Layout Revamp Video Review

My book review in the March 2024 Australian Model Railway News!

How the year has flown. We're in April already, but it still only feels like the beginning of the year! From the excitement of knowing my book Revamp An Existing Layout was queued for printing with my publisher as I rang in New Year's Eve for 24', to rolling-out the book to hobby shops across Australia, and finally organising some form of promotion on a shoestring budget, you know your book has finally arrived in front of the eyes of potential model railway readers once it is featured on Australian Model Railway News, (link to the YouTube feature above).

A huge shout-out to Will James, who produces the Australian Model Railway News each month on his popular YouTube channel Will James Railways. At last glance his channel had 9.67K subscribers. Will first reached out to me in late 2021, asking if I would consider allowing him to feature my Build A Bookshelf Layout book on his YouTube channel's monthly news feature. Back then he was still growing his YouTube presence and the 1st episode of the now popular Australian Model Railway News had only aired in April of 2021. Throughout my journey of self-producing a set of 6 Australian model railway how-to books I feel as though I have had Will in my corner all of the way.

If you haven't watched the March edition already, be sure to do so for your chance to win a copy of Revamp. For entry details, go to his website at willjamesrailways.com 

The book is now available instore at a number of hobby shops around the country, and online through the links on my Bookshop page.

To look back through my set of books is to time travel through my Australian HO scale modelling journey which began with this blog back in 2015. Selling-off my American N scale collection was something that I look back on now and wish I didn't have to do. However, following the sale of our house and a shift into an apartment back in 2010, the 3 metre long pine cupboard monstrosity just couldn't make the journey up the stairs or elevator into the new complex, so a small Alaskan N scale coffee table layout followed. I find myself wishing I could have kept that layout too. Instead, I sold the lovely piece of furniture to help fund my switch to modelling Australian HO scale in 2015.

Then along came Philden...

My first Australian HO scale bookshelf layout, Philden. Photo taken in 2017.

Philden was a great little bookshelf layout, the smallest HO scale track plan that I could design to run some relatively modern Australian diesels. It featured at 8 model train shows here in southeast Queensland and on the cover of the Australian Modl Railway Magazine in August 2018. But then, like many modellers before me, I found myself wanting something that little bit bigger!

Philden Street Yard, complete with Puff'n Bill the puppet, prior to the layout revamp...

...and the same layout today after a complete budget-savvy revamp!

Now here I am in April 2024. Philden Beach is now complete. It's the layout I dreamt of building as a young lad. Big enough to handle some serious switching, yet small enough that I don't need to spend an entire weekend vacuuming the layout and cleaning track before a friend drops by to run some trains.

Given that my wife and I are now empty-nesters and enjoying the apartment life in Brisbane, a shift back to a larger house to expand on this layout is now firmly out of reach for a number of reasons. An over-inflated real estate market in Brisbane will only buy you a house that will bleed you dry of time and money in renovations. The crime rate and number of break-ins you hear about only leaves us feeling safe living more than 3 stories off the ground. And finally, like many people in our position, everything these days costs more money than it should. Insurance, electricity, rent, food, even a humble cup of coffee when you're out, all leaves you with no change to put into the model train jar, (yes, there was such a thing on top of our fridge that I would take from every time there was a model train buy-and-sell).

That is why I thought my latest book was necessary. I still want to be able to enjoy my hobby for years to come, but I couldn't afford to start over on any new layout project. This book firmly puts the punctuation mark on my Australian HO scale journey, by scaling-back, ironing out any operational flaws on the layout and giving it an impressive make-over that would leave even the cast of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy feeling proud. To that extent I'm damn proud to finish my book series with Revamp An Existing Layout. If you want to take an honest, thought-provoking, self-analytical look at what's not right with your layout, then this is the book for you!

I can honestly admit that I took this series of books as far as was possible, given the time, space and budget that I afforded it. Along the way I've had to battle against self-doubt and the negative noise that comes as a result of putting your name to something. It's the horrible Aussie 'tall-poppy syndrome'.

I just don't get it. If I publicly voice an opinion on something, in my case choosing not to exhibit a layout due to the costs of travel, accommodation, meals and public liability insurance, I get viewed as not giving anything back to the hobby. But when I write and self-fund a book about model railways, then try to promote it and sell some of my own personal models amongst various Facebook groups to finance the project, I get called-out for trying to make money off my fellow hobbyists.

Go figure.

Despite what people might think, I've not become rich at the expense of fellow modellers by producing another book. Instead, I'm still recouping the combined expenses from producing 6 model railway books over these past 2 years. It will be years before there's any money to be found in the proverbial model train jar for me to afford the cost of exhibiting Philden Beach at a model train show.

Through it all, it's been nice to feel supported by those who are championing my books, stocking them on their hobby store shelves and even taking the time to message or email their personal thanks and congratulations. They are the encouragement I need to keep this blog going.

So, with book sales finally starting to come through, I can now take a break from all of the above-mentioned stress, and simply return my layout to being a hobby once more. Philden Beach can go back to being a YouTube layout rather than one you will likely see at an exhibition. After all, it costs nothing for me to produce my own YouTube content in my spare time. I've revamped my layout and have now moved onto revamping me. I'm keen to see where my next creative ideas will lead me.

