Hints & Tips No.220
Operating Barchester Pt. 1
By Bob Heath 

I have 4 Platforms plus both engine shed roads and the first 4 of the fiddle yard roads come under main line operations. Platform 5, storage roads 6 & 7, two goods roads plus the remaining two fiddle yard roads are all for branch line operations. My platform 2 is just a bay and is used solely by an auto-trailer.

Because of the deliberate crowding of locomotives and rolling stock, and the way I have chosen to operate the fiddle yard, Barchester operates to a sequence of movements which HAS to be adhered to. Otherwise there is chaos, with the operator, or operators, not knowing where some of the stock is.

Rolling stock always starts the day in the same position. A sequence of movements has been worked out for each half of the layout so that at the end of the working day all stock finishes up back where it started. The mainline has 65 train movements in this sequence and the branch line 63 train movements.

The two sequences are then married together into a timetable that serves the surrounding communities. We are now in the position where the main or branch lines can be operated entirely independently of each other with either one or two operators or the whole thing with just one operator. It is also possible for one operator, say myself, who just fancies running the branch line, to do so, and the rolling stock will still finish up where it should be for the start of the next days operations.

Hints & Tips No.221
A Simple Improvement for Die-Cast Road Vehicles.
 Nevile Reid 
One disadvantage of using die-cast cars and trucks on a 4mm layout is that the high-gloss paintwork – very pretty on the collector's shelf – detracts from the realism of the models when used trackside. Vehicles from such makes as Classix, Corgi, EFE, Base and Oxford all suffer from this problem. The solution is simple – a coat of satin varnish applied by brush to all the gloss areas gives the vehicle a much more realistic appearance. I find enamel varnish such as Railmatch easier to use than acrylic.
Make sure the model is clean and dust-free before painting, and be careful to keep the varnish off glass, tyres, flatbeds, etc. If required, weather the vehicle after varnishing.

Hints & Tips No.222
Operating Barchester Pt. 2
By Bob Heath 
 The first job of the day is to place all the rolling stock I want to use on the various main, branch and fiddle yard roads. The day then starts with a main line arrival to the only vacant platform.
From then on it is a case of moving things around as each road became vacant whilst bearing in mind that eventually there is a timetable so all movements have to make some kind of sense.
In planning, many false starts were made with departures finding that they had nowhere to depart to and arrivals having to wait in line. After hours of operating, loads of scrap paper and innumerable cups of coffee a rough system was worked out. The movements that had been generated were then transferred onto separate filing cards which you can see an example of on my web site.

Hints & Tips No.223
Operating Barchester Pt 3
By Bob Heath
 To describe an example card, there are several lines of instructions. I have the first line showing a departure from my platform 5.
The second line shows the train makeup, e.g. a Class 20 with 3 suburban coaches. A quick glance at platform 5 shows us that the correct train is indeed where it should be so we can carry on.

A third line on the card tells us to set the route which is Barchester to South Bridge (F6), the (F6) tells the operator that South Bridge is fiddle yard road 6. The operator then activates the section switch for platform 5 and operates the various points, as per the control panel layout, for the road to F6. On all departures, without exception, route selection MUST ensure that ALL fiddle yard switches are in the OFF position before moving the train.

The next line on my card indicates the regulator (speed) setting as a percentage. This is the MAXIMUM speed for that particular locomotive as all behave differently at the same speed setting. The traffic movement line is when the movement takes place. The following two lines indicate the speed and switch positions as soon as the locomotive comes to rest. This is the same in all cases, speed controller zero and all electrical switches are in the off position

Lastly there are the Information lines where relevant information to the trains movement is recorded. Like every thing else when it is a hobby, it is possible that there may be a slight change to these cards when the final version is printed.

Hints & Tips No.224
Making Propane (LPG) Tanks
By Harvey McRae
I have saved the gelatin capsule from some of my vitamins. Depending on the size, they can be little propane tanks or many other little items such as welding bottles.

