Table of contents for August 2024 in Model Rail

Opening the box News Bachmann Europe chose the DEMU Showcase event to unveil its all-new Class 08 and Class 09 diesel shunters. Redesigned from the wheels up, the models will offer a significant uplift from the existing ‘08’ tooling, which has been around for nearly 25 years. The humble English Electric Class 08 was adapted from an earlier design pioneered by the LMS (later BR Class 11, as produced exclusively for Model Rail by Heljan – see page 96), with almost 1,000 examples built across the ‘08’ and Class 09 fleets. Known as ‘Gronks’, owing to their rather cumbersome, clanking nature, examples could once be found across all corners of the British Rail network, including town and city stations, as they performed vital pilot duties. The first example appeared in…

…and finally Back in the 1950s, when Little England was still connected by land to Antarctica, penguins trespassing on the railway was commonplace. To aid surveillance, Kershaw of Leeds produced a special camera designed to photograph trespassing penguins to aid identification and thus avoid confusion over fines issued. The plan was unsuccessful – setting up the camera could take some time, often requiring the closure of the railway for several hours. However, these fully functioning cameras can now be found on second-hand auction websites and occasionally in charity shops for just a few pounds.…

The latest ‘O’ gauge BR Mk 3 coach to roll off Dave Lowery’s production line is this impressive Sleeping car. Finished in InterCity ‘Swallow’ livery, as per his previous First and Standard class opens (see MR324-326), it too is based on the Skytrex kit, which provides the floor/chassis, ends and roof. The bogies and 3D-printed sides, meanwhile, were produced by PR Model Railway Products (PRMRP). This build acted as a test of the new 3D-printed sides and a Buffet car is currently in the works, also featuring prototype 3D-printed sides and components. With Skytrex offering just a single body type for the Mk 3 at present, the PRMRP parts will allow Dave to portray prototypical HST and loco-hauled rakes. Web: www.skytrex.com, www.prmrp.com…

" What makes this layout great? Richard and Ollie have got their key point spot on here: no lines parallel to the edge of the baseboard. It makes ‘Sandford East’ look so much more realistic. Combine that with the dirty, gritty nature of the 1980s diesels and they are on to a winner. " Life comes at you fast. One minute you are holding your newborn in your arms for the first time and seemingly the next they are off to university. Almost every parent wishes at some point that they could have spent more time with their child, but the pressures on young people today to fill their time with extra-curricular activities to bolster their CV means parents spend just as much time as a taxi service as they…

In 1982, two prototype diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) were rolled out by British Rail Engineering Ltd (BREL)’s Litchurch Lane Works in Derby. Very similar in design to the-then new Class 317 EMUs, they featured an above-floor diesel engine housed in one of the driving cars. Designated Class 210, the two trains were allocated to the Western Region and tested extensively on Thames Valley routes from London Paddington and, to a lesser extent, on other parts of the network, including trial runs in Scotland in 1983. An ambitious, highperformance specification included rapid acceleration characteristics, 90mph top speed and the ability to work in multiple with similar EMUs, plus through gangways and the ability to be configured for high-density suburban or longer distance routes. Four-car 210001 was fitted out for outer suburban…

Workbench EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW PART TWO I outlined my reasons for building a ‘OO’ gauge re-creation of Culmstock, on the erstwhile Culm Valley line in Devon, in last month’s issue, while also demonstrating how the main station buildings were constructed from scratch. Now let’s turn our attention to the creation of a station platform which, again, was created bespoke from basic materials. The platforms at Hemyock (the terminus of the Culm Valley line) and Culmstock both appear to have featured a variety of materials, with sections of the upper surfaces formed from brick, with the rest consisting of compacted ash. Accordingly, a mix of embossed plastic sheet and DAS clay helped me recreate this important aspect. Another job tackled this month is the building of the cattle dock…

