Valid to UK only - excludes oversized items
When used as a noun, and in railway terms, a 'consist' refers to a formation of rolling stock put together to make a...
Painting a white metal kit involves pretty much the same processes as painting any model, or a real-life metal object...
Photoetched parts are small parts made of metal, manufactured using the photo etching technique. This technique...
The route availability of a real-life locomotive is another way of saying which tracks an engine is permitted to...
A wagon's solebar is the outer longitudinal beam of its underframe or chassis.Solebars are an integral part of a...
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Most toggle or lever switches used on a model railway feature just two positions. A type called an SPDT switch (on/on switch) is ideal for operating a two-aspect colour light signal as the two positions of the switch can be used to select between...
Creating road markings on a model roadway may seem like an easy painting task, but no matter how steady your hand is, it's not easy achieving the crispness required to successfully recreate this common highway feature.If you are one of the...
Powerbase plates sound as though they're going to be very high-tech with lots of microchips, wires and a complex installation procedure, but actually, they're just some metal plates that you place beneath your tracks!That doesn't make them any...
There's no shortage of manufacturers producing models and components for DCC layouts these days, and that's a good thing, but it does mean lots of terminology, and that's a bad thing.One area that causes significant confusion is when trying...
The term 'Pin Wash' is a shortening of pinpoint wash. Pin washes are generally applied to very specific parts of a model to enhance individual surface details such as recessed panel lines, access plates or hatches and doorways. In this regard, it...
An artistic impression backscene is one option for providing a suitable backdrop for a layout or diorama. Some modellers will have a specific idea of the backdrop they require and may choose a photographic backscene. This is effectively a mosaic...
Tamiya X-19 Smoke is part of the Tamiya range of acrylic paints. As such it can be brush painted or can be airbrushed onto a wide variety of surfaces such as wood, styrofoam, resin and model plastics such as styrene. Smoke is intended to mimic...
There are a number of glue options that are available to a modeller when assembling a Metcalfe Card kit. Each glue has unique characteristics that will make them more suitable to certain projects but less useful for others. One important issue for...
If you're modelling the Southern region, the Underground, or any other railway that uses a conductor rail in OO gauge, the chances are you'll be wanting to add a third rail to your track, but how is it done?The good news is that the...
In real life, curved track sections often have cambers built into them to allow trains to traverse bends quicker without creating wear to rolling stock wheels or the outer rail.Whether or not you add such cambers to your model railway comes...
Based on the principle of a layout configured as a loop the smallest practical baseboard size for an OO/HO will be 31 inches by 31 inches (about 80cm x 80cm). This value is based on a track of 'First' radius (371 mm/ 14.6") which is the smallest...
HSS stands for High-speed steel. This is a particular blend of steel that is configured especially for drilling tools and saws. As such HSS tools have been designed to offer greater strength and durability and a higher temperature operating...