lines with a new HO layout.

KEANE'S COVE

Debbie McMillan introduces her latest project, a 5-3-3 'Inglenook' switching puzzle in HO.

VERNIERS-MEYRIN

A childhood dream come true - Yann Mon baron describes a large French-Swiss HO layout created by Claude Court.

PLUS!

 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

Ashdan Junction
A passion for the Western diesel-hydraulics and memories of the 1970s BR blue era led Barry Platt to create this fictional West Midlands station, with an emphasis on entertaining the public at exhibitions..

PROJECT OF THE MONTH
A Peppercorn K1 in N
With no ready-to-run model of these Eastern Region Moguls in 2mm scale, Ian Cairns set about creating his own from a 3D-printed body and proprietary locomotive and tender chassis.

Adapted from the existing PECO Setrack Curved turnout, this brand new development allows us to add a really useful component into the classic Streamline OO/HO Code 100 range. At last we are able to offer a tighter radius turnout for Streamline users, something that has been requested on and off for a long time. 

Curved turnouts are fantastic space savers and their benefits are often overlooked. Given that so many layouts are built to be located in small spaces the use of curved turnouts ought to be greater than it is, so these new Streamline turnouts may well address many concerns that modellers have when planning their model railway.

This turnout has been derived from the existing Setrack curved turnout the geometry departs from the common frog angle adopted by the Streamline system (which is based on a common frog angle of 12 degrees) - this turnout has a 11.25 degree frog angle and the inner radius is just 438mm, or 17.2 inches. This should not be seen as any disadvantage and the real benefit is that they will allow much tighter access where it is needed, such as in restricted places where a layout has to loop around into a fiddle yard, for example.  The standard Streamline curved turnout has a minimum inside radius of 762mm, 30 inches, so the difference is quite clear to see.

Adapted from the existing PECO Setrack Curved turnout, this brand new development allows us to add a really useful component into the classic Streamline OO/HO Code 100 range. At last we are able to offer a tighter radius turnout for Streamline users, something that has been requested on and off for a long time. 

Curved turnouts are fantastic space savers and their benefits are often overlooked. Given that so many layouts are built to be located in small spaces the use of curved turnouts ought to be greater than it is, so these new Streamline turnouts may well address many concerns that modellers have when planning their model railway.

This turnout has been derived from the existing Setrack curved turnout the geometry departs from the common frog angle adopted by the Streamline system (which is based on a common frog angle of 12 degrees) - this turnout has a 11.25 degree frog angle and the inner radius is just 438mm, or 17.2 inches. This should not be seen as any disadvantage and the real benefit is that they will allow much tighter access where it is needed, such as in restricted places where a layout has to loop around into a fiddle yard, for example.  The standard Streamline curved turnout has a minimum inside radius of 762mm, 30 inches, so the difference is quite clear to see.

Railway companies all had a stock of their own vehicles for carrying goods and merchandise around their network, and also onto other companies' routes as and when required. These were integrated into British Railways at Nationalisation; some of them to be once more re liveried under sectorisation as the network was prepared to be returned to private ownership. All Peco wagons feature free running wheels in pin point axles. The ELC coupling, whilst compatible with the standard N gauge couplings, keeps a realistic distance between the vehicles and enables the PL-25 electro magnetic decoupler to be used for remote uncoupling.

 

MAKING TRACKS III - MILTON KEYNES CENTRAL

Pete Waterman and his forthcoming event
Pete Waterman details how he and the Railnuts team have recreated the present-day Milton Keynes Central station for the the forthcoming Making Tracks III event at Chester Cathedral.

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
The North Bucks Narrow Gauge Railway
Alan Rega takes us on a journey around his live steam, 16mm narrrow gauge garden railway, which has been nearly 30 years in the making.

The next new livery for the L&B Goods Brake Van is this plain grey unlettered models, aimed at the freelance modeller.

Removing all references to the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway but leaving behind the useful detail such as tare weight and builder plate will please those OO-9 modellers who want to create their own unique and individual railway in miniature.

 

ASHBURTON

What happened to the classic 4mm layout?
Chris Lamacraft's EM gauge model of this classic Great Western branch line terminus was retired from the exhibition circuit 25 years ago - but it has now found a home on the former Ashburton branch itself. 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Bournemouth Central
After 50 years away from railway modelling, David Pinch revived his childhood interest in the hobby and set out to create this impressive 00 gauge reinterpretation of a classic seaside town station. 

Our NEW Ffestiniog Railway "Bug Box" coaches, wearing the plain red livery from the preservation era of the 1970s & 1980s. Plain they may be, but when you look closely, you will notice that actually there is plenty of very fine detail, including the FR emblem, door handles and running numbers.

Our NEW Ffestiniog Railway "Bug Box" coaches, wearing the plain red livery from the preservation era of the 1970s & 1980s. Plain they may be, but when you look closely, you will notice that actually there is plenty of very fine detail, including the FR emblem, door handles and running numbers.

Our NEW Ffestiniog Railway "Bug Box" coaches, wearing the plain red livery from the preservation era of the 1970s & 1980s. Plain they may be, but when you look closely, you will notice that actually there is plenty of very fine detail, including the FR emblem, door handles and running numbers.

Our NEW Ffestiniog Railway "Bug Box" coaches, wearing the plain red livery from the preservation era of the 1970s & 1980s. Plain they may be, but when you look closely, you will notice that actually there is plenty of very fine detail, including the FR emblem, door handles and running numbers.

This 5-Plank Teign Valley granite wagon of Bovey Tracey is produced from our all-new tooling, featuring a red body with white lettering, shaded black, and black ironwork. Running on our new metal-tyred wheels these wagons, like the others, are very free-wheeling and a colourful addition to the expanding range. 

 

The NEW PECO Product & Modelling Guide is out now and bigger than ever! It is not only a comprehensive guide to a huge range of PECO products and other brands, but also a modelling reference guide, to help with so many modelling techniques. The guide features all the products currently available from PECO, Ratio, Wills, Modelscene, Parkside & Tracksetta and is now bigger than ever! Explanations and helpful hints and tips on scales and gauges, rail codes, frog descriptions, standard and narrow gauge railways, baseboard building, track-laying, wiring using PECO turnout motors and Smartswitch servos, to operate turnouts and semaphore signals, kit building and painting, and scenic work are all included in this inspirational guide.

All PECO Publications now available as digital downloads on tablets and mobile devices through their respective App Stores.

Download on the App Store or get it on Google Play.

Monkton Combe, once an intermediate station on the long-closed Camerton branch near Bath, was thrust into the limelight in 1952 when it was chosen to be the location for the filming of the famous Ealing Comedy "The TitfieldThunderbolt". 

Private owner wagons abounded prior to nationalisation, they would often be seen far from their base as they were sent to collect raw materials and supplies such as coal, and deliver finished goods. All Peco wagons feature free running wheels in pin point axles. The ELC coupling, whilst compatible with the standard N gauge couplings, keeps a realistic distance between vehicles and enables the PL-25 electro magnetic decoupler to be used for remote uncoupling. This model is produced from new tooling and features, amongst many things, a much finer and thinner body moulding, including interior detail, with accurately-placed brake rigging and brake shoes (in line with wheels), fine printing detail and metal-tyred wheels.

Based on the Lynton & Barnstaple box van, this partially fictitious livery will chime well with fans of the Ffestiniog Railway and the wider OO-9 community. Located in Porthmadog, centre of the universe as far as Welsh narrow gauge enthusiasts are concerned, beer from the Purple Moose Brewery is popular with many visitors to the area and is the inspiration for this unique little wagon. Why not visit their website and learn for yourselves the origins of this local brewer and the tale behind the very unusual name! PURPLE MOOSE BREWERY

Celebrating the coronation of His Majesty the King on 6th May. We have produced a limited edition model in a coronation livery for both models, incorporating the official logo for this historical event.

The curiously-named "Bug Box" 4-wheel coaches were the first passenger carrying coaches built for the Ffestiniog Railway. Dating from 1864 to 1867 they were built by Brown, Marshall & company. The term "Bug Box is a more recent term given to them, possibly in the 1950s, and originally they were referred to as "Small Birmingham's".

NEW limited edition N gauge iron ore tippler, celebrating the coronation of His Majesty the King on 6th May. Our designers have come up with a very eye-catching livery for both models, incorporating the official logo for this historical event. All PECO wagons feature free running wheels in pin point axles. The ELC coupling, whilst compatible with the standard N gauge couplings, keeps a realistic distance between the vehicles and enables the PL-25 electro magnetic decoupler to be used for remote uncoupling.

ISSUE DATE - APRIL 2023

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

ALP¬†GR?úN

A variation on a theme - Greg Coggins describes his new RhaÃàtische Bahn HOm layout, inspired by but not an exact model of this well-known location.

HANNOVER FALLS

Ian Arkley introduces his compact American Z layout, just 920mm by 700mm, intended to fit in an alcove so he could simply watch the trains go by.

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

CORONATION SPECIAL!

 RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Camden & Kilsby
Well-known railway photographer John Cooper-Smith takes us on a tour of his mammoth West Coast Main Line layout in EM gauge, incorporating Camden locomotive shed and several other real locations.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
An industrial branch line
Graham Nicholas suggest a layout combining open country and an industrial site, suitable for portraying areas such as the South Wales valleys or the North East coalfields.

ISSUE DATE - MARCH 2023

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

HAVELBURG VORSTADT

Schmalspurig durchs Reichesbahnland - by narrow gauge through East Germany: Dieter West snd Volker Seidel introduces HOe narrow gauge layout of the Modelleisenbahnclub 01 M?ºnchberger Eisenbahnfreunder e.V. - a time machine going back to the 1960s.