Links on where to buy my latest book can be found on the Bookshop page.

Happy modelling!

Layout Revamp Book Launch

Finally there's some good news to share, with my new book Revamp An Existing Layout hitting the shelves of your favoutite hobby shops this month!

This is the book that follows the budget-savvy revamp of my current bookshelf layout. From its days set in the grimy shadows of inner-city Melbourne, to sunning itself on the shores of the New South Wales mid-North Coast, 2023 saw me somehow manage to complete the layout's transformation, exhibit it twice at some model railway shows here in Queensland, Australia, and complete the book before the clock struck midnight to ring-in the New Year.

When it comes to announcing the new book is now available for sale, it seems that is only half the story. Distributing, promoting and marketing the book, combined have caused my modelling hours to dry-up in a year where I've returned to full-time study ahead of developing some exciting new projects.

It's time to dig-in to my customary Book Launch platter and celebrate the release of another book!

Take the above photo for example. Apart from the stunning bottle of sparkling Shiraz and the delicious meat and cheese platter that will have disappeared by the time you read this, I've been trying to take my photography and editing craft to the next level, including photoshopping the book launch platter into the middle of a swanky waterside restaurant, that we'll fictitiously say is the downstairs bar of my layout's Jetty Hotel.

As I wrestle between continuing on with another altogether different model railway media project, (no, it's not another book), or deciding whether the support just isn't there and heading in another arts direction with my time and money, it is time to stop and celebrate what I have managed to achieve during these post-Covid years. And that is a series of six Australian model railway how-to books that have been self-produced and funded off my own back. Totally free from product placement or paid-for-comment and advertising, these are the sort of books that everyone asks for to add to their library. The big question remains, just how many modellers will actually support such an endeavour when it comes to sales?

Like any business model that exists within our hobby, releasing a book, a model or product of any kind requires the project to make money. Not just because making money is a much better alternative to losing money, but rather as a necessary means of recouping the cost outlay involved while still being able to have your endeavour provide an income in the face of not being able to earn a regular salary from a regular job.

In a niche market such as model trains, it is tricky task to balance. In an even more specific genre such as Australian model railways, it seems there is even less of a chance to get it right. So now as I sit back and develop a series of other projects based around some exciting ideas I have, I need to determine whether the hobby here in Australia is capable of financially supporting those ideas. Or if those ideas would be better supported financially in other arts fields. I guess the next three to four months will be telling.

So, if you haven't already considered purchasing one of my books or have been meaning to buy one for some time now, then your model train library will surely benefit from adding the complete set of six Philden Model Railway Presents to your shelf. Ask for it at your local hobby store, and if they haven't got a copy, ask them why not? Failing that, the book is now available direct online, along with all my other titles, from the publisher at the link below.

It's been a fantastic project to have worked on full-time for the past 18 months, and a series of books that I'm sure will still prove popular for many years to come! Once the excitement of rolling out the book across the country comes to a close, I can honestly say that I'm already looking forward to the return of some personal hobby time.

Thanks go out to my loyal readers and supporters, who have championed these books to their friends and model railway clubs across the world. It's heartening when some of my direct online sales come through in US Dollars, Pounds Sterling and Euros, and shows the reach that this blog now enjoys around the globe.

Happy modelling!

Phill O

The Summer of regrowth...

It has been a summer of regrowth on Philden Beach. Both literally and metaphorically. Exactly one year after starting down the path of converting my HO scale Australian shelf layout from its former inner-city Melbourne setting to a slice of railfan paradise on the New South Wales North Coast, the layout's transformation is now complete.

Behind the scenes, it has been an exhausting year of navigating a layout revamp as the focus of a new book, trying to keep a full-time writing career financed, and working through some personal health issues that I previously hinted at in my Philden Street's curtain call post.

I'm glad to say that Revamp An Existing Layout went live on my publishing platform Blurb, in the early hours of December 31, 2023, keeping to my goal of completing book 23 in the year '23 by the barest of margins! Having grown up a huge Michael Jordan fan, there was a feeling of personal satisfaction in being able to call time on a writing career with the same number of books as his famous number 23 jersey. To me, it's as close to perfection as I'm likely to ever get.

My layout now has a clear green signal with it's new North Coast setting.

The layout revamp has turned out to be just as good as I had imagined, and my new book takes the reader through each of the steps in identifying existing problems, costing-up a layout revamp and finally a series of budget-savvy projects that will help you re-imagine your own layout. Philden Beach's revamp cost a total of zero dollars, and didn't involve lifting up a single section of track!

Amongst the many improvements to my layout, the above CTC signal I installed at the exit of the secondary track from staging has really enhanced my switching layout's operations. Trains would need to come to a halt here anyway, beside the former marker post that once stood where the signal mast now does, to wait for a clear track to run around in the yard. Now they have to wait for me to change the signal from red to green before proceeding.

There has been a lot of new growth around the layout, including these Norfolk Island pines.

