Model blogging site & Kit building services
Graham Farish has released eight variations of the MK I Post Office Tender vehicle. This first saw service in 1968 and remained in use until the mid-2000s.
Continue reading “Graham Farish N Gauge Mk I Post Office Storage Vans, POT, out now.”
Kingsway Models has released a large model of the Ex Carlisle bus depot. The kit is printed on card sheets and is not die-cut, hence we offer a kit build service for this building. You can buy an unbuilt kit from Kingsway on the link above.
Continue readingAt less than £20, Peco TT:120 wagons represent great value. Especially when you consider 00 wagons are priced at around £40.
Continue reading “Peco TT:120 wagons, are they any good?”
Hornby has released a new 00 scale Midland Pullman Class 43 HST set, in the striking Blue Pullman livery. A powerful 5-pole skew wound motor is fitted as well as a 21-pin DCC socket. NEM couplings also come as standard.
Continue reading “Hornby’s New 00-scale Midland Pullman Train Pack”
Already released is the Peco TT:120 Country station.
Buy the Peco TT:120 Country station on Amazon (Affiliate link): Peco TT:120 Country Station
The range of Peco lineside TT:120 kits continues to grow with several new announcements. All will be available in September 2025. The kits are based on buildings found at Ventnor West on the Isle of Wight. The first is a station building that can be built in two ways. Either as one building with a canopy or as two separate buildings with canopies.
Next is a small goods shed; there is also a new signal box on the way.
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ATD card-building kits are fairly new and this article uses two of them to build an attractive diorama in TT:120 scale. The kits used are the ATD13014 1970s office block and the ATD13023 Mess hut and store.
The office block kit comes on several thin card sheets that are pre-cut. there is also a sheet of printed windows. Construction is fairly simple and begins with separating the walls from the sheets. The cut line is not very distinct and a metal ruler and knife are recommended for this. The two main walls overlap each other to add depth.
Once the windows are fitted and the main walls are together the first floor is added. Tabs locate into cutouts in the walls to position the floor. At this point, it is a good idea to add corner brackets, as the walls tend to splay out. Keep the brackets low enough to allow for the roof rebate which drops inside the walls.
The roof assembly is fiddly, please make sure that all the components align properly. I left the windows out and sprayed the roof with matt black paint. This covered all the white edges including the insides of the window openings. Lastly add the windows.
lastly, the cladding was added, this added another layer and more depth. The main building was then complete.
Made of 1 mm card.
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The diorama base is made from an A4 canvas intended for paintings. These have a simple wooden frame with a canvas stretched over it. They make good diorama bases when used with a card top. The top was sprayed with grey primer to represent the tarmac. additionally, some pavement was added. 00 pavement can be used, printed at about 60% size.
The construction of the other buildings is the same as for the office block. The vehicles used are from the Oxford TT range.
Made of 1 mm card.
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When the railway arrived in Accrington in 1848, the area was little more than a Village.
Continue reading “Accrington’s lost line and exploring the route.”The Ribble bus company was a Lancashire pioneer in bus transport. The company was founded in 1919 just after WW I, in a small Lancashire village near Preston. Notably, the depot in Gregson lane contained four double decker and one single decker bus. Services ran to Preston, Longridge and Bamber bridge.
Ribble started operating from Lancaster in 1926 and were fairly aggressive in absorbing other local companies, in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The Lancashire and Westmoreland Motor service Company was acquired by Ribble in 1927. Interestingly, this merger gave Ribble access to the Lake District as well as Liverpool. The trunk route ran from Preston to Keswick and 80 vehicles were in use. There were depots at Lancaster, Kendal and Ambleside.
The Ribble bus company operated buses made by Leyland, Lion, A.D.C, Thornycroft and Daimler. Moreover, Leyland buses were made just down the road in the town with the same name. Ribble had a long association with Leyland. Additionally Leyland chassis were often used with bodies from other manufacturers such as Burlingham.
The Leyland Cheetah was an attractive coach that was in used in the 1930’s. Unusually it had a petrol engine and was used for shorter express routes. Additionally, It was also used for day trips and private hires. Notably, the vehicle below is in preservation and owned by the The Ribble vehicle preservation Trust. Consequently, they own a number of historic Ribble vehicles.
