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

We are happy to report you now have the option to buy gift vouchers from our website. It can be personalised with a message of your choice and a thematic picture (birthday, Christmas, etc.). The voucher can then be printed so you can send it to your loved one or emailed directly to them. You can use the feature by clicking here.

Owen sent us pictures of a small diorama he did over the last few days. At 13 x 11 x 7cm high (top of tallest tree), we believe this could be a great addition to most corners of a OO gauge layout.

Owen plans to sell the diorama, contact us of interested and we will put you in touch.

This week in history - The 25th November 1942 saw the commencement of Operation Harling. The operation was a joint offensive between the British forces and the Greek resistance to sabotage the heavily guarded Gorgopotamos railway viaduct resulting in the severing of enemy-controlled track between Thessaloniki and Athens.

Making engines and rolling stock look and behave realistically has never been so popular, from realistic train lengths and speeds to weathered or ultra-detailed models, it seems to be an angle that many modellers are interested in these days. But it can be very costly and time-consuming building up a collection of models worthy of the real world in miniature, so what can you do in the meantime?

This is a predicament that many modellers face, sure there is a fantastic range of brand new, fantastically detailed models on the market sent to tempt us into parting with our pension funds, but often we are lovingly attached to our existing fleet and would quite like to continue using them on our layouts. The good news is, even older models can be added to or detailed, and often with very little cost involved.

There are many ways that you can enhance the appearance of your models. You could start with something simple like adding a driver and fireman to the footplate or a seated driver at the controls of a diesel, or how about adding some lamps to the front and rear of your locomotive, you will be surprised what a difference it makes even with dummy lamps. For smaller detailing you could add a simple locomotive tool kit and for grander alterations apply a little PVA to your locomotive's plastic imitation coal (or remove it altogether) and add some real coal instead.
 

If you really want to take your engines and coaches to the next level, you could add sound, even to analogue models! You can now get battery-operated sound chips from Train-Tech that require no wiring at all. Simply attach the chip inside your model and an inbuilt motion sensor detects not only when the model is moving, but how fast it is moving and plays an appropriate sound effect. The great thing about these chips is that you can put them into a rake of wagons or coaches so you don't need a separate chip for each engine saving you a small fortune. At the moment the chips are available in two formats, steam and diesel. The steam sound chip is generic enough to be used with most medium or large locomotives while the diesel chip emulates the sound of an English Electric or Sulzer type diesel. Working on that same principle, Train-Tech's lighting system is a great way to add coach lighting to your rolling stock, just locate the battery-powered lighting strip into your carriage and the chip will do the rest.

More adventurous modellers can also add a smoke generator to their locomotives. These are not complicated to wire into a model involving little more than attaching a couple of wires, however, finding somewhere to locate the equipment is a cut and dry case of whether there is physically enough room inside your model, so a little research would be well advised before purchasing one. If it is the case (and it probably will be) that you don't have enough room in your loco for a smoke generator, then why not install a land-based smoke generator in an engine shed or just inside a tunnel mouth, they are easy to install, give great effects and don't involve drilling smoke holes into your favourite locomotive's chimney, and that's a win-win!