Model Railway Features
HIGH-SPEED RECORDS
For many people the pinnacle of railway achievement was Mallard’s 126mph dash down Stoke Bank in July 1938, but since then this high-speed record has been broken many times with most of the subsequent attempts being much less well known, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES found out.
BR’s first Sulzer Type 2
British Railways’ Class 24 diesel was, as intended, a very able all-round locomotive, but design flaws and changing traffic patterns meant a relatively short life with the last of them being withdrawn more than 40 years ago, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES relates.
BR Standard history
British Railways’ Standard steam engines were amongst the most advanced ever built in this country, yet were destined to have short lives. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into their development, and examines how each class came to be built.
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.
WCML IN THE MODERN ERA
Throughout its 172-year history, Britain’s West Coast Main Line has been at the forefront of railway development, and never more so than in recent years when the route has hosted some of the most advanced trains ever to run on our network, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
There and back again
RICHARD WATSON’S New Junction garden railway was always going to be a challenge as an end-to-end layout. With a little help from DCC Concepts and its ABC braking modules to create automated stopping and starting, running in the garden was about to become much easier.
RICHARD WATSON
SUPER ‘SIXTY-SIX’
Using simple tools and techniques, TIM SHACKLETON gets to grips with the options to enhance the Hattons Class 66 and shows how you can make these attractive heavy freight locomotives stunning in every detailed respect.
The Class 390 Pendolino
One of the most successful trains in service is the Alstom-built Class 390 Pendolino, which has monopolised West Coast Main Line express services for almost two decades. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into the history of this ground-breaking design.
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.
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Perchance it is not dead but sleepeth’ said a wreath at Barnstaple Town station when the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway closed in 1935. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES charts the history and remarkable revival of this famous railway.
Staff Projects: Outdoor station
A station scene has been a longstanding plan for MIKE WILD’S garden railway and the arrival of Tower Models’ new resin platform sections provided the perfect excuse to start work.
MIKE WILDThunderbirds 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
Lightweight Baseboards
Discover Malcolm Briggs and his useful guide all about lightweight baseboards for train modelling. View the step by step creation process here.
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.
PAINT IT BLACK
Kit-building has been enjoying a renaissance over the past year. TIM SHACKLETON shows how you can avoid falling at the finish line using car-paint aerosols.
Railway Realism: 70 Years of the Talyllyn
Heritage railways are now an everyday part of life – but 70 years ago when volunteers took over the isolated Talyllyn Railway in Wales the idea of amateurs running trains was considered not only controversial but also completely crackpot, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
Reality Check: SECR Wainwright ‘D’
At the turn of the 20th century, the 4-4-0 was the most popular wheel arrangement for passenger work, so it was natural that when the South Eastern & Chatham Railway was looking to upgrade its fleet it opted for some, with the resulting ‘D’ class amongst the most handsome locomotives of the period, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
'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.
Building coal staithes
DAN EVASON builds Intentio’s delightful coal staithes kit, showing how easy it is to create a ‘must have’ facility in any steam era goods yard.
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.
Railway Realism: Doncaster
Doncaster is synonymous with the word railway, having an extensive works and a large station, but had events taken a slightly different turn it might never have been on a main line at all, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES found out.
Reality Check: The 4-BEP EMU
During the 1950s and 1960s the Southern Region massively extended its electrified network, and in doing so introduced a number of new classes of Electric Multiple Unit, with one of the least numerous of these being the 4-BEP which was designed to provide catering on services on the South Coast lines. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into the history of this small but unusual class.