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Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips and unboxing videos located at the bottom of the newsletter.
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Railway song of the week
"Model Trains” by Rye LaChance, is an alt-country track that blends nostalgia and introspection, using the imagery of model trains to evoke childhood memories and the complexities of returning home. The lyrics reflect on revisiting his childhood home and the emotional distance grown with family. Musically, the song opens with a gentle, lilting waltz and gradually builds to a powerful crescendo, mirroring the emotional journey, while LaChance’s nuanced vocal phrasing and sophisticated wordplay enhance the narrative depth. Discover it by clicking on the picture:
This week in history
At midnight on the 27th of September 1919, railway workers walked out in response to government plans to reduce wages. The strike lasted nine days before an agreement was reached to put off any changes until the following year.
Let's take a trip down memory lane, starting with the magnificent Hornby Class 8 "Duke of Gloucester". This unique prototype, sadly regarded as a failure in its time, has been beautifully recreated by Hornby, complete with TTS sound. Moving forward in time, we encounter the Bachmann A1 Class "Tornado" in BR Apple Green. This modern-day marvel, built in 2008, represents the best of both worlds - classic design with modern engineering. Rounding off our steam trio is the Lima Class 73 in EPS grey, an unusual electro-diesel that bridges the gap between steam and modern traction.
As we transition fully into the diesel era, we're greeted by the Heljan Class 57/3 diesel in First Great Western livery. This weathered model showcases the evolution of British Rail's diesel fleet, being a re-engineered Class 47. Next, we have the iconic Hornby Inter-City 125, featuring power cars 43010 and 43011. This set, complete with coaches, represents a revolution in British rail travel, slashing journey times across the network.
Modelling farming, not the farm
Many
model railway layouts include a farm, but how often do we merely create a field, pop some sheep in it, and then never give it another thought?
That could be a bit of a missed opportunity as farms are a hive of
activity with many different tasks undertaken, all just waiting to be
modelled.
Many farms grow and harvest crops, just imagine how
much more convincing a lush field of crops would look as opposed to a flat expanse of grass. Busch's OO/HO gauge
crop strips are a quick and easy way to add such fields to your layout. You can even tell a story by adding a
farmer on his tractor working in the field, or better still, use a cameo set of him having mechanical issues to make the scene even more intriguing.
Another job down on the farm is making hay for animal feed. This is
another example of an activity that can be modelled to add interest.
With the use of a
hay-bales set, place the bales in a field, in a barn, or being transported between the two, and don't forget some
silage to show the farm getting ready for the winter months.
Even during the few months of the year when a farm isn't
tremendously busy, it is tremendously busy! It's during this time that
farmers take care of maintenance, and repairing dry stone walls is a big part of this. Why not show this activity by placing a farmer or some labourers next to a broken section of wall. Javis make some very convincing farm walls, even damaged ones.
If it's livestock farming that takes your interest, there's no
shortage of models to demonstrate this either, there are action sets
depicting calf feeding, animal transportation and mobile water troughs along with farming figures to suit several eras and huge sets to make feature scenes with such as the 'Shepherd and Flock' set containing a massive 80 sheep, shepherds, fencing and vehicles.
There is a whole story to be told down on the farm, and thanks to an astonishing range of models dedicated to farming, your layout can be the one that tells the story.
Modelling tips
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.
You can access all the unboxing videos by
visiting this page or simply click on the
link called "videos" on
our website.
Events and exhibitions
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.
Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!
Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. Obviously, our website is open 24h a day and we can post to most locations, including Europe, USA and Australia.
Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook
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