JULY 2013 The collecting together of the six existing A4s at the National Railway Museum in York was a ‘must see’. I was able to visit on the 10th July just a few days after the exhibition opened and I have never seen the NRM so busy – when I left there was a [ Read More ]
Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
This vital link between Inverness and the 231 miles of railway north thereof was severed when on the morning of Wednesday 8th Feb floodwaters destroyed the Ness Viaduct. Originally built in December 1861, Miss Mitchell the daughter of the engineer Joseph Mitchell of Inverness and the Ross-shire Railway Co. laid the keystone of the viaduct, [ Read More ]
Photographs by Eric Dale unless otherwise stated Highland Railway Brake Vans HR goods brake vans rarely – if ever – left their ‘home’ system. They often had their own distinctive ‘architecture’, including the raised ‘birdcage’ lookout in many cases. The open verandas found elsewhere in the country were not as popular as elsewhere in Britain, [ Read More ]
Track ballast is referred to as a layer of crushed rock or gravel upon which a railway track is laid. 1st Step I would suggest that you paint the areas of your base board where the track will be laid, using a paint colour similar to that of your scatter. Some people don’t paint the [ Read More ]
Weathering refers to the process of making a model look as if it has been previously used and exposed to the weather by simulating the natural dirt and wear on the vehicle, this technique can also be applied to buildings and equipment. Most models come out of the box with a “looking new” look, because [ Read More ]
Over a period of thirty years, Inverness craftsman the late James Kennedy of Midmills Road created a unique collection of exact scale models of Highland Railway rolling stock. These working models, build to a scale of 10mm/ft (gauge 1) were displayed in an extensive garden layout at the James Kennedy’s home. The layout has been [ Read More ]
In Scottish folklore it is believed that no matter where you are in the world, at the moment of your death your spirit immediately returns to the place of your birth. Consequently, because in 1876 Sir Nigel Gresley was born in Scotland , his spirit – naturally – would have returned to Scotland’s capital city. [ Read More ]
Belgium is perhaps one of the least likely countries to visit for fans of the steam locomotive. In a way, this is rather surprising, as two of its engineers gave their names to inventions used around the World. Firstly, Alfred Belpaire designed the square-topped firebox that bears his name, whilst Egide Walschaerts produced the valve [ Read More ]
Like many railway systems around the World, British Railways and its masters were seduced by the claims of diesel loco manufacturers. Suddenly steam was old hat, and was disposed of in great haste. Many of the British Standard locomotives went to the scrapyard (or into preservation) with less than 10 years service on the clock. [ Read More ]
The following diagrams show the structure dimensions with the table indicating the appropriate measurements in various scales as devised by the British Railway Modeling Standards Bureau (BRMSB). Platforms, Station Buildings and Bridges dimensions Tunnel and Overbridge dimensions Standard Dimensions RefLetter See Note Prototype(Ft) N gauge(1/148) 2mmFine scale TT3(3mm) HO(3.5mm) OO(4mm) EM(4mm) O fine(7mm) A 1 [ Read More ]