Welcome to Strathpeffer Junction

Hello.

Strathpeffer Junction is a developing OO gauge model railway based around a fictional junction station in the Highlands of Scotland, north of Inverness…we also dabble in a wee bit of N Gauge as well!

The period chosen for the layout is broadly speaking the 1980s and early 1990s, but we’re happy to apply a little artistic licence!  We take inspiration from the West Highland Line, the Highland Mainline, the Kyle of Lochalsh Line (Dingwall and Skye Railway) and the Far North Line.

You can keep up-to-date with all that we’re up to via our railway modelling blog. Follow progress with the layout, while checking out our range of articles and how-tos, downloads and resources relevant to all aspects of modelling.

Our YouTube channel looks at a wide range of railway modelling topics, from airbrushing & weathering to dcc decoders & track electronics, scratch-building to 3D design & printing.

You can also buy a range of products that we use in our own modelling adventures, as well as our popular, plug-and-play 3D-printed ringfield motor adaptor kits, in our online shop.

Check out all of our videos over on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/strathpefferjunction

Check  out our latest articles

8 March 2020It’s been a wee bit quite on the blog for the past few months, but, much like ducks on a pond, behind the scenes lots has been happening. One of the big projects has been the development of two new ringfield motor upgrade kits; this time we’ve been focused on Lima’s highly-collectable, yet somewhat limited range of O gauge models. We’re delighted to announce that our brand new LO1 kit is now available. It features a chunky motor, a three part adaptor and a brand new gear. It will fit Lima’s sole UK outline O gauge diesel locomotive – the Class 33 ‘Crompton’ – their SNCF diesel and the 0-4-0 diesel shunter (which comes in a number of guises). It’s our simplest-to-fit kit yet, with no fiddly gear trimming!     If you’d like to upgrade your own Lima Class 33, SNCF Class BB 67000 or diesel shunter, you can buy a kit via the link at the foot of this article.   We’ll be doing a short video on the kit and taking a closer look at how the adaptor fits together in due course, but for the time being we’ve produced full colour, detailed instructions, which you can download below. We’ve also got a second O gauge kit suitable for Lima’s Fowler 4F steam locomotive. It’s almost ready to go and will be added to our web shop as soon as the instructions booklet is complete. [...]
13 October 2019We’re delighted to announce that the first batch of motor upgrade adaptors for Hornby ringfield motors is now available. It’s taken a huge amount of time, effort and testing to arrive at a product that works well and is as simple to use as possible, but we got there… There are three kits in the Hornby-compatible adaptor family: HA2 (6V) and and HA6 (12V) options for Bo-Bo models, and HA1 (6V) kit for Co-Co and Tender Drive steam models. Each kit comes with a two-part adaptor, a replacement motor, two pinion gears (one spare), a motor insulator, some clips and a length of heat shrink tubing. You’ll need some tools, but those are all the core components required. There’s also a detailed, step-by-step instructions booklet, which can be downloaded from our website, and a tutorial video will be published in the not too distant future. I listened to feedback from my Lima kits, so these new instructions are much lighter on text and full of photos. How do they work? The adaptors have been developed to avoid the need to drill out the bogie and in most cases require no permanent bogie alterations (although the old brass bushing may still need to be popped out)…that means the upgrade is normally reversible and you can replace the ringfield motor in the future, should you wish. In fact, for the majority of Hornby ringfield variants, the installation process is all-but plug ‘n’ play – you just insert the adaptor, then the motor, attach the gear, clip it all into place, wire it up and you’re done…it’s far simpler and more straightforward than the hot glue-based methods described in most model railway forums. And if you have a Co-Co or tender drive model, the adaptor solves the age old problem of how to reattach the central wheel. There’s a hole in the adaptor for the small axle, meaning the wheel can be easily replaced and remain fully functional. Check out our step-by-step installation video How much do they cost? The price of a kit is £15.50 each*, irrespective of the motor voltage. UK postage is still £2.99* irrespective of the number of kits purchased. The price of the Hornby kits is a little higher than their Lima cousins, for two main reasons: firstly, there are more components in them, and secondly, the adaptors take longer to make and require extra manual work to finish off. *Correct at time of article publication. [...]
17 May 2019Magnet set squares are invaluable for railway modelling. I’ve bought a few sets in the past – one from Bachmann and one from Proses – but they can be quite expensive for what they are. I wanted to find a cheaper option, so once again turned to my 3D printer for a solution. In this video, I show you how to make your own magnetic clamps at home, using a 3D printer and my free to download/use 3D design (STL format). You can download the 3D model to print at home for non-commercial use here: www.strathpefferjunction.com/3dmodels Want to make your own? You’ll need materials! Here are some affiliate links to materials used in this project. They don’t cost you any more to use, but I get a (very) small return from each item sold, which helps me keep the channel going. Neodymium magnets (eBay): https://ebay.to/30owV5R Neodymium magnets (Amazon): https://amzn.to/2WMmzur EMA Plastic Weld (eBay): https://ebay.to/2VvAYcS EMA Plastic Weld (Amazon): https://amzn.to/2VrvaRv I tend to use Rigid.Ink filament where I want quality and strength. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s by far and away the most reliable filament I’ve found. Plus, their customer service is excellent: https://amzn.to/2JtPMr5 [...]
12 May 2019I’ve found the HobbyZone products to be excellent for organising my modelling desk. They do a range of drawers, shelves, paint racks etc. and the beauty of them all is that they are magnetic and clip together to form a rigid structure. While others have covered unit construction, I thought I’d do a quick video on their wee paint stand (SM1). Just a quick look at what it is and how it goes together…a simple and easy job! You can watch the video below… [...]
6 May 2019If you’re using a 6V dc motor in your Lima or Hornby ringfield motor conversion, and you’re using DC control or DCC without CV5 functionality, you’ll need to consider a diode voltage dropper to protect the motor from over-voltage and current. I’ve always made my own, but I know that not everyone has the skills, confidence or time to do that too, so I’ve come up with a couple of wee kits to help out. There’s a pre-assembled diode voltage dropper kit which includes all of the core components soldered together for immediate use, plus a ‘components only’ kit with everything you need to quickly knock one up yourself. If you’re interested, you’ll find the pre-made ones here and the components-only kits here. You’ll find wiring instructions in the following booklet… [...]
28 April 2019Next up from the Strathpeffer Junction 3D printer: an adjustable ‘generic’ ringfield motor adaptor for Lima locos. Following a few different queries from subscribers and viewers, and after a fair bit of testing and tweaking, we’re pleased to reveal my brand new adjustable Lima motor adaptor. It’ll work with most small CD or DVD drive motors, from around 9mm to 12mm thick and 24mm diameter (or thereby), and is a simple ‘plug and play’ solution, just like the others in the range. We’ve put together a brief overview and installation tutorial, which you can watch below. #Lima #RingfieldMotorConversion #PancakeMotor [...]