Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i Continental Modeller

The lingering question after my layout Avenida das Napolitanas’ had featured in CM (May 2024) was: what now? The modest 4' x 1' shunting layout was shown at a couple of exhibitions. As ever there were a couple of electrical issues, but substantially the layout was a success – locos running well, a handful of wagons, scenery and buildings completed, backscenes blended in, a few Preiser people adding life; what more was needed? Having made the leap into modelling Brazilian metre gauge railways, it was tempting to maybe lengthen sidings, or add more of the same, but that would need a longer run-round loop, more wagon storage ... in short, it would become a new layout! So I focused on its weakness. Although contained on a 4' x 1' board,…

This layout is set on the former Réseau du Vivarais, a metre gauge secondary system in the Ardèche département of south-east France. The majority of the railway closed in 1968 but parts of it have been preserved as the C F du Vivarais and the Voie Ferrée du Velay tourist lines. Metre gauge is represented by using 6.5mm gauge (Z) track, in this case with built-in ballast made by the Japanese company Rokuhan. For a complete change, this was all my idea – nobody nudged me to do it this time. During the first lockdown in 2020, I was contemplating what to do with a box of spare track I had acquired with another layout, so I started casually laying it out on a convenient sheet of plywood and matters…

I have been interested in model railways from a young age and around 8 I joined my first model railway club. At 14 I joined a club which specialised in American model railroads, and after many years of helping to exhibit other members’ layouts at shows it was time for my own. Most of my previous modelling experience has been helping with club or other members’ layouts; laying track and electrics has always been my favourite part of working on layouts, spending many hours soldering droppers and wiring up point motors, with the odd trouble-shooting trying to find why something is not working as it should. There is no better feeling than working out issues and then seeing it all work, after many head-scratching moments and cups of tea. I…

The annual American and Continental O Gauge show in Winchester is the ideal opportunity to discover what O gauge offers for overseas railway modelling. This year is special, as not only will layouts and models be on display but it will be the best opportunity for several years to buy and sell. There will be a new Ready-to-Run Emporium. Several traders will have American, German, and other models for sale, from a range of current and past suppliers, such as Lenz, Chrezo, O Scale Models, MTH, Atlas, Weaver, Lima, Rivarossi, Pola Maxi, and others, including brass. As well as new items there will be secondhand from several traders and private sales at the Bring & Buy stand, plus booksellers, society stands, and of course the famous cooked breakfasts and other…

This small layout was born in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Being stuck at home, like the rest of the planet, I looked for an occupation that would allow me to free my mind a little! Over a long period I had accumulated some material that was sleeping in boxes, telling myself that one day, when my professional activity would allow it, I would try to create a layout. I had no particular idea about what type of layout but I kept myself informed by browsing French and sometimes foreign forums. At that time, I did not have a large space, just a section of wall with a length of 2.5m, which would not allow me to create a continuous run so I chose a point-to-point design. I chose an…

Orlando station was built in 1926 in the Spanish Mission style. The building is complicated with a distinctive design, and has changed very little since built. It was refurbished in 2015. When I designed Kaley Yard, my intention was to make the station the signature building for the lower deck. I developed the layout plan more than ten years ago and I intended the station to be in low relief against the back wall facing the entrance door. The reason for low relief was that such a complex design with so many arches would have been a step too far for me to model with my then modelling skills. I felt the only construction materials available to me at the time would have been plasticard, 3mm MDF, or thin plywood.…

This layout is set in Wallonia, specifically in the Charleroi region – an industrial city historically associated with coal mining and steel production. It portrays a bleak and deteriorated area, reflecting the decline of the region. This is mirrored in the railway infrastructure depicted on the layout. While the presentation is fictional, all the buildings are modelled on real examples. The focal point is a depot and workshop inspired by the former SNCB/NMBS Monceau facility. This fell into disrepair and was primarily used as a dumping ground for diesel locomotives at the end of their service lives. Locos awaited dismantling there, exposed to rust, graffiti, and vandalism. Occasionally a loco would be restored, receiving a new lease of life. The wealth of photos and video material available online, often captured…

Over the years, I have accumulated some Belgian N rolling stock but I have never built a corresponding layout; and on the other hand, I still have plenty of nice American locomotives, for which I no longer have a layout; you cannot keep everything! Something had to be done ... The specification was for a one-piece layout for exhibitions, approximately 120cm x 70cm, with two concentric ovals of Peco SL-300 N gauge track, to simulate double track, allowing two trains to run in each direction; a setting without time or place, with rocks and coniferous forests that could be, depending on the stock, the Ardennes or an impression of Canada or the Rockies. It would also have generous clearances so I could also run HOe stock. My idea is to…

