Our weekly model railway news blog and product roundup, from Classic Collect models BILT EZEI kits make a comeback Since Freestone models closed down the kits from BILT EZEI and Prototype models have not been available. However they have now been acquired by Squires Tools. Roger Lewis the founder of Squires Tools, in 1992, has also acquired other ranges and businesses These include the Green Scene website and the Townscene range of backscenes. BILT EZEI kits first appeared in 1958 and were marketed by Hamblings. They proved to be popular and were once a common site on model railways. However ..read more

Alvis cars table of contents The Alvis car company, Introduction The first Alvis car, the 10/30 The 1930s Alvis car, chassis types and dates. Alvis cars in model form Dinky Alvis models Top Marques Alvis models Matrix Models Alvis models The Matrix models Alvis 4.3 litre Vanden Plas Tourer ’38 is on sale at Classic Collect Models. The Alvis car company, Introduction In this Alvis cars history and model guide we look at the history of this Small British car manufacturer and the available die-cast models. The Alvis car company began as TG John and Co. Ltd in 1919. They originally made s ..read more

Deagastini are a magazine, part-work, company that produces subscriber based magazine series. Nowadays, they focus on larger model vehicles, that are released piece by piece. However, in the past they provided complete models with each magazine issue. Over the years they have released a a range of magazine / model collections covering famous manufactures of the past, such as Dinky Toys. Binders were also issued for the magazines. The Dinky toys releases, comprised 66 issues, covering cars and vans based on original Dinky models. The series included French as well as British vehicles. These ar ..read more

This article and series features exclusive video content. The videos can be downloaded for free, click on the three dots on the right, when hovering over the video. Baseboard, Free PVA Glue- large bottle, £2 – Poundland 1/8″ Cork sheet- Javis Peco track pack, £62.00 – Jacksons Models Dapol class 27, £120 – Hattons. Nowadays, building a model railway can be an expensive business. Therefore, how do you create a layout for less than £300? The answer is n gauge, as a rule n locomotives are cheaper, and you use less materials to make the baseboard and scenery. A basic oval with two sidings, can b ..read more

This is part two of a series looking at the Tri-ang 1955 catalogue, page by page. Page 3 of the 1955 catalogue featured an electric goods set and two clockwork sets. The No. 3 Goods set The R3 set had a Jinty locomotive , a bolser wagon, a 7 plank wagon, a GW van and a NE brake Van. R10, 7 plank Goods wagon R11 goods van in GW red R17 Bolster wagon R16 brake van The R.52 Tri-ang Jinty was produced from 1952 until the mid 1970’s. There were also 12 curves and two straights, of standard track, finally a battery box was included. The No. 5 clockwork set The No.5 clockwork set featured an 0-6 ..read more

The Hillman Imp, also known as the Hillman Limp , “had a distant relationship with build quality”, as quoted by Giles Chapman. The car was first conceived in 1955 after the Suez crisis. Previously, The Rootes Group was known for it’s large gas guzzling cars and lacked an economical small car. The car was intended as a Mini competitor but production numbers never rivalled the Mini. Additionally, Reliability problems with the first cars caused sales to plummet after 1965. Arguably the Imp destroyed the Rootes Group’s reputation and they were taken over by Chrysler in 1967. Buy collectable print ..read more

Airfix model railways were produced From 1976 until 1981. Notably, Airfix was a well known model kit manufacturer. Consequently, there was to be a range of RTR model railway locomotives, coaches and wagons. Initially the models were made in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, communication problems led to production switching to the UK, in 1980. However it all came too late for Airfix who went into administration at about the same time. Airfix had begun in 1948 producing an injection moulded tractor kit. The bagged kit was available from 1955-59. By the mid 1970’s they also had a large range of lines ..read more

Introduction Tri-ang Minic Motorways, was a slot car system that appeared in the 1960’s. Notably, It was deigned specifically to go with the existing Tri-ang model railway range. Consequently the vehicles were to the same 1/76 scale. Early advertising was bizarre and unintentionally funny! See the header image. The ad. reads “Fun for all the family” while showing a car crash. This would bring today’s woke snowflakes out in a rash. Interestingly one of the later features was a kind of “logic” control that stopped the crashes. Making the tiny motors and gears required, proved to be a challenge ..read more

Iconic model railway images. Pre-war Hornby Dublo Box Set If you were a very lucky boy in 1938, you may have found this Hornby Dublo set, under the Christmas tree. Notably, there were only 10 types of sets available, five in Clockwork and five electric versions. The electric versions used three-rail track. Two-rail was not used again until 1959. The locomotive was clockwork with a cast metal body. Liveries of the big four were available. However, WW II stopped production. The wagons were made of tinplate See more iconic model railway images in the Looking Back category. The post Pre-war Hornb ..read more

The prototype The 4P has a complicated history with many rebuilds. The version modeled by Hornby was built by the North British Locomotive company for the LMS, between 1924 and 1932. The Midland Railway 1000 series were very similar. The type remained in service until 1961 and none have been preserved. The model The Hornby 4P compound was issued in 2011, it has a modern can motor and was part of the Railroad range. The drive is in the Loco with a DCC decoder in the tender. Consequently, there are visible wires, however, this allows for pickups on all the wheels. The body is the same one used ..read more