Morning All!
And we're back to wind & rain! Just how we like it down here… And as I write this, the rain is hammering down on the roof of the unit… a cross between relaxing and quite deafening! And Sam's just told me he's forgotten his coat… Somebody might get a bit wet on the way home!
How's things then? It's the usual madhouse down here with things being rather busy down on the shop floor with the run up to Christmas. I've been busy trying to jazz up our showroom a little, ahead of next Thursday's open evening, so the signage above the racks is looking infinitely tidier than it was. But we still don't have any Christmas decorations up yet so it's not looking that festive at the moment.
The big news this week is that Kate married her partner of 20+ years, Andy, this week. Huge congratulations to them both! They finally tied the knot in a small, private ceremony on Tuesday. We never thought they'd actually get round to it but they did and I'm sure they'll be very happy indeed!
Other than that, I've not really got a clue what to write about this morning… Any ideas? It's been one of those very tiring weeks to be honest… one where it's so full on you can hardly remember what you had for tea the night before & just need a lie-in or six to get your head straight. In fact I've just sat here for the last 10 mins trying to work out what I actually had for tea last night… 'twas bacon & eggs!
So behind the scenes we've still been working on our big spreadsheet… Booorrrriiinnnnggg… Thank you to everyone for your offers of help with it. I've cracked the calculations and all the fancy stuff… It's entering the timings for every job, material usage and goodness knows what so it spits out all the stuff we need to know from a production and accounting point of view. It actually works a treat, it's just mind numbingly boring doing the data entry… as I'm sure Stu will agree.
Other than that, we've also put some shelves up in the showroom to display some of our baseboards and had a bit of a rejig here and there to make way for a new product range we've got arriving next week… with a bit of luck, it'll be here in time for our…
Christmas Open Evening - A Final Reminder
That sounds a bit serious, but it's only because this is the last newsletter before it happens…
If you're in the area on the evening of the 14th of December, don't forget we have our Christmas Open Evening with some festive treats, a chance to come and meet the team, chat about plans for next year and more. Full details here.
Product Development - Latest News
This week… Sam's been working his socks off more texture sheets as well as beginning to completely revamp one of our wall kits, so you'll have a much wider choice of brick & stone finish. It'll also be quicker to build as well as looking Realistically Better on your layouts!
I've inched a little further forward with my kit that I'm working on, but sadly not as far as I wanted. I think I'm going to have to lock myself away for a couple of days next week to get it all finished before the Christmas break otherwise it'll still be sat on the end of my desk in January!
And now… it's time for this morning's videos! Over to you Sam…
A Stunning 1:35 Scale Narrow Gauge Layout
Sam here - I've selected the 4 videos for this newsletter! For these videos I wanted a bit more variety than I selected last week, but I thought I would start off with an incredible layout that I discovered recently. Coming from the channel PILENTUM, they write “The model railway layout consists of four modules: Two of them are built by Marcel Ackle and belong to his 1/35 scale layout called “Feldbahn kreuzt”. The other two modules were built by Claude Fandel and belong to his train layout called “Moulin Margot”.” There is so much to unpack here, everywhere you look there is detail. This is definitely one of the most impressive bits of modelling I've seen and the comments seem to agree.
Warley Exhibition Round-Up 2023
Our next video comes from Sam's Trains. I'm sure most of you are aware of his channel as he is an active member of the modelling community, with a subscriber count of 145k and uploads multiple videos a week. Warley was a couple weeks ago (again, as most of you are aware) so I thought I would select a video highlighting some of the exhibitions that took place. Did many of you guys attend?
The World's Most Useful Model Railway?
Tom Scott is a YouTuber that I've been watching for years now. He is a fantastic example of someone who cares about the content they create, combining elements of education as well as humour. So when I found this video, I knew I had to feature it in the newsletter. This video highlights a model with actual railway signaling equipment allowing trainees to learn without putting anyone in danger. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing aesthetically pleasing layouts but it's also nice to see one with an important practical use.
Lunch By Train… With A Twist!
The final video is a bit of a fun one. Výtopna is a series of restaurants where the food comes to you on a model train! Highlighted in the video is their restaurant in Vienna. Their main focus is burgers & beer (great combination btw) but they also have other items like sandwiches and vegan options. If I ever find myself in the area, I'll definitely check it out. Hope you guys enjoyed my selection of videos! Have a great weekend.
This Week's Back In Stock Items
A nice delivery of detailing items arrived just as I was about to sit down and write this which is perfect timing. They've been out of stock for months so it's great to finally have them back… And they all actually make great stocking fillers too!
