Articles

This page has a number of articles written by club members that we hope you will find interesting and useful.

Lightweight Baseboards. We built lightweight baseboards out of Styrofoam and thin ply for Wickwar; more recently some even lighter ones for our test track. We are very pleased with them, one person can move them, and they have stood up well to several years use including storage in a sometimes damp basement.

Glazing Buildings – different ways to make windows for your buildings. A version of this article appeared in the N Gauge Journal.

Backscenes – how on recent layouts we have used separate backscenes that can be removed and rolled up, and the photographic backscene on Wickwar. This article appeared in the 2mm Scale association magazine.

Small Coal Merchants – how coal was handled, and the use of coal bins and what coal staithes really are.  A version of this article appeared in N’Spirations Magazine.

How to use the Faller Car System of moving vehicles in N or OO. A version of this article appeared in the N Gauge Journal. Also notes on different batteries that can be used and how long vehicles ran for in tests.

Whimsy – an experiment in 009. David Harrington describes building a small fantasy layout, his first venture into in OO9.

Carriage Formations in the BR Steam era – ideas for more realistic models by Ian George.

Applying Waterslide Decals – a guide to how to apply waterslide decals to models, including tips on renumbering locos and places to buy decals.

BR Wagon Liveries is a guide to the markings you would find on BR wagons, revenue and departmental, and their meaning.

Modelling Prototype Locations. Many of the most impressive exhibition layouts are models of real locations. This article describes how to go about researching a location and the sources available, based on our model of Wickwar.

Avoiding the “Flat Earth” appearance of your layout being built on top of a flat board by using open plan baseboards.  A version of this article appeared in N’Spirations Magazine.

Fiddle Yard Automation. An article from the N Gauge Journal on how we automated the fiddle yard on Wickwar using Train on Track detectors.

Sculptamold is a combination of plaster, clay, and paper mache that provides a simple, light, and strong way to model scenery. It is particularly good as a layer on top of foam. A version of this article appeared in the N Gauge Journal.

Tie Bars – which wagons had them and why?

British Railways dates of when changes to liveries and operational practices came into use 1948-84.

A guide to Tail Lamp and Side Lamps: when they were used, what colours they were. Did you know the SR did not use tail lamps on unfitted goods trains? A version of this article appeared in N’Spirations Magazine.

How to turn photographs of buildings into a card model  of the building. A version of this article appeared in the N Gauge Journal.

Making simple hook and eye couplings for permanent rakes of wagons to replace unsightly standard couplings and close up the gaps. A version of this article appeared in N’Spirations Magazine.

How to identify and model different types of XP rated 12T covered vans.