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APRIL 2019 BRM


Howard Smith
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Welcome RMwebbers to the April 2019 issue of BRM, now available from www.pocketmags.com/BRM as a digital edition with bonus features, or in stores from March 28.

Inside, you'll find a tempting selection of articles and projects to give you ideas, modelling inspiration and perhaps even encouragement for your next modelling project. 

 

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On this episode of BRM TV:

Layout: Byway MPD (OO). A DCC layout controlled by cutting-edge technology.

Practical BRM: Add weight to your rolling stock to improve running

Practical BRM: An introduction to basic soldering techniques

Plus: Watch our layout of the month 'Stoke Courtenay' in action

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IN THIS ISSUE

 

Layouts

- STOKE COURTENAY (OO): The time clocks are wound back to the 1930s for this tour of John Condon's OO gauge GWR masterpiece.

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- TODMORDEN MIDLAND (N): A clever interpretation of the landscape and architecture of this former milltown, supported by a 'what might have been' storyline.

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- STOKE BY NAYLAND (P4): Previous design, operation and reliability issues were ironed out in this eastern region-themed exhibition-tourer, set in Suffolk.

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FIRST (009) Stephen Clulow’s aptly-named narrow gauge modelling debut is a three-dimensional canvas, portraying a now forgotten, slower-paced way of life.

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Practical BRM

- ENHANCE AN RTR LOCOMOTIVE: Struggling to differentiate your RTR locomotive from the crowd? Michael Russell shares tips to improve your fleet.

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- OPTIMISE YOUR DIGITAL LAYOUT EXPERIENCE: How computer control can make the operation of your DCC layout easier.

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- MODEL A DECIDUOUS TREE: Michael Russell experiments with military modelling techniques to make highly-detailed deciduous trees.

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- THE BILLY BOOKCASE LAYOUTS: PART 2: Do you need a baseboard for your next modelling project? Here’s a selection of options for you to consider.

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Products, features and reviews

THE BRM GUIDE TO: COLOUR LIGHT SIGNALS: Many companies offer a range of colour light signals. Simon Bendall distils the facts on each to make your choice easier.

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BRM MEETS: DIGITRAINS We sent Phil Parker to DCC specialist, Digitrains, for a crash course at learning the technology.

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GOODS INWARDS: Four pages of all the latest models, kits and accessories to arrive for your model railway.

 

REVIEW: GRAHAM FARISH WESTERN PULLMAN: Andy York examines this latest release with re-tooled ends from the N gauge manufacturer.

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PROTOTYPE INSPIRATION: CLASS 251 'PULLMANS': Stephen Rabone charters the rise and fall of BR's mid-century flagship diesel multiple unit passenger train.

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REVIEW: ACCURASCALE HUO HOPPER: After critical acclaim in OO gauge, this versatile model is now available in O gauge. How does it look?

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NEW BOOKS: For facts, photographs or research, here are the latest...

 

TAIL LAMP: NEIL MORRLLE: Dapol's Marketing Manager on the importance of home-grown manufacturing in the British model railway market.

 

Available from www.pocketmags.com/BRM as a digital edition with bonus features, or in stores from March 28.

Enjoy the issue,

Howard

 

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5 hours ago, Howard Smith said:

REVIEW: ACCURASCALE HUO HOPPER: After critical acclaim in OO gauge, this versatile model is now available in O gauge. How does it look?

Awful - that Grand Canyon-esque gap between the brake blocks and wheel rims is reminiscent of Dapol's early O Scale efforts in the wagon department. Utterly spoils an otherwise good model.

It wasn't commented on in the Hornby Mag; will BRM pick up on it?

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I have a problem with the digital edition—it also applies to the previous issue too.

 

There are no (visible) page numbers on the vast majority of pages. This makes it hard to find articles. It is even worse because BRM, despite the attention paid to giving the digital edition extra features, misses out some of the basics:

  • There are no hyperlinks from the contents page to the articles, unlike Hornby Magazine;
  • You don't make good use of the "Contents" feature, unlike Rail Express. (The only thing listed is the cover.)

Since both HM and REx also use the Pocketmags platform, you could provide at least one of these features too. Why not? 

 

(Yes, I know you can scroll through the page thumbnails at the bottom, and numbers are displayed. But they don't match the ones on the Contents pages!)

