Category Archives: Inspiration

Layout design – redux – different voices – simple layout, complex operation

The third post, a long way behind the traction ones, is about small, switching layouts. Another interesting voice in the layout design world is Lance Mindheim, who most originally posts at http://www.lancemindheim.com/. He has built a number of very interesting … Continue reading

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Off my trolley – redux – streetcars and trolley layouts

As I’m in Stuttgart this week, I thought I’d repost the three most popular posts since I started blogging three or more years ago.  I’ve updated them a little, too.  One difference I note from starting blogging – I cut … Continue reading

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Tolworth 2016

A year has slipped past, and once again I scrounged a lift off Derek Atfield to pay a visit to the Tolworth Showtrain exhibition.  And once again I nearly didn’t go – it was a foul wet morning – and … Continue reading

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Odd modelling idea #96

I don’t think I’ve done this one before!  From the Daily Telegraph and CNN (amongst others.) Main road swallowed up as huge sinkhole collapses in centre of Japanese city Residents of a major Japanese city woke up to a main … Continue reading

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One for election day…..

As America goes to the polls, with a choice ‘from the sublime to the ridiculous’ (and I’m being very careful not to say which is which), here’s a nice little story from Model Railroad Hobbyist. Election campaign train dirty tricks The … Continue reading

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The Patch

An interesting part of the Los Angeles railway system was ‘The Patch’, an industrial area near downtown Los Angeles, served by the Santa Fe.  The area contains many old buildings and industries, served by a patchwork of tracks down streets … Continue reading

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The greatest train journey on earth

Excellent article from the Daily Telegraph on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The Trans-Siberian is more than just a railway. It’s a journey into the psyche of modern Russia; a triumph of engineering; a movable feast through the largest – and, perhaps, … Continue reading

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Could it be real?

From the Suffolk Gazette, via N Gauge Forum: Hornby celebrates Greater Anglia franchise with Rail Replacement Bus Set Could it be an inspired release by the ailing Hornby company?  Maybe the article’s author’s name gives a clue….. EXCLUSIVE By Casey Jones, … Continue reading

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Epic railway FAIL

From the Daily Telegraph. Noel Gallagher snubbed Trainspotting soundtrack ‘as he thought film was about railway enthusiasts’ Noel Gallagher missed out on featuring on the soundtrack for Trainspotting because he thought the film was about railway enthusiasts, it has emerged. … Continue reading

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Another N-gauge coupler development – this time from Europe

I  came across this blog , UK based but describing a French fine scale ‘N’ layout.  And it had a very interesting post on ‘N’ gauge couplers. N-tram are the doyen of European brass models, in N-m and N.  They are … Continue reading

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