Ribble bus models have been produced BY EFE, Oxford Diecast and Corgi. Britbus have also released Ribble bus models. Some of the available bus models are listed below, they are all 1:76 scale.
| Model Manufacturer | Bus manufacturer | Bus type | Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britbus (BT Models) | Albion | Lowlander | |
| Britbus (BT Models) | Leyland | Atlantean | |
| Corgi OOC | Leyland | Leopard | Panorama |
| Corgi OOC | Leyland | Olympian ECW | |
| EFE | Leyland | Closed Back | |
| EFE | Plaxton | National coach | |
| Oxford Diecast | Leyland | Tiger Cub | |
| EFE | Leyland | PD1 | Highbridge |
| Corgi OOC | Metro Cammell | Orion | |
| EFE | Leyland | Olympian | Eastern coach works |
This Alvis cars history and model guide looks at the history of Alvis vehicles and the available die-cast models. Notably, die-cast Models of Alvis cars have been produced since 1940.
The Alvis car company began life as TG John and Co. Ltd in 1919. They originally made stationary engines and motor scooters. However, they were soon approached by engine designer Geoffrey de Freville who had a design for an advanced four cylinder engine. Consequently, all that was needed now was a car for the engine to propel. The company ceased production in 1967.
The first car model was the 10/30. This vehicle rapidly gained a reputation for build quality and performance. As a result the Alvis Car and engineering company LTD was founded in 1921.
The 10/30 came out in 1920 and was produced until 1923. Notably, It had the De Freville designed four cylinder 1460CC side valve engine. Consequently, this engine had a bore of 68mm and a stroke of 100mm. There were also overhead valve variants. Next, various body styles were available and the chassis could be had for £450 fro the chassis or £470 with a factory body. Top speed was 60 mph and there was a four speed gearbox.
In the 1930’s Alvis produced cars that were advanced for the time. Consequently, they had large six cylinder engines, all synchromesh gears and servo assisted brakes.
Below is a basic listing of Alvis chassis types. Additionally, there were many body and coachwork variations.
The Alvis cars history and model guide now looks at what is available in die-cast model form. Notably, Alvis cars have been issued by many different model manufacturers since 1940.
Interestingly, the first model issued was the Dinky 38d Alvis Sports tourer. This was issued in various colours between 1940-49.
More recently models have been released by Top Marques, Franklin Mint, Oxford Die-Cast, Gems & Cobwebs, Matrix models, Ixo and others.
The earliest Top Marques Alvis model is the 1934 Speed 20 tourer. This hand built white metal model is made to 1:43 scale and is available for less than £100. Additionally there is a Mayfair bodied version of this model in white.
Moving on, next, comes the lovely 1954 TC21/100 this is available in various colours and versions.
The Alvis TD21 of 1961 is represented by a maroon convertible version.
On sale!
Matrix models 1:43 Alvis 4.3 litre Vanden Plas Tourer ’38, £84.99
See Tri-ang TT models on eBay (affiliate link)
TT gauge had it’s heyday in the 1950’s and 1960’s. However production had ceased by 1965.
TT gauge has a track width of 12MM and is half-way between N gauge and OO gauge.
Although the original Tri-ang TT gauge range was short-lived Hornby have now released a new range of TT products.
TT gauge began in the U.S.A. just after WW II. when Harold Joyce formed The company. H.P products. The first release was an EMC E6 locomotive, followed by an 0-6-0 switcher. They were substantially built with a brass chassis and wheels.
The EMC E6 was a Diesel locomotive, built between 1939 and 1942. Steam locomotives soon followed. Interestingly, they used the same drive mechanism, in several different configurations, as Tri-ang were to do later.
In 1949, the Challenger was added to the range. This was an ambitious model for the time and sold for $85.00.
This diorama can be used as a stand-alone unit or built in to a layout.
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TT began to go out of favour in the mid 1960’s, when both H.P. and Tri-ang ceased production. however TT remained popular in Europe.
Tri-ang began TT production in 1958 and the range gradually grew. A few other manufacturers started to support the scale with Superquick releasing a few die-cut card kits in 1960.
Part 2 will look at the modern reincarnation of TT Gauge and the last days of Tri-Ang TT.
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