Modellings tips and answers - Modelling with card kits - Videos

Modeller Alan Morgan emailed and suggested we share with you Railroad Bill by the Lea Valley Skiffle Group as his dad was a member of the group. We are happy to oblige and I hope most of you will agree: there is nothing better than a bit of skiffle on a Sunday!

This week in history

On Tuesday 27th September 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was officially opened.  The S&DR was intended to carry coal from the collieries in County Durham to the port of Stockton on the River Tees.  Although coal was the intended commodity to be carried, the first journey to be conducted also carried up to 600 passengers hauled by No.1 Locomotion, a 0-4-0 steam locomotive designed by George and Robert Stephenson.  The S&DR was the first public railway in the world to use steam locomotives and operated up until 1863 when it subsumed into the North Eastern Railway, which in turn was integrated into the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923.

This week's item for thought is the Basic Oval Track Set by Kato in N Gauge.  This a basic oval of Kato's distinctive pre-ballasted Unitrack designed for use by both beginners and more experience modellers alike.  The principle behind Unitrack is that it is quick and easy to assemble and disassemble, making it especially useful for modellers who do not have the space for a permanent layout.  The set contains the required track sections to create a simple loop with a power pack, suitable connectors and a standard UK-compatible 3-pin plug.

From humble beginnings in 1991, the British company Metcalfe has become an internationally recognised and widely respected name as a kit manufacturer. From their base in the Yorkshire Dales, Metcalfe produce a wide range of card-based kits in both OO and N gauges, which has made them a firm favourite with railway and diorama modellers alike. The Metcalfe range has broadened and diversified as the company has grown and in addition to railway specific buildings, it also includes industrial and domestic buildings, garden and municipal accessories and building material sheets.

In addition to a wide selection of station and platform related buildings, Metcalfe also produces other railway-themed infrastructure, such as the goods shed  kit. In addition to the handy loading platform, this versatile kit also includes a weighbridge with it's associated office. In a similar vein, the service station kit not only includes a fully equipped motor vehicle workshop and showroom but also a pair of petrol pumps under their own designated canopy. Another versatile aspect of Metcalfe kits is their modularity, which allows a modeller to combine a number of kits together to create a larger overall structure. The mainline station booking hall  kit is a good example of this in that the basic kit can be combined with other kits to produce as large or small a structure as is required by the layout. All of these kits are available from the Metcalfe OO gauge range.

In addition to their elegant and functional buildings, Metcalfe also produces a series entitled 'Mini-Kits' of much smaller but no less functional items that will help to populate a layout. These smaller kits are also a great way for modellers who are new to card-based models to cut their teeth so to speak. The picnic tables kit includes 3 wooden picnic tables, each with its own parasol and would be an ideal complement to a pub garden or cafe themed scenario. The bus shelter kit provides a compact and detailed kit that is flexible enough to be used in a wide range of urban and rural areas. For modellers looking for something slightly more unusual, the pill boxes kit may well be just the option, as it contains two realistic looking pill boxes to add a slice of vintage authenticity to a scene. All of these items are available in OO gauge.

Due to the nature of the subject matter, many Metcalfe models are effectively multi media kits as they contains non-card based elements such as acetates for windows. The goods yard crane kit includes a section of chain to help create a realistic crane that would be an ideal complement to the goods shed  we have previously seen. Like the goods yard crane, the water wheel  kit is a good example of a purely mechanical apparatus that can easily be recreated using a card based model. This practical item can be detailed and weathered as required before being integrated into a larger scene element. Similarly, the stone fountain is a good example of the diverse range of structures that can be built using the medium of card. This particular kit comes with a choice of water spouts and surface water effects and as such would be an ideal focal point for a town square or market.

One of the great advantages of the Metcalfe range is its multi-scale approach, as many of the kits that are produced in OO gauge are also available in N gauge. Card kits lend themselves particularly well to N Gauge layouts and remain just as visually stunning in the smaller scale. The Ramshackle workshop kit is a good example of this and will be eye-catching on any N gauge layout. Similarly, the wooden pavillion kit is a simple yet visually impressive building that can be utilised as a sport's club pavilion or perhaps a scout or guides hut. In a similar fashion to OO gauge, Metcalfe kits in N gauge can also be used to create impressive engineering structures, such as the stone style railway bridge set which can be adapted to either single or double track operations as required.

In a little over thirty years, Metcalfe has become a widely recognised brand, instantly synonymous with the world of scale railway modelling. The hallmarks of the Metcalfe brand are strong and robust kits that are good value for money, fun to build and offer exceptional detail. Whether working in OO or N gauges, Metcalfe kits offer a considerable scope of subject matter covering a diverse range of layout scenarios. Why not investigate the Metcalfe kit range for options for your next project?

Modelling tips

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