Around the layout, there has also been a lot of regrowth that has occured since my Welcome to The Coast post back in March last year. With my much-loved NSW Goods Shed now surviving onto its third layout, the former sign to the left of the structure has long gone, and in its place a towering Norfolk Island pine has seemingly sprung up out of nowhere.

These banana trees were rescued from my previous Philden Road layout.

Of course, these latest summer improvements were in addition to my original Trees by The Harbour update from May last year, and needed to be completed for inclusion in the book. Given the dramatic coastal backdrop, it was important for me to tie all the colours in with those of the backdrop. And despite not having room for a banana plantation on the layout, I can't think of Coffs Harbour without picturing banana trees growing on the surrounding hillside. So I added a few wild plants growing alongside the rail corridor just to channel that vibe, including the above examples which were returned to me after being carefully pried off my previous Philden Road module.

It's taken a while for me to finally get to my happy place of simply enjoying some model railroading by the sea. Producing 4 model railway books over the course of 2023 strangely hasn't helped. Not when I've needed to cost every hour spent working on the layout, photographing, writing and then editing the final results. Add to that the time I have poured into this blog over the past few years, and it leaves you with little to no time to actually enjoy running some trains.

Either side of taking a vacation for the first time in three years, there were a lot of days where I somehow survived on four hours sleep while working on my latest book. Knowing that I needed to complete the final instalment before TAFE started in the new year was a big motivator! Yet despite the success of the previous five Philden Model Railway books, self-financing and producing all six have left me mentally, emotionally and financially drained.

Anyone thinking that being able to claim a new model locomotive as a tax deduction sounds like a good thing, would not be aware that my royalty return for self-funding all of this averages out to $4 AUD per book sold. If I simply factor in the costs associated with producing each book, bulk purchasing wholesale stock and covering the distribution costs, then my books have all proven to be succesful. However, once I factor in the income I have lost since winding-up my previous small business to concentrate solely on writing full-time, then I still need to sell another 25,000 copies to be able to fully recover. That is a big ask.

From a summer of regrowth on the layout I now head into a year of regrowth for myself. As I have already mentioned when signing-off on my Author blog, the time of writing as Phillip Overton is now over.

The final revamped view looking back over Philden Beach.

While I hope to keep my occasional model railway ramblings continuing here for the foreseeable future, I'm unsure what that may look like on the other side of all this. Already, in the background I have removed well in excess of 100 outdated blog posts, and completely overhauled the design and layout of the Philden Model Railway Blog to ensure it remains a strong and relevant source of information for years to come.

What I am sure of however, is that in time, I will look back on my series of six Philden Model Railway Books with immense pride. To be able to have combined my two passions of writing and model railways into the one project, and self-fund, self-publish and self-distribute a series of books that proved to be profitable, is a great legacy to leave behind.

The most important project for me to work on at the moment however, is myself. That starts with a return to full-time study of visual arts and photography in the coming weeks. For me, it's a chance to recharge, reinvent and rebrand myself away from writing, and is equal parts exciting, and a little scary, to see where my creative side will next lead me outside of the world of model trains.

News of the new book's official launch date will follow soon, with early pre-order copies available for purchase now through Blurb. Expect copies to make their way into your favourite hobby stores from February onwards.

Now, do I dare say it? Maybe I'll power up the layout just for fun...

December AMRM Book Review

The December issue of Australian Model Railway Magazine features two of my books in the reviews section.

My latest title Model Railway Weathered Wonders and this year's Model Railway Backdrop Basics are still recieving a lot of exposure, thanks to readers of this blog and the continued exposure by way of a book giveaway over on Will James' YouTube channel. However, it was a good friend of mine who contacted me while I was on holidays to break the news of my books being featured in this month's issue of Australian Model Railway Magazine. At the time, my wife and I were heading south to Victoria, so we pulled in at Goulburn in New South Wales to see if we could find a copy.

I always buy my copies of AMRM at my local newsagency in Brisbane, as I still believe it is important to keep the hobby present on a magazine rack for casual passers-by to discover. Turns out, First Inland City Newsagency in Goulburn had a pile of almost 20 on display. Thanks go to the AMRM team for the kind mention and outline of what each of the two books cover.

 

As part of my holiday plans, I disconnected from the internet, social media, emails and paused my eBay shop for a little over 3 weeks. Sometimes you just have to do that, even if it means completely ignoring any Black Friday sales, new model announcements and the such. While the break did me a world of good, I still did manage to take a few railway related photographs of some stations and trains that I'd never seen before in my travels, including the Blues Train on the Bellarine Penninsula and the Ballarat Tramway Museum. Until floods and a landslide cancelled our plans for the Walhalla Goldfields Railway in Gippsland. (More on them as time permits...).

So fresh back this week from my trip down south, I've been busy posting out hobby shop orders that were waiting for me, and individual copies that started selling like crazy over the weekend once my eBay shop resumed as normal. To the point where I've almost sold out! I'll now need to wait until late January before I can place another volume order with the publisher to replenish my stock.

