Vacuum pipes can be seen on the front and rear of many older railway locomotives and rolling stock. They are usually located either on or around the buffer beam and are used to provide a 'through' vacuum to operate the train's braking system....

Most model railways struggle to accommodate full-sized passenger trains, to do so would require huge platforms and therefore a huge baseboard, and that's a luxury most of us don't have. So how long (or in this case short) can a passenger train be...

As a modeller, but not necessarily an electrician, you may have read many 'how to' articles advising the use of a reed switch, but also wondered what they are and what they do.The quickest way to understand a reed switch is to forget about the...

Ballast inlays are sponge strips designed for placement under model railway track to cushion it whilst replicating ballast.Inlay for straight and curved track sections is typically supplied on a roll but specific sections are required for...

Traditional model railway locomotives transfer power from track to motor via wires. However, a split chassis locomotive works in a different way.A traditional model railway locomotive picks up its power from the track through its metal wheels....

The tightest N gauge Setrack curve presently produced by Peco is a first radius curve (228 mm radius).Getting to know your curves is an important part of planning a model railway, however, the jargon used to describe many track sections can...

Deciding where to place signals on a model railway layout can be extremely confusing as there are many rules to adhere to. Because of this, the mere layman has little or no chance of getting it right the first time, and in the absence of a...

Contact adhesive (also known as contact cement) is an all-purpose adhesive that's popular amongst modellers thanks to its clear finish and versatile usage. It also has the advantage of a short but not instant bonding time that allows modellers to...

The name InterCity first appeared as a brand name in 1966 and was used by British Rail to brand their long-distance expresses. The name originally appeared with a hyphen (Inter-City) and could be seen on services operating the East and West Coast...

Magnetic couplings are popular with many modellers who desire the automatic uncoupling of rolling stock in their sidings or goods yards.Most magnetic couplings are a type of Janney coupler (knuckle coupler) and can be fitted directly into NEM...

Whether you're planning your first layout in N gauge or thinking of making the switch from OO, you might be wondering what types of tracks are available for this intriguing space-saving gauge.The good news is there's a great selection of both...

In real life, railway tracks tilt slightly as they negotiate curves. The tilt is known by many names, including a camber, a cant and a superelevation. Its purpose is to help trains traverse bends quicker and without causing excessive wear to the...