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October 2017 Railway Modeller


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When it's out it looks like an excellent issue

 

http://www.pecopublications.co.uk/Railway-Modeller-October-2017.html

 

 

Railway Modeller October 2017

October 2017 – vol 68 No.804

 

RAILWAY OF THE MONTH

Harlyn Pier

Inspired by the seaward end of the Lymington branch, but set further west in Cornwall, Peter Beckley’s O gauge layout is set in the early 1960s.

 

PLAN OF THE MONTH

Summer springs on the New Cut

A Norfolk-based OO scene by Andrew Knights with a very versatile interchangeable fiddle yard, which can also be used (albeit with some restrictions) with O-16.5 stock.

 

SCALE DRAWINGS

M&GN goods shed

This edifice served the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire, for many years but its site is now occupied by housing. With scale drawings by Christopher Palmer.

 

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

The Gate

David Nicholson describes his hinged, castor-fitted and precision-engineered movable section of his Scale 7 layout, which allows access out of his railway room.

 

FEATURES

 

Point control on Bridgebury Gate

Russell Hobbs explains how the PL-10 solenoid motors on this N gauge layout are worked. (See RM October 2016 for the full layout feature.)

 

Clifton Bridge station

Tony Musgrave and Roly Hamblin embarked on an N gauge recreation of this stopping point in the Avon Gorge, complete with Brunel’s suspension bridge.

 

Alwinton – 3

Tony Lambert concludes his trilogy of features on this OO gauge layout by exploring the lighting setup, which enables him to simulate daytime and after dark.

 

Shell Haven

Roy Emery took a sizeable Essex-based refinery complex as a starting point for this OO gauge layout, which depicts a typical installation in the 1980s/1990s.

 

Hollow Hills

A small-space transition-era shed scene in OO gauge, built by Ian Arkley and featuring digitally-controlled sound and effective lighting.

 

Mileposts – 70 years of the Leeds Model Railway Society

Alan Smith, the society’s Vice President – and a member since 1958 – looks back over seven decades of the organisation’s history along with Society President Don Townsley and Barry Oliver.

 

Whatever happened to… The Sherwood Section of the LMS

‘Sherwood Gang’ member Philip J Kelley brings this landmark 7mm scale clockwork layout, built under the direction of Norman Eagles, to a new audience.

 

Nibley Knoll

Graham Watling presents this new OO9 layout, with tracks on two levels; an upper shuttle and lower circuit, both serving the eponymous hamlet.

 

Mirror mirror on the wall

Les Fordham, Tony Ditchfield and members of Yeovil Model Railway Group pool their advice on seeing hidden trackwork on a layout, eg behind a backscene.

 

A stabling point for Whiteacres

The Stafford Railway Circle’s contemporary-period OO gauge layout has been extended; see the layout at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition in November.

 

Aston Cote

John Rose opens his railway room door to reveal this OO gauge Great Western branch line terminus, inspired by (and with scratchbuilt structures from) Fairford.

 

RAILWAY MODELLING EXPLORED

Poppy Lane

Terry Kempton created a simple roadside tramway scene in OO gauge as a test-bed for learning new techniques and materials.

 

Making trees – the easy way!

Craig Tiley shows you how to get the best out of commercially available plastic tree kits, using the Woodland Scenics example as a guide.

 

An uncoupling aid for tension-locks

Craig Tiley used his ingenuity to make a simple paddle, with an old ballpoint pen tube as its handle.

 

REGULARS

 

Talking Points

Topical issues from the world of railway modelling. This month, the Railway Modeller holidaymaker explores North Wales on the latest model shop safari.

 

Comment

Opinions and observations across the field of railway modelling. This month, John Treays makes the case for railway modelling being an aid to an active retirement.

 

Readers’ Letters

 

Latest Reviews

Reviewed this month are Realtrack Models Metro-Cammell Class 156 DMU in OO; the Southern 4-TC coach set from the Kernow Model Rail Centre; the Oxford Rail Dean Goods in OO; all-steel K-Type Pullman cars from Hornby; the LNER Toad brake van kit in O from Parkside; the Oxford Rail car carrier in OO; commissioned locos, coaches and wagons in N and OO; a Satlink GUV and LU-livery Class 20 in N from Graham Farish; and useful modellers' tools from Gaugemaster.

