Which magazine for scratchbuilders? with plans of loco's and buildings etc.

[Royal42]

I am an absolute newcomer to model railways but have been a scratchbuilder for decades.  I want to build a non-working railway diorama and have decided to treat myself to a few railway magazines, but which ones?   I'm not interested in working layouts or RTR stock and am looking for a magazine that talks scratchbuilding and preferably has plans and diagrams of steam loco's, coaches, trucks, buildings and bridges etc.  Can anyone recommend anything that covers those subjects?   Also, perhaps a supplier that does back issues so that I don't have to wait for months for the right subject to come available.

 

Grateful for any advice and help on this subject.

 

cheers

Mike

Edited April 3, 2021 by Royal42

[brossard]

I took most of the main model railway mags for years but stopped when I went 0 gauge because they don't (or didn't) cover the scale very well.  I still get Model Railway Journal.

 

Thinking back, these magazines had a lot of articles on (average IMO) layouts, and some prototype.  There were also some articles on wagon and loco kit building.  I can't recall anything on scratchbuilding although there could have been the odd one.

 

Your best bet is to acquire books on the subject.  The Wild Swan collection of modelling books is truly excellent but the books in the range tend to have been written a long time ago and are now out of print.

 

https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/wildswanmodelling.php

 

The late Guy Williams has two books on 4mm Engines (he was a scratcbuilder) that are worth having.  Also the late Geoff Holt has two books on 7mm loco scratchbuilding.  A lot of the stalwarts in the hobby are no longer with us.  The late (again, sigh) David Jenkinson has a book on Carriage Modelling.  7mm but the techniques can be downscaled.

 

Stephen Williams books on "The 4mm Coach" are worth having.  Geoff Kents 4mm wagon series (3 volumes) are also worth a look.

 

As I say, many of these are out of print so you will have to do some digging on eBay, Amazon and other places.

 

John

 

 

[dibber25]

13 minutes ago, Royal42 said:

I am an absolute newcomer to model railways but have been a scratchbuilder for decades.  I want to build a non-working railway diorama and have decide to treat myself to a few railway magazines, but which ones?   I'm not interested in working layouts or RTR stock and am looking for a magazine that talks scratchbuilding and preferably has plans and diagrams of steam loco's, coaches, trucks, buildings and bridges etc.  Can anyone recommend anything that covers those subjects?   Also, perhaps a supplier that does back issues so that I don't have to wait for months for the right subject to come available.

 

Grateful for any advice and help on this subject.

 

cheers

Mike

You'll find it easier to find what you're seeking in books. I don't know of any magazine that's devoted solely to scratch-building and scale drawings, the market simply would not be large enough to support a regular publication. You could look for secondhand copies of such books as 'Historic Locomotive Drawings in 4mm Scale' which was an Ian Allan publication.(CJL)

[brossard]

Spot on Dibber. 

 

Something else springs to mind, the LMS Profiles series has some excellent works drawings of locos:

 

https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/wildswan.php#mrlms

 

I don't know of anything as good for other railway company locos.

 

John

[RichardT]

Hello Mike

This is a bit of a sweeping generalisation but, apart from Model Railway Journal, all current model railway magazines are generalist publications focussing heavily on descriptions of working layouts and rtr stock (including adaptions/modifications of same), plus descriptions of modelling techniques - for structures and scenery as well as rolling stock. Articles on scratch building, kit-building and lots of scale drawings are less frequent, and if you are looking for info on specific locations, companies and types of railway vehicles, then you will have to wait a while. Model Railway Journal is more finescale/craft orientated, but again doesn’t feature scale drawings very often and its articles tend towards the niche.  You can learn a lot from all the mags over time, especially if you learn to adapt techniques to your own needs, but it’s not a quick process.

 

Articles on scratch building and scale drawings were commoner in magazines in the 1960s-1990s and if you want to get hold of more specific information quickly then I think you’d be better off initially looking through magazine back numbers  on a site like Magazine Exchange http://magazineexchange.co.uk

which contains a lot of info on the *contents* of old model railway mags as well as offering them for sale.  Tip: if Mag Exchange doesn’t have a specific copy you want for sale, search eBay.
 

