Hello

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

Following the government guidelines, the shop in Sandown will re-open on Wednesday 2nd of December with the usual rules. If you are not on the Isle of Wight, you can place your order on our website and over the phone. Most orders are dispatched within 24 hours.

Doug Downie sent us more pictures of latest project with the following explanation: "The current situation has been an ideal opportunity to do some scratch building! Over the last few weeks I have put together 3 models using embossed plastic sheet and Evergreen products. I used Acrylic paints to highlight detail and to weather. I like to mix my colours and try to blend everything together. Thanks for all you do to encourage the hobby!" Click on the pictures to see more.

This week in history - On the 29th November 1954 the first dome cars built by the Budd Company entered service. Dome cars are a type of railway coach with a glass dome mounted on the roof to give passengers the opportunity to experience panoramic views of the journey. The cars initially entered service on the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.

Until recent times mail and parcels have been as much a part of our railways as passengers and goods. But modelling the goings-on around mail and mail-trains seems to go under the radar a little sometimes, and that's a shame because there is a whole world of dioramas and activity surrounding mail-train operations that are just waiting to be discovered and recreated.

Modelling mail operations can be as involved or casual as you choose, from the occasional passing of an actual mail train to a fully functioning parcels depot, the possibilities are immense. There are always smaller touches that you can add to merely hint at mail operations. For example in 00 gauge, a figure with a trolley of mail on one of your platforms or maybe a branded van in the station car park. At the other end of the scale, you could build a kit of a whole post office to include in your village scene, even the most serious of modellers are catered for in this category with decals and a RailMatch Royal Mail paint. Just don't forget to model the most important bit, the train! 

The postal service is well represented in N gauge too, with buildings, people, mail coaches and vehicles all portrayed in this increasingly popular gauge.

 

• How to fit drivers in locomotives
• What is the difference between a point and a turnout?
• How do I put together a white metal kit?
• What colour is a tree trunk?
• How do I clean super clean (cyanoacrylate)?