With only 6 weeks before I commence full-time study in the New Year, it seems I have a long list of projects that I know I simply won't finish before my free time disappears completely. One of which unfortunately includes completing my 6th Philden Model Railway book by the end of the year. It may now have to wait until a late 2024 release. So, if you're after any of my 5 titles in the the lead-up to Christmas, then try stores such as Trainworld in Melbourne or Australian Modeller in Sydney. There are links for each title on my Bookshop Page.

Until next time...

2023 BRMA Convention Brisbane

The weekend of September 22nd to 24th 2023, saw me attend the British Railway Modellers of Australia convention, held this year in my home city of Brisbane, Australia. The coming together of modellers from across the country was held in the top floor convention rooms of the Pacific Hotel in Spring Hill, which just so happened to overlook the Roma Street Parklands and Brisbane's Roma Street Station.

Along with filling the honour of being this year's Keynote Speaker, I also manned my own bookstand over the course of the Mini-Expo on Friday afternoon and throughout Saturday's program.

I must thank the convention's organiser and BRMA Queensland Representative John Rostron, for all the behind the scenes work involved in putting together a successful convention program. Along with his assistance in helping me to set-up on the Friday. I'm sure I was one of my taxi driver's more interesting pick-ups for the week, given that I had two large boxes of books, a small layout module and a bag of lighting cables to fit into the boot. But it made it easy for John to spot me as I pulled up outside the Hotel's foyer!

In the lead-up to the event, and in the midst of preparing my presentation notes, my wife Denise and I also happened to become proud first-time Grandparents to a lovely little Grandaughter, Zailee. The excitement of becoming a Poppy, combined with the exhaustion from having just released a new book the month before and attending two model railway exhibitions with the new layout over back-to-back weekends, meant my mind was well and truly fried by the time the BRMA Convention wrapped-up.

Remember this little addition to my original Philden layout?

The weekend afforded me the chance to meet with some wonderful modellers from around the country. It was nice to have met fellow modeller Gavin Thrum who had flown up from Adelaide over dinner, and be set-up alongside UK model producer John Wiffen from Scalescenes for the weekend.

That's me alongside John Wiffen (right) from Scalescenes who produces amazing downloadable kits.

Part of my Keynote Speaker address shared some of my highlights and near misses over my 40 plus year fascination with trains. Including this screen grab I shared from back in 1989. I thought I could beat the crowds and get a photo beneath the famous Flying Scotsman locomotive's nameplate, by standing alongside the track and having a friend take the photo as it rolled slowly past.

That's right... take a closer look at how close I came to being hit by a train when I was just 17. And to set the record straight for all the do-gooders out there, this was back in the days before Workplace Health & Safety existed, and it was pefrectly acceptable for a trainload of passengers to just disembark at Seymour Railway Station, and wander all over the tracks! Anyway, as I explained in my address, compared to the whistle blast from a Victorian Railways R Class steam locomotive, the Scotsman's peep-peep whistle went over my head like a canary that had lost it's voice. I'm sure I recall feeling something having brushed my back at the time...

Thankfully I've survived this, (and other close calls), long enough to have penned 22 books throughout my career as an Author. Being asked to be the Keynote Speaker for the BRMA Convention, was a huge honour. To be recognised for my contribution to the hobby through my Philden Model Railway Presents books, my other railway books, this blog and my years of modelling is something I shall be forever proud of.

Part of the tradition for the Keynote Speaker, involves presenting the trophies for the modelling and photography awards at the Gala Dinner on the Saturday night, along with enjoying a sit down five star dinner in the Pacific Hotel's ballroom.

And goodnight Brisbane. We'll see what eventuates for 2024...

And to complete a truly month-long model railway immersion, I spent the week immediately after the convention wrapped-up, finally being able to work on my own model railway layout. While it was waiting patiently downstairs in the garage following it's outing to the Sunshine Coast Model Train & Hobby Expo early in September, I took the opportunity to fix, cut, add, repair and touch-up anything that I'd been meaning to get around to, without making a mess upstairs in our apartment. If I'm about to sit down to commence writing my 6th and final Philden Model Railway Presents book, then it goes without saying that I needed to have everything revamped that I am going to write about... revamping.

The result is a much more polished layout. One that I'll now need to be happy with for many, many years to come. However, raising the bar with this layout has come at the expense of some other long stalled projects... You can't model everything, I said so in my own Keynote Speaker presentation. And the time has come to make some big calls about what I can and can't balance alongside enjoying my now complete NSW North Coast layout, my newfound Poppyhood status, and returning to writing fiction early in the New Year. I've had to admit that I can only afford to put any rare modelling hours towards a small single project that can co-exist alongside my Philden Coast layout. Over the course of the next week, I'm going to be pulling up stumps on another layout project I've just lost interest in, and now haven't the time nor desire to pursue.

I'll save that news for another post, but for now... the sight of myself enjoying a British Modellers Convention should be a strong enough clue as to what that second small layout project will be. Until next time...

Weathered Wonders Video Review

My book review in the August Australian Model Railway News!

What a huge weekend it has been! Fresh back from exhibiting Philden Coast at the Sunshine Coast Model Train & Hobby Expo on the Saturday, my latest book Model Railway Weathered Wonders was also featured online in Will James's Australian Model Railway News, (click the above image to play).

