STUART JORDAN looks back at some of his favourite articles from this year.
We were discussing the articles for this issue and decided to put together a retrospective of the last year. As the editor, the choices were down to me - don't worry, I didn't choose too many of my own articles!
The year started strangely, although I don't want to dwell too much on 'the outside world'. Circumstances meant that the Gaugemaster workforce was split in two, working early and late shifts for the first few months to aid social distancing. The early issues of the year were dominated with articles listing new items, mostly irrelevant now as the items are out in the world! I'm going to list the articles in (more or less) chronological order rather than by subject.
Okay, this was one of mine. I looked at the history of these quirky steam locomotives with the cab at the front. It was fascinating to explore how this concept was developed.
Click Here to read this article.
Although it seems like a simple bit of kit to veteran modellers, we always like to cater for beginners here at Gaugemaster. That's what made Martin's article about the CDU so useful, as he 'declassified' the Capacitor Discharge Unit.
Click Here to read this article.
Me again... I was surprised to find out that double-deck coaches did actually run on the British rail network. I reviewed the history and presented it with the help of two Pathe News videos.
Click Here to read this article.
Back in July Terry visited his local station, Eridge in East Sussex, to find that it had been given a makeover. It is a fully working station on the Southern network, but it is also part of the Spa Valley preserved line.
Click Here to read this article.
Mark showed us how to build and customise this Hot Air Baloon kit from Faller. We all agree that it is an excellent addition to a scenic layout.
Click Here to read this article.
Martin's two part article went through how to build this kit from the Gaugemaster Structures range. By including interior details, it adds an extra dimension to the detail on the layout.
Click Here to read Part 1 of this article.
Click Here to read Part 2 of this article.
Narrow Gauge modelling is going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment, and Ian wrote an article about all the items available to model this line in Devon.
Click Here to read this article.
One of my personal favourite articles to write this year was my sprawling three part history of the Metropolitan Railway. The Met was the world's first underground railway, and from 1860 to 1933 extended out across London, transforming how people lived and worked by making commuting to the City centre from 'Metro-Land' possible.
Click Here to read Part 1 of this article.
Click Here to read Part 2 of this article.
Click Here to read Part 3 of this article.
September 2021 was a special railway anniversary - the fortieth anniversary of the TGV running in France. John gave us a detailed history of this high-speed train.
Click Here to read this article.
Events are opening up again, and Craig was keen to get back out to the Bluebell Railway. The Giants of Steam event saw 'Clan Line' and 'Cheltenham' visiting this preserved line in Sussex.
Click Here to read this article.
Back in September I visited the (fictional) town of Fordhampton, reporting back on the sights. You can, of course, recreate the town using our range of kits...
Click Here to read this article.
Lastly, back in November Mark showed us how to build a bonfire to add to your layout, from various different products. This was a really effective build, that can add a lot of atmosphere to a layout.
Click Here to read this article.
That's it for my look back at this year's articles. You can browse through the full range of nearly 600 articles since issue 1 back in 2014 - just Click Here.