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Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips located at the bottom of the newsletter.

Brian Trotman sent us a picture of his model ot the Royal Albert Bridge he scratch-built as well as a picture of the real thing. Can you guess which one is the model? Click on the pictures to see them in larger size.

This week in history - On Friday 9th September 1960 the last ever slip coach left Paddington station on the rear of the 17:10 Paddington to Wolverhampton Business Express. It was slipped from the train at Bicester North where it was shunted onto a train destined for Birmingham. Slip coaches were uncoupled from the train while the train was still running, and then slowed by a guard using the coach brakes. Slip coaches were in operation for just over 100 years.

Modelling a modern image railway can be quite tricky because most railways in the UK have evolved from a time when Queen Victoria sat on the throne, since then, the railway has been grouped, nationalised, dieselised, rationalised, sectorised, vandalised, modernised, privatised and franchised. This has ultimately led to stations and the railway infrastructure having a somewhat confused or mixed appearance about them displaying a hint of Victorian splendour sitting side by side with closed or derelict buildings and vast abandoned plots of land. You may well still see the odd red-brick goods shed to the side of or on the approach to a station, but it will more than likely be covered in weeds, in a poor state of repair and sitting in the shadows of an Aldi supermarket.

So it would seem that to successfully model the modern world you must first model a Victorian one, then rip most of it up, plant an almost infinite amount of blackberry bushes, weather and decay any surviving buildings, fortify your stations or railway land and if building an Aldi in the station car park then don't forget to build a Lidl 100 scale feet away! Now of course, in reality, you do not have to actually build and destroy all of this to achieve a believable portrayal of a modern British railway, but, the way in which the railway has evolved is certainly something to think about when planning a build.

Building a modern image model railway is not solely about omitting sidings and once-great engine sheds though, look closely and you will discover a whole new infrastructure that definitely wasn't there during the golden days of steam, apart from the obvious change from semaphore to electric light signals and an ever-growing mass of catenary, we now also have ticket kiosks, automated barriers, information boards, ticket vending machines, CRT information screens, bike stands, CCTV cameras, flood-lights and portable cabins in liew of brick-buildings, all of which are readily available to model.

Here are a few examples in 00 gauge including a modern platform-accessory pack and bike-stands from Peco, CCTV, floodlighting and a portable cabin from Wills-modern.

And here are some more great ideas this time in N gauge including a very modern overhead transit station from Kato. Although Kato aim there models primarily at the Japanese market, meaning the item is very sturdy and robust, this particular station could easily be used to model an excellent portrayal of a British station similar to a modern parkway or airport interchange, add a few details such as bicycle lockers and your station will look fantastic.

You could also modernise your sidings with a Peco modern traction depot, this kind of building is large enough to be a centrepiece on a layout and doesn't rely on the presence of rolling stock to demonstrate modern image, you could always enhance the scene with a modern train wash and oil storage tanks to really add interest.