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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.
Baseboard tips: make wiring easier with a splash of paint
I wish I'd done this before my most recent journey to the dark side of my layout!
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How To Make Cuttings For Your Model Railway
Does your railway track lie flat on its landscape? If you answered yes, your model railway is wrong.
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5 Must-Have Tools To Transform Your Track Work From Terror To Triumph
There are an astonishing 10,072 miles of track in the UK.
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Making Model Railway Trackcam Video
If you've seen some of the track cam videos over on YouTube and want to make your own but don't want to go to the expense of equipping your train with a [...]
Cheap, easy, lights for your layout
Let me brighten up your railway with this quick and cheap way of adding lights to your layout. [...]
Quick tip for better backscenes
Here's a quick tip for more credible back scenes and realistic layouts. [...]
Why and should I solder my track — Reader Q&A
On the back of this reader question on track offcuts Steve Boughton reached out to ask if he should shoulder his track together.
Here's the wisdom from [...]
Layout Progress update: hills, inclines and tunnels
Rich verdant hills tower over the river valley below. Mine workings perch on rocky outcrops as tired railway lines sneak their way up through tunnels and [...]
How to wire up LED lights on your model railway – the simple guide
I've covered the mechanical aspects of making street lights before, this post, however, focuses on the electrical element of wiring LEDs for buildings such as [...]
Keeping a layout clean — what I use
Keeping a model railway layout dust and debris free during construction is a pain. Here's how I keep mine clean without damaging the delicate parts of the [...]
Why do the LED lights on my layout flicker? – Reader Q&A
If the lights on your layout flicker, follow this advice that I gave to Paul who contacted me over the weekend. The answer was simple but of [...]
Reader Question – what to do with track offcuts
Recently a reader raised a great question. What to do with track offcuts? [...]
9 Top tips to laying flexitrack
Flexible track is a quicker, easier, option for track work but comes with its own problems. Here are the 9 best tips from the collective wisdom of the Internet [...]
Model Railway Beginners Q&A: How to connect more power leads to a model railway set
If you've added more track to your model railway set you'll reach a point where just one power-clip isn't enough. But how do you get more power to your track [...]
Autumnal Projects & Ideas To Inspire
Great update projects to work on around your railway as the Sun set sets earlier and the heat of long summer days fade. [...]
How I fixed my runaway trains
I recently ran into a frustrating problem where my DCC locomotives just ran away by themselves. After a bit of head scratching I found an answer. [...]
What’s The Best Glue For Polystyrene / Stryofoam
Just a quick post on the what is the best glue for Polystyrene and Styrofoam expanded foam sheets, both hugely popular for making landscapes, hills and [...]
Laying track across baseboard joints
If you're laying track across a baseboard join, you'll need to secure the track at the edges. The tried and tested technique for this is Copper clad sleepers. [...]
How to tip: cheap, authentic, point control
Using electric point motors for a model railway can get expensive. But if you just want to remotely control your points there's an alternative, cheaper, way. [...]
How to master perfect soldering for trouble-free track and wiring – the definitive guide
Want to improve your model railway track work, wiring, and electrics? Soldering is the only way. But what's the best solder to use? What's the best soldering [...]