Having built one of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" range, I want more. Specifically, I fancy the Hornby church that was still part of the catalogue in the 1980s and beyond. The model was R599, and I think, related to the 1963 model.  The older kit was available with and without chimes, but these were dropped long before the more modern packaging.  Needless to say, when I didn't want one of these, they were everywhere. You couldn't pass a second-hand stall without at least one. Now, nothing. I've searched the web to no avail.  So, does anyone have one of these stashed away th ..read more

  The latest issue of the Hornby Collector's club house magazine drops through the letterbox, and in it is my contribution, a build of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" Hardware store.  I'd never heard of the range before, until I found this kit on Cheltenham Model Centre's stand at a show. I picked it up out of curiosity, and it's sat on the shelf ever since. Then I started building retro kits for The Collector, and it seemed like an excellent subject.  If you'd like to know more about this range, I recommend this website. It allowed me to date my kit to 1962, as the range changed nam ..read more

  For work, I produce a lot of dioramas - most of which have to be stored for future show use. In the distant past, this resulted (and occasionally still does) in a shelves full of odd shaped boxes in our storage unit.  Once the idea of the Cakebox competition came up though, I realised I could standardise on these containers for my builds. Most of the time, an 8 inch scene is big enough for the article to showcase a series of techniques. As I say to people regularily - ballasting produces three photos, whether I do six inches of sixty feet. But the later is a month's worth of work ..read more

A few photos from last weeks' show.  Bachmann launched their NG7 (7mm scale on OO track) range with some Quarry Hunslets. First impressions are that they are as good as we'd expected (the models have been rumoured for a couple of years, and much anticipated) and will convert a number of people to the scale. I am angling to do a magazine project with one...     I don't think I can use this in Garden Rail!     Filming The Titfield Thunderbolt.      I'm not one for 3D printed locos, but this Russell looks really nice to me.      I snagged ..read more

The latest in the "Curator with a camera" series, looks at the ubiquitous LMS "Black Five" locomotive ..read more

  Sunday afternoon, down to the model railway club to help out on the work there. For the last few weeks, the jobs for unskilled idiots involved putting paint on the walls or ceiling.  Not this week, it's all about preparing the floor for paint, which means hours of scraping, and then sanding to get the blobs of paint and plaster off the chipboard.  Why can't we use a machine? It seems the chipboard floor surface isn't that tough, and a sander would eat through it, so hand sanding it is then. To be honest, it's a hateful job, but essential, so we just have to get on with it. My ..read more

  When I'm exhibiting, the area that seems to interest most people is how I made the water on my micro layout. Well, wonder no more, there's a tutorial in the latest issue of BRM.  I've painted and fitted out the Intentio Models signal box I started a couple of months ago. The brickwork is some of the best I've ever managed, I look at the model and can't quite believe I did it! A simpler project is filling a wagon with coal, using a Peco kit. The sort of thing anyone could do, and an easy starter fro a newbie.  Over on BRM TV, I build a 009 photo plank. This one was fun, as ..read more

I don't know. It's just that while strolling around York before breakfast, I noticed that there are stones laid along the roads. They are about four and a half feet apart, and presumably there to stop carts creating ruts in the roads.  I know no more, and I can't even work out where to go looking, so I toss this out to you lot for ideas.  ..read more

  "Hmmm. That's not right", I thought as I tacked the first one of Ivor's spalshers in place. The footplate, not a strong structure at this stage. After some head-scratching, I realised that I'd miss-read the instruction about a half-setch line at the back of the piece. I doesn't line up with the cab floor, but something else exciting, yet to come.  A bit of desoldering, which is why I tack things together to check the fit, and all is now OK. I just need to fit the other side.  ..read more

  At least I managed to recover all the bits from the gravel. At one point, when back at the workbench, I wasn't quite sure that the jigsaw was complete, but after a bit of puzzling, it is.  Assembly of this kits was with Revell Contacta, which sticks the ABS material, but weakly enough that the joints break cleanly. This makes reassembly a lot easier. The clean breaks extend to the paint, which won't need a touch up either. Half an hours work, and everything is as good as new. I've used Contacta again, with the odd wash of ABS solvent to speed up the joint drying.  The thing ..read more