Whether treating yourself or a fellow enthusiast, George Dent, Chris Leigh and Chris Gadsby offer a host of ideas for festive gifts.

TAKE A NOSTALGIC TRIP

Strictly limited to just 500 copies, this high ‐quality, weighty tome is a perfect fireside read for the Christmas holiday. With over 400 pages of superb black and white photographs, the book offers a roving account of steam’s last decade across the UK.

There are plenty of well-known locations, but there are also plenty of images capturing Britain’s rural backwaters, along with some tremendous vistas of industrial landscapes, dockyards and engine sheds.

The supporting text offers lots of useful information and the later chapters cover the ill-fated attempt to secure the Longmoor Military Railway, along with a discussion of 1960s railway photography and post-war railway operating practices in general.

The large, square format (31cm by 31cm) means that the images are big and clear enough to give modellers an opportunity to scrutinise various details and textures on each locomotive.

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Product: A Race Against Time – Photographing the Last Years of Steam on Britain’s Railways 1962-1971, by Don Mackinnon and Alan Kreppel Price: £59.99

Availability: Strathwood Web: www.strathwood.co.uk

WATCH YOUR FIGURE(S)

Modelu has released a number of new figure packs recently, offering cameo scenes for the lineside and to suit various new models.

Some good examples are the Brake van packs, each providing a guard figure and an assortment of tail lamps, designed to fit Rapido’s GWR and SECR vans. The GWR pack also includes a guard’s bag and extra lamp to pose on the commodious veranda!

For the modern scene, a trio of staff packs provides suitable figures for the interior and exterior of a diesel/electric maintenance depot, including shunting staff and fitters in appropriate poses and wielding tools.

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All packs are available in all scales. All you need to do is paint them! Products: 11232 Rapido SECR Brake van pack, 11233 Rapido GWR brake van pack, 10301 Lifting Jack operators, 10302 Modern Shunters, 10303

Modern Fitters Price: From £4.50 per pack Availability: