The Great Western Railway Coat of Arms was a logo that appeared on GWR rolling stock from 1927 to 1933 and then reappeared in 1942 until nationalisation in 1947.The coat of arms replaced the previously used Garter Crest and features two shields...

A tunnel liner is a sheet of scale brickwork, often moulded for detail and constructed from plastic, used to represent the internal wall of a model railway tunnel.Tunnel liners are designed to fit onto a special lip on the back of most tunnel...

The Great Western Railway Roundel is a logo used by the GWR on locomotives and rolling stock between 1934 and 1942. The roundel is unusual in the fact that it was superseded by the very logo it had replaced just eight years earlier.The logo is...

Cast iron spoked wagon wheels date back to the 1830s and were the mainstay of wagon wheels for nearly 100 years.Wagon wheels of this type had a diameter of around three-foot and usually featured eight spokes. A variant measuring three-foot six...

In essence, a Seafire aeroplane is the same as a Spitfire, but with different adaptions to enable landing on aircraft carriers.Early in WWII, the Royal Navy realised the need for better aircraft, so they looked to the Spitfire to replace its...

Several factors will influence the age at which your child is ready for their first layout. These include the manufacturer's minimum age recommendations, your child's interest in railways, and most importantly, your ability to view the project...

The Great Western Railway's Garter Crest is just one of the many logo designs to have appeared on GWR locomotives and coaches.The Garter Crest was one of the first logo designs to appear on GWR rolling stock, first appearing in the late 1870s,...

A wagon's solebar is the outer longitudinal beam of its underframe or chassis.Solebars are an integral part of a wagon's frame to which several components and supporting cross members are attached. The solebar is also where you're most likely to...

Open spoke wheels were a type of early railway wheel that featured double spokes, this type of wheel was commonly known as a split-spoke wheel.Open spoke wheels were a design that appeared on many wagons and some other rolling stock throughout...

ELC couplings (also known as Elsie couplings) are the standard couplings found on N gauge rolling stock, ELC stands for Easy Light and Close.ELC couplings are described as giving outstanding reliability, they couple easily when two vehicles...

The dictionary defines a portal as an entrance to something and is often grand or imposing in appearance. A railway tunnel portal, in essence, is the tunnel's entrance.A large proportion of railways in the UK date back to the 1800s with many...

A sheet rail, more commonly referred to as a tarpaulin bar or longitudinal bar, is a metal bar that is suspended above a railway wagon to support tarpaulins.Some early wagons were built with raised semi-circular end panels to support and...