As others have said to you before, also use the internet for searches for info, and you are much more likely to find concentrated information on both modelling techniques, scale drawings, and prototype information in books, not magazines. Use the internet to identify useful books and then borrow from your local library if you don’t want to spend a lot of money buying them. Another tip: use bookfinder.com to search for second-hand copies of books - they are often cheaper than you might expect!

 

Richard

[stewartingram]

If you were to ask for info on specific subjects, someone on here would perhaps be able to help? Perhaps by suggesting a particular book, or back copy of magazine (which might even be picked up off ebay etc), or by passing on ainfo they have themselves.

[Royal42]

Thanks Dibber, John and Richard.

Those books on  LMS Locomotive Profiles look possibly to be good but only focus on one type; even then, over multiple editions.  I will get one, just to try it out but I would still need to look for the other elements, such as coaches, wagons and the all important structures.  The Historic locomotives book will be another to order and I shall have a looksee at the book exchange/

 

cheers,
Mike

[brossard]

Mike, I did mention some carriage and wagon books above.  I have all these in my library (in fact most of the Wild Swan modelling books).  I'm no scratchbuilder but I think it useful to know how the experts tackle certain elements of the model even if you're doing a kit.

 

John

[RichardT]

Hello again Mike

 

Bob Essery, David Jenkinson, Arthur Whitehead & other leading lights of the LMS Society did a lot of articles in 1960s and 1970s issues of Railway Modeller magazine with scale drawings, photos and scratchbuilding advice on LMS & Midland Railway locos, carriages & wagons. Search Magazine Exchange for those authors and see what you find. If you can’t get hold of a back issue I believe that Peco (the publishers of Railway Modeller) will do you a photocopy of any back issue article at cost plus postage: see Peco Technical Advice Bureau on the Peco website for contact details.

 

RIchard

 

PS “Dibber” is actually Chris Leigh, a well-known model railway journalist and magazine editor of long standing, whose advice is worth listening to!

Edited April 2, 2021 by RichardT
Typo

[brossard]

Just realized you were asking about buildings as well.  I can recommend:

 

Geoff Taylors two books on "Creating Model Buildings", also

 

Iain Rice, Plastic Structure Kits give sound advice on the use of Wills material packs and accessories.

 

I can also recommend Scalescenes kits:  https://scalescenes.com/.

 

These are downloadable PDF files that are precoloured.  The builder supplies card, paper, ink and glue.  Extremely good.

 

I urge you to check the link above, there are more books than I can list here.

 

John

Edited April 2, 2021 by brossard

[RichardT]

<facepalm> Why on earth didn’t I think of this before - Mike, have a look at the LMS Society website at http://www.lmssociety.org.uk

 

-looks like they might be just the group you ought to join!

Richard

[Royal42]

55 minutes ago, RichardT said:

Hello again Mike

 

Bob Essery, David Jenkinson, Arthur Whitehead & other leading lights of the LMS Society did a lot of articles in 1960s and 1970s issues of Railway Modeller magazine with scale drawings, photos and scratchbuilding advice on LMS & Midland Railway locos, carriages & wagons. Search Magazine Exchange for those authors and see what you find. If you can’t get hold of a back issue I believe that Peco (the publishers of Railway Modeller) will do you a photocopy of any back issue article at cost plus postage: see Peco Technical Advice Bureau on the Peco website for contact details.

 

RIchard

 

PS “Dibber” is actually Chris Leigh, a well-known model railway journalist and magazine editor of long standing, whose advice is worth listening to!

 

I believe that is what I am looking for; generalised railway modelling with scratchbuilding advice accompanied with drawings.  I remember Airfix Magazine used to do ongoing articles similar to this, although geared around Airfix products.  I shall look for those magazines and see what I can find as I certainly cannot afford to be buying multiple books at around £20 per go.

