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Modellings tips and answers - Modelling outside the hotel - Videos

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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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Railway song of the week

Reader Ian Barnett contacted us to suggest "Honky Tonk Train Blues". It is a lively instrumental track performed by the legendary progressive rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP). Known for their pioneering fusion of classical music, jazz and rock, ELP formed in 1970 and quickly became one of the defining acts of the progressive rock era. The band consisted of keyboard virtuoso Keith Emerson, guitarist and bassist Greg Lake, and drummer Carl Palmer, each renowned for their exceptional musical talent. Originally a boogie-woogie piano piece composed by Meade "Lux" Lewis in the late 1920s, "Honky Tonk Train Blues" was reimagined by ELP on their 1977 album Works Volume II. Keith Emerson’s rendition of the classic captures the lively spirit of the original while infusing it with his signature style, blending technical brilliance with a modern, progressive edge.

The track exemplifies ELP’s versatility and willingness to explore diverse musical genres beyond their usual symphonic and conceptual works. Emerson’s energetic and intricate piano playing takes centre stage, evoking the imagery of a bustling train journey with its infectious rhythms and lively momentum. While "Honky Tonk Train Blues" differs from the band's more elaborate compositions, it showcases their ability to reimagine classic works with originality and flair. A minor hit in the UK, the song earned praise for its technical brilliance and captivating energy, further solidifying ELP’s reputation as one of the most innovative and accomplished acts of their time. Click on the picture to listen to it.

This week in history

On Wednesday 8th January 1908, the German aviation pioneer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin announced his plans to build an airship that would carry up to 100 paying passengers. An officer in the Imperial German Army, von Zeppelin travelled to the United States in 1863 to act as a neutral military observer during the Civil War. It was whilst travelling in the Midwest that von Zeppelin experienced his first balloon flight, which fired his considerable imagination and enthusiasm. He was the driving force behind the development of the first successful airship, the Zeppelin LZ1, which first flew in 1900. The initial development of airships was with a view to military operations, although von Zeppelin had a fractious relationship with the German Army and as a result, looked to develop the airship for commercial use. Up until the start of World War One, commercial airships carried nearly 40,000 paying passengers without incident. Ferdinand von Zeppelin died in 1917 and was subsequently inducted into the International Air and Space Hall of Fame in 1975 for his services to aviation.

Do you have one?

Do you have Mr. Colour Levelling Thinner 110ml by Mr Hobby? This thinning and levelling agent is specifically formulated for use with acrylic and lacquer-based paints and comes in a 110ml bottle. It can be used by both brush and airbrush modellers. In addition to being a thinner, it also contains a retarding agent. This has two main benefits: it allows the paint more time to flow into recessed panel lines and contour other fine details, resulting in a smoother and more detailed finish, and it prevents the thinned paint from drying on the airbrush needle, which can cause spitting and an uneven paint finish. The Mr. Colour Levelling thinner is also available in a 400ml bottle.

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

We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the a few:

You can read all the articles sorted by categories or from the most recent published one on our website.

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 websit e.

Events and exhibitions

Find all the latest events and exhibitions for the model railway world, on the UK Model Shop Events directory. Hopefully, 2025 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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