When modellers use the expression 'anchoring a scene' what they are doing is finding a way to make their scene portray a certain era or location. This is done using a combination of appropriate models, landscape, liveries, architecture or...

After the transport act of 1947, the railways were nationalised and control given to the British Transport Commission (BTC) the following year, the new organisation was to be called British Railways.In the early years of British Railways,...

A push-to-make switch is a push-button type of switch that doesn't lock into place when pressed, it allows power to connect through a circuit temporarily for as long as it is pressed in, the circuit is only complete for as long as the switch is...

In railway terms, a Mogul is a steam locomotive that has the wheel arrangement 2-6-0.This means that a Mogul will have two leading wheels at the front (one on either side of the locomotive), six powered wheels in the middle (three on either...

Desktop model aircraft are ornamental models usually constructed to 1:72 scale, made from diecast and often take pride of place on a travel agent's desk. They come as ready-made models and are usually pigeonholed as gimmicks or office accessories,...

Whistle boards are signs placed at the side of railways tracks to inform train drivers of when they should blow their whistle (or horn) to warn the public and railway workers of an approaching train.Originally, the signs had the full word...

A  mitre box is a metal framework designed to hold an item of building material in place while you saw through it at an exact angle thanks to the box's integral saw-guiding slots.These tools are of particular interest to scratch-builders who...

If you have an old faithful wagon, coach or locomotive that can no longer enjoy a trip around your layout due to a missing tension-lock coupling, you may be wanting to attach a replacement so it can rattle down the rails once more, but where do...

An 'eggbeater' is a type of hand drill so-called because its appearance resembles an egg whisk.Officially known as a wheel brace, these types of drill are favoured by carpenters and modellers alike due to their ability to create neat and...

Officially, tinning is the process of coating certain metals with a thin sheet of tin to prevent rust, in soldering, however, the term is commonly understood to mean coating a soldering iron's tip, a surface to be soldered or the end of some wires...

Tinplate models were mainly produced before we had the ability to manufacture plastic injection-moulded models. Tinplate is made by coating a thin sheet of steel with a layer of tin. Models made from this material are often referred to as...

An Archimedean drill is a type of hand-operated drill that's often referred to as a push drill.The device looks a little like a complicated screwdriver,  its main features comprising a handle, a specially shaped shaft and a collet on the...