 

52 minutes ago, brossard said:

I can also recommend Scalescenes kits:  https://scalescenes.com/. 

These are downloadable PDF files that are precoloured.  The builder supplies card, paper, ink and glue.  Extremely good.

 

Thanks John,  I have bought some in the last week or so; not unpacked them yet.  I think I need to find a site where people are using these, just to identify any newcomer pitfalls.   I would love to be able to produce good looking structures from these.   I have started the plan, for one section of my diorama, and it has some high sided retaining walls and arches; plus various tunnels and iron-sided road bridges (there's probably a better term for them) so getting the detail right would be important.  The turntable was 3D printed on an Anycubic Photon printer that has been drawn with Fusion 360.  I wonder if any of you can remember back to doing something like this.  I find this amazing, after sixty-odd years of building models, that I am just starting out on this venture!

 

This module which, hopefully, will be one of four surrounding a well known junction at Birmingham New Street, covers an area of approx 80cm x 65cm.  This is convenient for me as the layout is surrounded on all sides by overhead roadways.  This means that each subsequent module attachment can be hidden under the roads or tunnels.

 

cheers,

Mike

 

 

51 minutes ago, RichardT said:

<facepalm> Why on earth didn’t I think of this before - Mike, have a look at the LMS Society website at http://www.lmssociety.org.uk

 

-looks like they might be just the group you ought to join!

Richard

 

Hi again Richard,

Yes, I really do need to join a society; however, I didn't know that there was one specific to the Midlands.  Thanks for the link, I shall make

enquiries.

 

With regards to my asking questions on here, my mind is racing with all the things that I want to know but I didn't want to burden people with loads of questions.  It seems that I've already posted queries in virtually all of the forums on RMweb!   Also, this is probably the wrong time to be starting from new, with all the shows, meetings and libraries closed etc.  Problem is that I'm quite enthusiastic about this new subject but have no-one to sit alongside and say "how did you do that?" or "where can I get that?"

 

Thanks again.

Mike

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Royal42

[RichardT]

6 minutes ago, Royal42 said:

Hi again Richard,

Yes, I really do need to join a society; however, I didn't know that there was one specific to the Midlands.  Thanks for the link, I shall make

enquiries.

Thanks Mike, but I’ve now also realised that I’ve given you a bit of duff information! I’d forgotten that the LMS Society is actually a small networking group for people actively engaged in research and publication about the LMS - it’s not a “general interest” society. Basically, membership is more or less by invitation, not by application. But still have a look at their website, as I think there’s some useful information on it.

 

The Historical Model Railway Society is another group you might find useful to investigate.

 

Richard

[brossard]

Mike, I have described my builds of Scalescenes on my layout thread.  They are blown up to 7mm so I have had to find/scratchbuild windows and doors.

 

I assume you are doing 4mm (although the plan pictured looks like 2mm), so I recommend the etched brass windows and doors from Brassmasters:

 

http://www.brassmasters.co.uk/etched_windows.htm

 

Yes you can find info on the web, usually from Wikipedia.  However, the holy grail for scratchbuilders are engineering/works drawings - I have never seen these.

 

John

 

[Royal42]

2 hours ago, RichardT said:

Thanks Mike, but I’ve now also realised that I’ve given you a bit of duff information! I’d forgotten that the LMS Society is actually a small networking group for people actively engaged in research and publication about the LMS - it’s not a “general interest” society. Basically, membership is more or less by invitation, not by application. But still have a look at their website, as I think there’s some useful information on it.

 

The Historical Model Railway Society is another group you might find useful to investigate.

 

Richard

 

Now you tell me!    I have already sent them an email, telling them you recommended me!

 

2 hours ago, brossard said:

Mike, I have described my builds of Scalescenes on my layout thread.  They are blown up to 7mm so I have had to find/scratchbuild windows

 

Thanks again John,  I shall go and have a look at your info on Scalescenes.  I see that they have a nice little set, called the Industrial Site boxfile, and I plan to get that after I've had some practice with what I already have.