Hints & Tips No.225
Making Corrugated Roofing.
By Harvey McRae with thanks to the NMRA

Ever want corrugated metal roofing. Well here is how I have started making mine.

Take an ordinary tin can with a fine corrugated rib in the middle. Cut off both ends of the tin and cut the metal from top to bottom. OK now you have a piece of tin that you have to try to get laying out flat without causing it to buckle. ( It does not have to be perfectly flat just so you can use it for a pattern) NOW, take a piece of aluminium foil (I used a piece from a coffee can) Cut a rectangular piece slightly larger than the size of metal you want in the finished project. Lay this over the ribs in the metal tin and with a thin stick press the foil down into the ridges of the tin can.

With a little practice you can make a nice piece of corrugated metal roofing.

Hints & Tips No.225
Making Corrugated Roofing.
By Harvey McRae
 Ever want corrugated metal roofing. Well here is how I have started making mine.

Take an ordinary tin can with a fine corrugated rib in the middle. Cut off both ends of the tin and cut the metal from top to bottom. OK now you have a piece of tin that you have to try to get laying out flat without causing it to buckle. ( It does not have to be perfectly flat just so you can use it for a pattern) NOW, take a piece of aluminium foil (I used a piece from a coffee can) Cut a rectangular piece slightly larger than the size of metal you want in the finished project. Lay this over the ribs in the metal tin and with a thin stick press the foil down into the ridges of the tin can.

With a little practice you can make a nice piece of corrugated metal roofing.

Hints & Tips No.226
Useful Tools No.1
From Several Sources
Plastic Bags
Work with your hands and loco inside a large clear plastic bag when changing brushes or working on couplings, when those little copper springs go flying off they will be caught in the plastic bag and easy to find. This tip saves hours of crawling on the carpet on all fours!!
Sponge Paint Holder
To avoid spilling small pots of paint (Humbrol) cut a paint-pot-sized hole into a bath sponge, when painting place the pot into the sponge, it's a lot more difficult to knock over the sponge and you can clean your brush on the sponge too.

Hints & Tips No.227
Prototype Or Freelance? Pt 1
By Bob Heath Barchester (Spain)
There are several things to consider, such as whether you are going to model a freelance situation or a prototypical one. If prototypical which company and in what era, the steam age, modern times or the meeting point of the two? What kind of running do you want to do when the rails are down, continuous, there and back or a mix of the two? The kind of running you decide on will be the lynch pin of the whole model because your basic track design will have to reflect this choice.

You may say that you do not want to be bothered with any of it, you just want to see some trains running. A quick answer would be, don't we all. However that is not very helpful. I would only say that in my experience of other modellers, who have said the same thing, they have quickly changed their minds as their model began to take shape and they could see the possibilities. Their ever growing skills are then being applied to a model that means something and serves a useful purpose as a mode of transportation.
 style=""A decision taken now, on the choices further in this series, could well save you a lot of money on stuff that is inappropriate. In the long run would make no difference if by some chance you stayed with just wanting to see your trains go round and round.

Hints & Tips No.228
Prototype Or Freelance? Pt 2
By Bob Heath 
 Is a love of the real thing the driving force behind your desire to build a model railway? If so then you will probably be choosing to model a particular prototype.
Unless your choice is the modern era, where you can go and look with your own eyes, take photographs, sketches and measurements, then there will be a fair amount of research in front of you to find out how things really were, and how different to your memories.
Why would I want to research anything you may ask? Well, if you are presenting your model as the XYZ branch of the WR in between the years 1945 and 1960 then it is only right that you should make some effort to see that it is as accurate as your chosen scale, skill and space allow.
I am not saying that your layout should be a photographic image of the chosen time and place but it should at least have the correct rolling stock on its rails, and the correct signals. Find photographs of the station buildings and reproduce them the best you can. Make sure that any road vehicles are of the appropriate type for that period.
There are many things to look for and implement into your model and they will all add to your pleasure and satisfaction as each one is made to the best of your ability.