 

Book Reviews

 

News

Including two new locomotive projects from Hatton's – an SECR P Class 0-6-0T and Andrew Barclay 14" and 16" 0-4-0ST; progress with the Peco bullhead points in OO; Iron Minks to come from Minerva Model Railways; the Rapido Trains UK tour, including a bus scanning session and a visit to Peco; Arun Quay (the new O gauge layout by Gordon Gravett) to make its finished debut at Uckfield; a rail safety layout for school children; progress with Dapol O gauge LMS 3F and 57xx/8750 0-6-0PT; a Turbot ballast wagon from Kernow Model RAil Centre in OO; and much more.

 

Societies & Clubs

The hobby's best guide to What's On around the UK and beyond.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

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I contacted RM today, and apparently there was a delay getting copies  from the printers. Given there is info about the new locos from Hattons, I do wonder if someone did not want the news getting out early. The trade/advertisers copy for September issue got to me on the Saturday, and it is not unknown for subscription copy to arrive by the Saturday.

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I got a copy from WHS last night, as usual plenty to read but slightly disappointed to see another article on Shell Haven so soon after being published in Model Rail (August issue). I know the mags won't discuss issue lineups in advance but it must be annoying to them to find another article in a rival just as they are about to publish.

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Hi,My subscription copy for this and Hornby mag never turn up until they are in the shops so being late is normal here.

 

As for Layouts that have just been in other mags.Well is spoke to Mike Wild about this very subject at the NEC last year because I was seeing over a 12 month period a number of layouts being in all publications within a few months. I know the Railway Modeller does ask specifically if you have any articles for other mags.

Mike Wilds reply was that they try to avoid this situation but not all people are above board about other articles in the pipeline and infact he said they turned upto to one persons to do a photo shoot and another publication was there as well.

Im finding this more and more which means unless there is a few years between articles and there may be updates or a different view point I find myself reading less and less of the content.Things must be tight for layouts.

Thanks Richard

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There must have been a delay to subscription copies, perhaps because of the Hattons news which is in the mag. Copies were in the shops yesterday (Thursday) on time however.

 

Another good issue, if perhaps a little nostalgic looking at Leeds Model Club and the Sherwood Section. Pretty nicely done though . As usual there is a lot more reading in it than other mags so despite a good read yesterday I've still got more to go. I don't take Model Rail so hadn't seen Shell Haven before , but in any case it's only one of several layouts featured

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Whatever happened to… The Sherwood Section of the LMS
‘Sherwood Gang’ member Philip J Kelley brings this landmark 7mm scale clockwork layout, built under the direction of Norman Eagles, to a new audience.

 

As one of the "old audience" can't wait, those were the days.......................................

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With respect to duplicate articles(well articles about the same layout), I always thought there was an unwitten gentleman's agreement that articles would only be offered to one magazine at a time. No blame can be laid at the door of editors as they usually are not aware of articles being submitted elsewhere, but I would never offer an article to a second magazine unless it had been rejected by the first. Maybe editors could be better at letting people know one way or other quicker.

Therefore if there is someone to blame  first, then it is the person submitting an article. Maybe the word should be put out notto submit to more than one magazine at a time. Therre are enough people out there wanting to get articles published, and then they see someone getting one published in two magazines.

Edited by rue_d_etropal
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With respect to duplicate articles(well articles about the same layout), I always thought there was an unwitten gentleman's agreement that articles would only be offered to one magazine at a time. No blame can be laid at the door of editors as they usually are not aware of articles being submitted elsewhere, but I would never offer an article to a second magazine unless it had been rejected by the first. Maybe editors could be better at letting people know one way or other quicker.

Therefore if there is someone to blame  first, then it is the person submitting an article. Maybe the word should be put out notto submit to more than one magazine at a time. Therre are enough people out there wanting to get articles published, and then they see someone getting one published in two magazines.

