If you are soldering a white-metal kit together, you will need to use a lower temperature setting on your soldering iron (or a low voltage iron) to avoid damage to the metal. A standard 25W iron will be way too hot and will melt the kit itself if...

Having experienced the incredible talent of many scratch-builders over the years, one would have to concede that almost anything is possible in the world of modelling, even a realistic portrayal of 'Era 1' from 1804-1869.But before you toddle off...

DMU stands for Diesel Multiple Unit. DMUs are a type of train where the coaches have their own diesel-powered engines to propel them along negating the need for a locomotive at the head of the train. The driving controls on DMUs are situated in an...

Railway mileposts (or distance markers) are signs placed at specified intervals along railway lines to give reference to locations along the route. The reference is always relative to a defined point (often a large station or junction). The usage...

Flux is a chemical agent that can be used when soldering to give joints good adhesion, facilitate the solder's flow and create a better electrical connection.Flux does this when heated to high temperatures by dissolving any impurities in the...

A puffer bottle is a manually operated specifically-shaped container that is used to prepare static grass for application to a railway layout or other diorama. Static grass is a type of model grass that stands on end when sprinkled onto a layout,...

'Basing' is a term mainly used in wargaming and is the process of attaching plastic bases to miniature figures enabling them to stand upright. Bases can be purchased from most model shops that deal in miniatures and come in a variety of shapes and...

There are a couple of different product types you can use to fill gaps on a model, which type you use will depend on the size of the gap, how much detailing surrounds the gap and finally which filler material you are most comfortable working...

A lot of the terminology that we use today derives from a pre-industrial time. Before trains were the topic of conversation we relied on horses as traction to get our ore, goods and people to where they needed to be and a transport orientated...

Mortar lines are the mortar or grout filled gaps between rows of bricks, stones or other types of masonry. Mortar lines are often replicated on scale-model buildings and structures to help make them appear more realistic, but are they the correct...

Model engines that are 'DCC fitted' are fully equipped with a decoder and other electronics enabling them to operate from a DCC (Digital Command Control) controller. This is not to be confused with models that are 'DCC ready' which merely...

Feedback on an analogue controller is a function that detects if your model train is experiencing difficulty climbing a gradient or struggling due to voltage drop, the controller then automatically applies more power to counteract the effects.It...