News from your model shop - 11th December 2022

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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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On Friday 16th December 1977, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Heathrow Central underground station. This was an extension of the existing Piccadilly Line from Hounslow and Hatton Cross to Heathrow Airport. This was the first rail link of its kind specifically linking a capital city with its international airport. The terminal is now effectively on an end-of-line loop after the subsequent opening of Terminals 4 and 5 and their associated stations. With the closure of Terminal 1 in 2015, the station was renamed Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 Tube station and in 2021 reportedly handled over 2.4 million passengers.
On 1st January 1923, almost all railway operators in Great Britain were assimilated into what was to become known as the 'Big Four', namely Great Western Railway (GWR), London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and Southern Railway (SR).  Admittedly, a small number of independent Railway Companies continued to operate, but most routes were firmly under the control of the 'Big Four' until 31st December 1947 when the national rail network was nationalised to form British Railways.

For many railway enthusiasts, the era of the 'Big Four' represents a halcyon period for rail operations in Great Britain and as such is a popular period for modellers to recreate.  As such, many modellers aim to recreate a layout that is not only faithful to a particular time period but also to a particular operator.  This fact has been recognised by the major modelling manufacturers.  The range of available products is vast and beyond the scope of a brief article, so the aim of this newsletter is to offer a sample and idea of what can be achieved for modellers who wish to recreate a specific 'Big Four' themed layout.

The Great Western Railway (GWR), linked London to the West Country, West Midlands and Wales.  For many customers, it was known as 'The Holiday Line', as inevitably it took a great many people to holiday destinations in the West Country and Wales.  Famed for its iconic architecture and distinctive style, these factors are faithfully recreated in a selection of GWR-themed products.  The Ratio GWR station train shed faithfully models in N Gauge the train shed at Ashburton in Devon.  Likewise, OO Gauge is well represented by the GWR Signal Box kit by Metcalfe and the GWR Square Post Distant Signal by Ratio.



The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), linked London to the North East and Eastern Scotland.  The famous Railway Engineer Sir Nigel Gresley worked for LNER and helped create many iconic carriages and locomotives including the majestic 'Mallard' for passenger services on the expansive routes operated by the Company.  The LNER travel posters by Gaugemaster in N Gauge reflect the diverse range of destinations served by LNER.  Likewise, in OO Gauge the LNER Country Station by Dornaplas and the LNER Lattice post Signal kit by Ratio will help a modeller develop a distinctive LNER theme to their layout.



The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), linked London to the Midlands, the North West and parts of Scotland.  It was the largest of the four in terms of area and track length and was also the largest commercial enterprise in the country for much of its history, although its generated revenues were generally disappointing.  As befits its status as the largest of the 'Big Four', LMS had its own distinctive style and identity.  The LMS Albion Horsebox by Oxford in N Gauge carries a distinctive and attractive maroon colour scheme synonymous with LMS.  Meanwhile, in OO Gauge we also have LMS-specific infrastructures such as the GWR/LMS Joint Loading Gauge and the LMS Round Post Home Signal, both produced by Ratio.



The Southern Railway (SR), linked London with the Channel Ports, the South-West as far as Exeter and Plymouth and Southern England including the Isle of Wight.  It was the smallest of the 'Big Four' and unlike the others relied on passenger services for the majority of its revenues.  Each of the 'Big Four' had its own distinctive style, for many passengers the overwhelming memory of Southern Railway was of malachite green which was the presiding colour for locomotives and carriages and for much of Station Signage.  Peco offers their SR furniture removals wagon crates to help establish a distinctive Southern nuance in N Gauge.  In OO Gauge, Dapol have produced their distinctive SR distant Ladder Signal whereas Ratio offers their SR Precast concrete pale fencing.  Both will help a modeller to develop a specific SR theme to a layout.



Inevitably there was some degree of overlap for the 'Big Four', not only in their operational areas but also in the infrastructure that they used.  For a modeller, this means there are a great number of layout items that are ubiquitous and as such can be used faithfully in any regionally-based layout.  That said, each operator had its own distinctive approach and with careful planning, a modeller can easily reflect both aspects when faithfully recreating a layout based on a specific regional operator.

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• What is the best colour primer to use?
• What is the difference between modern image and present day?
• What gauge is most realistic?
• Are there any liquid track cleaners and how do they work?
• In railways, what is a Palvan?

• Woodland Scenics A200 Gentle Grips
• Airfix 50157A D-Day Air Assault Diorama - 1/72 Scale
• Ratio 525 Coal/Builders Merchants OO/HO Gauge

You can access all the unboxing videos by visiting this page or simply click on the link called "videos" on our website.