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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
If you’re discovering Autorail by Orchestra Baobab for the first time, you’re stepping into a rich blend of rhythm, atmosphere and musical heritage. The song carries a distinctive groove shaped by West African influences, weaving flowing melodies and layered instrumentation into something both nostalgic and timeless. As you listen, you may notice how effortlessly it balances warmth and movement, inviting you to settle into its pulse while also evoking the feeling of travel and connection suggested by its title. Autorail is less about rushing towards a destination and more about enjoying the journey through sound. Listen to it by clicking on the picture:
This week in history
On the 28th of May 1955, ASLEF (the train's drivers union) calls a rail strike that was to last for 17 days and resulted in a national state of emergency being declared.
The Bachmann Class 158 'Express Sprinter' is a two-car DMU that's in excellent condition with directional lighting. These units revolutionised regional travel when introduced between 1989 and 1992, bringing air conditioning and improved passenger comfort to cross-country routes. For those preferring something a bit more classic in the diesel department, there's the Lima Class 47 in triple grey livery. This workhorse of British Rail has been fully serviced and runs very well, making it ideal for freight operations on your layout. If you fancy adding some sound to your collection, the Hornby Class 47 comes fitted with TTS sound and wears BR large logo blue with Royal Wedding embellishments - a great way to experience DCC sound without the usual expense.
The Hornby Class A4 "Gadwall" in LNER Garter Blue is worth a look. This TTS sound-fitted locomotive is in near perfect condition with only one replacement buffer, and it's been fully tested to ensure it runs smoothly. Moving to the quirky side of railway modelling, the pair of Lima GWR railcars offers something a bit different. You get both the Diesel Railcar No. 22 and the Parcels Railcar No. 34, both in that distinctive brown and cream livery. These 1930s designs were quite successful for the Great Western Railway and survived into the 1960s - they've had complete motor services and run really well. To complete your freight consists, there's a trio of Lima 50T PGA Aggregate Hopper Wagons in BR bauxite, all in excellent boxed condition with minimal wear.
Operation 'CLEAN UP'
Sometimes modellers seem to spend more time cleaning than playing with (operating) their layouts, whether it be rolling stock maintenance, track cleaning or simply trying to keep the job tidy during a build session there are many specialised tools you can use to help with the seemingly endless task of cleaning. One of the best tools that you'll never know how you did without is called a fibre pencil, these simple but effective pen-like tools have a glass fibre core that's ideal for cleaning wheels, turnouts, commutators or any other metal surface that now and then needs a bit of TLC.
Other tools that can be a valuable asset when cleaning or modelling neatly include a good pair of tweezers for retrieving bits of fluff, ballast or wayward small motor parts from difficult to reach places, a pair of cutters and a file for removing and cleaning up burs and a sharp craft knife to trim any unwanted flash from model kits. We can even attach tools to ourselves, if you wear glasses while modelling but still struggle to see close up work, try attaching a 'Spectacle Mag' to them to truly focus on the job at hand.
Although tools can't do the cleaning for us, they can help us to do it right!
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, 2026 will 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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