I returned home on Saturday night to a stack of eBay orders waiting for me to pack and post, which come Monday afternoon are now finally posted and on their way to all of my customers. I'm now completely sold-out of my own stock levels of the Weathered Wonders book and am waiting for another print run to be made and forwarded to me in time for the British Railway Modellers of Australia Convention in Brisbane this September 24-26, 2023. In the meanwhile the book is always available online through my print partner Blurb, (click the book cover image to the left).

Unfortunately, my own model railway layout is still downstairs in the garage, waiting patiently for us to carry back up to our apartment and be re-assembled in the lounge room. It's been such a busy past couple of weeks having attended 2 model train shows over back-to-back weekends, starting a new job in-between them, and having one of my busiest weeks of eBay and books sales to see to. I guess they are real nice problems to have after years of hard work and time sunk into my model railway book projects.

Post shows there's now a long list of model railway projects I can finally see to, convention notes to prepare and the final book instalment to start writing. As such I doubt I'll get too much airbrushing done this side of Christmas! So thanks to everyone who saw the review on Will James' YouTube Channel and jumped onto my blog or eBay to follow the links on where to purchase the book along with close to half of the weathered Australian HO items I had listed for sale. The response was fantastic and very much appreciated as I now focus on trying to get my most expensive book project to try and turn a profit.

Finally my personal thanks are once again extended to Will James. If you haven't already checked out his website Will James Railways, be sure to do so, as you'll find plenty of cool things like railway collector pins, merchandise, photos and links to all his YouTube videos, past News episodes and reviews. I've tried to support Will's channel from the beginning through providing book giveaways for his viewers, and its always pleasing to see a fellow modeller's creative endeavours continue to grow from strength to strength.

Until I can get to writing a post update on last weekend's exhibition experience, have a great week and I hope you get some modelling done! You can see all of my remaining HO Scale Australian weathered model railway listings here, and I can't stress this enough, they are only while they last!

Click the image to view my model railway listings.

Until next time...

2023 All Gauge Sale

2023 All Gauge Model Railway Club Table Sale, Brisbane 30 July 2023

Early this year I set myself the task of completing 4 books and attending 4 model train events over the course of 2023. With my 3rd book already released only a week earlier, this weekend's All Gauge Model Railway Club in Brisbane was the first such event for me to attend.

Since moving to Queensland in the early 1990's, the table sale days put on by the All Gauge Model Railway Club have been a staple on the model railway calendar for many south east Queensland modellers.

From my N scale days of scouring through tables of what people were selling in search of a bargain 30 years ago, to more recently cherry-picking 2nd hand rollingstock models to use as a subject for my book Model Railway Weathered Wonders, I've drained my wallet at this club's table sale days many times over. For once it was my turn to stand on the other side of the table, behind copies of my Philden Model Railway books.

I now have 5 Philden Model Railway titles available, with 1 more to follow later this year.

Along with standing around while helping good friend and fellow modeller Anthony Veness sell a bunch of his pre-loved models on the day, a few people did actually stop to ask about my books or to let me know that they've enjoyed following my blog.

After doing another such open day and buy-and-sell event last year following the release of my 2nd Philden title, I was looking forward to fronting up at another club event this year with 5 of my books in tow. Not knowing how many books I might sell on the day, I made sure I had a shipment of 2 cartons couriered up from my printers in Melbourne. Much to my relief, they arrived only 3 days prior to the event!

It turned out that I had ordered enough books to cover both this event and the British Railway Modellers of Australia Convention in Brisbane on the 22nd - 23rd of September, at which I will also be speaking.

My attention now turns to applying the finishing touches to my Philden Harbour layout in time for the Redlands Model Train Show on the 26th - 27th August in Cleveland, followed by the Sunshine Coast Model Train & Hobby Expo on Saturday 2nd September, at the Church of Christ at Dicky Beach. Having now done two such buy-and-sell days with my books in the past 12 months, it's doubtful that I will do any further such days in the future. I'd rather leave the space for people to haggle over a broken $5 freight car, and quietly slip into obscurity come the end of the year...

Well, that's all until next time. I have a long list of tasks that need to be completed over August before I can sit down to write my final book.

Weathered Wonders Book Launch!

Book launch #22 Party time! Model Railway Weathered Wonders is available now!

It's the one dirty book you won't get in trouble for leaving on the coffee table, and I haven't let the fact that there's now a few of these famous book launch platters in the rear view mirror, stop me from throwing another book launch out on the table. After more than a year of writing and weathering over 180 models to select the best examples to showcase in this book, Model Railway Weathered Wonders today takes its place on my bookshelf alongside the four other Philden Model Railway books. I now have one more such book to produce before the series is concluded. But before I start work on the next one.... it's time to pop some bubbles and celebrate seeing this book come to fruition.

Available now through Blurb

This may very well go down as the most expensive book I've ever produced! With no advertising, sponsorship or go-fund-me page, the outlay for the models shown within the covers literally ran into the thousands before I even turned on my airbrush compressor, picked up a camera or typed a single word.

