Valid to UK only - excludes oversized items
Using a back-to-back gauge for your model railway ensures that the wheels on your rolling stock are spaced correctly...
A poly-cap is a type of plastic cap often used in model-making kits, especially for assembling figurines or model...
Graham Farish is a name you’re likely to come across if you're interested in British model railways, especially in...
Semaphore signals, those distinctive mechanical arms that once graced railway lines across the UK, were largely...
Kato track is a popular choice in the world of model railways, known for its quality, ease of use and versatility. If...
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This depends on what type of figures you are using for your layout. If you are using white metal figures they often come with spikes on the bottom of their feet, so it is just a case of sticking them in to the base. However if you plan to put...
Yes, you can use water to thin acrylic paint as acrylic paint is a water-based paint. When you are using a brush to paint your model, water is the best thing for the job. When you are thinning your paint use just a small amount of water to start...
P4 (also known as Protofour) is as true to the scale of 4mm to 1ft (1/76 scale) as you can get, giving a true representation of a properly scaled OO gauge railway. This is what OO gauge should have been in the first place rather than manufactures...
A ballast spreader is a plastic box about two inches square. On the base, there are two grooves that sit on the rails. Inside the spreader there is a slanted piece of plastic with three slots in the base, one in the centre and one either side and...
Crackle medium is a weathering agent in a bottle, it has the appearance of a varnish. When you have primed your model and added the base coat of colour, simply paint on the crackle medium and leave to dry. You will see that the paint now has a...
The purpose of a varnish is to protect the paint of your model. This is especially true if you are using your models for wargaming as the models are being handled frequently. Without the varnish the paint will start to fall off with constant...
The main thing to remember about primers is that the brighter the primer, the brighter the topcoat. So if you want your model to really stand out when using bright colours, use a white primer. For example, if you were to paint a post box red, if...
The purpose of signals is to let the driver know if there was another train on the line, pretty much the same as traffic lights on the roads. These are vital to avoid collision, before the days of signals it was done by telegraph and hand, there...
It goes back to the old saying: you get what you pay for. The more expensive locomotives out there have slightly better detailing when it comes to paint and overall finish. You can feel the quality when you hold them. They are also usually...
Voltage drop is the decrease of voltage in an electrical circuit. On a model railway layout and it layman's terms, it is when the current can not make it all the way around the track. This is mostly caused by the resistance of the track and...
This is really a matter of personal choice and what you want to get out of your model railway. There is a lot to be said for DCC as it allows you to control your locos with more accuracy and true to life performance, such as acceleration,...
The Inglenook layout was created by Mr Alan Wright (1928 -2005) and designed on a four foot by one-foot board. This is also known as a shunting puzzle. The idea is to have your loco and five wagons starting on the main line/shunt head and three...