February Garden Rail and EiM

Garden Rail is looking back tot he snowy weather just before Christmas to see how those whose layouts are affected by great big dollops of the white stuff deal with it.

Being a magazine covering a wide range of scale and gauges can be challenging. How small is too small? Martin R Wicks explains to readers how the O gauge world has changed - and I had great fun categorising this as "Smaller scales" - which to most of the readership it is. What a different world from BRM where many people aspire to O but don't have space!

There's plenty of building too including Si Harris showing how to make plastic sheet look like wood. It's one of those cross-scale techniques that I'm keen to include. After all, there needs to be something for everyone and there is a lot to appreciate in every branch of the garden hobby.

Engineering in Miniature is all about bringing new blood into the hobby. People are always moaning that the hobby is full of old folks - although to be fair, this recently happened as the person saying it swung an arm pointing at a room about half full of families with kids, so I guess sometimes it's what you want to believe.

Anyway, the National Traction Engine Club founded The Steam Apprentice Club years ago to help solve this problem and we report on their latest project - a 4in traction engine.

Solomon Johnson, Northern Association of Model Engineers Junior Engineer of the year 2016 writes the young engineers column and Dave Rowe, a name many railway modellers will remember from the 1970s and 80s, shows us how to build a simple automata to plant the seed of "making" into the grandchildren.

Talking of new blood, this also sees my last issue of EiM. 6 months of editing both magazines at the same time has been more than a challenge so I'm handing over the chair to Andrew Charman. No rest for me though, I've several new BRM projects on the horizon, more on these later in the year.

Garden Rail and EiM - January

No, you didn't miss Christmas, it's just that January happens early in the magazine world.

Garden Rail features a distinctly non-garden layout this month. Chris MacKenzie's Ffuglen Station is an exhibition layout in 16mm scale that proves you can build an interesting model and still have it fit in a reasonable sized room. Winter provides an opportunity to look at indoor layouts, at least once anyway. We do head outside for a running session at the Midland Railway Centre of course, and the writer owning an IOM style model in now way influenced my enthusiasm for this...

I'm keen to include some non-scale specific techniques and so this time we have Si Harris showing how to model worn wood but using nice maintenance free plastic.

Product News is headed up by the newly arrived 16mm scale K1 Garratt. Sadly, no-one will send me one of those, but Tag has borrowed one for a short while and will be bringing us a review in the future.

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Our main feature in Engineering in Miniature is a prize winning model spotted at the Midlands Exhibition. "Lady Stephanie" is built by John Mellor from scratch - and I mean from scratch, he's machined everything including the flywheel.

There's a bit of a workshop feel with guides to cutting square threads and making a tensiometer and also a dividing head.

A free guide to the London Model Engineering show is included as is a report on the Competition and Display classes from the Midlands show.

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EiM and Garden Rail - December 2017

If there has been an aspect of model engineering we've been lacking in EiM over the last few months, it's been proper drawings. Popular with readers, the struggle has been finding anyone willing to produce any. Drawing requires a particular skillset and takes time - writing and photographs are far quicker by comparison.

Those following the EiM steam plant series need drawings however, and Martin has furnished us with a set for the displacement lubricator. We've allocated a big chunk of the editorial space for them but I think it's worth it.

Elsewhere we have a William Foster engine in 4 inch scale, minimum gauge railways and knurling among other topics covered.

More on Engineering in Miniature. 

Garden Rail has gone a bit christmassy with a cover feature requiring an unusual modelling tool - a chainsaw! Now, I don't have one of these in my toolbox, perhaps I should ask Santa?

There's also some lovely Terrier weathering in G1 using powders, clockwork powered trains showing there is a use for all that old Hornby O gauge stuff, a giant turntable, G3 wagon, Ragleth personalisation and the largest Product News section we have enjoyed for quite a while. Our poor designer had to cram rather a lot of news into a smaller space than would be ideal, but he came good and I think it shows a hobby very much on the up.

More on Garden Rail.

EiM and Garden Rail - November 2017

A first for Engineering in Miniature this month - an article sourced from RMweb. When Gary posted photos of his MSWJR loco on the forum, I spotted it and cajoled him into giving me more details, it's a fascinating project.

There's also a fantastic Land Rover kit build that is within the grasp of anyone who is competent at DIY. Buy the pre-cut wood kit and there's little more than drilling and bolting required. The two guys who built the model on the page are somewhat over-qualified for the job but really enjoyed the work anyway, hopefully, the grandchildren who get to drive it will be just as happy!

Garden Rail has an unusual industrial line on the cover this month. Being a fan of odd-looking little locos, it was a natural when I spotted the photos. Staying with the unusual theme, there's a station based on the Taj Mahal, not something you'll find in most British magazines!

