Modellings tips and answers - Modelling old sidings

We have been busy being the scenes lately and added lots of new products to our website: brand new N gauge engines, commemoratives wagons, pre-owned engines and wagons, white metal detailing parts, trolley cars, a massive crane, and so much more! Click on the picture to discover them all.

This week in history

 

On Tuesday 18th September 1928, Spanish aviation pioneer Don Juan de la Cierva completed the first crossing of the English Channel in a rotary winged craft. The flight from Croydon Aerodrome to Le Bourget was completed successfully in his C.8 Autogyro. The crossing of the Channel itself took 18 minutes and was conducted at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet. The previous year, de la Cierva had completed the first cross-country flight of a rotary winged aircraft in the UK. The aircraft would also enter the 1928 Kings Cup Air Race and complete a 3,000 mile flight around the UK. This helped to develop International interest in rotary winged flight and helped lay the foundations of the modern helicopter as we know it. For his pioneering work in this field, Don Juan de la Cierva was inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 1966.

If you're modelling in N gauge, you might be interested in the Minitrix DB German Federal & DSG Passenger 3-Car Set. This "as new" set is perfect for creating an authentic German railway scene. For OO gauge enthusiasts, there are two excellent steam locomotives to consider. the Bachmann Class G2A in BR black is a beautifully detailed model of the LNWR 0-8-0 locomotive, while the Bachmann Branchline Class 3F represents the Midland Railway's workhorse. Both of these OO gauge models are in excellent condition and would make great additions to any layout focusing on the British Railways era.

For those of you who enjoy collecting vintage models, the Wrenn Southern Green 1127 Class R1 Tank 0-6-0T Locomotive is a real gem. Despite its age, it's in great condition and runs smoothly after a full service. If you're looking for something more modern, consider the Hornby Class 67 'Rapid' in EWS livery. This DCC sound-fitted locomotive comes with three EWS Coal Wagons, making it perfect for both freight and passenger scenarios.

Strangely, modelling such abandonment can often involve modelling more, not less, and a study of real-life long forgotten sidings will often reveal a number of clues hinting at the action that once bestowed them. This could be anything form rusty rails peeking through the undergrowth to remnants of more substantial structures such as a carriage cleaning platform or yard lamps. Other infrastructure that may be visible includes ground signals, ground frames, walking routes and track crossings. So take a good look at some real sidings (or pictures of them) to give you some inspiration, all of these features can be easily modelled in OO gauge using model kits and walking routes can be created using little more than some sand or mud coloured ballast or scatter.

Once you have added the models, you will need to add the decay, and lots of it. You will need to add rust, you will need to add weeds and you will need to add junk. There are lots of things you can do to make this task easier, rust, for example, can be added to rails using a special pen-like tool designed specifically for the job, weeds or grass tufts can be sourced ready-to-go and junk can be anything from bits you have broken off your original models to show decay to purposely designed packs of timber.

Once your scene is suitably overgrown and lovingly made to feel unloved, try adding a few modern features too, after all, just because your sidings are no longer used to service or store rakes of Mk1s or MGR wagons, it doesn't mean that activity is no longer taking place, why not add a modern take on a lineside hut or a Network Rail van and some lineside workers.

Of course, no one is suggesting that you implement all of the above suggestions, as this would be overkill in the space often afforded to a siding on a model railway, but just thinking about what once was, and showing hints of it will help you build some beautifully realistic boring sidings.

Modelling tips

We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are a few: 

• What is an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement?
• Do I need a locomotive cradle?
• What is a wagon solebar?
• What is the difference between Peak Classes 44, 45 and 46 locomotives?
• Why can't I get solder to stick to my rails?

You can read all the articles sorted by categories or from the most recent published one on our website.

Unboxing videos

You want to know what is inside the boxes of modelling products? We open them for you! Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified before everyone else or simply click on this selection. Please note that videos are at the bottom of each page.

Find all the latest events and exhibitions for the model railway world, on the UK Model Shop Events directory. Hopefully, 2025 will still give us plenty of opportunities to attend events all over the country.

Do you need to order?

Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.

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