Model Layouts


Model Railways Video



Every boy when I was small wanted a model railway. Their fathers also wanted model railways. Many sets were thus sold to older men ostensibly for their sons and daughters.
Things go in cycles, Model railways and Scalextric layouts, two of the largest areas of sales by scale models in the last few decades of the last century, gave way to computers and their computer games, the virtual railway of the future. It seemed the scale railroad building days were over, only sustained by older die hards of the O, HO, and 00 gauge, and the avid scenery building clubs. The railway still had its place at any big show, as at heart we all loved steam railways, and with them gone, it was the next best thing, an accessory after the fact.

However the private steam lines like the Severn Valley Railway and the Bluebell Line rekindled interest about railways for whole new generations, once again ably and enthusiastically supported by their fathers if only to get them away from TV and computers for an hour or so, to plan new layouts and scenery.
Many famous names had gone, like Wrenn, Dapol, and Triang, but the big H, Bachmann and until recently Lima battled on, going from strength to seeming strength, with most venturing into the virtual railway and chipped railways fields.

The virtual railway is a superb planning aid, in addition to being instructive, and chipped railways means you power the model railway and not the track. Ebay also now makes available second user quality yesteryear model railway accessory trucks, coaches, track, and engines, in addition to signals. I get most of my electric model railway set scale parts and scenery off ebay.

This Christmas will see an amazing resurgence in the model railways market, with discount display items for sale at every surviving outlet. Unfortunately these outlets have dwindled, but I am lucky in that where I live now is in Rubery, home of Roys Toys and hobbies, one of the largest model railway outlets in the country, and certainly one of the biggest mail order outlets for model railway accessory parts, locomotives coaches and trucks in England.

Roys Toys Mail order

Smarston7@aol.com

For antique or vintage model railways, apart from the large second user locomotives trucks and coaches at Roys Toys above, I tend to buy off Ebay where I can, mainly Wrenn, which I also consider an investment for the future, going up in price that fast.

Its nice that the grand plan has turned full circle, and that Big H and Bachmann have weathered the storm, to come up with a virtual new range of highly sophisticated technology for a highly sophisticated public, where electric usage and power is now concerned.
Looking at the popular searches for model railways its nice to see Lionel and Bachmann alive and kicking in the railway world, and scale model locomotive kit building being a renewed interest for a whole new generation.

The railway show now once again has that magic to it, and the power of the new sophisticated controllers and chip technology make it all the more real, albeit without smoke or steam.
Margate is the mainspring of all that is new, although for Margate read China, as with Bachmann.

The picture of a little boy and his father at Christmas assembling model railway layouts from a newly bought model railway is complete, full circle turnaround to yesteryear but with better accessories and support, 00 gauge, HO, and O survive to live another era, thanks to outlets like local Roys Toys who weathered the storm and are now prime focal distribution outlets, both direct and mail order.

Roys Toys

Smarston7@aol.com

As the novelty of computers wanes, the old magic of the steam railways is still brought back to life in the shape of the model railway, and now comparing its price to a computer it seems a lot less expensive than when I was a kid, when model railway buying was an expensive hobby.
Times change, and the modern engines have much more reliability and more accurate detail than ever before, where other products fail to use the new materials and technology this cannot be levelled at the model railway manufacturers of today.
Above all, it instills an interest or hobby to replace endless indolent hours getting fat in front of a screen.

The dream lives on.

Railway layouts are bouncing back mainly due to the expertise of Margate railways chief executive, who has breathed new life and ideas into what was the so tired and demoralised operation, giving the wheel time to turn full circle and for the old to become the new trend. As people become bored with the technological wizardry on their screens so they turn again to the favourites of yesteryear, now much more sophisticated and amazingly true to detail. That Margate are so close to detail and extremely competant in engineering owes a debt to firms like Dapol, Airfix, Lima, Mainline, Wrenn, Triang and the like, who pushed them to create excellence instead of just churning out thousands safe in a monopoly.




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near enough, but so far Luigi he is patient.