Jump to content
 

BRM Blog

A blog by 61661 in RMweb Blogs

  • entries
    61
  • comments
    193
  • views
    94,664

About this blog

News, inside stories and info from the BRM team

Entries in this blog

Network SouthEast 30 - Giving a station an NSE splash of colour

This month's BRM marks the coming thirtieth anniversary of the creation of Network SouthEast with an interview with Chris Green. There's some useful reference information in the article too and one of the pieces of the article was to show how easy it would be to give a fairly ordinary station the same sprucing up that the division started thirty years ago. The simple 'how-to' got squeezed just leaving a couple of images as part of the article so I thought it worth adding the rest here.   Befor
Andy Y

Andy Y

8

A playground J94

On page 87 of the June 2016 issue of BRM, I've built a little diorama recreating a scene from my youth - a J94 marooned in a park as a climbing frame. Space precluded a full step-by-step build on the page, but we've plenty of space on RMweb, so here we go:     The locomotive come sfrom an Airfix kit supplied by the Kitmaster Collectors Club. Apparently this model the fire at Dapol's factory so isn't in the current range. Fortunately, for this project, a part-built kit is perfect and th
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

5

Nuremberg Toyfair 2016 - New Product Roundup

As promised, here's a final round-up of new items announced at the Nuremberg Toyfair that might be of interest to British modellers. It's by no means an exhaustive list of everything announced, but I hope it gives a flavour of the scale and variety of new items coming from the European trade. If there are any items that appeal to you, the following UK suppliers/importers can help:   Contact Gaugemaster for: Noch, Roco, Fleischmann, Maerklin/Trix/Minitrix/LGB, Kato, Herpa, Piko, Wiking and many
61661

61661

4

Nuremberg Toyfair 2016 mini-blog

Apologies for the lack of updates from the Toyfair before the weekend. Unfortunately, the regular mini-blog I'd hoped to send was compromised by appalling wi-fi service in the convention centre and at my hotel, which limited what could be done (at least without spending the whole of each day trying to upload photos!). This is a holding message, just to explain why things didn't go to plan and to say that I'll be uploading lots of material over the next couple of days, which you'll hopefully find
61661

61661

0

Nuremberg Toyfair 2016 Mini-blog Day 1

As you might have seen if you've been watching the BRM Facebook page today, it's been a busy day at the fair. However, the model railway presence at the show seems to have declined noticeably since last year. Where Hall 4A used to be full of model railway-related stands, even spilling over into adjacent halls and walkways, there are now large gaps in the hall and more non-railway stands creeping in. Stand sizes are significantly reduced in some cases, although the big German manufacturers such a
61661

61661

5

Nuremberg Toyfair 2016 - mini blog

Good Morning from Germany. Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be posting regular updates from the Nuremberg Toyfair over the next three days, picking out any items that are of interest to British modellers in particular, but also any new products that could have useful applications at home. I'll also be Meeting various manufacturers and retailers so will Report back anything of interest. Among today's visits is Oxford Rail, where I'm hoping to find out more about the new announcements a
61661

61661

3

Bantam Tugboat

There wasn't space on the page in the magazine for the Batam Tug plan, so here it is:     The plan isn't perfect as I've had to work using photos and a few known dimensions, but it will give you a start and since all the tugs were hand made, they tended to vary anyway.   The black and white bars should each be 4mm long when you print it out, if they aren't tweak your printer settings until they are.   Feel free to use it for non-commercial use.   Photos of the tug can be found here.
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

1

A visit to Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

It's quite shameful to admit that there's a preserved railway little more than an hour from home that I hadn't visited before, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway at the edge of Wirksworth, Derbyshire. I suppose it had been a little off the radar as not being the conventional steam-centred family day out type railway and I've done it a substantial injustice in thinking that way. Ecclesbourne is far more about the railway that I grew up with definite leaning towards some interesting DMUs. On most pre
Andy Y

