All contents (including photos and drawings) - © 2011  Derek Mackenzie

Next exhibition
G1MRA Spring meeting  - Swindon,  28th April 2012

Welcome to the totally revised Orion Models website

Orion Models makes coaches and live steam locos for Gauge 1 model railways in 1:32 scale (G1 - 45mm gauge).
They will generally be available as kits but occasionally as ready-to-run.

This is not just a cosmetic change - the content has changed dramatically too.  Have a look around.


For the model pages the heading photo will be that of the model when it is available - prior to that it will probably be a drawing of the model or a photo of the real thing.

For more details about  what will be available and when (possibly) - click here

The good news is that all the house decorating and rebuilding is almost over. This has caused enormous disruption over the last 7 or so years. I sincerely apologise to those customers still waiting for their promised locos.

I intend to keep the news page updated with further progress of all model development at least once a month.
Please come back and check again if what you want is not yet ready - or email me - click here.
If the coach or loco you want is not in the list - again email me. It would help to know what customers actually want.

As a one-man business, production can occasionally get disrupted, but I intend to run this as a full-time concern - you can ring me at any time of day including weekends and evenings - click here for the number.

Coach production is largely a matter of getting the sheets etched, running off some CNC parts, then packaging it all up. Sounds simple but an awful lot of effort goes into the initial production - research, design, CNC setup, test build, writing instructions (including a DVD and lots of photos). The effect of this is that coaches can be produced as required.

Loco building is a somewhat different matter - similar initial design issues, but a lot of CNC production. The result here is that locos will be built in batches so they will not be continuously available. Batch production will be prioritised according to both whether the design is ready and how popular it is.

HobbyCNC and NG Drawings now have a separate site - see the tabs above for links to these.
Information on GWR tenders can also be found there.

I welcome feedback on this revised website - call me with your comments - probably easier by phone than email.
Let me know what you think - is it easy to use and find what you are looking for? How can it be improved?
Thank you.