[Doug]

The January edition will be out this week. A very nice looking cover. I think the Blue is perhaps the best yet.

A very thick magazine packed with good articles and stunning photographs. I'm sure that the photographers have invested in new macro lenses as they seem to have many more close-up photos than before.

Here is a brief summary of the contents:

Editorial - Mike Wild talks about HST models.

Update - Bullied Leader from Loconotion and other new and proposed projects

Return ticket to Botleigh - Layout. HM looks again at Botleigh a year on and sees what's changed.

Warley - A pictorial article on this year's show.

Chop and Change - Dave Spenser shows how to modify a 5-plank Airfix wagon to bring it up to date.

Get me to the Church on time! - Some ideas on modelling churches and church scenes.

DCC carriage lighting - Ian Morton adds lights to a Mk1 coach.

Shaking the Box, Part 4 - Ian Morton looks at the shunting potential of the Shake the Box scheme.

Buffers Model Railway - Shop profile.

Cambrian Coast Express - Anthony New draws some plans based on the Cambrian lines of West Wales.

Hornby Post - Letters to the Editor.

Gox Hill Quarries - Layout. Peter Leadley presents the standard and narrow gauge layout set in a fictitious town in Oxfordshire.

Hornby HST - Review. Who said HM was only about steam?

Reality Check - The High Speed Train - Evan Green-Hughes looks at the HST in service.

Bachmann 'Baby Scot' - Review. The Fowler 'Patriot' 4-6-0 OO scale model is looked at in detail.

'N' gauge Brush Type 4 - Review. The Bachmann Farish model is looked at closely.

Reviews - Other models are looked at too: Some of Hornby Railroad range models, a nice OO scale Era 7-9 snowplough from Flangeways, Bachmann Worsdell 'J72', Hornby Blue and Grey Class 101, Modelfair' Merlin A4 and a few others.

Dapol rail cleaner - Review. An interesting rail cleaner is tested. A nifty looking gadget indeed.

Book reviews - 10 book and DVD reviews.

Single and Double slips - Ian Morton explains how to wire them up.

Cwmderi - Layout. A Southern Welsh 70's layout built by Gwynne and John Chivers.

The Clinic - Readers' modelling questions answered by HM staff.

Staff Projects - Mike Wild continues his Bay Street Shed layout. Mike, you need to look into DCC

Tonbridge MRC - Club Focus.

The Great Traverse - Railway Realism. Alan Earnshaw looks at traversers.

Show Guide

Free in the January edition is the 2009 Hornby Magazine Calendar.

 

[John Webb]

My copy dropped through the door late this morning. Does seem to be maintaining a very good mix of layouts and modelling items.

BTW, three of the ten 'books' reviewed are actually DVD reviews.

Regards,
John Webb

 

[Doug]

Thanks for that. Yes, there are a couple of DVDs reviewed. I've updated the first post.

It is a great magazine. I'm slowly reading through it. I do this mainly in the car whilst waiting for the kids to come out of sports clubs. I like to spread out the reading of the articles over a week or two. My copy ends up being well thumbed once I'm done with it.

 

[dwb]

The calendar photos are good and unlike most, you get 13 different pictures.

David

 

[Fireline]

Guys, apologies for being a total dimwit, but I've only just found out that the magazine exists! Who are the usual stockists for the mag? I want this month's edition to read the track cleaner review....

 

[rb277170]

WH Smiths and most good newsagents

 

[dwb]

QUOTE WH Smiths
In my local Smiths it was usually on a lower shelf than the other model railway mags and in a completely different section to the 1:1 stuff, so don't be put off if you don't see it at first.

David

 

[John Webb]

My local 'Borders' also has plenty of copies each month, so if you have one of those near you it could be worth trying.

Regards,
John

 

[Fireline]

Thanks everyone. I will raid my local WHSmiths this morning! (Thinking it would be much easier to subscribe....

)

 

[wobblybob]

Issue 19 is another enjoyable read and the calendar was a great bonus. The calendar has excellent photos and is well laid out with room to write in your own important dates. Excellent - well done!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I don't often pick up this mag, but from time to time, when I do pass a Smiths (nowhere else round here sells it!), I pick it up and I like this issue a lot. I did take note of two interesting pics in the HST history bit, the Virgin and Midland Mainline photos. I have seen badly formed HSTs before, mostly Virgins and usually with the TGS coach at the first class end, but the buffet being the wrong way round is a new one on me. The MML HST is more interesting though, the buffet is the fourth coach not the third, it is difficult to tell with the naked eye, but does anyone know which of the first three coaches is the standard coach? (or did it really have three first class coaches and four standard coaches?)

 

[trainspotter-usa]

My copy just arrived through the mailbox here in a cold , snowy Minnesota.
Though I've barely skimmed through the magazine I wanted to express my huge thanks for the calendar.
That is just wonderful. I would have paid money for that and you gave it away.
That will be pride of place over my desk at work.
Thanks again

Ian

 

[Thomas]

I am still waiting for my copyto arrive. I think I will stop taking subscriptions of British magazines as the publishers seem to use the slowest form of postage. Railway magazines from Japan only take 3-4 days to arrive, Swiss and German ones are even faster.

Thomas

 

[paulrelf]

Intrigued by the HST snippets - going to have to go out and buy a copy to have a look, sounds interesting.

Re the MML sets, read in a Model Rail special on the HST that some sets did run with 3 TF and 4 TS as 'Master Cutler' sets. Will have to have a look at that picture...

Paul

 

[Sol]

QUOTE (trainspotter-usa @ 23 Dec 2008, 06:00) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My copy just arrived through the mailbox here in a cold , snowy Minnesota.
Though I've barely skimmed through the magazine I wanted to express my huge thanks for the calendar.
That is just wonderful. I would have paid money for that and you gave it away.
That will be pride of place over my desk at work.
Thanks again

Ian

My copy just got into the mailbox in coolish South Australia & like Ian, thanks for that Calendar, which will hang up above my monitor.
At the end of the year, like the Bachmann Calendar, the photos will be framed & hung up in the train room.

Now to read the magazine itself.

 

[nevardmedia]

QUOTE (Sol @ 29 Dec 2008, 04:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>My copy just got into the mailbox in coolish South Australia & like Ian, thanks for that Calendar, which will hang up above my monitor.
At the end of the year, like the Bachmann Calendar, the photos will be framed & hung up in the train room.

Now to read the magazine itself.

Oh you're far too kind

 

[barrymx5]

If you want to help keep that local model shop open try to buy your Hornby Magazine there! Unlike Railway Modeller Hornby Mag takes back any unsold copies and gives credit for them. So local model shops are quite likely to stock HM even if they don't keep RM.