Just as copies of Model Railway Backdrop Basics are hitting the shelves at my long-time loyal supporters and good friends at Trainworld in Melbourne and Australian Modeller in Sydney, the printers are busy filling my orders for the next shipment of books which include Model Railway Weathered Wonders along with a restock of my past titles. As a writer it's a nice problem to have.

For those after the electronic version which is available as an instant .pdf download, Blurb have it for just $8.99, (along with the paperback), and you're also able to preview the first 15 pages to get a feel of what you're paying for.

I get asked why people can't find my books at their local hobby store in other states, and the sad answer is that despite years of contacting each and every hobby shop and bookstore in the country each time I release a new book, some stores just aren't in a position to support an independent author outside of their approved vendor lists and use of existing distribution chains. They are terms that I'm familiar with by now, as is the idea of placing my books on consignment and being reimbursed only if they sell, (been there, done that). With my past experiences of having stores suddenly go into liquidation and losing all my stock overnight, it's simply something I no longer do. So please support the stores that are supporting me, and if you're not able to find my books at your local hobby shop or bookstore, then by all means order a copy online rather than hope that one day they might eventually turn up.

The title and cover of my final book is revealed inside the back cover of Model Railway Weathered Wonders, so if you're curious as to what it will be, you'll just have to buy a copy. Anyway, break open the cheese and crackers, pop some bubbles and enjoy a virtual book launch with me for your Friday afternoon knock off.

Until next time...

Backdrop Basics Video Review

Once again another great review has come my way for my latest book Model Railway Backdrop Basics over on Will James' Australian Model Railway News, June 2023 edition, (click the image frame above to play). The Will James Railways YouTube channel has steadily become a staple to most Australian modeller's viewing habits, and the half hour show at the beginning of each month gives an indepth wrap-up to what's happening in the world of model trains Down Under.

If you aren't already aware, there's a book giveaway competition running on his website over at willjamesrailways.com along with some great photos and merchandise to scroll through. As explained, copies of Model Railway Backdrop Basics will arrive in stores across Australia in July, so keep an eye out for it at your favourite hobby shop, or you can order the book directly from the publisher at the link below.

Backdrop Basics Book Launch!

It's book launch time! Break out the bubbles to celebrate Model Railway Backdrop Basics...

Making a surprise unannouced release this May, is my brand new book Model Railway Backdrop Basics. Thanks to the joy of writing full-time in 2023, I've quietly slipped this book into the world while everyone was waiting for news on the release of my Weathered Wonders book, which just so happens will be my next release in a few months time.

Available now through Blurb

Success is a funny thing. After chasing it for the past two decades, to finally be able to celebrate writing full-time over the past year with a new book should be a sign that you've made it as an Author. There are two more books I am working on, a keynote speaker engagement that I have accepted for later in the year, and two model railway exhibitions I have just confirmed I will be at with my new layout to close out what will be a fantastic 2023. And then comes the realisation of what you have created, and what you will most likely be remembered for in this crazy thing called life.

But first the book...

After commencing 2023 with a layout refresh and installing a new backdrop on my Philden Coast model railway shelf layout, I simply had too much information inside my head to let this book idea go away.

Turning Philden Street Yard into Philden Coast, was a relatively painless task, thanks to being able to easily replace the former backdrop with the panoramic photo I took while on holiday in Coffs Harbour back in 2018, (and I say that tongue-in-cheek, as one chapter within the book shows what can go horribly wrong). So fresh from revamping my existing layout, and with all the techniques and lessons learned from completing six different backdrops on four layouts within the past five years... (I don't know where I'm going with this?), I made the call to bump this project ahead of Model Railway Weathered Wonders.

Inside, there are five different backdrop techniques demonstrated in order of difficulty. As I've discovered from decades of being involved in the hobby, a model railway backdrop isn't necessarily forever. I started with a plain blue sky backdrop on my original Philden layout, and even after it had made the cover of the Australian Model Railway Magazine back in 2018, I reinvented the layout by installing a printed self-adhesive photo backdrop over the top of it, before the layout was dismantled ahead of my next big project. That project turned out to be Philden Street Yard, which amongst other different ideas I experimanted with at the time, included a mix of photos of buildings and kit structures against a painted blue sky backdrop.

When the backdrop came out ahead of a layout revamp, it was back to the idea of a self-adhesive printed photo backdrop to change the layout from inner Melbourne to the NSW North Coast. Scaling and sizing the photo image to be able to print the backdrop as a high quality image can be tricky. So inside the book I even include a chapter on using a freeware photo editing program to be able to stroll confidently into Officeworks with your new backdrop image on a USB stick for them the print for your layout.

Basically, this book becomes the book I wish I had when I set out to build Philden. All the information is in the one place and laid out for the reader to decide which degree of difficulty they are most comfortable with, rather than flicking through 30 years of old Model Railroader magazines looking for a brief article on doing a backdrop one way or the other.

Now for the Monster...

Success can be a funny thing. After commencing my professional writing career with my first novel in 2006, the year 2022 saw me writing full-time for the first time. Apart from two windows of working on my novels uninterruptedly between changes of jobs and following the sale of our house, funding a career as an Author has been the biggest challenge of all. There's been seminars, writing workshops and business coaching, even a period of time being mentored by another widely published Author.

