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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
"Wabash Cannonball” is a classic American folk song celebrating the mythical train that symbolises freedom, travel and the expansive spirit of the American landscape. Originating in the late nineteenth century and popularised by the Carter Family and Roy Acuff, it evokes both the real and imagined power of the railway as a symbol of connection and adventure. In their rendition, Benny Martin, John Hartford, and Roy Huskey Jr. infuse the song with lively bluegrass energy: Martin’s expressive fiddle, Hartford’s rhythmic banjo and Huskey’s steady double bass combine to create a rolling, train-like momentum that honours the song’s enduring legacy in American roots music.
Click on the picture to listen to it:
This week in history
On the 1st of October 1906, the Karawanks railway tunnel opened. The tunnel is 26,168ft long (just under five miles) and links Austria and Slovenia.
It was built to facilitate a link between the port of Trieste with
Klagenfurt and is the fourth longest railway tunnel in Austria.
Imagine the stories these engines could tell! Take the
Lima Class 37, for instance. Once proudly named "Oor Woolie", it's now rebranded for Direct Rail Services and weathered to perfection. Or perhaps you fancy a classic
Hornby Dublo Class 20 in British Rail green? This little beauty runs like a dream and looks as good as the day it left the factory. For those with a penchant for steam, the
Lima Prairie Tank in Great Western Railway green livery is a sight to behold, ready to tackle those branch lines with gusto.
But why stop there? How about adding a touch of railway royalty to your collection with the iconic Flying Scotsman? This DCC-fitted beauty is part of Hornby's RailRoad range, perfect for modellers of all ages. For those who prefer more modern traction, the Hornby Class 20 in Loram Rail blue is a real treat. It even comes with a HM7000 sound chip fitted - imagine the delight of hearing that engine purr as it glides along your tracks!
Each of these locomotives has been lovingly cared for by previous owners and is ready to find a new home on your layout. Why not give one (or more!) of these pre-loved engines a chance to shine once again? After all, every model has a story to tell, and these could be the perfect additions to your railway's narrative.
Not the butchers the bakers or the candlestick makers
Although not many of us are modelling a candlestick makers, we do
often turn to the more traditional butchers and bakers to populate the
high streets of our railway layouts. Along with a local pub, the
inclusion of these businesses is almost obligatory, and rightly so as
they are also present in many small towns and villages, or at least they
used to be in fondly remembered times gone by. But what if you want a
longer high street? what other types of shops could you model?
There are several different styles and types of shops you can
consider to shake up your high street, give it some character, and even
modernise it if you wish, especially in OO gauge plastic kit form. Vollmer's Lidl supermarket is a prime example of the evolution of a real high street in model
form. It is large enough to represent the store whilst being small
enough to fit into a reasonably sized diorama. If space is an issue, an interesting option is to install some railway arches shops. The example by Wills Kits can be incorporated into a real viaduct with moderate skill or used as
part of a back-scene to add a metropolitan feel to your station
approach.
For smaller or older towns and villages, Vollmer's repair shop indeed makes a convincing local garage, but choose not to include the signage, and the building has a multitude of uses from a florist to a farm shop. If you are prepared to print your own signage, Dapol's 'shop with flats above' makes an ideal newsagent, chip shop or take away and markets can be easily produced using stalls and kiosks from
a multitude of manufacturers. Whatever the size, era or theme of your
high street or town, there are plenty of models you can use to make it,
extend it and give it an identity.
Another way you can escape modelling tradition on your high street, is with the use of figures to give purpose to generic or existing shops. This is not a new concept and Langley Models has been producing white metal cameo sets for quite a while, including scenes that depict a fishmonger, a saddlers shop, a hardware store, a motorcycle repair shop and a blacksmith. Modern scenes tend to be modelled more from plastic, but there's a huge selection of them to choose from in white metal, the 'fashion store figures' being just one.
Of the many problems that modellers face to make their layouts unique, modelling an interesting and varied High Street is certainly not one of them!
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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