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This month’s cover image

Daniel McMillan’s ‘Torbay Sands’ is a gorgeous rendition

EXHIBITION DIARY – OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024

October 26 ABERYSTWYTH, CEREDIGION. Vale of Rheidol Railway

Derby day delights

ON SALE NOV 21

Backsence

CHRIS LEIGH is drawn back to the

REVEALED: LANDMARK ATOMIC FLASK CARRIER

– EXCLUSIVELY FROM MODEL RAIL

REVOLUTION’S ‘99’ LAUNCHED IN BERLIN

OO GAUGE The Revolution Trains team travelled to

CLASSIC MIDLAND 4‐4‐0 FROM RAPIDO

OO GAUGE Rapido Trains UK is turning

PARCELS VAN FOR THE WESTERN

OO GAUGE Rapido’s forthcoming BR Diagram 1/801 Fish

CLARK RAILWORKS REVEALS ‘LOWMAC’

OO GAUGE Clark Railworks has announced its first

‘TINGS’ IS A BIG SUCCESS

It proved to be another successful year for

DAPOL SHOWCASES WORK IN PROGRESS AT ‘TINGS’ – AND LAUNCHES A ‘MANOR’

N GAUGE With a healthy number of ‘N’

DAPOL’S BIG ‘66’ MOVES FORWARD

O GAUGE Dapol made a welcome announcement in

MORE CLASS 37s & ICI HOPPERS ON THE WAY

OO GAUGE Accurascale has revealed a new batch

TO THE BIN MY FRIEND…

OO GAUGE Accurascale also announced an all-new wagon

‘TIN CARS’ AND ‘CURLY ROOF’ VANS

OO9 GAUGE At the recent Ffestiniog Railway’s Bygones

News Real

Our full-size railways are constantly evolving, providing fresh inspiration for modelling projects. BEN JONES looks at a few of the latest developments that could soon be appearing on our layouts.

Inside track with Ben Ando

Ben Ando is the founder of Revolution Trains and a regular contributor to Model Rail.

From scrap to scenery

Daniel McMillan turned bits and bobs he found in his garage into a stunning ‘N’ gauge layout.

HOW TO PLAN & SET UP A MODEL SCENE

An effective backdrop can make or break a layout. As Paul Bambrick explains, it’s often best to plan this element at an early stage, as it may need to tally with scenic contours and may even dictate the size and shape of your baseboards.

HOW TO CREATE LANDSCAPE CONTOURS

George Dent does his bit for the planet by recycling expanded polystyrene packaging foam to create the scenic contours on his layout.

HOW TO PAINT YOUR OWN BACKSCENE

You don’t have to be a professional artist to create a convincing sky backdrop. Paul Bambrick talks us through his own methods and offers tips on composition, colours and application.

TOP TIPS FOR TRACKWORK

The tracks are one of the most important aspects of a model railway, so ensuring they look realistic is key to success. Chris Nevard and George Dent offer practical advice on applying ballast and giving it a suitably lived-in appearance.

HOW TO PLANT GRASS, FOLIAGE AND TREES

Chris Nevard, Peter Marriott and George Dent share their expertise in all things green, showing how a layered approach can reap dividends in terms of texture and realism.

HOW TO GET THE BEST FROM CHEAP TREES

Peter Marriott experiments with packs of cheap model trees he bought online to see if a few simple tweaks can make them look more realistic.

HOW TO MAKE REALISTIC TREES OUT OF CABLE

Paul Bambrick shares his techniques for creating super‐realistic trees in any scale, using a range of simple materials and methods.

HOW TO MODEL CANALS LIKE A PRO

Peter Marriott shares eight of his expert tips for making canals look realistic – and keeping them watertight – in your countryside layouts.

HOW TO MAKE A PHOTOGRAPHIC SCENIC BREAK

Graham Goodchild demonstrates how using a real photograph for a scenic break can save you time and money.

MODELLING ‘THE SHOUT’

Marking the bi-centenary of the RNLI, Chris Leigh installs the Scalescenes lifeboat house and lifeboat into a coastal scene to show how to model cliffs and a stormy sea.

HOW TO GIVE YOUR SIDINGS AND ROADS A MORE REALISTIC LOOK

George Dent offers some tips for replicating grimy goods yards and depots, as well as creating lifelike farm tracks, using an interesting new pack of scenic powders.

Reviews

In-depth and unbiased reviews of the latest products

Heljan Ruston & Hornsby 48DS

GAUGE ‘O’ MODEL Heljan 9035 Ruston & Hornsby 48DS, DS1169 BR Southern Region green PRICE £199.00 AVAILABILITY Heljan stockists Web www.heljan.co.uk

Accurascale Class 31

GAUGE ‘OO’ MODEL Accurascale ACC2742 Class 31 5544, BR blue PRICE £169.99 (DCC-ready), £269.99 (DCC sound) AVAILABILITY Accurascale stockists Web www.accurascale.com

EFE Rail NAA Propelling Control Vehicle

GAUGE ‘OO’ MODEL EFE Rail E86020 Propelling Control Vehicle NAA, Rail Express Systems/Royal Mail PRICE £79.95 AVAILABILITY Bachmann stockists Web www.bachmann.co.uk

Hornby Skaledale GWR buildings

GAUGE ‘OO’ MODELS Hornby • R7391 GWR Dunster Station (£54.99) • R7392 GWR Dunster Goods Shed (£49.99) • R7393 Chinnor signal box (£34.99) • R7394 GWR Dunster Engine Shed (£54.99) AVAILABILITY Hornby stockists Web www.hornby.com