PLAN OF THE MONTH

RED HOUSE YARD

David Ellis introduces his first American HO layout, and his first use of digital control.

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
York
Peter Kirmond reveals how he modelled the instantly recognisable train shed at York, in a 2mm finescale layout which is due to make its exhibition debut at the Easter York show.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
The Harland Light Railway
Carol Flavin, who took part in The Great Model Railway Challenge on Channel 5, reveals the plans for her next layout - this time in OO9, and named in memory of her late father who introduced her to the hobby. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Scale Drawings
Axminster station footbridge 
Craig Tiley describes the new footbridge at the former LSWR station, with 2mm scale drawings produced by the Peco studio.

ISSUE DATE - November 2022

KURSEONG

A town station on the famous Indian hill railway - John Crane describes the Darjeeling Himalayan OO9 layout he inherited unfinished and developed. 

PLAN OF THE MONTH

WESTERN SUB

Maurice Kleverwal presents his new Norwegian HO layout, inspired by holiday memories and a childhood dream. 

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Lockerbie 
James Cochrane describes the OO gauge West Coast Main Line layout that he built with the assistance of Andrew Campbell and other members of the Glasgow & Wesr of Scotland Model Railway Club.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Mailingpark West
A third-rail OO gauge layout set in Kent during the closing years of the Network SouthEast era, which is being built by Craig Porteous and the 57 Study Group.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Scale Drawings
Monkton Combe Station
Craig Tiley describes the station building on the Camerton branch in Somerset, famous for its appearance in¬†ԪøThe Titfield ThunderboltԪø, with 1:120 scale drawings by Max Brayne.¬†

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

The first batch of our all-new N Scale 7-plank open wagons are now available. The models have been brought right up to date, which will please N scale modellers everywhere. These initial five new releases are just the beginning. We have a number of private owner liveries to introduce over the coming months. But to start we have the core models representing wagons belonging to the "Big Four" railway companies, plus of course good old British Railways.

ISSUE DATE - November 2022

DOLORES

John Teasdale explains how he came to model in Sn3 a classic Colorado location on the Rio Grande Southern.

PLAN OF THE MONTH

UMLAD

Ian Milroy describes his new Swiss N layout, built in his shed during lockdown. Two gauges are represented - but only one used. 

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Newton Heath Works 
Mike Baker describes how he and Martin Finney created this 7mm scale exhibition layout, inspired by the narrow gauge railways that once served the extensive ball clay industry on the Ilse of Purbeck. 

PLAN OF THE MONTH
A continuous run  - 1970s style
Following our booklet on modelling Britain's railways in 1970s, Kevin Russell suggests a continuous run layout for the period, in an 8' x 5' space and double-sided with a central backscene. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Scale Drawings
Holden Class S56 0-6-0T (LNER Class J69)
A classic Great Eastern Railway tank engine stalwarts of the famous 'Jazz' suburban services, described by Toby Jennings, with scale drawings by Ian Beattie. 

ISSUE DATE - November 2022

QUITTANCOURT

Somewhere between the Somme and Scarpe rivers - Eric Fresn?©¬†introduces a scene set in the R ?©gions Lib?©r?©es¬†following the First World War, modelled in OO9.

PLAN OF THE MONTH

ROTTERSHAUSEN

Jim Trotman describes a series of German HO layouts built with and for his friend Norman Dickinson.

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

ISSUE DATE - November 2022

FILISUR

A dream come true - Michael Rumsey presents his Rh ?§tische Bahn HOm layout, under development for some years and now effectively complete thanks to the collaboration with Jerry Clifford.¬†

PLAN OF THE MONTH

ORIGNY CFTV

A location worth modelling - Rhys Own introduces an interesting French industrial line also now hosting trains of the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Vermandois. 

PLUS

LATEST REVIEWS
BOOK and VIDEO REVIEWS
NEWS

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
My Life with Trains
Pete Waterman's chart-topping successes actually came long after the roots of his railway interests were laid down, as he reveals in this exclusive interview with Senior Editor Steve Flint.

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Nantymoel
Joshua Williams looks to the valleys of South Wales and suggests that they potentially offer more scope than the usual West Country Great Western branch terminus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scale Drawings
BR Standard Class 3MT 2-6-2T
The BR Standard Class 3MT was rendered extinct in 1968, yet a new-build example is due to appear at the Warley show. Toby Jennings describes the Class, alongside scale drawings by Ian Beattie.

Feast your eyes on the all new Ffestiniog Railway Small England 0-4-0ST+T locomotive, 'Princess', co-produced by PECO and the noted Japanese model railway manufacturer, Kato.

Finished as No.1 'Princess' and No.2 'Prince' both finished in Ffestiniog Railway heritage lined maroon livery.