When British Rail sold off its freight and parcels businesses to Wisconsin Central, the US firm was quick to realise that a large fleet of new locomotives was urgently required. BR’s largely 1960s-era traction fleet was nearing the end of its collective life and a tendering process was begun for a powerful, versatile 3,000hp Co-Co. General Motors’ Electro Motive Division (EMD) had a head start with its Class 59 design, ordered originally by Foster Yeoman in the 1980s, which was already certified for UK use. Although the new design would differ markedly from the Class 59, in terms of power and control equipment, the outward appearance remained similar. An initial fleet of 250 was built at EMD’s London, Ontario works and shipped from Canada to the UK between 1998-2001, emblazoned…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘009’ ◆ MODEL Peco/Kato • 51-251C ‘Small England’ No. 4 Palmerston FR lined maroon • 51-251D ‘Large England’ No. 5 Welsh Pony, lined brown • 51-251H ‘Large England’ No. 195 Exmoor Pony, LSWR/SR green • 51-251J ‘Large England’ No. 6 Little Giant, FR lined maroon ◆ PRICE £170.00 each ◆ AVAILABILITY Peco stockists Web www.peco-uk.com In a joint venture, Peco and Kato created a delightful ‘OO9’ model of the Ffestiniog Railway’s ‘Small England’ 0-4-0ST+T, with the first two examples landing in 2022 (see review in MR300). No. 1 Princess and No. 2 Prince were turned out in the attractive lined maroon livery of the Ffestiniog Railway and the models proved successful enough to warrant further production. Built for the Ffestiniog by the George England Company from 1863,…

Opening the box MODEL RAIL ORDER YOURS TODAY! With the sun finally putting its hat on and coming out to play, we’ve decided to launch a special summer sale featuring our lovely Ruston & Hornsby ‘PWM’ diesel shunters. Produced exclusively for Model Rail by Heljan, these models depict the entire fleet of 0‑6‑0DEs built for the Western Region of British Railways in 1959. The final examples were withdrawn in 1998 and several survived into preservation. Editor George Dent says: “July 4 is a special day for our US readers, but it’s also the date of the UK’s general election and the on-sale date of this issue. Oh, and it’s my birthday too! With so much going on, we thought it would be fun to offer readers a special deal on…

By the early 1980s, British Rail’s regional and secondary services were in trouble. Service quality was declining as dilapidated first-generation Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) were patched up to keep them running. On longer distance routes, locomotive-hauled trains formed of life-expired Mk 1 and Mk 2 coaches were also falling behind the times. The cost of maintaining these ageing trains was increasing, but BR also faced the major issue that many vehicles had dangerous asbestos insulation, which would be extremely costly to remove. Around the same time, BR was in the process of restructuring itself into business sectors focused on the different requirements of inter-city, freight and parcels traffic, plus the dense commuter network of London and the south-east of England. The remaining passenger traffic across England, Wales and Scotland was…

In parallel with BR’s in-house development of the Class 150, Birmingham-based train builder Metro-Cammell produced a quite different response to the call for a new generation DMU. Metro-Cammell was selected by BR to build two prototype trains based on a design submission for new trains to replace ageing first generation DMUs. These would be tested against the Class 150s to establish the optimum solution for a production build. To reduce weight and enhance acceleration rates, Metro-Cammell opted for aluminium construction. Other non-standard features included the bogies, transmission system and the positioning of the main cooler group and radiator in a separate pod on the roof of each car. Combined with the externally mounted sliding doors and unpainted aluminium body finish, this gave the ‘151s’ a very distinctive appearance akin to…

My 4mm scale layout ‘Trevean Siding’ focuses primarily on the railway and the Cornish landscape, with no streets or houses. Therefore, I’ve never had the chance to model urban gardens or patios. About to embark on a bit of Springtime gardening here at home, I wondered if I could recreate a similar scene to portray a typical modern garden, consisting mostly of decorative paving slabs with planted borders and maybe even a rockery. They’re not destined for my layout, so the models form a collection of small scenes, giving me a unique chance to try new materials, products and techniques. After sourcing products from various suppliers, I started a different kind of gardening. GARDEN No.1 STEP BY STEP What Steve used SHOPPING LIST ◆ Wills • SSMP208 York stone paving…