The Bern Lötschberg Simplon RABe525 sets, also known as NINA, were built by Bombardier Transportation (initially Vevey Technologies) with electrical equipment by Alstom. The design allowed for three or four cars with two to six powered axles. Thirty-six lightweight articulated three-car electric multiple units with a top speed of 140km/h were delivered from 1998. They got the nickname NINA from the term Niederflur-Nahverkehrszug (low floor commuter train) because most of the length has a low floor thanks to space-saving bogies. These trains are principally used by the BLS on Bern S-Bahn services. Four of the units (525 038 – 041) belong to SBB ‘RegionAlps’. In 2007 BLS received an additional thirteen intermediate coaches to make up four-car trains. The first batch of units did not incorporate toilets but these were…

I am part of the Black Diamonds group based in the Midlands, a division of the National Model Railroad Association – British Region. We run American modular layouts in N, HO, and On30. This particular set of N scale modules was built to our own standards, a modified version of FreemoN. It is our second attempt at a coal town – the first used boards that were far too large and heavy and only got as far as track laying and wiring, with a few structures. My interests in American railroads centre around the eastern coal roads in the 1950s, mainly in Virginia and West Virginia, especially the Virginian Railway and Norfolk & Western, with quite a bit of Chesapeake & Ohio thrown in. This period means lots of large…

Almost every layout starts with a theme, a story giving the background of why the railway came into being, providing a realistic setting and a sympathetic landscape for the trains to travel through. Here is the background to my layout – I hope you will enjoy it. Certainly, there had been a small horse and cart pass through the mountains for centuries, although often blocked by snow during the winter months. The early settlement here was halfway between two larger towns on either side of the mountain, hence it became known as ‘Mittelstadt’ – the town in the middle. However, this was a bit of a misnomer as it was more of a large country village set in its own scenic valley – that is, until the railway came in…

I was asked to build a couple of houses for a small scene on Wim Wijnhoud’s French layout La ligne du Gerize. There were two restrictions: the area to be used measured 30cm x 10cm and the roof ridge had to be parallel to the road. Wim also had a preference for stone buildings. Furthermore, he told me that an elevated railway line would run just behind the houses. Using Google StreetView and some old photos of St.Tourbière, I was able to make a sketch. The buildings did get some more modifications, such as the large door on both the front and the right side disappeared. This article describes the construction of the natural stone buildings, and in a subsequent article I will go into more detail on making the…

Over the years I have altered and modified various models. I have built some prototypes unavailable in O gauge, and sometimes unavailable in any scale. Some are illustrated here. There are big compromises to be made in adaptation, of course. It is unlikely that the result will be a very accurate reproduction of the prototype. If you must be accurate, then adaptation is not for you. But I am interested in impressions, and having models of diverse prototypes. The other option is scratchbuilding, but that takes more time and requires higher standards of modelling than I can achieve. Whilst I make no claims for the quality of my models, my layout in the garage and out into the garden has some claim to fame! (See CM August and September 2020).…

Please send details for possible inclusion to: Peco Publications, Beer, near Seaton, Devon, EX12 3NA. E-mail: clubs@railwaymodeller.co.uk Friday 19 & Saturday 20 September MAIDSTONE, Kent Rapido Railex Organiser: Rapido Trains UK. Venue: The Market Hall, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8LW. Open: 1000-1630 both days Admission: pre-booked adult tickets £7.50, on the door £10.00, accompanied children free. Amenities: 5 minutes walk from Maidstone station, ample parking, wheelchair-friendly. Features: layouts include Bryford County Terminal (US HO). Societies, trade. Website: www.rapidotrains.co.uk/rapido-railex/ Friday 19 – Sunday 21 September GÖPPINGEN, Germany 40th International Model Railway Exhibition (IMA) and 14th Märklin Days Venues: Stauferpark, EWS Arena, Leonard Weiss Areal, Göppingen station, Märklineum, and Märklin headquarters Open: Friday and Saturday 0900–1800 Sunday 0900–1700 Admission: adult – Single-day ticket (regular) €17.00 Single-day ticket (club members) €14.00 Single-day ticket (disabilities) €14.00…