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...

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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. 

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.

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.

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.¬†

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. 

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.

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Barton Road
Memories of Journeys to the West Country provided the inspiration for Benn Pollard to create this pre-TOPSera urban scene in an unorthodox T-shape footprint. 

PLAN OF THE MONTH
21st Century Penrith
Steve Flint considers this West Coast Main Line station in Cumbria as the setting for an N gauge layout project depicting the post-Privatisation era.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scale Drawings
LMS Class 2P 4-4-0
Toby Jennings describes these characterful Midland Railway-derived four-coupled tender locomotives, with accompanying 4mm drawings by the late Ian Beattie. 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH
Monksbury
Tony Conlay describes this magnificent London & South Western Railway terminus, which has been constructed in 7mm scale by the Cornwall O Gauge Group as an extension to an existing layout. 

PLAN OF THE MONTH
Constructing a cathedral in 7mm scale
Robert Kosmider was first inspired to build a model of Chichester Cathedral in early 1990s, but nearly 30 years elapsed until he finally made a start. 

 

 

 

 

Scale Drawings
Modelling LMS 42' parcels vans in 4mm
Ian Nuttal couldn't resist the challenge of upgrading a Lima OO gauge ready-to-run model. This constructional account is accompanied by scale drawings prepared by Steve Croucher from originals by Arthur Whitehead.