Bubble cars were a single-unit first generation DMU built by British Rail in the late 1950s and 1960. Because they had a cab for the driver at each end, they could be used singularly on lightly used branch lines or coupled to other DMUs or...

If you have decided to install a smoke generator to one of your engines, you will now be faced with the task of wiring it in. But don't worry, it's easier than you think.The hardest part is finding (or making) a suitable space to physically house...

You do not have to use the track mat supplied with a starter set, ultimately, it's your layout and how you play with it is up to you.What a track mat does do is protect your models from accumulating dust, fluff and debris from the carpet which...

Parkside wagon kits are a large range of 00 gauge plastic wagon kits from Peco. Some of the kits have been re-branded from Peco's popular Ratio range.The kits are fairly easy to construct and a good place to start for modellers new to kit...

Every toolbox has a can of WD-40 in it to rid the world of squeaks and loosen any stubborn nuts and bolts, so the temptation when your model locomotive develops a squeak or starts to run a little rough is to grab the can and get to work. This...

A train reporting number is a code given to every train movement on the network whether it be a scheduled operation, one-off special or even a light-engine movement, all trains must be allocated one.The four-digit code made up of a number followed...

DC motors such as the ones in your model engines, work on the principle of an armature (made of several wire coils to create a series of electromagnets) spinning around inside a casing that has regular magnets placed around its inner wall. The...

The installation of signals on a layout is always an exciting part of the build, but it can be a little daunting if you want to install powered-signals and don't have a lot of experience working with electrics. But don't worry, it is really easy...

Building smoke generators are different from locomotive ones in two main areas, size and voltage.Smoke generators that are designed specifically to operate from within a locomotive's bodyshell have a distinct disadvantage: they have to fit into an...

Scale can be a difficult subject to get your head around, this is because scale is portrayed in different ways depending on what model is being described and as if that wasn't confusing enough, there are also many ways to represent what scale a...

Train wheels are probably one of the most important components of a railway locomotive, coach or wagon. Their shape and design are key to providing safe, reliable, stable and speedy operations and a typical train wheel has many features and design...

Lamps have been used on the front of railway locomotives since the mid-1800s. All through the steam years, the lamps consisted of oil-burning units that were hung on the front of locomotives on special brackets called lamp-irons. Surprisingly,...