Modelling General, Scale Drawings

Steve Flint    [Publisher:  Peco  2014]    Softback    122 pages

I think this is a really good manual of railway modelling for anyone starting or contemplating a return to the hobby. It is published by Peco and features their products in it's "how to" guides but not at the expense of any other company's products and in any case if you are going into the hobby you can't do better than start with Peco track and accessories anyway. Having been in the shop for three years now, I have a feel for the sort of questions that people ask, and it seems to me that this publications answers most of them. The illustrations and explanations are first class and the whole thing is attractive and appealing, it is produced in full colour and features a good cross section of railway layouts and models across the three popular scales.

Geoff Kent    [Publisher:  Wild Swan  2020]    Softback    64 pages

In this book, noted artist modeller Geoff Kent takes us on a fascinating pictorial tour around the lesser known reminders of past ages that have inspired him to make his beautifully observed and executed models. The theme is one of details, buildings and other structures that still exist, and with a few exceptions everything in this book can still be seen today. These all colour images reveal the extraordinary legacy of style, design and materials that made the British Isles such a fascinating subject to travel through and observe, certainly up until the modern era of bland conformity and unimaginative money driven dullness to which so much of our built environment has fallen prey. Certain parts of the British Isles feature more than others in these photographs in this book, largely based upon where the author has lived and worked, but these sorts of details are still to be found everywhere around us and as Geoff says are worthy of attention with camera or sketchbook before they disappear.

Francois Fontana    [Publisher:  LR Presse  2024]    Magazine    80 pages

The second edition of this magazine that I have so far taken into stock, and as idiosyncratic and delightful as ever. The cover really draws you in, featuring a narrow gauge layout that goes under the byline of "1/32 Sinister Gherkins", the splendid creation of Michael K.B., a 1/32 scale narrow gauge line (running on 16.5mm) that runs from a gherkin canning factory to a gherkin distillery in a delightful flight of fantasy, all staged in individual boxed scenes with lots of figures(!) This edition's central "folder" with excellent 1/43 plans and lots of prototype information covers the railcars of the Economiques des Charentes, great modelling subjects, while the "building" feature covers O gauge Heywood-esque narrow gauge wagons built in wood on N scale wagon chassis. The "scenery" feature rather undersells its subject, a terrific working model of a French version of Volks' "Daddy Long Legs" at Brighton, the prototype being at St Malo. This edition's "technique" feature has Eric Fresne creating unique transfers for his wagons, while the layout plan is "My father's mine", a neat wordplay and a fascinating and humbling bit of modelling history that leads into an interesting two level layout idea. At the other end of the technological scale, but with considerable craft, seven participants create some really lovely Billard "DK Sets" in H0-9. These are for a great layout "A night in the Peloponese", also fully featured in this issue, and accompanying this is an article on the prototype, the Diakopto- Kalavyryta rack railway - of which I knew nothing until now. Alain Miglierina combines an old Jouef motor trolley mechanism with plastikard and paper to produce a Gn15 motor trailer and finally Eric Fresne demystifies DCC, using (joy of joys as I use them) the Z21 Multimaus. I'm still confused, but there is a lot of useful looking stuff here to explore(!) In addition to reviews of models and items of interest, including James Hilton's Small Layout Design Handbook, a feature records the sad passing of Andreas Schonfield, the man responsible for the joyful rejuvenation pf MinitrainS. All in all, this is another great and inspiring read from LR Presse.

Francois Fontana    [Publisher:  LR Presse  2024]    Magazine    80 pages

A great editorial from Francois starts by asking what is reality and finishes with a wonderful declaration of support of modelling of all styles and creations, recognising that each of our perceptions of "reality" may vary enormously(!) This issue has a loose thread of "operation" running through it, semi automatic operation on two A4 sized paper mill layout-ettes from Denis Willemin, building up the ingenious P'tits Kits hand operated minature wagon turntable, a delightful three part feature on braking and protection using DCC, which includes braking, dealing with the electrical complications of a triangle of tracks, and a splendidly baffling account of turnout protection. Practical modelling continues with adding a turnout to an existing layout and a very good feature on effectively modelling slate, using slate. Prototype subjects are a feature on the Lausanne - Echallens - Bercher railway with great photographs of the different eras of the line's operation and the centre "pull out" article is a super feature on the Falcon narrow gauge 4-4-0 as used on the Beira Railway, including good photographs and a lovely 1/35 scale set of drawings. Layout features are headed up by "The Blue Tram of Fort Lilo" in HO-m by a talented Belgian association of modellers, featuring geese, a barge, and nifty magnetic couplings. This issue is book ended by an imaginative tour de force in HO-9 that goes by the name of "Sweetheaven", clearly somewhere in the United States and skilfully put together by master modeller Fred Mazza, who usually models Chamonix and the PLM. There are some really good filmic references in this super layout, which otherwise has great visual "verticality" and offers a wonderful escape from reality! Aside from several good reviews and other features this issue catches up with the biennial "Passions Ferroviaiares" exhibition held within an astonishingly large permanent layout and display the "Chemins de fer Kaeserberg" in Switzerland in May. Smaller creations are featured, "The Beach", a superb but tiny scene using the lovely Decauville Steatite locomotive and toast rack coach, "Star Street", an animated 1970s French street scene with a railway in the background - just brilliant, and finally "Glaciere", a convincing and imaginative presentation of a railway moving blocks of ice, the track layout and presentation is very neat indeed. In summary, another idiosyncratic and joyful collection of material for the "narrow minded" amongst us who aren't any such thing...