If its not the time involved, its the cost of pursuing writing as a career that will wear you down. None more so than trying to write books about model trains. With four Philden Model Railway books now available, and two more to follow, I feel I've reached the end of the line when it comes to the areas of expertise I feel confident writing about, and the amount of material I have at my disposal to use for my own photography and examples shown within their pages. To fashion anymore book ideas using the small layouts I currently possess, would quickly become a case of same-old same-old. Hardly the string of books I would like to end a career on. It seems fitting to end my career writing as Phillip Overton, with a model railway book. Perhaps that is what I'll be more remembered by in time.

To build another layout at this point of time as the basis for another book idea is simply not feasible. Given that my first model railway release, Build a Bookshelf Layout, required a few thousand dollars to print, order and distribute so I could have the book available in the best hobby shops in this country, my latest release will see me outlay three to four times that amount. Given their success, not only are more copies being asked for each time I release a new book, but restocking the earlier sold-out titles adds enormously to the distribution costs. Success has created a monster. A monster that needs to be seen to at the expense of being able to afford any new models or build a new layout simply to be able to show something different in the next book. All that before I begin to add up the amount of time I've poured into this project at the expense of a regular job that pays things like holiday leave, superannuation and a thing called a regular wage or salary,

Producing the next two Philden Model Railway books will be my last. I know I've mentioned before that I'd like to produce another Australian railway photo book following a holiday at the end of this year. But as my wife and I are now faced with family members who are ageing and in ill-health, it has become impossible to plan a photo-trip and scout photo locations, when we can't be certain if we'll be heading this way... or that way, depending on when and where a nursing home placement comes up. So I'm happy with the knowledge that I have already produced three such photo books. It turns out that my last such railway photo-trip back in 2018, was my final one.

23. It seems such a fitting number. The year is 2023. Producing my final two books this year will see me celebrate book release number 23 before the year is out. And it also happens to be Michael Jordan's famous number 23. 23 books by '23. Over and out. Done and dusted, and the world won't have to hear about Phillip Overton anymore.

Just like Jordan's documentary The Last Dance, I'm heading into the next six months knowing that this is the last dance. So while you take a moment to read this and wonder whether you perhaps should buy a copy of my latest book Model Railway Backdrop Basics, ask yourself when you are likely to see another set of 100% independently produced Australian model railway books on a scale such as this again? There's no advertising inside. There's no paid for comment. There's no pre-orders, crowdfunding, patreon page support or go-fund-me fundraisers. Just one guy with a love of model trains, who wanted to make something happen. So I did, even if it has meant having to side-hustle on eBay with weathered rollingstock and selling off my own lifetime railway collection to help offset the costs.

I hope you've been enjoying my book releases so far. And I do hope you jump aboard to support me as I go full heads-down, bums-up to produce the next two books and reach number 23 before we hit December. Model Railway Backdrop Basics is available now, direct through Blurb, with a limited number available at this time though my eBay shop (links below).

Otherwise, watch for it to appear in select hobby shops later in June/July.

 

Scenery Secrets Video Review

Who spotted the great plug for my latest book in this months Australian Model Railway News video? Once again thanks go out to Will James for covering the release of my third Philden Model Railway Presents book. There's a free giveaway competition running for a copy of Model Railway Scenery Secrets plus a cap from Will James Railways shop with details on how to enter towards the end of the video.

Behind the scenes, a lot of hours were consumed over February preparing book releases and mailing out copies to ensure model shops had stock of the book ahead of its appearance in Will James's monthly news video. I'm almost done contacting every hobby shop here in Australia about retailing the book, so if you can't find a copy at your local model train shop, ask them why they haven't got it? It might help prompt them to rethink the generous offer I emailed everyone. Outlaying a lot of money upfront to ensure I have enough copies on hand to distribute is always a scary proposition, but I'm glad to say that my books are now available at more individual stores than ever before. For those who can't get to a hobby store nearby, there are some links below to the loyal few who have supported me right from the start with Build a Bookshelf Layout back in 2021. And of course, all of my books are available online through Blurb or my own eBay page. Just keep in mind that sales through Blurb will attract GST and a delivery fee with Startrack that is calculated at checkout.

Also breaking cover in the February 2023 Australian Model Railway News YouTube episode, was the first look at the cover for my next book, Model Railway Weathered Wonders which I am aiming to complete by mid-year. Yes, that's right, I've decided to press on for another year of full-time writing after my last two releases both made my publishing platform's bestsellers list. Since moving to Brisbane mid last year, I've had to gauge the success of my books solely on income rather than pats on the back like in the past. The commitment needs to be made each time I finish one of my books, so as to include the cover for the next up-and-coming title at the end. It's the kind of forward-thinking promotion that already has me preparing to design the next cover for the book after Weathered Wonders. What will that be? Well, be sure to follow this blog as over the next couple of weeks it will be completely revamped ahead of a big announcement with my own layout. Enough said for now.

Model Railway Scenery Secrets is available now through the following outlets...

  

Scenery Secrets Book Launch!

Model Railway Scenery Secrets just so happens to be my 20th book release!

