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Model Railways
Everything you need to know about building and creating model railways, including baseboards, track work, landscaping and DCC and DC electrics.
Making Your Own Engine Shed Ash
Hot on the heals of the previous post on making your own model railway grass, comes another tip from Stephen Fay, this time a low cost technique to making [...]
The 5 Key Skills Every Model Railway Beginner Needs To Master
Want to upgrade your train set to a model railway that looks and works as well as the real thing? Here are the five most important techniques to learn.
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Model railway minimum curve conundrum – what’s the smallest radius?
What's the minimum curve radius for model railways? The numbers you need to know for Z, N, OO and HO track from Peco, Hornby, Märklin. [...]
How my money-saving-Nija wife is helping helping me make a model railway baseboard for free
How my money-saving-Ninja wife is helping helping me make a model railway baseboard for free. [...]
How they do it: Sunday Scribbles on baseboard inclines, track, modelling tips and more for your mental toolkit
Want to build a better railway? Whatever your level of model railway building this week's Sunday Scribbles has something for you with five quick tips from [...]
The definitive beginners guide to setting up Hornby model railway
So you got a Hornby train set for Christmas or perhaps taken the plunge and bought your first model railway, probably a Hornby starter set.
You've [...]
How NOT to clean track, part 2
Cleaning track is a fundamental maintenance task on a model railway but it's surprising how badly wrong it can go.
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Little England or how to model a large area in a small space
If you've been following this blog you'll know I'm working on a big new layout. But creating England, from Margate to Penzance, in miniature is anything but [...]
The Ultimate Glossary Of Model Railway Terms
You probably know or can work out what railway points do and what gauge means? But what about loading gauge? A CDU? Or a flange?
Don't be put [...]
How NOT to clean track, Part 1
This gem of track cleaning advice was overheard in a model railway shop the other day. And it's wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. [...]
What George Stephenson Taught Me About Building Model Railways
George Stephenson (1781-1848) was one of the all time great engineers. But you already knew that. What you probably don’t know are all the wonderful things [...]
How To Build Inclines Your Trains Can Climb – Maximum and Recommended Gradients UPDATED
If you want a fun and interesting model railway then you'll want your trains hauling up hills and hurtling down. Here's how to work out the space and gradient [...]
How To Make A Tunnel — The Trauma Free Guide To Model Railway Tunnel Building
"There's a light at the end of every tunnel" says the old adage. Yet for anyone who's tried adding a tunnel to their model railway it can sometimes seem a very [...]
How To Save Your Railway From Being A Track Only Tragedy
It's all too easy to start building a model railway with great intentions but then get stuck, never to get beyond the track-laying stage. The trains are left [...]
Model Railway Backscene Masterclass + 6 Tips
If there's one thing that will bring your model railway to life perhaps more than any other it's a background picture. Here's the definitive guide to choosing, [...]
Adventures in DIY Point Motors or How To Make Your Own Point Motors
After a recent slight miscalculation with off-the-shelf point motors I started thinking about making my own point motors. How difficult could it be and would [...]
How Much Space Is Needed for A Hornby Train Set
A question asked by many beginners is how much space will they need for a railway set. It's a good question but it's a bit more involved than you might [...]
5 Ways To Make Your Train Set More Interesting
Fed up with watching the trains in your railway set go around and around in an oval? Want a bit more variety? Here are five ways to add interest to railway [...]
Cheap, Quick and Safe Track Cleaning
Every so often it's a good idea to give your model railway or train set track a quick clean to remove grease and dirt that naturally builds up. Here's a [...]
Saturday Fun – Fixing Up An Old Hornby Rail Set
Last weekend I picked up a bargain of old Hornby OO railway set at my local boot fair. I gave the loco electrics a quick check on the day and then put it away [...]