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Hello
We are still dispatching daily.
However, we cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas unless choosing Next Day delivery before Monday midday.
We are open as usual, but closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
The shop will close early at 2pm on Christmas Eve and 3pm on New Year's Eve.
Railway song of the week
Is it really a railway song or is it a dance? Reader Bruno contacted us to suggest this video showing the Fernsehballett (German Television Ballet) performing to Chattanooga Choo Choo, made famous in 1941 by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. We thought it festive enough a Christmas newsletter and we hope you will agree. Click on the picture to watch the video:
This week in history
On Christmas Eve in 1801, Richard Trevithick successfully showed off his road-going steam locomotive 'The Puffing Devil' for the fist time when it carried six passengers uphill from Camborne Cross to the nearby village of Beacon in Cornwall.
Do you have one?
This week's tool of the week is a four-jaw double-ended pin vice from Expotools.
This versatile tool gives you the ability to use drill bits ranging
from zero to 3mm with just a single vice. Why have four when you can
just have one!
Happy Christmas
Well, here we are again, the time of peace and goodwill to modellers
everywhere. Hopefully, you are all prepared with a suitably dressed
tree, mince pies at the ready and a turkey that has just one last
purpose to serve. All that remains is to take a seat next to an open
fire, pour yourself a sherry, and settle in for our
traditional Christmas newsletter.
Last year,
many
of you took great delight at our ill-fated attempt to recreate the
Twelve Days of Christmas using only available models and products. This year, we have been challenged to
have a go at Jingle Bells.
We would like to thank the reader who suggested this, although,
sourcing a flying reindeer is probably going to be a bit of a challenge
to say the least, but modellers never give in, so here we go!
As it happens, the first line didn't pose much of a challenge at all. 'Dashing through the snow' can easily be represented using Noch's Snowboarders, after all, they are always dashing places in the snow!
Next, is the line 'In a one-horse open sleigh' and WOW! this is too easy! Preiser's one-horse open sleigh set is so good that it comes with a spare horse! Of course, Preiser
claims this set simply contains two horses, but we know better!
The line 'Over the fields we go' is a no-brainer, simply use Busch's HO gauge ploughed field then scratch-build yourself a flying reindeer and sledge using toilet rolls and cereal packets, easy!
Our reader thought he had gotten the better of us with 'laughing all the way' as there are surprisingly few models featuring people actually laughing, but Langley saved the day with their picnic figure set. Thank you Langley, that was a close one!
Some of the best manufacturers in the world thought we had lost the plot when we called them up asking for bob-tail bells! but worry not reader, we found a lady Santa with a bell and some tail lamps in our storeroom. Your scene may not turn out exactly as planned, but no model is perfect!
We are beginning to suspect that the reader who gave us this
challenge (to whom we are still very grateful, but is going to be
charged double for rail joiners from now on!) has really put a lot of
thought into his challenge. As good as we like to think we are, modelling someone's spirit being bright is a bit of a tall order, so please accept a model of some bottled spirits from Langley and some shop lighting effects from Train-Tech to make your brand new pack of spirits bright!
Our reader may well want to know what fun it is to ride and sing a
sleighing song tonight, but what we want to know is what on earth can
we suggest to keep him happy?
After many sleepless nights (and glasses of sherry later), we decided to represent fun using a very seasonal set of children playing in the snow from Noch. The Faller set we
have chosen to represent the 'ride' part of the verse definitely states
there is a ride in the box, so we are claiming it as a victory. We
would, however, like to apologise to our reader who now has a brand new
summer fairground ride in the
middle of his Jingle Bells themed scene, we feel at least partly
responsible for this, but if you squint, it may not seem too bad!
For the very last line 'A sleighing song tonight' we can definitely redeem ourselves with a set containing sledges galore from Busch. To represent 'tonight' you have two options. Option A = Turn off all the lights. Option B = use a sleeper coach.
The first suggestion is both environmentally friendly and realistic,
but the coach is really nice so we would recommend you go for that.
Well, once again we have successfully turned some popular festive lyrics into a convincing and realistic Christmas diorama (if you use lots of modeller's licence and don't look too hard!). We
would like to assure you that no modeller's feelings were harmed in the
production of this newsletter. We would also like to wish you all a very very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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.
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 usually 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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