The 3rd book under my own Philden Model Railway Presents label, Model Railway Scenery Secrets is now officially available, and becomes my 20th book release in a career stretching back to 2006. So before I dive into writing the next book, I just wanted to share part of the behind-the-scenes grind of what it takes to be a writer.

Available now through Blurb

But first the book...

Scenery has slowly become my favourite part of the hobby, but it wasn't always that way. My earliest attempts at modelling scenery on a model railway layout, resulted in some of the poorest running model train track and most unrealistic scenery I've ever encountered in the hobby. In my defence however, I was still a teenager. Back then I could somehow lift a layout chock-full of real rocks and an entire 20 kg bag of Plaster of Paris that I used on one layout module alone. Nowdays I have a bad knee that would prevent me from standing long enough to mix the plaster! Thankfully I don't need to, and that's because the longer us crazy modellers stay in the hobby, the more we experiment with lightweight construction methods and different materials for modelling trees, grass, water and rocks. If my teenage self had known what I do now, it would have saved me 20 years of trial and error on the way to becoming a better modeller. That is the reason I wrote this book.

After 40 plus years in the hobby, I'm endeavouring to write about the processes of modelling a model railway. That is, breaking down each element into a logical order that attains a good end result. Materials have improved dramatically over the years, and will continue to do so. But the process in which to start modelling a layout never change, and that is especially so when it comes to scenery. While I'm a huge fan of reading other publications and magazines from around the world, too often there's an underlining element of product placement or bias towards one particular brand or material over others. That's what I wanted to avoid when writing my first such book Build a Bookshelf Layout. Model Railway Trackside Tips was the same, with the focus on the process not the product.

Model Railway Scenery Secrets is no different. If I mention a product within the pages, it's simply because I've used it and loved the results. If I haven't named a product within the pages when sharing a disaster story, it's simply because legally I am protecting myself from libel. Believe me, I wish I could with one particular water resin product, as it ultimately ruined a layout and led to me starting over. But as there is no advertising or paid product placement within the pages, what you get is an independent view within the confines of an independently produced book. As the blurb on the back of the book says; if the thought of adding scenery to your model railway layout terrifies you, then this book will change your modelling life forever. A big call? You bet. But for a full-time writer who is trying his darnedest to make a career within the hobby, you either go big or go home. View my bookshop page or the sidebar to see where you can purchase a copy from.

Now for the grind...

This so happens to be my 20th book release, and I shared more of the milestone than the book over on my author page at phillipoverton.blogspot.com.au. However, one of the points that is perhaps more relevant here than there when it comes to model trains, is the grind of writing. The non model railway crowd, without realising what goes on behind the scenes, tends to ask questions such as; "Isn't it just a book about model trains? What could possibly be so hard about writing that?" As I answered; forget that the examples within the book have taken hundreds of hours to create. Forget that the hobby of model railways can devour thousands of dollars at a time on building a project layout. And forget that photography can be difficult whilst juggling a camera, lighting and a delicate model in order to capture the one photo that emphasises the point you are trying to make in the book. It's the writing. Trying to get the idea out of your head and onto a page in a manner which readers can understand and be able to follow on their quest to become better modellers. The writing in a book such as this is has to hold up to a weight of scrutiny far greater than any fantasy character or scenario that I've created in the past in any of my novels. People are going to invest their time, and their money into trusting you know what you're talking about.

When it comes to juggling the career-side of producing these books, it is a matter of putting my money where my mouth is to make it happen. Writing, self-producing the book and outsourcing the printing using Blurb as my platform of choice, bypasses all of the major distribution channels, leaving that to fall on my shoulders also. Pricing the books attractively to land them on hobby shop shelves around the world, dropshipping and invoicing become normal morning activities along with checking my emails. And then there is the eBay side of my business. Along with selling my own range of books, I've also bought, airbrushed, weathered and sold quite a few models as part of my next book project. I do so as a legitimate extension of my income under my registered ABN business, as it is necessary to keep some form of income rolling in between book orders. Some people don't like that however, and an opinion that is developed in a matter of seconds can just as quickly can be shared on social media. It's all just noise that you have to learn to turn off.

Inevitably I get asked all sorts of questions. From, do you pay tax? To how much money do you make? All questions I wouldn't dare ask my grown children or closest friends, yet questions that people somehow feel comfortable to ask a writer. It soon becomes a grind to filter everything out. Thank God that despite all of this I still have my world of model trains to retreat into!

For the large part, I've retreated from a lot of the model railway groups on Facebook I once belonged to, and am instead now putting all that time and energy into developing the next book ideas and secret layout projects to accompany them. If you want to learn what the next Philden layout is going to be, then, (in time), you're only going to find information on it here on my blog... or in a future book.

So I'm going to leave this here for the coming week to celebrate reaching a big milestone. Behind the scenes I'm happy at home planning the next layout and preparing to weather another assortment of Australian HO scale rollingstock once the weather cools off a little. I'm proud of the path this blog has paved since its inception in 2015, the books it has spawned and the direction it will head towards over the coming year. Next week I'll start producing another Philden Model Railway book, one that I hope will be available in July this year.

Until then, happy modelling.