What makes this layout great? 'Dalmarnock Industrial’ offers a ‘warts and all’ portrayal of what life would have been like in this area. It’s grimy, the air is polluted, and it feels like somewhere you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time. You can almost smell the air. As a powerhouse of the industrial revolution, it is no surprise that many cities in the United Kingdom grew exponentially during the 19th Century. Glasgow was one such city. At the start of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837, just a quarter of a million people lived in the city, but by the end, there were three times that number. The cotton industry employed nearly a third of the workforce at the height of demand. Then, diversification came. Shipbuilding boomed thanks to…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘O16.5’ ◆ MODEL Bachmann Narrow Gauge 71-028 ‘Quarry Hunslet’ 0-4-0ST Una, lined green ◆ PRICE £214.95 (DCC-ready), £324.95 (DCC sound-fitted) ◆ AVAILABILITY Bachmann stockists Web www.bachmann.co.uk Dapol/Lionheart Trains’ foray into 7mm scale narrow gauge models came as a welcome surprise last year, with the charming Lynton & Barnstaple prototypes forming the basis of that range. Similarly, Bachmann’s ‘NG7’ line has now brought the joys of ready-to-run Welsh narrow gauge to the table. Designed to run on 16.5mm gauge track, which is the same as ‘OO’ (although Peco offers authentic track for this scale), Bachmann’s range was launched earlier this year, led by a quartet of ‘Quarry Hunslet’ 0-4-0STs, as already produced in its ‘OO9’ range (see our review in MR310). A trio of wagon types is also…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘TT:120’ ◆ MODEL Hornby • TT3013TXSM Class 50 50007 Sir Edward Elgar, GWR green • TT3014M Class 50 50040 Leviathan, ‘large logo’ blue ◆ PRICE £167.99 (DCC-ready), £222.99 (sound-fitted) ◆ AVAILABILITY Selected Hornby stockists Web www.hornby.com Representing the first true main line diesel locomotive to emerge in Hornby’s ‘TT:120’ range, following the HST power cars (reviewed last month) and the Class 08 (MR318), the Class 50s have now arrived. While the English Electric ‘Hoovers’ are not an obvious choice to help launch a new range, given their limited geographic coverage (a Sulzer Type 2 or a Class 37 would be more versatile), the ‘50s’ do retain something of a cult following. Furthermore, it seems like a prudent move for Hornby to ‘shrink’ one of its existing –…

◆ GAUGE ‘O’ ◆ MODEL Flangeway O-1S003 BR Independent Snowplough ADB965223 ◆ PRICE £99.95 ◆ AVAILABILITY Flangeway stockists Web www.flangeway.com With a ‘OO’ rendition of BR’s independent snowplough in the Flangeway range for well over a decade, it’s great to see the same vehicle now available in ‘O’ gauge. Again, models are sold individually, but with matching pairs available to suit specific liveries and locations. The first production run offers ten models in all, spanning five eras, from original mid-1960s livery to the latest Network Rail scheme. Our sample depicts Inverness depot’s ADB965223, complete with Highland Stag logos. ADB965205 is also available to provide a matching pair. Built on redundant 4,000 gallon tender chassis from ex-LNER steam locomotives, the snowploughs were constructed at various BR works and allocated to all…

'HUSH-HUSH' GETS THE 'CHUFF-CHUFF' TREATMENT Gresley’s Class W1 No. 10000 is the next Hornby model to be offered with a factory-fitted steam generator unit, which emits clouds of water vapour in tandem with on-board sounds, thanks to the addition of a 21pin HM7000 Bluetooth-enabled DCC decoder on board. Hornby has stated that experience gleaned from previous steam generator versions (most notably the LNER ‘P2’) has allowed the system fitted to the ‘W1’ to gain a few minor improvements. Furthermore, the sound files have been tailored to suit the nature of the ‘W1’ in this particular guise. For the modern image market, two new twin wagon packs feature the distinctive Drax Power Station biomass hoppers, complete with the latest Northern Powerhouse branding. Produced by popular demand, following the success of the…

