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Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips and unboxing videos located at the bottom of the newsletter.
Most images in this newsletter are clickable for more details.
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Railway song of the week
Modeller Chris Royle got in touch to suggest
Take This Hammer by the
Spencer Davis Group with Steve Winwood on vocals. While this 1966 version of the traditional folk song is full of raw energy, we take this opportunity to suggest two alternate ones as well. The
Notting Hillbillies' version was released 20 years later and is a very melancholic country song with Mark Knopfler (on a break from Dire Straits) on guitar at his best. And nearly 15 years later,
Taj Mahal did his recording with Toumani Diabaté, fusing American blues and African instruments. Click on each picture to listen to each version.
This week in history
On 6th April 1930, a new altitude record was set by Lieutenant Soucek of the United States Navy who managed to reach a height of 43,166 feet in a Wright XF3W biplane.
Do you have one of these?
Laying track is easy, at least in theory. In reality, there are lots of things that can go wrong and identifying why the power is not reaching the far end of the layout is not straightforward.
A track tester will help: simply place the device across two pieces of track you wish to test. It will then detect what type of power is present - either the DCC or traditional DC analogue power. If the LED flickers inconsistently or does not light up over a certain section, it likely indicates an improper connection or broken spot on the track. This allows you to pinpoint problem spots for repair.
This is compatible with most small gauges: N, TT, OO, HO, OO9, HOm, On30... And it is red so you do not lose it!
Creating ambience for your hotel
In real life, many railway stations have a hotel nearby,
therefore, many layouts also feature a hotel. But if you want to make a
feature of your hotel, where do you start?
There are several good models of hotels available for 00 gauge, a good example is Superquick's 'Railway Hotel' card
kit that looks just as good in a town as it does in the countryside.
Once you have chosen or built a hotel that suits your needs, you can
start to work on the details. Think specifically about the hotel's
grounds, they don't have to be massive to incorporate details such as signage, a few tables and chairs for guests to relax at or some ornamental features such as a birdbath, sundial or some planters. If you choose you could even anchor your hotel to a specific location, for example, think small car park complete with tour bus and a smattering of palm trees and your mind immediately thinks of Torquay.
Once your hotel has a physical identity, it's time to think about
what sort of activity would be taking place there. You could add some beer barrels waiting to be put away in the cellar, reception staff greeting and helping customers, travellers arriving from their long journeys, taxis picking up guests or a gardener tending to the flower beds.
Planting your hotel properly and demonstrating a little bit of activity
can really help bring it to life and truly make it a feature to be
proud of on your layout!
Modelling tips
Or re-visit these slightly older ones:
Unboxing videos
You want to know what is inside the boxes of modelling products? We open them for you!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified before everyone else or simply click on this selection. Please note that
videos are at the bottom of each page.
You can access all the unboxing videos by
visiting this page or simply click on the
link called "videos" on
our website.
Events and exhibitions
Find all the latest events and exhibitions for the model railway world, on the
UK Model Shop Events directory. Hopefully, 2024 will give us plenty of opportunities to attend events all over the country.
Do you need to order?
Send us an email or give us a call to check
availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As
usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will
order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the
manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most
suppliers.
Remember, you can park for free for one hour on the High Street. So no excuse not to come and visit us!
Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. Obviously, our website is open 24h a day and we can post to most locations, including Europe, USA and Australia.
Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
http://www.trainshop.co.uk or find us on Facebook
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