Hints & Tips No.229
Useful Tools No.2
From Several Sources

3M make a paper correction tape used in offices; Post-it Correction and Cover-up Tape ref. no. 658.

This can be used as a light masking tape when airbrushing. It has the advantage that the adhesive is very gentle and will not harm the surface it is stuck to. However it will not work too well with very heavy coats of paint.

Hints & Tips No.230
Prototype Or Freelance? Pt 3
By Bob Heath 
If, however, you are like me and prototype railways are not your primary interest then consider going down the freelance road. The demands and skill requirements on the freelance modeller are just as great as those who desire to reproduce a prototype.
You can model something that might have been. On the GWR for example, a line that feeds an imaginary town from somewhere in the west country because of the demands of a local industry that you have invented. Maybe a dockland scene with grimy buildings and overhead cranes everywhere, retaining walls covered with years of soot and dirt. The list of scenes that can make good models is almost endless.

You could go the whole freelance hog and just build a good looking model with the things that you like on it, and with all different kinds and eras of engines and rolling stock. The choice is yours and always remember we are doing this for pleasure, our pleasure.

So wherever your final choice leads you, make sure you enjoy the experience.

[b]Hints & Tips No.231
Using Barbeque Tongs
Patrick Peake

One very useful tool is barbeque tongs. Long handled tongs can help you reach derailed stock at the back of wide base boards or chase loose wires in tight spaces. At time of writing this, from what I read of your weather in the UK, barbeque tongs will not see much use in their proper role for a while.

Hints & Tips No.232
Making a Jig
By Howard Ballard
When performing construction tasks which require repetition to obtain accurate copies, consider constructing a jig or template first, to accurately position that cut or joint. This avoids repeating difficult measurements or holding items in position whilst waiting for glue to dry.

Hints & Tips No.233
Simulating Panelling
By Dave Balcombe
 Many narrow gauge carriages have panelled ends. To achieve a weathered varnished wood appearance try this:-
Give the ends a couple of coats of Humbrol Acrylic Matt Sand or similar. When completely dry, lay them absolutely flat and wash over with drawing ink. A rust or chestnut colour is perfect. Personally I used Games Workshop's Flesh Wash. Just leave to dry. It will gather along the edges of the beading and give a slightly distressed appearance with no effort. It's also great for varnished tongue & groove boarding.

Hints & Tips No.234
Fitting Your Passenger Carriages with Passengers
By Trevor Gibbs
The recently available cheap figurines has allowed us to populate layouts beyond our wildest dreams only a few years ago. You could reasonably cut a few in half and fit them as passengers inside your passenger carriages.
As for the bottom half figurines left over, you could paint a couple in an overalls coloured blue for example and have the legs protruding from under a car being repaired or a half figurine diving into water.

Hints & Tips No.235
Using Conduit… as a Bridge Pier and a Pipe Load.
By Robert Ferus
Using offcuts of 12mm (1/2”) electrical conduit would give you a reasonable looking pipe load for a flat wagon. A few longer lengths could look very effective as Bridge Supports for a modern bridge.

Hints & Tips No.236
Small Nails.
By Craig Wilson
When I lay track, I find the small nails are too small to hold. I use needle nose pliers to hold the nail, place it in the hole in the tie (sleeper), and then hammer it in. No finger damage!

Hints & Tips No.237
Using Coins … As Weights.
By Trevor Gibbs 
A few of my locos have needed a little extra weight over the years. I would try to get some lead weights cast off car wheels etc and reshape them or use plumbers lead sheet. I then found that copper coins (when Australia had them) glued together made fairly effective weights in themselves. They were compact and neat and even 10 of them at a time would only have cost me 10 cents!
So if you too want to start a small coin shortage in your country…


My apologies for being off line the last few days!  Cheers  Trevor

Hints & Tips No.238
A Source of “Barrels” for your railway
By Murray Johnson
To make barrels on HO or OO scale models, take the pencil eraser holders from a cheap set of lead pencils ( The erasing part is generally not very good anyway) and paint them red.

