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Railway song of the week

Something a bit different this week: a classical "tone poem" that doesn't use actual train sounds, but uses a full orchestra to become a 300-ton locomotive. Arthur Honegger was a self-proclaimed "railway enthusiast" who wanted to translate the visual and physical sensation of a heavy train accelerating from a standstill to top speed into musical notation. This gave the composition called "Pacific 231". Click on the picture to listen to it:

This week in history - On February the 21st 1967, Charlie, the last shunting-horse to work on British Rail was retired. Fittingly, he worked at Newmarket.

Picks of the week

Starting with N gauge, you might be interested in the Minitrix Class V16 of the DRG. Now, this one's being sold as a project piece: it's missing some connecting rods and an axle, but the cosmetic condition is absolutely immaculate and it does run. Moving up to TT gauge, there's a Tri-ang TT  tender for Continental locomotives. Staying with TT gauge, you'll find a set of five Tri-ang TT tank wagons including BP, Shell petrol tanks, lubricating oil and even a milk wagon. They're all in reasonable age-related condition with free-running wheels and complete couplings, perfect for building up your freight operations.

For you OO gauge modellers, there are a couple of absolute beauties here. The Hornby A4 'Silver Link' in LNER grey is a stunning piece that's only ever been in storage – it runs beautifully and shows no signs of wear whatsoever. If you're after something more modern, the Hornby Class 66 in Medite livery is fitted with DCC and sound, and it's in excellent near-new condition with no marks or wear. Rounding out the offerings, there's a bundle of 30 unpainted seated figures in HO gauge (which are perfectly suitable for OO). 

A lot of enthusiasts and gamers like 28mm figures because many sets can be configured in numerous ways to make the models unique, another common characteristic of 28mm figures is high levels of detail and Victrix figures score strongly in both areas.

Victrix figures are probably not the best option for gamers who require quick results from their kits as they do take a little time to assemble (an acceptable by-product of the kit's versatility) but for serious collectors and players who derive pleasure from the building process and finished effects, these miniatures are well worth considering.

Their range is nothing short of huge, covering many battles, wars and conflicts from the last two millennia including figure sets portraying Roman cavalries, Germanic warriors, Napoleonic infantries and Iberian and Numidian cavalries to name just a few.

Of course, wargaming is not just about the figures and many choose to play on battlefield dioramas they've created to enhance the experience. The crowning glory of many wargaming dioramas is the occasional ready-to-plant model or two, but many are not aware of their existence or the large range of models available.

Javis is well established in producing quality models for the wargaming community, they produce a good selection of solid resin-cast models suitable for 25 to 28mm scales, covering popular themes such as derelict buildings, damaged churches, timber bridges, stone walls, gravestones and foxholes etc. Their models do not require assembly but in most cases, painting has been left to the gamer so they can make it their own. The models are very reasonably priced too allowing gamers to add interest and atmosphere to their projects without major investment.

 

• How do I fill gaps in a model?
• What is miniature figure basing?
• Why are turnout frogs called frogs?
• How deep should mortar lines be in OO gauge models?
• What is the colour of rust?