A look inside Model Railway Companion - my new book

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

Morning James, I bought a copy at ExpoEM in Shipley on Sunday, but I haven't looked at it yet as yesterday was a bit frantic... It was my last shift working for Southern, after nearly 19 years, and 11 at the current station, so I had to get all the stuff I'd accumulated over time removed ready to handit over! Following that was some house move related stuff, the result being that we've now exchanged contracts on our new home and will be moving in a couple of weeks. Planning to have a bit of a laid back morning, part of which will be a sit down and leisurely look through the Companion, I'm sure this will help me chill out 😊 Cheers, Simon.

[@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways]

Wow, good luck Simon! The end of one chapter, the start of another. I hope you enjoy the book when you have a moment!

[@PrinceStreet]

It sounds just absolutely amazing. And right there at the 4:01 minute mark, that full page spread of spectacular modelling. You don’t have to tell anyone this is great model railroads, it’s just there! We talk a lot about “immersion” in the hobby and this sounds like a suite of accessible layouts presented in a way that invites the viewer in. -Chris

[@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways]

Thanks Chris, I will be interested to see what you make of it when it’s in your hands!

[@gregoru98]

I'm looking forward to adding this to my library!

[@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways]

Thank you, I hope you enjoy it!

[@RichardBCumbrianModelRailways]

Recieved this today and I really enjoyed/ still enjoying the format. The only reason why I buy model rail magazines is because of the pictures. Keep up the good work. I'd have paid more for more glossy pictures.

[@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Please do tell all your friends too - as I don't think Simon has done much publicity yet.

[@RichardBCumbrianModelRailways]

​@@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways Thank you for your continued hard work. I find your guidance through your books to be delightful, refreshing, and truly inspiring. I’ve been on a similar journey myself, where the available space requires a thoughtful and measured approach. Unfortunately, I decided to push through the dreaded “doesn’t feel right” instinct, and now, with just the tracks in place, I’m realising that it definitely doesn’t feel right after all. While it’s all a valuable learning experience, I now find myself needing to reconsider my approach. However, there’s always a silver lining. The prospect of building a new, simpler design is actually quite exciting. It means I can take advantage of Templot to 3D print prototypical-looking track, which I believe discourages cramming too much into the layout. Scale-length turnouts and points are quite large, and I think this new direction will help achieve a more balanced and realistic design. Thank you again for your invaluable insights.

[@JamesHiltonCustomModelRailways]

My pleasure - and good luck! It takes a great deal of maturity to walk away from an unfinished project with patience and learning to move forwards. I'm glad, with Beaverbrook, I listened to my friend. It was difficult but the result has been wonderful. The messages in both books are distillations of ideas and conversations I have with friends and modellers alike - so they're real. Real life.