King’s Cross Train Station

King’s Cross Station is situated in the North of London and was built in 1851 on the site of a former smallpox and fever hospital.
The station is the southern terminal of the East Coast Mainline which runs between London and Edinburgh. King’s Cross is situated opposite St Pancreas which operates as the southern terminal for the Midland Main Line.
Lewis Cubitt was responsible for designing the original building that still stands today despite several changes to the inside platform configuration.
In 1972 a small extension was added to the front of the station and although it was intended only to be used temporarily it still stands today.
In 2005 Network Rail announced that 400million funding would be spent restoring Kings Cross, which will see the 1972 structure replaced and a new open air piazza will be developed.
Today the station is served by routes from the North and East of England and Scotland, connecting London to major cities such as Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Inverness.
These routes are operated by three networks; GNER, First Capital Connect and Hull Trains, with GNER being the main and controlling operator.
Over 20million people use the station each year many of which regularly commute to London from northern cities for business commitments.
The station features in the Harry Potter stories as the starting point for Hogwarts Express train and filming for the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ took place in the station, however St Pancreas was used for the external shots.
Kings Cross station is well served with several shops including a WH Smiths newsagent and a Burger King and has its own tube station. There are also regular bus services that operate from the station and taxis are readily available. Car hire is also available one mile from the station through Sixt rent a car who also offer a low cost service called Sixti. Sixti allows the renter to hire a small car from just 9 per day.
If you are travelling to London and think using King’s Cross is the right option for you tickets can be booked online through the train networks or independent booking agents.

How To Start Collecting Model Trains

Model trains are an amazing hobby and one that many people find very exciting. Imagine having an exact replica of the Orient Express or the Trans-Siberian Express running around a mdel landscape you hand built in your basement. Ther very thought leaves a lot of people breathless. And the amazing thing about the model train hobby is that there is something in every price range for anyone who wants to get involved.

Some model train hobbyists simply like to buy modern train sets that can be run on a small layout they buy and set up while others love to make massive layouts complete with mountains, rivers, roads, tunnels and buildings in a fully landscaped environment. There is definitely something for everyone when it comes to layouts. And the model trains and cars created today by K-Line, Lionel, MTH Electric Trains or Williams are very, very detailed and sales are booming for these companies because of that. Their engines and rail cars are exact minitures of the real thing.

Other hobbyists get very serious about their train collections and look for collectible or vintage trains that can be very expensive to obtain. These hobbyists need to understand how to recognize true originals as well as understanding how the condition of each train model effects price just like any other vintage or antique collector has to. Over a hundred years ago Joshua Lionel Cowen created the Old Lionel model trains and many children in the early 1900’s had a train set as their only toy. They were unique in their detail and very well built and some still exist today. Those models can go for large sums of money so you want to know you are getting what you pay for if you decide to buy one for your personal collection.

It is very easy to get started in the hobby of model trains. There are a number of manufacturers today as we mentioned and you can start off small and build your hobby. If you decide to collect older models you can start much like others collectible hobbyists do, you can visit flea markets or yard sales and garage sales to find your first model trains. Estate sales, model train shops or antique stores may turn up higher priced model trains while the internet is filled with other places to look like the eBay auctions or web sites that deal in selling vintage model train.

Take your time to learn all you can about model train engines, the various rail cars as well as the large variety of landscape and layout pieces that exist. It is always good to buy model trains or individuals engines, cars or pieces because you enjoy them. Later on you may find you have a valuable collection to boot..Take your hobby serious but don’t forget to enjoy yourself. That is always a good rule of thumb to follow with any collectible hobby.