Model Railway Features
Back to ‘Schools’
Digital sound installations don’t have to be complex or mind boggling, as MIKE WILD shows by turning his attention to a Hornby ‘Schools’ 4-4-0 with a new sound profile from Locoman Sounds.
SCRATCHBUILDING LARGE STRUCTURES
ANDY GLOVER uses styrene sheet and strip to model an impressive canal side structure for his ‘N’ gauge layout with methods which can be used for 2mm or 4mm scales.
InterCity 125s
With more than 40 years front-line service, it is no wonder British Rail’s ‘Journey Shrinker’ has proved popular with model manufacturers. MARK CHIVERS looks at the options available to modellers in ‘N’, ‘OO’ and ‘O’.
FORWARD DATING A ‘MERCHANT’
Hornby’s original ‘Merchant Navy’ is a super model but it doesn’t cover all variations to the fleet. GRAHAM MUSPRATT adapts one of the first to enter traffic into its immediately pre-British Railways condition.
BR Standard train formations
As British Railways’ new Standard steam locomotives began to appear in the early 1950s, they were soon pressed into service, replacing older motive power in the process. MARK CHIVERS presents a selection of typical BR Standard train formations from the 1950s and 1960s which you can replicate in ‘OO’ gauge.
Hawksworth ‘Hall’ sound
The arrival of a new batch of GWR ‘Modified Hall’ 4-6-0s from Bachmann for ‘OO’ gauge prompted MIKE WILD to take a fresh look at the model’s potential for sound. In this step by step guide, we install a ZIMO decoder and powerful speaker for a realistic and immersive driving experience.
VIDEO: Bachmann Class 57 sound demonstration
The Class 57 is an important part of the modern railway scene and one stands out from the crowd – 57307 Lady Penelope in its Cable Thieves-branded DRS livery. MIKE WILD and RICHARD WATSON discuss this Bachmann Collectors Club limited edition after it's sound installation.
‘Western' buying guide
Sixty years ago, the first of British Rail’s (BR) Type 4 diesel-hydraulic C-C ‘Western’ Class locomotives rolled off the production line at Swindon Works. MARK CHIVERS looks back at some of the models of these distinctive diesel-hydraulics through the years in ‘N’, ‘OO’ and ‘O’ gauge.
Thunderbirds are go!
The Class 57 is an important part of the modern railway scene and one stands out from the crowd – 57307 Lady Penelope in its Cable Thieves-branded DRS livery. MIKE WILD picks up a Bachmann Collectors Club limited edition of the unique locomotive for this sound installation guide.
COAL YARD DIORAMA
Coal yards were vital parts of many towns and villages. DAN EVASON concludes his three-part build by setting the scene.
DAN EVASON
East Midlands repaints
The latest purple and white colour scheme to be applied to East Midlands Railway rolling stock caught the eye of JOHN PILGRIM, who set about repainting a Lima Class 156 and Hornby HST power car in this bang up-to-date livery. He explains all in this step by step guide.
JOHN PILGRIM
Planning a garden railway
No matter what scale or gauge you plan to work with in the garden there are considerations to make a construction methods to choose from. Trevor Jones relays his own experiences and offers his top tips for starting out in garden railway modelling.
A station for the garden
Trevor Jones’ garden railway features regularly in Hornby Magazine and continues to develop. Trevor reveals how he developed Whiteland station using readily available Bachmann, Gaugemaster and Hornby products.
Bridging the gap
Many model railways can benefit from a removable section to allow access to a room. TREVOR JONES shows how he made use of a bridge kit to create a removable section with both form and function.
'West Country' Special
Who says installing digital sound is hard? PAUL CHETTER takes on Hornby’s air-smoothed ‘West Country’ and discovers that installation of sound and much more is within the abilities of all modellers. This feature from the Hornby Magazine archive includes a brand new sound demonstration video featuring 34067 Tangmere.