Andy Y

6

Parker Fabricates

August's issue of BRM includes a free set of building details from Modelrailwaysecenery.com on the DVD or as part of the download. This isn't a complete kit, but windows, doors, air con units and notices that can be used to aid scratchbuilding or modifying a card building. The details are printed on a colour printer, ideally on to matt photographic paper. You can print as many copies as you need too so hang on to the DVD for the future. For my model, I needed some brickpaper so bought a sheet fr
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

3

Nottingham Victoria by Tony Phillips

In the February issue of BRM, I showed a few photos taken last year when I went over to Australia to talk to the British Railway Modellers of Australia convention. After the main event, we enjoyed a couple of days visiting members layouts around Adelaide.   One of the highlights was Tony Phillips model of Nottingham Victoria. This lives in a 40ft by 32ft railway room and is simply awe inspiring when you see it. Reader Keith Dyson from Nottingham e-mailed me to ask if I had any more photos. Wel
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

10

RAILS/BACHMANN LMS 'TWINS'

Morning All, I popped into Rails of Sheffield briefly on Saturday and found that they had pre-production samples of the LMS black/silver 10000 and 10001 on display. Apart from one or two minor decoration alterations that need to be made, they look very good indeed. The finish of the black body and silver bogies is superb, as are the chromed metal details, as can be seen in the photos. No further indications on delivery dates, but expect them to be 3-4 months away once the corrections have been
61661

61661

5

Rule 1 and other guidelines

I was just editing a feature for the April issue of BRM that mentions 'Rule 1' - namely "It's my railway, so I can run what I like." It made me wonder, if that's Rule 1, what should the other rules be for railway modellers? They don't have to be controversial, but what are your own golden rules? Share your thoughts with us and if we can, we'll condense the responses into a 'Ten Commandments of Railway Modelling' (or more if required!) as a bit of fun. As an example of something similar in the c
61661

61661

23

Nuremberg Toyfair 2015 Report - Update and Photo Gallery

Nuremberg Toyfair - Day 2 Another busy day at the fair today and several excellent meetings, including with Oxford Diecast and Hornby. As mentioned yesterday, I've posted 30+ photos on the BRM Facebook page and included more info about the various new releases. Hope you find it useful. Photos are here Heading home tomorrow, but it's been a very interesting couple of days. There will be a brief report on the most interesting/UK relevant items in the April issue of BRM.   All the Best   Ben
61661

61661

2

Nuremberg Toyfair 2015 Report - Part 2

Nuremberg Toyfair 2015 – Part 2   Day 1: Several appointments today, but the intervals between allowed me to have a good look around Hall 4A, dedicated to model railways. Immediate impressions (confirmed by others) are that the number of exhibitors is fewer than in previous years and that those attending have, in many cases, opted for smaller stands. The result is that where, a few years ago, model railway companies spilled out into neighbouring halls, the reverse is now true and various unrel
61661

61661

8

Nuremberg Toyfair 2015 Report - Part 1

Nuremberg Toyfair 2015 Report - Part 1 Every year the German city of Nuremberg is host to the world’s largest trade fair for toys, games and hobbies. With 2,700 exhibitors from more than 60 countries displaying around one million products (75,000 of which are new) and 75,000 visitors from 120 countries, it’s a major event by any standards. Over the next couple of days, I'll be reporting back from the fair, looking at trends, new tech and hopefully posting a few photos of interesting kit. In a
61661

61661

0

How green is my turtle?

In November's BRM, I built the armoured Simplex kit for Owen's Bridge and commented that I wasn't really sure of the colour it should be finished in.   The problem is that there aren't any colour pictures of the real things running around during WW1. A quick chat with Andy Roden, who was writing his latest book “Trains to the Trenches” at the time established that even someone who was carrying out original research couldn't find any.   All the black and white pictures seem to show relatively
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

7

The amazing "Tin Turtle"

Take a look at the Warley 2014 thread and you'll see that if there is one thing that unites railway modellers, it's a need to “see something moving”.   Never mind how much effort goes in to a layouts scenery, if there isn't a train operating then visitors won't hang around. Some will only pause to make their exasperation clear to everyone within a 40 foot radius before moving on.   This means that I approached the show with some trepidation. Although Owen's Bridge wasn't billed a layout in t
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