 

Methinks you need to have a look at the competition. Definitely a case of "could do better" as far as you are concerned!

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34 minutes ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Definitely a case of "could do better" as far as you are concerned!

 

You raise some useful points but could do with being less preachy and we may listen more.

 

4 hours ago, GWR8700 said:

Do you get the DVD content on the digital edition?

 

Yes, all included 

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Dapol's Tail Lamp article at the end is much more positive than Bachmann's was. Good luck to them in their moves to increase the amount of UK production.

 

Colour Light signal article is useful - I find trying understand the range of potential suppliers for modelling accessories (and thus range of products if you are trying to locate a specific item) can be time consuming and painful. This is a helpful overview. More of these would be good.

 

The pics in the 009 First layout are great - well done Phil.

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An interesting beginner's article on DCC by Phil. Really pleased he referred to Fn limitations of systems.  I am a relative novice in DCC and I was caught out about 2 years ago by Dynamis only addressing 20 fns (SLW Class 24 uses all fns up to F28 and noise level is on F27/28 !!). I even rang Bachmann technical (to see if they were planning to upgrade - the answer then was.... No....., however looking at the possible contenders that I should not bother looking at to replace it, it included the GM Prodigy Express - is that correct - their instruction sheet clearly says up to F28 but will only display the first 12 ?, whilst Bachmannn E-Z command actually appears even more limited than normal - to only 10 Fns ? (their manual includes what I can only call a "get-out"  note that alludes to function limitations - not sure I would be happy to find that even the commonly used (even by Bachmann themselves) F11- F20 were all unobtainable.

Perhaps a follow-up article with a comparative table of key characteristics/limitations and possible work-arounds could be considered.

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I was quite surprised by Howard's choice of technique and kit to use as a guide to soldering. 

I was intrigued that the instructions appear to say that every tiny part should be removed from the fret prior to any assembly rather than just remove a part as you need it. That seems a recipe for losing any number of small bits unless you have one of those nice compartmented plastic boxes that BRM used to give away [Hint! Hint!]. 

The second observation is that the said hut is a tiny kit and the camera didn't ever get close enough to see quite what Howard was doing. A five part etched chimney being attacked by a soldering iron that looked to have a tip bigger than some of the parts at a metre distant was not the best illustration of how to solder IMO.

A third observation is that when Howard seemingly belatedly discovered that there was also a tab that needed to be folded over, he tried to use a ruler halfway through the process. Far better to have thought the process through and used a hold & fold or better, aluminium angles in a small bench vice to get the required 90degree fold.

I suggest that if you are going to have a video feature on soldering brass and choices of flux/solder/irons/tips then it needs to be a little more thought out and the filming arranged so that people can actually see what is being done. 

Severn Models do make exceedingly nice kits but they are almost filigree in appearance and design and perhaps better suited to folk with much experience of soldering irons and their accessories.

 

 

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My printed subscription copy arrived Saturday morning but as I had left home for the Severn Valley Railway at 5:45am I did not get to look at it until I got home around 11pm. So far I have only have time to flick through it quickly but looks to be another good month for BRM. 

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On 29/03/2019 at 18:46, 2750Papyrus said:

I fear proof reading of the printed edition has declined over recent months and in this issue, the article on "First" contains two copies of the same photo instead of one showing the loco cassettes.

 

Not sure how this happened - but here's the missing photo, plus an extra showing the cassette connections.

 

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On 29/03/2019 at 18:46, 2750Papyrus said:

I fear proof reading of the printed edition has declined over recent months and in this issue, the article on "First" contains two copies of the same photo instead of one showing the loco cassettes.

I'm now proof-reading BRM.

 

However, I don't see every image on every page (as yet); I proof the text. 

 

It is my intention to 'intercept' as much as I can.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

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Tony isn't alone in proof-reading the magazine, but we'd spotted that duplicated image before it went to press too, which is frustrating. In an ideal world, every issue will contain zero mistakes and each image will be perfectly printed. Sometimes, a mistake might slip through, but we try our hardest to prevent them. Slap on wrist...

Meanwhile, in this episode of BRM TV, exclusive to BRM print and digital subscribers:

 

 

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27 minutes ago, meatloaf said:

Is there anything bundled with the shop copies? Ive still not managed to get back to Tesco for mine

 

Yes, a copy of Phil Parker's Garden Rail mag.

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