- AX314-OO Round Wood Burning Stove With Flickering LED Illumination - OO/4mm/1:76
Ideal for signal boxes, sheds and workshops. They're actually just like the old stove my Grandad, John Henry used to have in his shed and every time I see them it reminds me of the day I learned the most swearwords in one go! He was cooking jacket spuds on the top for lunch and as he reached over to turn them, he caught the back of his hand on the chimney… I think it might have been a bit warm! Anyway… they're in stock so grabbeth one while you can! - AX163-OO Rusty Brazier / Barrel Fire / Incinerator With Flickering LED Illumination - OO/4mm/1:76
Another fantastic little detailing item for your layouts… Ideal for yards, depots & trackside scenes. And super easy to install. - AX159-OO Brazier / Barrel Fire / Incinerator With Flickering LED Illumination - OO/4mm/1:76
As above, but this is the non-rust version so you can do your thing with it in terms of weathering etc. - AX162-OO Metal 55 Gallon Drums / Barrels (Pack of 8) - OO/4mm/1:76
The latest batch of these are the best we've ever produced! Great for garages & depots. You can of course paint and weather them as required and leave them lying around in a yard somewhere. Maybe even use one as a water butt with one of our greenhouse kits. - AX334-OO Galvanised Steel Domestic Dustbins With Lids (Pack of 4) OO/4mm/1:76
And finally… we have a batch of our galvanised dustbins with lids back in stock. These are great for street scenes, alleyways and back yards. And of coof course, you can couple them with our binbags too. Just don't leave the lids off if you're modelling a seaside scene otherwise those darn seagulls will get in and make a right mess!
And talking of stocking fillers… If you're stuck for gift ideas for the modeller in your life, or you other half wants to treat you to something for your hobby, don't forget we do eGiftCards. They're delivered be email so they're super convenient. Super easy to purchase and super easy to use. And the best bit is… unlike other gift cards, they don't expire so you can use them whenever you wish! Click here to order a Gift Card.
Alternatively, you can use our Wishlist function on the Scale Model Scenery site to share your wish list with your family & friends. Just click on the Heart symbol in the top right of the screen, then click on Share and you can send your unique link with them.
Talking of Christmas… it appears that the usual Christmas rush has started and Royal Mail have a few delays at some sorting & delivery offices. So if you're looking to get things delivered in time for the big man coming it's worth getting your orders in as swiftly as you can. But if you're one of those (like me) that leaves it until the last minute, we've just added a Next Working Day Delivery option to the website. This is of course powered by Royal Mail Special Delivery so it's in theory a guaranteed service. But please note… it's for delivery on the next working day after dispatch. While of course we will always try and get these orders shipped on the same day, as a small team we're sometimes a little bit pushed for time, or we need to laser a few things for an order so it's not always possible to ship the same day. So please look out for your dispatch confirmation email which will have your tracking details in it. Alternatively of course, you can choose the Priority Delivery option which is a little cheaper, but still quicker than standard delivery.
Next week then, who knows what we'll be doing… I'll have a think about that over the weekend. There's always so much to We did manage to make a start on our Christmas shopping last weekend and there's more to do today and tomorrow, I think. I need to get organised and order Tina's present too… I have a couple of ideas, but even after nearly 27 years together, I still get it horribly wrong sometimes! I just have to remember not to buy her clothes… I always choose rather badly.
Have an amazing weekend folks… and of course…
Keep on shunting…
Justin, Tina, Elizabeth, Lola & The Team
P.S. This weekend's header image comes from Frank over on the Railway Modellers Community with this early morning shot of his engine shed. The eagle-eyed among you may spot a few familiar items in there too…
P.P.S. Missed a newsletter? You can read all of our recent newsletters online here.
Morning Justin
Had you considered a 00 gauge Shepherd Hut kit. It could have several uses as a holiday
Hut, agricultural hut in a field or a living van for a traction engine.
Have a great Christmas
Regards
David
Don’t know how you make time to do all this as well, but we do appreciate it.
Merry Christmas to everyone, Tony.
Hi Justin. Let me start by saying how much I enjoy your newsletter and that includes hearing about the trials and tribulations of running a small business. I’ve been there so you have my sympathy and understanding.
Anyway. I was looking out of a train window yesterday the way you do and I spotted something that is missing from my layouts - St Ives/St Erth; https://vimeo.com/441045017 What I spotted was a fogman’s hut, LMS I expect, but then I was in Southern territory and there were concrete versions. These are available as I’m sure you know from Will Kits. A google search brought up some very poor alternative ones definite not realistically better. So I thought I would pass the idear on to you as these huts were ubiquitous and could sell well. Let me know if you agree and are in danger of making a kit and I won’t bother to scratch build one. Regards Paul
This newsletter is not as personal as your previous letters were. For instance this is headed as Dear All, and not as personal being addressed as Dear Michael as previously.
Thanks for another great read 😊
Need an article how to model "Wind and Rain" 🤔
Cheers
Barry