 

Edit:  Yes, my layout will be N Gauge as I live in a small bungalow.

 

cheers,
Mike

Edited April 2, 2021 by Royal42

[brossard]

Yes, I think you should probably start with a simple kit.  There's a free coal office.  Getting yourself into John's head wrt to his design intent takes a bit of doing.

 

I have both boxfile kits.  I decided to do the Canal Wharf in 7mm:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/158325-building-scalescenes-canal-wharf-layout-in-0-gauge/

 

It still needs a lot of work.

 

John

Edited April 2, 2021 by brossard

[MyRule1]

It's a pity that very few Magazines nowadays publish scale drawings of the type @Royal42 is looking for.  I am fortunate in that my area of interest is East Anglia and the Great Eastern Railway Society publish a number of plans of railway structures, Other area groups may have similar facilities and indexes to published drawings.

 

Most of the answers have already been given to the original question but I would suggest trying to get a copy of:

 

An Index to Model Railway Drawings by Sydney Leleux.

 

 

Now 50 years old but contains many drawings of interest and as others have said the old Magazines are available through a number of sellers.

 

[Royal42]

Thanks again for the recommendations everyone, 

I have found and bought pre-owned copies of "Historic Locomotive Drawings in 4mm scale" and "An Index to Railway Model Drawings" online and ordered them.  I am now spent up, so I shall probably have to wait until the shows start again to find old back of Railway Modeller.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Royal42]

2 hours ago, brossard said:

I have both boxfile kits.  I decided to do the Canal Wharf in 7mm:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/158325-building-scalescenes-canal-wharf-layout-in-0-gauge/

I do like your work John, but what card and printer setting did you use to get such an authentic looking finish?

 

I have an inkjet printer which can print up to A3 but I'm not sure whether to print at standard, photo or whatever.  I shall have to buy card for this, so what is recommended?

 

I noticed your query about the coal barge.  It looks like a Thames coal barge similar to these:

 

 

cheers,
Mike

Edited April 2, 2021 by Royal42

[brossard]

Your question about printing is common.  I don't adjust any printer settings but simply use the "take a snapshot" feature for PDF to get 7mm.  The colours come out fine without me tinkering with anything.  My printer is pretty good, HP OfficeJet Pro 8720.  I have had inkjet printers in the past that were a bust, with the ink dry in the cartridge whenever I wanted to print something.  This printer uses oil based ink so doesn't dry out.  Indeed I can use every last drop of ink in the cartridge.  Ink is never cheap of course.  I am really really happy with my printer.

 

Thanks very much for the picture, they do indeed look like my barge.

 

John

[corneliuslundie]

Some years ago I downloaded a file listing published drawings of railway topics in the various model railway magazines.. II can't attach it but if you PM me your e-mail address I can send it as a Zip file; but I am sure a search on the net will produce something more recent. But they were all published some time ago; new drawings seem rare - perhaps because they have all been done.

The HMRS has many thousand drawings at its Butterley HQ and many are available for purchase. See www.hmrs.org.uk

I am a bit stuck on more specific advice as I have not seen it mentioned the period you are interested in and the area other than "the midlands". There are numerous line societies which have drawing collections, though for the BR and later period there is not so much (yet).

Jonathan

 

[Royal42]

Thanks Jonathan,  I shall send a pm.

cheers,

Mike

[Siberian Snooper]

Preserved railways are a good source of cheap old magazines, but you will have to wait until they can reopen, before you can go and do a search.

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

Best book for lists of drawings in older magazines is this.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Model-Railway-Constructor-Special-Reference/dp/0711015252

 

Has a list of all drawings published in the major magazines from about 1945 to 1985. Railway Modeller, Model Railway Constructor and Model Railway News. Well worth having if you are interested in drawings, kit or scratchbuilding.

 

The only thing it doesn't have is Private Owner wagon liveries.

 

 

Jason

[BMS]

Thanks for the clue.

Happy Easter