Story of Backwoods Miniatures
Backwoods Miniatures was the business of Jen and Pete McParlin and over the years they released many kits in a wide variety of scales and had some of them made up in China to be sold as ready to run models. Up to a point the kits were principally etched metal construction with cast details until a flood through their property wrecked the camera equipment used to create the films for the etching. After that they concentrated on resin cast models.
In the mid 2000’s Jen developed dementia and Pete became her carer and as that took more time in 2016 the closed the business.
At the time of writing this (December 2023) the webpage is still online at http://www.backwoodsminiatures.com/ Copies have been taken should it disappear.
Story of the Archive
The various online fora seem to regularly feature requests of the “ has anyone got instructions for a Backwoods XYZ” which sends someone off into a scramble to find a copy and scan it. I answered such a request in December 2023 and the easiest way to make a rather large file available was to stick it on this blog so they could download it. This became even more sensible when a 2nd person asked for a copy. Due to a need to sit and rest a wonky leg after a day in the workshops I scanned the other Backwoods Instructions I had and told a few fora that I had done so. Other contributions arrived and the archive was born.
A Comprehensive Archive Relies on Your Help – Please see the end of this page
Generic Stuff
Backwoods Miniatures Price List
Backwoods general hints and tips instructions Hints and tips for building Backwoods Miniatures Kits
0-16.5 Kits
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Instruction Link |  |
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K1 Instructions |  |
0n30 & 0n3 Kits
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CONVERSION KIT FOR THE NEW BACHMANN On30 HEISLER |
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On30 AEROCAR |
Chocks away! A bit o’ prop-driven whimsy. Superb resin mouldings to build the model pictured. This fun model is powered by a propeller driven by a 7mm dia coreless motor which comes pre-installed inside the detailed Bristol Pegasus radial engine’s crankcase. Wheels included, together with fine phosphor bronze wire wipers for reliable current collection. |
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2-4-2T SIDETANK CONVERSION FOR THE BACHMANN On30 FORNEY |  |
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Kit for tarting up the body on a Bachmann 0n30 Gas Mechanical | |
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On30 TURNTABLE KIT | Intended for On30 but can be used for any gauge by laying your choice of running rails (only item not supplied) on the bridge to any gauge you prefer. |
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Replacement Body kit that uses the Bachmann 0n30 Gas Mechanical chassis |  |
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Replacement Body kit that uses the Bachmann 0n30 Gas Mechanical chassis |  |
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Model ‘A’ Ford Railtruck
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A typical home-brewed railtruck with a pillar crane mounted on the truck bed. Build it with the cab roof on or off (see illustrations to the left). This characterful vehicle uses 54:1 gearing from a Faulhaber coreless motor, features ready gauged On3/On30 wheelsets and runs beautifully |
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Replacement truck cab for the Bachmann On30 Railtruck | |
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Conversion kit to turn a Bachmann On30 Combine into a powered Doodlebug-style Railcar. | Includes etched brass parts for driving cab end, together with crisply cast details. A Tenshodo SPUD (Self Propelled Universal Drive) power truck is provided, together with pre-amended bogie sideframes and mounting hardware. |
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Backwoods Miniatures O&K Mallet Instructions |  |
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0-4-0 Vertical Boilered Steamer |
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Dress-up Kit for the Bachmann Shay |
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On30 Whitcomb Centre-Cab |
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Two Truck Climax | |
| For the Porter 0-4-0 and 0-4-4 below you probably need to download both instructions when doing either loco. Certainly the 0-4-0 instructions start with “build the cab following the 0-4-4 instructions. | ||
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0-4-4 OR 0-4-0 Mining Porters – conversion kit for Bachmann Porter |  |
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On30 PORTER 0-4-4ST | |
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Side Tank Conversion Kit – fits any of Bachmann’s 0-4-0 or 0-4-2 Porters. | |
Selecta Kit Series
The Selecta kit was a brilliant idea. Take a commercial chassis (Bachmann US 0-6-0) and produce a modular body for it with lots of options. The kits were packed to order from a customers tick list. I have listed what instructions I have but I assume their were other for the rear entry cab and the saddle tanks at least.
