Model Railway

DMU stands for Diesel Multiple Unit. DMUs are a type of train where the coaches have their own diesel-powered engines to propel them along negating the need for a locomotive at the head of the train. The driving controls on DMUs are situated in an...

Having experienced the incredible talent of many scratch-builders over the years, one would have to concede that almost anything is possible in the world of modelling, even a realistic portrayal of 'Era 1' from 1804-1869.But before you toddle off...

A 'Pacific' railway locomotive is a steam engine with the wheel arrangement 4-6-2. What that means is the locomotive has four smaller, unpowered wheels (two on each side) at the front, used to lead it into curves and provide stability, six larger,...

Wagon turntables were similar in principle to full-size ones used to turn locomotives, they were however smaller and performed a different function.Wagon turntables were as the name suggests only large enough to accommodate wagons (or other...

By the early 20th century, the railways had grown to such an extent that competition was fierce and the market was fast becoming saturated, as a result, the railways were not run particularly well or efficiently. Just how wasteful the network had...

It is not advisable to use 3-in-1 oil to lubricate your models, especially not the fine parts inside their mechanisms. This is because different oils are good at different things - some clean, some protect and others lubricate.3-in-1 oils are...

In 1845, legislation was passed resulting in the mandatory introduction of mileposts on our railways. The new posts were to be set at 1/4 mile intervals and measure the distance from a designated location along the route (usually a large station...

A 1Co-Co1 wheel arrangement is essentially a Co-Co wheel arrangement with an unpowered, articulated pony truck attached to it. This extended bogie design is used to better distribute weight on larger locomotives.A standard Co-Co wheel...

A 'fogman' was a railway worker tasked with laying detonators (fog signals) on railway tracks during snowy, foggy or other low visibility weather conditions to warn drivers of signals, speed restrictions or track works ahead. Fogmen often had...

'Stopping Markers' are the signs that can be seen on a station platform and some sidings to advise the driver where to bring his or her train to a halt.They are useful for longer trains so the driver knows that the whole train is within the...

A conventional baseboard for a model railway consists of some legs supporting a wooden framework finished off with a nice flat top surface on which we can build our layout.An open-top baseboard is similar in the respect that it has legs...

If you have never built a model railway before then it may not be obvious how to supply your model railway tracks with power. Starter packs provide all the equipment, connections and instructions needed for a new modeller to get started, however,...