Model Railway Forum

Small point of accuracy. Gresley coaches in teak livery are generally OK. These were built before World War 2. Thompson coaches were built after World War 2 . The A4 Pacifics were originally painted either silver, blue or green. however the silver and green ones were all painted blue before World Wa...

Started with motorcycles - Francis Barnett 150cc (rubbish) Honda 90 Honda CB450 (400cc) twin Matchless 350cc single Matchless 650 twin Triumph 500 T100 twin (the best one!) Honda 250cc Then three wheelers Reliant Regal Mk III Reliant Robin estate (incredible fun!! Could fit me, wife, and four kids i...

Yes, got one, great model!

For me a scary experience, with already a bundle of Bachmann's retooled 64'6" Bulleid carriages on pre order , along comes the 59 footers from Hornby And with choice of two different numbers for sets of three in both SR and BR liveries! Gulp! Then there are the new industrials, both highly attractiv...

A number of useful facts - O gauge uses 7mm to equal I foot or a ratio of 1 to 43.5. The largest steam tender locos needed a 70 foot turntable (490mm in scale [19 1/4 inches]) A small 0-6-0 steam tender goods loco is about 45 feet long (315mm in scale [12 1/2 inches]) A 0-6-0 steam shunting engine i...

I would love to still have this loco (A Live Steam Bowman 2-2-0T) that I had 60 years ago. It didn't survive my childhood.

In the past I have used steel rail (Triang, Peco, Wrenn, Lima, Jouef) but the ever present issue of corrosion makes this less desirable than brass or nickel silver. (Aluminium and stainless steel rail are used in the larger gauges but the problem of soldering to it has already been mentioned) The di...

My 'Run-Away' Story I had just started my new job at Sheffield Midland and was being briefed by my new boss in his office on platform 2 at the London end. We heard a frantic and continuous tone on a train horn approaching, passing and going away, followed shortly after by a loud crash. We scrambled ...

Brown livery (aka Bauxite) indicated not only 'air or vacuum brake' but vacuum or air 'piped' vehicles too. Most B.R. built brake vans were not given full vacuum or air brakes but quite a few had train pipes, and a brake gauge and setter (vacuum) or valve (air) for the guard to apply the brake on th...

I would guess the wagon was loaded, it looks like a covered bulk carrier and probably loaded with something like cement. It would probably weigh between 50 - 100 tonnes. Run-away vehicles are fortunately very rare nowadays because most vehicles are fitted with automatic brakes, but there are circums...