VIDEO: Hornby 'Merchant Navy' sound upgrade
Our latest exclusive sound installation guide for KeyModelWorld feature Digitrains sound file for the Bulleid air-smoothed 'Pacific' - and you can watch it for free this week only during Bulleid week. Join Mike Wild in the workshop to find out how to install sound in this model.
Buying guide: Bulleid 'Light Pacifics'
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Hornby’s super-detailed ‘OO’ gauge model of Bulleid’s air-smoothed ‘Light Pacifics’, which has proved immensely popular over the past two decades. MARK CHIVERS looks back at this and some of the other significant releases across ‘N’, ‘OO’ and ‘O’ scales.
Automatic Braking Control
DCC Concepts has released its new Zen Black decoder range which include the ability to work with ABC braking modules to create automated stopping and DCC controlled shuttles. MIKE WILD explains how.
Steel yourself
With the recent arrival of the JSA from Accurascale and BBA from Cavalex Models, TIM SHACKLETON adds to his huge fleet of steel-carrying wagons, noting how weathering effects evolve over time.
SULZER SOUNDS
The new Heljan Class 25/3 presented an opportunity to add extra functionality to the model as part of a sound installation. MIKE WILD installs a ZIMO chip into the new ‘OO’ gauge model with sound from Digitrains.
VIDEO: Locoman Sounds Thompson 'Pacific' sounds
Locoman Sounds has introduced a series of new sound profiles for the Doehler & Haass sound decoder family to replicate the Thompson 'A2/2' and 'A2/3' 4-6-2s. In the latest issue we show how to install this new sound decoder in the Hornby 4-6-2 while in this video MIKE WILD demonstrates the sound functions of two of the four versions.
VIDEO: Hornby 'A2/3' sound installation guide
In the latest issue of Hornby Magazine we illustrate how to install digital sound in the new Hornby 'A2/2' 4-6-2. For our second related installation MIKE WILD demonstrates the installation process for the closely related 'A2/3' on video using the new Locoman Sounds sound project.
PERFECT RUNNING
The best running qualities make a model railway more enjoyable to operate. TREVOR JONES turns his attention to getting the best from locomotives.
CHASSIS REBUILDS
A handful of model types have suffered from failure of the metal in the chassis. TIM SHACKLETON looks at the problem of so-called mazak rot and finds a quick and simple way of countering its effects to restore your models to life.
Coal yard construction
In the first of a three-part guide, DAN EVASON shows how to build a small coal yard diorama in ‘OO’ gauge using readily available laser cut kits and scenic materials.
THOMPSON CHOICES
Locoman Sounds has introduced a set of new sound profiles for the Hornby ‘A2/2’ and ‘A2/3’ 4-6-2s with four different versions to suit the two classes in different eras. MIKE WILD shows how to install the sound profile on a Doehler & Haass sound chip into the BR era ‘Pacifics’.
VIDEO: Bachmann Class 45 with ZIMO digital sound
In the latest issue of Hornby Magazine - HM167, May 2021 - we show how to install sound and stay alive into the popular Bachmann Class 45 1Co-Co1 for 'OO' gauge. In this video Mike Wild demonstrates the completed model on Topley Dale.
Stay alive with DCC Concepts
DCC Concepts has gone back to the drawing board to create its new range of stay alives using smaller components and a flexible system which allows for easier positioning of parts within a locomotive. Read the full story here and watch our video demonstration.
Britain’s Most Powerful: Gresley's ‘P2’
In the first of a series of special features highlighting the best of British railway engineering, TREVOR JONES turns his attention to the imposing Gresley ‘P2’ 2-8-2s by explaining their importance and showing their potential in model form ahead of Hornby’s new release.
HEAVY METAL PART TWO
Less is usually more when it comes to creating effective weathering effects in the smaller scales. Having gone for broke with a battle-scarred ‘WD’, TIM SHACKLETON opts for the subtle approach with a further selection of heavy freight locomotives.