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The wonderful creative pastime of model railways is celebrated in the 2025 Railway Modeller Special, produced by the publisher of Railway Modeller, the UK’s market-leading model railway title with the highest ABC audited readership.
Having recently marked the title’s 75th year of publication, Railway Modeller remains unique in British model railway publishing, as it is part of a company that is long-associated with the industry, namely the world famous PECO model railway brand.
In this special publication, we journey along the East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley – in model form! Another rail route profiled is the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales, including an overview of this line’s remarkable history and suggestions for how it can be re-created in miniature. We also step back in time to the Edwardian era and make a return visit to the London South Western Railway station of Semley, a stunning layout created by Martin Finney.
We also meet the team at Ellis Clark Trains and find out about the future plans for this enterprising model railway business; take a tour around Cockshute – a 1970s diesel and electric depot in OO; look at a selection of models based on steam locomotive designs that never left the drawing board; and much more besides – enjoy!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Templecombe Lower
In the first half of a two-part feature, Tim Chapman describes how he recreated one of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway's most important locations in 00 gauge, complete with its unusual operational practices.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Heavy Metal!
Ian Cairns revived memories of 1960s Tyne Dock Consett iron ore trains by modelling this 9F-hauled formation in N gauge.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Inspired by the station in Berlin - the expansive East German HO layout of the Liphook & District MRC captures the atmosphere of the city centre location.
A small portable layout in N - Jim Trotman captures the charm of a country branch in southern Germany.
Narrow gauge serving a wire factory - the Escadrille Saint Michel have a new O-14 layout.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Rowington for Shrewley
As a lifelong aficionado for the Great Western Railway, Dick Hewins created this circular double-track system as a showcase for his extensive collection of 4mm scale locomotives and stock.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Macclesfield Hibel Road
CThis compact but busy joint station in Cheshire was suggested as a layout plan as long ago as 1955; Jules Attard has turned it into reality in N gauge.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
A Norwegian layout featuring Hell station and the Arctic Circle monument authentically modelled in HO by Hans Peters.
Stephen Cranford introduces his permanent home layout, an alpine scene which may be the longest Z in the UK..
Ian Wilson tells the story of his extensive HO layout, depicting a rural branch of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Bournemouth West
This near-to-scale 4mm model of the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway terminus was recently acquired by Kevin Babey, Chairman of the Salisbury & South Wilts Railway Society.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Cwm Bach
Chris Morris recalls the background to this N gauge shelf layout, which is being made portable in order to appear at the Warley at Statfold exhibition in October.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Jean Herckens chose to model one of his local lines in TT - a relatively unusual scale for Belgian railways - with the assistance of his friend Hubert Billiet.
A siding serving a rural water mill - Helge Scholz introduces the latest layout by Jens Petermann and Jochen Klinger, reproducing in HOe a real location on the PreBnitztalbahn.
A fictional Dutch tramway in Oe - Len de Vries introduces a remarkable layout conceived by Piet van Oorschot and completed with the help of several friends.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Slattocks Junction
Tony Williams and Ralph Robertson of the Manchester Model Railway Society explain why the group's P4 layout became "a lesson in how not to build a model", yet has evolved into a superb evocation of the Calder Valley line.
SCALE DRAWINGS
Wainwright L Class 4-4-0
To complement John Cockcroft's build of one of these South Eastern & Chatham Railway locomotives, we present scale drawings and accompanying prototype notes by the late Ian Beattie..
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Guy Van Meroye reports on a finescale HO layout created by a group of talented French modellers depicting industrial areas around the Paris belt line.d van Waes introduces his new German HOm layout, the terminus of the metre gauge Selketal line in the Harz.
John Morrison describes the impressive articulated locos he has modelled for his 1 :24 scale garden railway.
An imaginary location on the German/Austrian border - Roger Sant explains how an initial simple layout in N grew into a more satisfying system.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Somerset & Dorset in the garden
Simon Kennedy has created an impression of the much-loved Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway in O gauge in his garden, with automated digital control.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Gledholt Junction and beyond
David Smith is constructing an impressive three-level 00 gauge system incorporating locations in the Huddersfield area where he grew up, with the most advanced section so far recreating Gledholt Junction on the Leeds to Manchester 'Standedge Route'.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Arnold van Waes introduces his new German HOm layout, the terminus of the metre gauge Selketal line in the Harz.
Thies Lahann introduces his German HO exhibition layout with a novel working feature - a sugar beet tippler.
The Association des Modelistes Cheminots de Limoges have a new French HO exhibition layout, an amalgam of three motive power facilities in their local area.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
Inspired by the well-known location in Switzerland, Nicholas Sturge designed and built an ingenious N layout.
Alan Jockmans presents his first exhibition layout, a country halt in Belgium modelled in HO.
Salvaged from a house move and further developed - Chris Gilbert presents his latest American HO layout which provides an opportunity for satisfying switching.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Dead Man's Lane
A love of the contemporary railway scene - and the yellow-liveried Network Rail test fleet - combined with a tour around the Rail Vehicle Engineering Limited site at Derby, inspired Mick Bryan to recreate this and the neighbouring East Midlands Trains depot in 4mm scale.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Gallows Close Goods
Chris Martin describes how he recreated this slice of Scarborough in N gauge, including diverse freight facilities, and local passenger and holiday traffic.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
On the metre gauge Selketal line in the Harz - Franz Rittig introduces the new exhibition layout in HOm by prolific builder Sebastian Schmidt.
The station and surroundings with trams in c.1965 - Thom Raven presents the result of several years research and modelling in HO by the Hollandse Tram Maatjes team which has produced another impressive exhibition display.
A layout at last - Nick Warren describes 4a his portable Rhatische Bahn HOm layout, set in winter and constructed with the help of Mervyn Kendall.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Ropley
Chris Cleveland explains how he overcame a number of challenges to create a model based on the locomotive headquarters of the Watercress Line in Hampshire. The layout captures faithfully many of the smaller details that can be observed at heritage railway sites across the UK.
PLAN OF THE MONTH
Carterton
Limitations on available space can often prevent the modelling of a real location, but Chris Chewter found a way to create an evocative 00 gauge cameo of this former Oxfordshire station in a scenic footprint measuring just 6' x 2', using PECO bullhead track.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Thorsten Pfeiffer introduces his historic HO layout, the eastern approach to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof as it was in Epoch I under Prussian administration.
Above the roofs of a small Polish village - Leszek Lewinski introduces his new HOe exhibition layout, meticulously replicating a real location.
A small wayside station in rural Belgium - MSC Het Spoor present their latest HO exhibition layout, which came about almost by accident.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Grantham
This 1930s portrayal of the East Coast Main Line has been a firm favourite at exhibitions since it made its debut on the circuit in 2015. Ahead of its appearance at the York Show this Easter, Graham Nicholas reflects on his experiences of taking the layout on the circuit.
PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Kirkby Stephen East
In the second half of his article describing the construction of a super-detailed Princess Royal Class 4-6-2, John Cooper-Smith builds, details and paints the locomotive body and tender.
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
The result of a trip to Italy - Maurice Kleverwal brings holiday memories to life with this HO layout.
A detailed scenic feature, full of interest - Gilbert Gribi shows how he designed and built a small forge as part of a series of dioramas.
Vianney Roge introduces the scenic HO layout built by Jean-Luc Collard with an impressive level of detail.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
 
