Modellings tips and answers - Adding a shelter

This week in history

On the 18th of April 1971, a serious fire at Kentish Town West railway station (London) saw the station close for over a decade. The station eventually  reopened on the 5th of October 1981.

If you're looking to expand your collection without breaking the bank, pre-owned railway models can offer tremendous value and these examples demonstrate just how good second-hand stock can be. Starting with the smallest scale, the Märklin set in Z gauge comprises three dining cars, all in excellent condition with all buffers intact. Moving up to N gauge (I agree we do not use moving up and N gauge in same sentence often!), the Roco set includes four side tipping wagons that show no evidence of use whatsoever and come in their original box. For those of you modelling in OO gauge, the Lima Intercity 125 starter set provides everything you need to get started with modern era modelling, including the power car, two coaches, dummy end, controller and track. The locomotive has been fully serviced and tested to ensure it runs beautifully.

For those of you who prefer the steam era in OO gauge, the Bachmann Patriot "The Royal Leicestershire Regiment" in BR green with early emblem is in as-new condition, having never been run before being fully tested and run in. It is DCC ready with an 8-pin socket. Equally impressive is the Bachmann Class V2 "Green Arrow" in BR black, showing very little signs of use and running excellently. The V2s were Gresley's express mixed traffic locomotives and Green Arrow herself is the sole survivor of the class in preservation. If you're after something for shunting duties, the Hornby Class 08 in BR green comes with three Railfreight wagons and has been fully serviced.

Shelters, kiosks and small huts appear on most layouts, they are amongst the cheapest models you can purchase and are often an early consideration during the construction of a new layout when the budget can be easily swallowed up by trackwork, but, should an adolescent layout's essential space filler be given a little more credibility?

It's true enough we often use smaller structures to temporarily bulk out dioramas until grander alternatives or scenery can be developed, but in a twist of fate, shelters and smaller structures often end up being employed as important finishing touches too, so you should always think very carefully about how your initial small building purchases will fit with your layout's identity as it develops. The good news is, there's a massive choice out there particularly when it comes to small station buildings and shelters. In 00 gauge, station shelters portray all sorts of different styles from old fashioned wooden ones to contemporary glass effects, there are double-sided shelters for island platforms and single-fronted shelters for the solitary platform of a country halt, there are even shelters designed to complement larger structures should you wish to add to your layout as it develops. Whatever your needs, it's worth searching for a shelter that really compliments what you are trying to achieve with your layout.

Away from the station grounds smaller buildings have an even larger role to play. In real life small buildings and shelters are everywhere, but how often do we think to model a public toilet, village forge or a snack bar in a car park or lay-by? A few bus stops dotted here and there or a bus shelter sunk into the hedge of a country lane can make a huge difference to your scene considering the relative size of the model.

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