Against the odds, she survived. In fact, she nailed it. A few months ago, we teased the prospect of our very own Faye Moore being schooled in the dark arts of custom weathering by none other than our very own Neil Armitage. Neil and Faye are friends and quite like each other. But when it came to passing on his trade secrets to a new apprentice, Neil wasn’t about to take any prisoners and vowed not to give her an easy ride. Subjected to a gruelling training regimen, Faye had to demonstrate total prowess in a hundred techniques. It culminated in The Final Test, where presented with both an ‘Austerity’ and a ‘9F’ – and while blindfolded, suspended upside-down from the ceiling and with an airbrush between her teeth – Faye was given 12 hours to employ all the spells she’d learned.*

She passed, with honours. And so we’ve doubled our talent pool when it comes to weathering. Remember that you can add weathering and/or numbering to any new or pre-owned O Gauge model bought from us – just go here after selecting your item, and fill out your requirements. Or give us a ring, and we’ll take it from there. All our weathering is bespoke, by two of the finest artists in the industry who aren’t just masters of their craft but have an encyclopedic knowledge of full-size trains. You wouldn’t wanna make your stuff dirty anywhere else.

Still on the subject of dirty (in a good way!) engines, we’ve just got hold of another sterling collection of kit-built lovelies. We’re sort of like bloodhounds when it comes to sniffing out the best of the best, you see – so they just keep on comin’. This week’s lineup has a distinctly Scottish aroma and includes BR workhorses and North British veterans that eked out harsh existences north of the border. Beautifully detailed and professionally weathered, they’re simmering gently away on our shed, calling to you in the night…

Not that all of them simmer – some of them roar!

*You know that radio show, where contestants have to sneak in a couple of scarcely-believable truths from within an otherwise incredible story? This is a bit like that...