Continental Modeller January 2026

The first ideas for the this layout emerged during the OntraXS! exhibition in the Dutch national railway museum in March 2022. At that time I was modelling Saxon narrow gauge railways in Oe, but after a conversation with Dr Franz Rittig I came up with the idea of designing a layout in HO based on a north-east German theme as an interim project. It would primarily use commercially available proprietary models. It was to be a compact layout with a small station. Just two or three locomotives and a handful of typical coaches and wagons were to be purchased for this purpose. Well, that was the theory. Even during the planning phase, which occupied me quite intensively, the project grew into a full-fledged layout. The aim was to capture the…

We wish everyone a peaceful and prosperous New Year. Whatever the year may bring, we hope the hobby will continue to provide you with enjoyment and relaxation. We have no grand celebrity layout to start this year as we did last, with our report on Sir Rod Stewart’s inspiring installation, though in some respects all the layouts we feature are ‘stars’. We are particularly proud that we feature not only foreign layouts built by British modellers but also the work of many modellers overseas. Some we find, for example by visiting exhibitions in Europe, while some find us, often through contact with other contributors. We are pleased that they seem to have a positive experience of the publication process and recommend us to their friends and fellow modellers. Alongside a…

Brick is certainly one of the most imitated building materials in structure modelling, but in reality appears so different from one country to another, and sometimes from one region to another! However, despite these significant differences, the fact remains that the imitation of walls, the main effects of decay, and colouring have a generic base. Over the years I have developed a basic method using foamboard to simulate this in smaller scales. Of course, this method is just one amongst others and I make no claim that this technique is the best. However, having worked in a larger scale, I wanted to test this method once again to see if convincing results could still be obtained. There is no shortage of sources of inspiration. To describe this method, I re-arranged…

Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 January FROME, Somerset Organiser: Wessex Association of Model Railway Clubs. Venue: The Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome, BA11 1BE. Open: Saturday 1000-1700 Sunday 1000-1600 Admission: adults £6.00, accompanied under 16s free. Amenities: paid car park; disabled access; café and bar. Features: over ten layouts, including St.Gracier (new Swiss/Austrian HO). Societies, trade. E-mail: chairman@wamrc.com Website: https://wamrc.com Saturday 10 January ILTON, Somerset Open Day Organiser: South West OO9 Society (SWOONS). Venue: Merrifield Hall, Ilton, Somerset, TA19 9HG. Open: 1000-1600 Admission: £3.00. Amenities: parking; disabled access; refreshments. Features: layouts include Conifer Valley River Route (HOn30). OO9 Sales and other trade. E-mail: treasurer@009society.com Website: www.009society.com/news/exhibitions-events/ Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 January ERITH, South East London Organiser: Erith MRS. Venue: Harris Garrard Academy, Yarnton Way, Thamesmead, near Erith, Kent,…

The Patiala State Monorail Tramway used the Ewing system of an outrigger running on the road to support the tram. There were two lines in Patiala State (now part of the Indian Punjab). The first, from Sirhind to Morinda, opened in 1907 and although operated by mules seemed to carry considerable traffic – 20,000 passengers were reported on the 15 mile line in one month. The second line, from Patiala to Sunam, also opened in 1907 but it is not clear if it initially opened as far as Sunam. It was short-lived and had closed by 1914, apparently due to road competition. Four 0-3-0 locomotives were built for it by Orenstein & Koppel. They were never used on the Sirhind – Morinda line, which continued to operate until 1927, and…

Fusine – Laghi / Ratschach Weissenfels / Ratece Bela Pec – three names for a station which is now just a memory. Three borders, three languages, three names for the same place – stories of ordinary everyday life for those who live in the Fusine plain, nestled between the Karawanken mountain range to the north and the Julian Alps to the south. In this valley today runs a beautiful cycle path on the route of a former railway, which after the Second World War became one of the least known Italian railway crossings and which, without exaggeration, has always been surrounded by an aura of mystery, due to the very scarce written and photographic documentation. This particularly intrigued me. If we add that the people who experienced this railway first…