Finally, I've been doing some investigative journalism by getting hold of track used in the forthcoming Channel 4 series "The Biggest Little Railway in the World" and taking a look at what you need to traverse 73 miles of Scotland. Although the series isn't on air yet, hopefully, this will still be interesting. I just need to work out what to do with several metres of the stuff...

October in EiM and Garden Rail

Lots of good stuff in your local newsagent at the moment (or on your doormat if you've been smart enough to take out a subscription) in the larger scales.

Starting with Garden Rail, Tag Gorton is back, tangling with a Ragleth steam loco and adding details and features he likes.

We then take a trip to New Zealand for a very detailed sawmill model. Outside the UK, there seems to be more emphasis on realism in the garden and this is certainly a lovely looking model, all made from Kwila wood - something I don't think you can find in the UK although alternatives are available.

Loving odd-ball locos, "Wort, a shunting tractor obviously appealed to me as did the modifications to a vertical boiler Mamod "Brunell". Building fans will like the Welsh chapel, far more than a straight kit build, and the 3D printed kiosks protecting lineside electronics.

It's good to see a layout in print and this month we have The Shreen Valley Railway which appeal because there's a lot of detail bringing the scenes to life.

Finally, I'm getting to like 7/8th scale models and the Model Earth Tumbril's built and painted by Steph' Hicking really look my sort of model.

Garden Rail magazine

Moving over to EiM, much of the focus is on the Midland Model Engineering Exhibition which we preview. The first feature - a mine dump truck - is one of the entries in the show and a superb model I had the chance to photograph at Hereford SME.

We return to the Panter tank serial with the turret, Even if you don't want to build this model, the details of the insides are very instructive.

I'm keen to introduce a few simpler projects for less well equipped (both in skills and machinery) readers. We start with Putt-putt boats, the little candle power models that you can buy for a few quid or better still, make for even less. Great fun for old and young.

There are visits to Hereford, Burton and Statfold Barn for rallies too, so plenty of eye candy if you like small scale steam engines.

Engineering in Miniature magazine

EiM and Garden Rail in the shops

It's a big day - the first issues of Garden Rail and Engineering in Miniature magazines I have been responsible for hit the news stands.

Starting in the garden, I've filled it with lots of construction articles, some of which cover topics that I've always wondered about. Clockwork power? It can be done, but the power source comes from an unexpected device and not one I'd imagined when contemplating the idea.

Building locos in plastic is another of my "things" and to see someone build an electric Gauge 1 loco appeals to me enormously. It's putting larger scales in reach of those without a massive workshop.

We've also some laser-cut kit action from both IP Engineering and Phil Sharples - again, very much my sort of thing with my background in cheap'n'cheerful garden modelling.

There's some nifty building work with a smoking distillery and Mel Turbutt finds space for a 16mm line with an article opening with a photo that could be a real scene. I told the designer to use it large...

The cover of Engineering in Miniature is in my opinion, stunning showing Alan Barnes 6 inch Burrell. The moment I opened the file, I knew it was going on the front of the magazine!

Model Engineers enjoy show reports and so we have several including the all important narrow gauge IMLEC efficiency trials and a look around Statfold Barn.

Since these are my first issues, I'm still on a learning curve. The process has been interesting and it's going to take me a few months to really get hold of both, but in the meantime, I think readers will like what they find (probably some really obvious typos...). I've a few ideas for the future to really make them burst with content, so get down to Smiths and bag yourself a copies.

Garden Rail and Engineering In Miniature

Readers of the current issue of BRM who make it to the back page will find out that I'm going to be picking up some new work in a couple of months.

In July, I take over as editor of both Garden Rail and Engineering In Miniature magazines.

As regular readers will know, I have a long background of messing about in the garden. Admittedly this is mostly at the home-spun make and do end of the hobby, but I'm sure I can understand the high-end live steam world too, especially once I get to have a go at it!

Engineering is a little different. My visits to marvel at the exhibits on show at various ME shows through the years are documented on here, but I can't claim to any skills at lathe work. Fortunately, my role is to assembled the content rather than machine a casting. Mind you, if anyone fancies showing me how, I'm definitely up for it.

I've some big boots to fill with all this and in many ways it's a new direction for me. You don't get rid of me from BRM, I'll still be spending plenty of time building away there and I'm expecting plenty of cross-over between the three publications as well.

Now if you are reading this and thinking, "I wonder if Phil would be interested in an article on...", the answer is yes. Drop me an e-mail and we'll talk about it. After all, I have a contributors budget to spend. You'll not get rich but it's very satisfying to see yourself in print and you can be sure of support from an editor who remembers how he was helped along the way.

This blog? Hopefully all will continue as before. Overall, I have a full-time job with all this stuff and should be able to do a few more projects to fill it. I've 2 lined up once I've finished the Wickham for a start. There will probably be a few more newsy posts and perhaps some talking about places I've been for work. A similar mix to what we've had recently.