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Eastfield
This gargantuan 70' x 40' recreation of Glasgow Eastfeld diesel depot is due to make its exhibition debut at this year's Model Rail Scotland show. Graham Blount explains why Mick Worrall and the South Tyneside O Gauge Group embarked on the ambitious project.
PROJECT OF THE MONTH
A Princess Royal for Camden and Kilsby - Part 2
In the second half of his article describing the construction of a super-detailed Princess Royal Class 4-6-2, John Cooper-Smith builds, details and paints the locomotive body and tender.
 
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Inspired by a well-known painting, J.Cameron Millar presents an impression of an event in 1970s US railroading when Chicago hosted a famous visitor.
Doug Coombes, James Davies, and John Edge collaborated to create a generic German N layout which can host stock from different periods.
A New York harbourside scene in P87 - Neil Kinison presents a layout which provides satisfying switching.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
 
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Wellpark
This 00 gauge layout by the Scottish Diesel & Electric
Group, set in the suburbs of Glasgow in the 1980s, is due to be on show at the Model Rail Scotland exhibition in the city on 23, 24 & 25 February.
PROJECT OF THE MONTH
A Princess Royal for Camden and Kilsby
John Cooper-Smith describes the construction of a Stanier Princess Royal Pacific for his EM gauge layout Camden and Kilsby, Railway of the Month in the May 2023 Railway Modeller.
 
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
Rail Mod?©lisme Ch?¢tenoyen (RMC71) introduce¬†their current HO exhibition layout, a representation¬†of their local station on the Chagny ‚Äì Nevers line.
A small layout modelled according to a classic plan ‚Ä쬆Paul de Groot describes his new German HOe project,¬†inspired by a published plan and a previous holiday visit.
A vertical slice of hill railway ‘pizza’ – Giles Perkins was inspired to model the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and captured its essence in an ingenious OO9 layout.
All the latest news, reviews and layouts from around the world!
 
RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Tiverton Junction
Peter Fosberry describes the Culm Valley Model Railway Club's replica of this once extensive Western Region junction, which is on public view twice a month just a few miles from the real location.
PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Westhill Road station building
Southern modeller Graham Muspratt describes his scratch-build of a key structure, the station house and booking office, for his new, under-construction 4' x 18" layout in 4mm scale.
 
PLUS ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS...
 
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.
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