It used to be more than a gentlemen's agreement. You had to declare that you had not submitted and would not submit the same or a similar article to another publication. What they could do about it is another matter - possibly withhold the fee? Last time I had an article published in RM the fee was GBP 8 per page, which might tell you how long ago it was. I suspect that if word had got around the author(s) in question would not have been regarded as playing the game fairly either.

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Therre are enough people out there wanting to get articles published, and then they see someone getting one published in two magazines.

Are you sure that recent articles about the same layout in different magazines are identical? Firstly, the photos are probably not the same being taken by the magazines photographer and certainly when I've been asked/commissioned by several magazine editors to submit an article about my layouts I've always written a fresh article (for each magazine) taking an alternative approach that covered different aspects of the layout.

 

G.

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It's not about whether the photos and words are the same, as paying customers some (many?) of us don't want to see the same layout twice within a few months. Otherwise we feel we are not getting our money's worth from the mags. It's bad enough having to see endless multi-page reviews of Kernow's 4TC in every mag for a period of 2-3 months, let alone then see the same layouts over and over.

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I can understand an exhibition layout modeller wanting to get his layout as much coverage as possible by multi-magazine coverage, (we don't all read them all), and it may be that different lead times between submission and publication are to blame when articles appear nearly simultaneously. I know one recently published article mentioned a new layout being planned, at the time of publication it was practically completed. Personally, as long as the pictures are different, and there is new information in the content, then I'm happy.

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I have had a few articles published in RM's sister magazine Continental Modeller, so chances of offering article to other magazines is virtually zero, but despite submitting a few to RM, nothing has been published there. I don't agree that someone should try to get an article(even with different photos) into as many magazines as possible. Sorry, that is just not fair on others. 

I am also very critical of the large reviews(articles?) on new releases , which are virtually duplicate as well. At least RM only had one page for the new Deans Goods, and the photos showed everything I needed to know, but the 2 pages for the 4 car(un powered ) stock could have been condensed down.

 

One reason Inow only tend to but RM(and CM) is that it does have a broad spectrum of good quality, and interesting articles, not driven by the retail trade, as sometimes seems to be the case with other magazines. A good issue this month.

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It's not about whether the photos and words are the same, as paying customers some (many?) of us don't want to see the same layout twice within a few months.

Yet, of course, we often see the same layouts at several exhibitions we attend. And all magazines carry reviews of the same new releases. Fortunately there are other layouts at shows and other articles in magazines.

 

Not everyone doesn't want to see the same layout with different photos and text in several magazines. And not everyone purchases all the magazines every month. Many subscribe to just one or two so are unlikely to see the same layout in print multiple times. Finally, editors are often loath to miss out on a new product or new exceptional layout so will commission an article about it knowing that it has, or has likely, to have been featured elsewhere.

 

Seeing the same layout in several magazines is not something I can get worked up about, find problematic or would not want to see.

 

G.

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I don't agree that someone should try to get an article(even with different photos) into as many magazines as possible. Sorry, that is just not fair on others.

It's not necessarily that people (layout owners/builders) are trying to get coverage in as many magazines as possible. Usually, certainly in my experience, it is editors who request and commission an article about a layout - often having seen it at an exhibition and knowing it has been featured in other magazines. But, of course, they want to bring to their readership the best coverage of the hobby - not to simply avoid what has been published elsewhere. Newspaper all carry the same news - they don't share it out.

 

I am also very critical of the large reviews(articles?) on new releases , which are virtually duplicate as well. At least RM only had one page for the new Deans Goods, and the photos showed everything I needed to know, but the 2 pages for the 4 car(un powered ) stock could have been condensed down.

 

One mans 'large' review (in your opinion) is another's 'doesn't cover it in enough depth'. I don't think two pages is too much for a major new release. And it is essential that it is reviewed appropriately for the readership. If, as you do, only buy/read one magazine, then those purchasing it would expect to see it at least covered and a decent review. A condensed down summary could make many feel cheated. But of course it's all about balance and that's the editors call. If he/they get it wrong the magazine suffers. RM is still the top seller (according to the latest ABC figures) so presumably they're getting it right.

 

G

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