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Modellings tips and answers - Gates, barriers and crossings

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Exhibition

WightRail is back! The largest model railway exhibition on the Isle of Wight will take place at Medina Leisure Centre in Newport on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of November from 10am till 4pm. Admission is £6 for adults aged 16 and over. Accompanied under 16s go free. Bus routes 5 and 9 or if coming by car PO30 2DX.

Lots of layouts from N gauge to O gauge.

For more details, click on the picture to be taken to the Facebook page of Wight Model Railway Group.

Railway song of the week

"East Coast Racer" by the progressive rock band Big Big Train is a monumental track that serves as an epic musical tribute to the golden age of high-speed steam rail travel in the United Kingdom, focusing specifically on the legendary LNER Class A4 steam locomotive, Mallard, and its record-breaking run on the East Coast Main Line. The song, which exceeds 15 minutes in length, is characterized by its sweeping, cinematic instrumentation, including brass band arrangements and intricate solos, building through distinct phases to capture the drama, power and ultimate majesty of the locomotive as it races toward its historic top speed.

This week in history

On the 27th of October 1904, the New York City Subway opened its first underground line. The route operated from City Hall to 145th Street at Broadway, and saw the first use of the all-steel railway cars that became iconic on New York's subway network.

Picks of the week

If you're modelling in OO gauge and have a soft spot for British Railways' express passenger services, you might be interested in the Hornby Great British Trains Special Presentation Edition Set 'Heart Of Midlothian'. This set features the A4 class locomotive 'Guillemot' in BR green livery, complete with three coaches and a certificate showing it's number 259 of just 3000 produced. The locomotive has been fully serviced and runs perfectly in both directions, whilst both the engine and coaches are in very good condition with no marks or blemishes.

Staying in OO gauge but moving to freight operations, there's a pair of Bachmann 40 Tonne Seacow YGA Hoppers in EWS livery. These wagons are in exceptional condition and appear barely used, with all the fine detail complete and bodywork that's absolutely immaculate. Both items represent excellent value for modellers looking to add quality rolling stock to their layouts without the new-item price tag.

For those of you working in N gauge, there are some cracking options here too. The Bachmann USA GP50 diesel locomotive in Montana Rail Link's distinctive blue with white stripe livery is in excellent "near new" condition with working lights and 8-wheel drive. It's been fully tested and serviced, running very well in both directions, and comes complete with its original perspex case and service sheet. If you're after some freight wagons to complement your American diesel, the batch of three Lima/Wrenn wagons offers good variety, including a Burlington bogie open railroad coal wagon and two bogie wagons with mixed loads.

Gates, barriers and crossings

There are around six thousand railway crossings in the UK, and although that number is reducing all the time in favour of safer alternatives, crossings remain a staple feature on many model railway layouts. But with so many types to choose from, which is best for your layout?

Well of course, only you can answer that question, but it is at least worth knowing what's available if you're to make an informed decision. Historically, modellers have turned to a set-track version of level crossing with gates, track and road all incorporated into one handy ready-to-go model. These are still available today, and this type of model certainly has its merits, they are easy to install, affordable, and can be detailed to blend in with more sophisticated scenery. They are even available as curved crossings and can be extended to make them double, triple or quadruple track crossing. But if you fancy something a little less generic, you will not be disappointed at the choice out there. Gaugemaster's 'Fordhampton' kit of a level crossing, for example, doesn't include any track, but it does feature a road bed and crossing gates. It also exhibits details such as gate braces and mesh which makes it a credible contender for a detailed single-track crossing. As does Wills Kits' version: their level crossing also comes in kit form and exhibits a cobblestone effect road surface and planked crossing deck. If, however, you want to craft your own crossing, individual sets of gates and barriers can be easily obtained either as static models or with flashing lights and sound effects.

Of course, not all railway crossings are standard road crossings. There are many different types and only around 1 in 5 are actually sited on a public highway giving modellers a great opportunity to recreate many other types of crossing that are in existence on the railway network, including the kissing gates often used for public footpath access. Kissing gates in model form are easy enough to source, either as individual models or as part of a pack or range that features matching fencing for extended scenes. Other types of crossings include Ratio's very convincing plastic kit of an occupation crossing (farm crossing) and Langley's traditional white-metal 5-bar gate with crossing brace that, interestingly, can also be used to form the railway entrance to a private siding.

Whatever your crossing requirements, there's sure to be one to suit your needs, so don't rush in and remember to stop, look and listen before choosing one!

Modelling tips

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

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

Unboxing videos

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You can access all the unboxing videos by visiting this page or simply click on the link called "videos" on our websit e.

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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