Welcome to March

It’s that time of year again. Hornby’s 2022 new product announcements have been revealed and there are some exciting new models on the horizon from Britain’s most iconic model railway manufacturer. Headlining its main range locomotive announcements for 2022 are models of the experimental LMS Princess Royal Class ‘Turbomotive’ 4-6-2, and LMS/BR ‘Stanier 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0, Class 755s and Class 423s, alongside many new OO gauge main range announcements, bolstered by new additions to its revived (and hugely popular) Hornby Dublo brand. See page 112 for our full report. Although the impact of COVID disruptions for businesses can still be felt, it’s heartwarming to see so much progress during a very challenging time for the hobby. 2021 was a busy year for new products, with highlights including Bachmann’s Class 47, the A2/2 and A2/3 from Hornby, Locomotion Models’ Wainwright ‘D’ Class, the GWR Railcar from Heljan, Accurascale’s 21T mineral wagons, and the new Mk. 1s from Dapol and Lionheart Trains to name just a few. Talking of the fantastic progress made ties in nicely to announce that it’s soon time to get voting for our prestigious BRM awards, which gives you, the modeller, the chance to vote for your favourite models and manufacturers for the year. Voting opens soon, so stay tuned. Back to your March issue, we’ve got four fantastic layouts on offer this month, starting with Martin Reynold’s OO gauge ‘Witham’, which is packed with scenic details and is due to have its first exhibition outing next month at The Festival of British Railway Modelling. Next up is ‘Kennington Cross’, by John Howe, a vibrant layout that pays homage to the Capital’s former electrified transport. Also in this issue, we pay a second visit to ‘Shenston Road’, this time focussing on its extensive steelworks. Even the most critical of modellers would struggle to find fault with this incredible layout. Finally, and not to be overshadowed, is the award-winning ‘Port Eden’, a fun and uplifting layout heavily influenced by coastal miniature railways. We always do our best to cater to all scales and interests in BRM, and help provide practical advice for a range of experience levels. This month, expert modeller, Jamie Warne, builds a campsite, sharing many scenic techniques and methods for upgrading proprietary kits along the way. Michael Scott also features in BRM for the first time this month, offering an account of how he constructed an impressive low-relief hotel in N gauge. Phil Parker provides top track-laying advice in the latest instalment of our BRM project layout build, plus Graham Nicholas restores a poorly-performing RTR locomotive to its former smooth-running glory. We’re always looking for innovative practical ideas and clever modelling guides please get in touch if there is something you’d like to see in a future issue. If you’re missing the DVD, becoming a subscriber will enable you to be sent new video content every month to your inbox, plus every digital issue of BRM comes packed with more features, bonus videos and extra photographs – why not treat yourself to it for 2022? Happy modelling!