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Hello
Please note that due to Christmas, the shop in Sandown will be closed from the 25th of December and will reopen the 30th of December.
However, orders will be dispatched as usual on weekdays, excepting bank holidays. There is still time to order for Christmas however, if your order is time critical, we strongly suggest selecting next day delivery at checkout.
Most images in this newsletter are clickable for more details.
Feel free to send this newsletter to your friends, family and club members if you think they will benefit from it. They can subscribe for free.
Railway song of the week
"Amtrak Crescent" by Scott Miller is a reflective, quietly evocative song that uses the long-distance American passenger train as both setting and metaphor. Centred on the real Amtrak Crescent route, which runs from New York to New Orleans, the song captures the sense of motion, distance and emotional disconnection that comes with travel, pairing railway imagery with introspective lyrics and understated musicianship. Listen to this acoustic version by clicking on the picture:
This week in history
On the 17th of December 1924, the docks in the Bronx (New York) saw the first operations of a diesel-electric locomotive.
If you're building your collection or looking for something a bit special, the second-hand market can offer some absolute gems. Take this Bachmann Jubilee 'Baroda' in BR green with late crest and riveted Fowler tender in OO gauge. For those of you who fancy something with a bit more vintage charm, there's a Hornby Dublo "Duchess of Montrose" in OO gauge that's been lovingly restored. Whilst the bodywork shows its age , it's been stripped, oiled and rebuilt and runs exceptionally well in both directions. The set also includes a coach and track bundles, making it a proper starter collection. If you're after ready-to-run freight stock, you might be interested in a rake of three 13-ton steel wagons in OO gauge, two sand tippler wagons and one with a covered load, all in BR bauxite livery with a matching 20-ton brake van. These have been converted to hook-and-chain couplers and weathered to a very high standard, with the sand wagons even containing real scale sand.
Now, if you're interested in exploring scales beyond the usual OO gauge offerings, there are some fascinating options available. The Tri-ang TT Castle Class "Windsor Castle" from 1957 is a brilliant piece of railway history. This particular example has a plastic body in gloss finish with very few marks, complete name and number plates and has been serviced to run really well. For those of you who model continental railways, there's a set of four ROCO Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) coaches in HO gauge. If American railroading is more your cup of tea, you'll want to look at the Athearn Santa Fe Railroad ALCO PA1 diesel locomotive set in HO gauge. This impressive collection includes a powered PA1 unit, a matching B unit and a dummy PA1 locomotive, all in excellent condition with all couplings in place. The powered unit has been fully serviced and tested, and all three come boxed with service sheets.
A view to a hill
Most modellers will be aware of
backscenes and their
positive effects on the continuity and perspective of layouts. But if you are choosing one for the first time, don't rush in!
Backscenes portray many scenarios, and one of the most common is a
landscape featuring hills. But don't think that all hills are the same
because there are
many to choose from.
One consideration when choosing a backscene is the length of the
backboard it has to cover. Many backscenes are part of a series that
combine to continue a scene. So if you have a long layout, choosing one
of these will allow you to cover the entire length without repetition.
Another consideration is how tall your backboard is. Some backscenes
are available in different heights, so if you see one that you like, but
is too big or too small, it's always worth checking if the same
backscene is available in a more suitable size. A good example of this
is the
OO gauge 'Hills and Dales' backscene, available in both 9" and 15" tall variations.
Using a backscene to anchor a layout is not uncommon. The
'Rockies' and
'Lanberis' backscenes, for example, accurately portray their namesakes, however, these kinds of backscene are often also used to
portray Alpine regions as well as places like Scotland. So don't assume that just because a backscene has been given a specific name, it can only be used for that specific location.
Next, think about perspective. The hills on the 'Forest Hills' backscene appear closer than on a lot of other backscenes giving the
impression you are looking up at the hills. In contrast to this, the 'Old Mill Town' backscene features a town in a valley giving the illusion you're
looking down. You should ask yourself which effect works best for you.
Once you've negotiated the minefield of choice and have chosen a backscene, it's time to think about how you're going to blend it into your layout.
For the best results, it is a good idea to use a distraction or
obstruction to forbid the eye from detecting a sharp contrast between
the layout and backscene.
The usual technique for this is a
small embankment or wall sited immediately in front of the backscene. This way the eye will be tricked into believing there is some sort of drop on the other side, therefore, giving the
illusion of distance between layout and hills.
If using an embankment to do this, it doesn't have to be very big to
achieve the desired effects, an inch or two will suffice. Such a feature
is relatively quick to install and can be easily fashioned from '
Shaper Sheet', which you simply fold unto the right shape for your needs.
How you dress your embankment is up to you. There are plenty of
scenic models and materials to make light work of it. Hedgerow, for
example, can be made from either bush scatter material or hedgerow strips, fencing can be sourced either bare or ready-covered in foliage and Seafoam can be used to represent convincing middle-distance tree cover.
Backscenes do a fantastic job of omitting a room's back wall from a layout, when done well, they add depth, realism and perspective to a layout too.
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.
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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