3

Packing for Warley

It's nearly Warley weekend and I'm busy packing Owen's Bridge up for the BRM stand.   With the fragile wooden bridge out front, I don't want to chuck the layout in the back of the car without some protection so it's now got a wooden cover. Just in case I can't remember what's in there, I've stenciled the layout name on the top in a suitable military style.     To make the stencil, I printed out the name in an appropriate font on a sheet of paper and cut out the letters with a sharp k
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

5

NEW BACHMANN ITEMS IN THIS WEEK

Just received from Bachmann/Graham Farish are several new items due for release over the next 6-8 weeks. Look out for reviews in January issue of BRM, on sale 11th December.   Bachmann OO Class 150/1 DMU - FGW 150128. This model features a new chassis, better lighting and interiors and superb decoration.     Bachmann 30-325 GWR WW1 Ambulance Train pack with khaki 4-4-0 City of Birmingham and three ambulance coaches     Graham Farish BR blue 'Princess Coronation' 4-6-2 No. 46226 Duche
61661

61661

0

Ride on a railbus

I must confess that today was the first time I've been to the Ribble Steam railway and it'll be 10 years old next year. I wanted to go and get some reference details from the substantial collection of industrial locos they have both steam and diesel.       Fortuitously there was a midweek operational day featuring the Waggon und Maschinenbau railbus which gave the chance to bring you a run along the length of the railway. It's slightly unusual to see a preserved railway within an urban e
Andy Y

Andy Y

4

BRM December Issue Preview

BRM DECEMBER ISSUE PREVIEW December's BRM is a real Bumper Issue, featuring 164-pages of great layouts, ideas and projects plus a special Bachmann Times magazine AND a free DVD worth £7.99 AND a Market Stall Kit Download!   The Digital Edition goes on-sale on Friday, November 7th. The printed magazine is in shops from Thursday, November 13th.   Here’s what you’ll find in the December issue of BRM:     FOUR top quality model railways in four scales · Hoghton Bridge (1) – recreating m
61661

61661

0

Time for some winter painting

Some time ago I built a model of Penmaenmawr station building. I thought that it was time to man the paintbrushes and decorate it as per the prototype, ready to be fixed to the layout.     In the January 2015 issue of BRM, I'll be showing how it was transformed from an unpainted and plastic-looking building to a weatherbeaten building that has endured years of the North Wales coast weather.     If you'd like to find out how it's done and the full summary of what products I'm using, get
Howard Smith

Howard Smith

0

A trailer for the yellow peril

In the November issue of BRM, I've shown how I built a couple of wagons to accompany Howard's Road-Railer. For anyone who fancies doing the same job, here are a few more details.   First, you'll want a plan:     A full size version of this can be downloaded from here. This shows the skip wagon but if you prefer the flat version, just leave the sides off.   When I built the models, the closest I'd managed to get to the real thing was the wrong side of a chain-link fence at my local
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

4

The Yellow Peril (Part 2)

Well, RMweb Live was a good chance to work on the Road-Railer project and make some progress. It is now in the state as seen below:     The show was one of the best I've experienced for engaging with the public on a more one-to-one basis, and the project certainly created some intrigue amongst many who passed.   An explanation of the work carried out so far, along with details on the prototype machines and Phil Parker's Road-Rail trailers can be read in the November 2014 issue of BRM, o
Howard Smith

Howard Smith

4

St. Simon at BRM

In August, as part of putting the RMWeb issue of BRM together, guest editors Stubby47 and St. Simon joined the team for the monthly planning meeting. We asked them both to write up the day to give everyone a behind the scenes view of how BRM is planned and put together. Last week we enjoyed Stubby47's view of events, now as the magazine arrives in the shops, it's over to St. Simon:   ----     I was invited to visit the BRM offices in Bourne, Lincolnshire, to view the process th
Phil Parker

Phil Parker

3
×
×
  • Create New...