Hints & Tips No.239
Useful Tools No.3
From Several Sources
The Rotary Leather Punch
A tool which has several punches of different sizes mounted on a rotary head. It is ideal for cutting out holes or circular discs in light materials such as plastic or card. The punch cannot tackle metal sheet other than very thin lead sheet.
35mm Film Container
These little containers are usually discarded, but are great for storing all those fiddly little items and small parts such as locomotive spares, nails, etc.

Hints & Tips No.240
Useful Tools No.4
From Several Sources
Track Planning Templates
To make it easier to plan a layout, draw up arcs of various radii and various straight sections, all 16.5mm wide for HO/OO, 9mm for N scale etc with line 5pts thick, on the PC.
Printed out an together with scanned pictures of turnouts will enable you to shift things around to suit. A lot more convenient than large sheets of paper, especially when planning yards.

 [i]Hints & Tips No.241
Supporting a Backdrop on a Foam Based Layout
By Trevor Gibbs 
I made a memorial layout to a friend and made a backdrop for it using straight MDF. Because the memorial layout was an exhibition layout made from foam, placing the backdrop as a scenic block was difficult, in part because the foam gave way where the upright rods holding the backdrop were placed.
I overcame this in the end by getting a couple of plastic cotton reels and cutting them in half and gluing them in the base. The upright rods were fixed solidly to the backdrop in the location of the cotton reels in the foam base with very little give within the rod and there has been no trouble with the backdrop moving.

Hints & Tips No.242
Simulating Panelling
By Howard Clarke
Stuck for a coach roof or a replacement wagon roof for older Triang Vehicles etc? Try a slat from a Venetian blind.
They come in handy lengths ready to cut to suit and have close to the appropriate curvature and width which can be bent further if necessary. Available singularly from your local manufacturer of blinds, or second-hand from your local council tip.

Hints & Tips No.243
A Cheap On30 Flat Car using What???
By Alan Rogers


To all those computer users that have added CD-ROM or tape back-up drives to their machines and now do not know what to do with that silly piece of plastic that used to cover the 5¼" hole. If you hold it flat on your hand, doesn't it look remarkably like a chassis for a flat car in On30”?


Removing the clips at each end should give you a coupling pocket and covering the deck and side with strip wood will give a quick flat car which only awaits bogies. The logical progressions are stake wagons, gondolas and cabooses but these will require more work obviously. Now watch the stampede for the local E Waste tip site!
(A Note from Trevor – The passage of time between when I saw this hint will well have made it superfluous in many areas. However, I have included it here to remind you to look at the modelling potential of objects you are throwing away.)

Hints & Tips No.244
Gravel Loads
By Gordon Thomson, 
You can use kitty litter as a form of rock or gravel which is great if your layout has a quarry. When filling your wagons or freight cars, let it spill over the side to add extra detail.

Hints & Tips No.245
Heat Sinks for Soldering Track
By Trevor Gibbs 
Do not risk melting plastic sleepers when soldering wire leads to the track. Use heat sinks in the form of small spring metal paper clips on each side of the solder joint.

Hints & Tips No.246
Using a Rubber Mat
By David Charlesworth
At work, we use a lot of fine parts. We find them easier to pickup if you put them on foam rubber sheets. I find this useful for parts in Kadee couplings, especially the knuckle springs.

Hints & Tips No.247
Track ballast:
By Ezekiel Johnson (USA)
Try mixing colors of ballast to add realism to your layout. For your goods or Freight yards mix a little light grey in with some black ballast. For the mainline, use mostly light grey with only a little black. The contrast will help to set apart the different parts of your layout.