Category Archives: Inspiration

Tolworth 2016

Posted on November 14, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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 →

Posted in Exhibitions, Inspiration, Layout design, Out and about | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Odd modelling idea #96

Posted on November 10, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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…..

Posted on November 8, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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

Posted on November 2, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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

Posted on October 31, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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 →

Posted in Inspiration, Out and about, Prototype, Weird and wonderful | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Could it be real?

Posted on October 25, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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

Posted on October 23, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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

Posted on October 19, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

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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A couple of quotes

Posted on October 17, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

A couple of quotes from the Model Railroad Hobbyist forum that caught my eye….. “Watch out for rabbit holes”: One of the reasons model railroading is the World’s Greatest Hobby is that it’s actually a number of different hobbies, all working … Continue reading →

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An interesting N-gauge coupler development

Posted on October 15, 2016 by snitchthebudgie

A very interesting development from MicroTrains – the ‘True-Scale’ N-gauge coupler.  The pictures below shows how good these look (photos MTL.)  They also have the advantage over using ‘Z’ gauge couplers in ‘N’ that they have no springs and ‘slinky’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Hints and tips, Inspiration, The trade | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment