Features
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The Bluebell Railway: What an inspiration for modelling fans
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Craig Amess charts the long and often convoluted history of the Bluebell Railway in Sussex, and describes the wealth of beautifully kept historic trains and stations that await visitors. One of the most picturesque, well-visited and well-run preserved lines in the UK is the 11-mile-long Bluebell Railway in West Sussex (although Sheffield Park station actually…
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St Ann’s Cove: It’s time for a dress rehearsal
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Putting the second chunk of landscaping in place on RMM’s project N-scale layout brings an opportunity to appraise where everything else might eventually fit, particularly the harbour and its surrounds that will feature next month, writes Pete Kelly. As the construction of any model railway layout progresses, there comes a time to pause, take stock…
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They just wave flags and blow whistles, don’t they?
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Train guards have a vitally important role to play on any railway – real or imagined – but what exactly do they do? Ian Lamb discovers that it’s an awful lot more than many of us might imagine. An essential part of any model railway layout featuring a station is the provision of suitable train…
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Model railways at the Crewe Heritage Centre
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Pete Kelly pays an out-of-season visit to the Crewe Heritage Centre to see what remains of the massive junction of his youth, and is surprised to discover that the railway modeller will also find something of interest there. So rapid is the pace of change these days that it can be a terrible mistake to…
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Whirlwind through Wensleydale
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February’s high-profile visit of Peppercorn A1 No. 60163 Tornado to the Wensleydale Railway not only brought in the crowds and saw sell-out-trains well out of the peak season, but also highlighted the still-to-be-unlocked full potential of this scenic route as a heritage line. Robin Jones reports. It seems that the dales had never seen anything…
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Brighton Belle on course for main line
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Gordon Rushton, 5BEL trustee, tells the story of the project to re-create the famous Brighton Belle luxury dining train, from its inception to how it is bringing back 1930s Art Deco finery to the main line – and how the challenges of complying with current and future regulations have been overcome. Additional reporting by Gareth…
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Counting their blessings
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As the Churchward County Trust celebrates its first anniversary, project leader Gary Boyd-Hope explains more about the scheme to build GWR 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery and the Trust’s successes of the past year. NOVEMBER 13, 2018 was a pretty ordinary day for the majority of the UK population. It was largely overcast everywhere,…
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Tech Talk: How to deal with dirty track
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Keeping track clean is one job we all have to do to keep the trains running well, and there are several effective ways of going about it, explains Nigel Burkin. One chore that faces all modellers in almost every scale and gauge – particularly at the smaller end of the spectrum – is track cleaning.…
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With Full Regulator: LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW
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In his latest column, Don Benn describes the performance of Ian Riley’s ‘Black Five’ No. 44871 on two main line trips in December 2018 and May 2010 – plus some additional information about Bulleid Pacific No.35028 Clan Line’s on November 24’s ‘The Chilterns & Downs’ tour. It HAD been some years since I had a…
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Designated charter network capacity
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In the latest in our series examining the issues of operating special trains on the main line with heritage rolling stock, Andy Castledine looks at what the future is likely to hold for pathing – and the processes and implications required in planning. He also shares the view of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s Graeme…