MASTERCLASS EXPERT MODELLERS SHOW YOU HOW MODELS Bachmann • 32-929 Class 150/1 two-car DMU, BR Provincial (original) (£324.95) • 32-942 Class 150/2 two-car DMU, BR Provincial ‘Sprinter’ (£309.95) AVAILABILITY Bachmann stockists Web: www.bachmann.co.uk I’d be curious to know how many hundreds, if not thousands of miles I’ve clocked-up on Class 150 ‘Sprinters’ during the past 40 years. Like the Class 142 ‘Pacers’, the Class 150/1 and 150/2 DMUs provided my daily transport around the North West of England from my teens until my mid-40s, as well as many rail-centred holidays around Wales and Devon. I can even recall my first encounter with a ‘150’, on a ride from Machynlleth to Shrewsbury in 1986, on a freshly built example, with its gleaming modern interior contrasting drastically with the shabby, ageing First…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Accurascale ACC2632 Class 66 66171 EWS red/gold ◆ PRICE £169.99 (DCC-ready), £259.99 (DCC sound) ◆ AVAILABILITY Accurascale stockists Web www.accurascale.com The Hattons Class 66, released to wide acclaim in 2020, offered a significant uplift in detail and technical specification compared to existing models. Before news of the Merseyside retailer’s difficulties became public, Accurascale announced that it had acquired the ‘66’ tooling, with a view to making various improvements, addressing some of the idiosyncrasies and enhancing the electronics. Ten new versions arrived with Accurascale stockists in late May, spanning the colourful 25-year (and counting) career of the ‘66s’. I’d pre-ordered EWS 66171 for myself, which landed in advance of another two versions (which arrived too late for comprehensive photography – see page 9), with the…

MODELS ● 73-026A Dinorwic slate wagon, red (£21.95), ● 73-027 Dinorwic slate wagon with sides, grey (£25.95), ● 73-029A Dinorwic coal wagon grey (£25.95) AVAILABILITY Bachmann stockists www.bachmann.co.uk To complement the quartet of Quarry Hunslet locomotives, Bachmann has also added three wagon types to its ‘NG7’ range, based on typical slatecarrying wagons, with and without sides. There’s also a coal wagon, which is an essential addition, allowing fuel for the locomotives and machinery to be taken up into the hills where the quarries were located. Based on prototypes employed at Dinorwic quarry, the wagons are available in grey and red liveries, convincing resin-cast slate and coal loads are also supplied where appropriate. Each consists of a die-cast chassis to provide sufficient weight, with plastic side frames and body.…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘TT:120’ ◆ MODELS Hornby • TT4017 Mk 2f TSO blue/grey • TT4018 Mk 2f FO blue/grey • TT4019 Mk 2f BSO blue/grey • TT4020 Mk 2f TSO InterCity • TT4021 Mk 2f FO InterCity • TT4022 Mk 2f BSO InterCity ◆ PRICE £37.99 each ◆ AVAILABILITY Selected Hornby stockists Web www.hornby.com Following on from the Mk 3 HST stock featured last month, Hornby’s ‘TT:120’ Mk 2f carriages have now arrived, with the three key vehicle types rendered: Tourist Standard Open (TSO), First Open (FO) and Brake Standard Open (BSO). Available in original BR blue/grey livery (with M-prefixed numbers) and the InterCity ‘Swallow’ scheme, the models feature a very similar specification to Hornby’s ‘OO’ gauge equivalents. The bodyshell profile is very close to the prototype, with neatly fitted…

Reviews ◆ GAUGE ‘OO’ ◆ MODEL Revolution Trains • OO-HOA-214 Cemex (debranded) Trains4U exclusive • OO-HOA-242 Mendip Rail/VTG ◆ PRICE £91.95 per twin-pack ◆ AVAILABILITY Revolution stockists Web www.revolutiontrains.com • www.trains4u.com While coal was once the lifeblood of rail freight operations, aggregates have become one of the key rail-borne commodities over the past few decades. A motley array of wagons may have been employed during the early BR era, but a move towards specialised vehicles began in the 1970s and has continued to the present day, increasing efficiency in loading and discharge. In 2008, the HOA bogie hopper emerged, ordered initially by EWS and built by Astra Rail in Romania, boasting a capacity of 75 tons per wagon. The first batch carried EWS Construction livery, with a good many painted…

◆ GAUGE ‘O’ ◆ MODEL Dapol 7D-009-006 Pressed Steel diesel railcar (Class 121) ◆ PRICE £334.22 ◆ AVAILABILITY Dapol stockists Web www.dapol.co.uk It was Pressed Steel (Class 121) railcar No. W55021, operating the Staines West branch that first fired my interest in DMUs and I have had models of both Pressed Steel and Gloucester cars in various scales ever since. I reviewed Dapol’s ‘O’ gauge Class 122 railcar in MR292 and have now acquired the more recent Class 121. I chose the version in BR’s original dark green with the so-called ‘speed whiskers’ as this reflects my earliest memories of the class. Like the very similar Class 122, it weighs over 3lbs and is mounted on a Perspex plinth within the foam-lined box. One screw on this model defied my…