Welcome to May

The clocks going forward and the nights drawing out can only mean one thing here in the UK; the return of summer. Months of evening strolls, BBQs and gardening pursuits – although looking outside as this issue goes to press, spring is causing some particularly unpredictable weather this year!

Sunglasses one minute, snow boots the next, the last few weeks have certainly kept the weatherman on his toes. There is, of course, one benefit to all this uncertain weather – more time inside modelling!

And for those of you who still want to get out and about, the good news is that the vast majority of our model railway exhibitions are set in undercover venues, where weather is not an obstacle. We held The London Festival of Railway Modelling last month at the Capital’s Alexandra Palace, and it was a great success, especially heartening to see so many young families in attendance – the future of the hobby. There are quite a few shows planned over the coming weeks, local and national, including the Bristol Model Railway Exhibition, which we’re excited to be managing this year, across the weekend of April 29, 30 and May 1, 2022 – hopefully, we’ll see you there!

Following the same trend as our unpredictable weather, this issue of BRM comes with a real mixture of articles and layouts, catering to many types of eras and gauges. ‘Granby Junction’, our lead layout this month, is a real feast for the eyes, with cameos a-plenty and operational sequences that last for hours. In contrast, the snowfilled ‘Humphrey Road Sidings’ portrays a peaceful landscape in a might-have-been Southern scene. Our final layout is actually two separate scenes, at two very different locations, its builder couldn’t decide between them, so built them both! Impressive stuff for your first (and second) layout.

We’ve certainly packed in a lot of practical advice in this issue, too, whether you’re interested in adapting a plastic N gauge kit, repairing your older or second-hand locomotives, constructing an electricity pylon for great visual impact, or building your own Post Office van. DCC myths have also been debunked in this issue, plus Phil Parker takes a look at some of the various options for lighting up your layouts.

And that’s not all, as David Ratcliffe takes a look back at the industrial complexities of Trafford Park, could this be your next modelling project? And, we also reveal the BRMA winners for 2021.

We love sharing modelling techniques, which will hopefully help you pass some of the less-favourable weather over the coming weeks. And if you’ve a technique you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at brm@warnersgroup.co.uk.

Happy Modelling!

Unfortunately, the price of the latest issue of BRM has gone up slightly. We too have felt the pinch, with paper, postage and printing costs all rising significantly. Our subscription costs will increase slightly too, but not until May 31, so now could be the time to consider taking out a subscription, especially with our three issues

for £5 introductory offer.