The UK’s only magazine that’s 100% dedicated to outdoor railway modelling. Expect to see stunning garden railways from the UK and abroad, expert advice to help you create one of your own, show reports plus product news and reviews.
Every year, I wonder why I go to the trouble of hauling a van load of plants, compost, stones and model buildings to create a layout at the National Garden Railway Show. I could just have a nice easy day with our fancy new light-up display stand. Maybe there could be a couple of models on a table, but nothing that wouldn’t fit in my car and let me get out of the hall in minutes. But then I’d miss out on the joy that even a tiny garden railway brings to people. Obviously, the show visitors are mainly serious types who know their clack valve from their banjo bolts, but there are also families, and then you realise just how popular our hobby is, beyond the enthusiast base. I’m…
I doubt there is a garden railway navvy who hasn’t wished for a little more space. It seems I did after last year at the NGRS, which is why I booked four tables instead of three. Of course, that was months ago, and I had forgotten, and so the early part of show setup had me worrying I didn’t have enough plants. To recap. Every year at the 16mm Association show, we build a small, working railway with real plants. The only actual garden railway at the garden railway show. Last year, we filled 9ft by 6ft. This time, it was 12ft by 6ft. Those extra feet in length made a big difference to the trackplan. We aim to feature a couple of simple circuits – one in 32mm gauge,…
1 | As usual, the plants are borrowed from Barn Close Nurseries. Before I get to drive away with them, all are noted down. The magnificent red acer behind the trolley turned out to be too tall for the van, sadly. 2 | This will be our space then. The team marking the hall out, a not inconsiderable task, have done a good job. They finished early too, so we were able to get a head start on the build. 3 | Carrying all the materials into the hall was made a lot easier by a team of 16mm Association stewards generously offering their assistance. Thanks to everyone who helped out. 4 | Ready to start building. It was at this point I discovered I’d ordered an extra table and…
When I was writing my article on Merlin locos for Garden Rail No 369, I got to wondering, what was the first gas-fired engine to run on my Ambledown Valley Railway? Looking back through my AVR logbook, I discovered it was a small Peckett 0-4-0ST built by a gentleman called David Hick. In 1984, Graham Lamb commissioned David Hick to build a small batch of Pecketts, which would be sold through the 16mm Association. David was an instrument maker and renowned builder of miniature firearms, which were mostly sold to customers in the USA. He was also a great lover of the narrow gauge and decided to use his skills to make locomotive models to 16mm scale. Initially, these were electrically powered, but he rose to the challenge of creating…
During lockdown, I purchased (from eBay) an old Airfix plastic kit of the American Civil War era 4-4-0 locomotive and tender, ‘The General’. Although this kit first appeared in 1981, examples do appear reasonably often as it was produced for three years. In 2015, it reappeared under the MPC brand, so we may even see it again! After being on display for a few months, despite the kit being scaled at 1/25, the possibility of conversion and motorisation to run on 45mm Gauge 1 track was investigated. The locomotive and tender bodies are sturdy, but the underframes and wheels were too fragile for motorisation, so I discarded them. Fortunately, I had a suitable Märklin 4-6-0 in stock. The donor chassis was subjected to extensive cutting with my mains-powered disc cutter…
When I received a nice bottle of sherry in a wooden box, my first thought was – what can I do with that box? As a crafter and miniaturist, I am always looking at ‘rubbish’ and wondering what I can make it into. After some thought, I decided it could become a station for my husband Keith’s newly built garden railway. It seemed to be a reasonable scale for the size of the railway and the figures that we would be able to buy from Bachmann. My initial inspiration was the country station set in the 1950’s at Bodiam on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, although I did stray a little from this in the end. To begin, I removed the lid and filled in the runners it slid…