There were also several batches of ready to run ones put together in China by San Cheng with chassis collected directly from Bachmann next door.
Always the risk when using a commercial chassis these went the way of many once the donor loco went out of production and became rare.
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Instructions in Parts |  |
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Selecta Kit – Side Tanks |  |
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Rear-entry Cab | If you have copies of the instructions for the other variants please let me know |
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Selecta Kit – Images |
OO Kits – British Standard Gauge Industrial
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Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-4-0T Crane Tank |
Several of these locomotives worked in the Doxford Shipyard, Sunderland, England. A 3’6″ version was built for the Rio Tinto railway in Spain, and it also available as 009 outside-framed version to special order for 96.00 GBP. |
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Beyer Peacock 0-4-0+0-4-0T Garratt |
Four of these Garratt locomotives worked at British coal mines, and “William Francis” is now preserved in the UK.
Price 140.00GBP |
009 Kits
Collectors Series
These kits are faithful depictions of classic narrow gauge designs, covering prototypes from 1’11½” gauge (60cm) to 2’6″.
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Instruction Link |  |
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009 NGG16 Instructions |  |
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Dundas Tramway/Welsh Highland Railway 0-4-0+0-4-0T Garratt “K1”
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“K1” was the world’s first Beyer-Garratt locomotive. It was built in 1909 for the North-East Dundas Tramways in Tasmania, and is now running on Welsh Highland Railway’s Caernarfon to Porthmadog route. |
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Welsh Highland Railway 2-6-2T “Russell” |
The most famous locomotive of the original (and short-lived) WHR, now restored and ready for use when the line is rebuilt between Caernarfon and Porthmadog. May be built in “cut-down” WHR condition |
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Backwoods 009 Double Fairlie Intructions | |
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Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 2-6-2T
L&B Manning Wardle instructions
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Lynton & Barnstaple Railway 2-4-2T “Lyn”
backwoods lyn instructions |
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Campbeltown & Macrihanish Railway 0-6-2T “Atlantic”Doc’s wanted |
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Pentewan Railway 0-6-2T “Canopus”
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Chattenden & Upnor Railway 0-4-4T “Lancashire”Doc’s wanted |
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Backwoods 009 Lynton & Barnstaple Travelling Goods Cranes Instructions | |
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Fowler 0-6-0 Diesel Mechanical | A 1937 Fowler diesel mechanical built for the Colonial Sugar Refineries Co. in Fiji. The kit is is etched in nickel silver with straightforward fold-up tab-and-slot construction, using a 43:1 gearbox driven by a Mashima 1015 can motor. Features include user-friendly push-fit flycranks, nickel silver tyred wheelsets (ready assembled) and etched, screw-fit pickups. |
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Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 Diesel
Backwoods Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 DM instructions
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A 1938 Hudswell Clarke diesel mechanical built for the Colonial Sugar Refineries Co. in Fiji. The kit is is etched in nickel silver with straightforward fold-up tab-and-slot construction, using a 43:1 gearbox driven by a Mashima 1015 can motor. Features include user-friendly push-fit flycranks, nickel silver tyred wheelsets (ready assembled) and etched, screw-fit pickups |
Contractors Series
A collection of small British-built locomotives typical of those used on industrial railways in the UK and abroad. These simple kits are suitable for the less experienced locomotive builder.
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Bagnall 0-4-0IST Contractor’s Loco |
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Bagnall 0-4-0 chassis onlyWanted |
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Barclay 0-4-0T Contractor’s LocoAndrew Barclay 0-4-0 Contractors Loco
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A small industrial locomotive from Scottish manufacturer Andrew Barclay. |
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Fowler 0-4-0ST Plantation Loco and tender |
Fowler of Leeds built a number of these tiny saddle tanks, usually for overseas plantation work. Our model features a tender-mounted motor with shaft drive to the loco. |
00n3 Kits
From the Backwoods Miniatures website
We produce a wide range of kits for Irish 3’0″ gauge prototypes in 4mm scale, 12mm gauge (00n3). We realise that these are fairly esoteric kits with a limited market and for this reason we don’t usually carry the whole range in stock and normally produce kits to customer order. A turnaround time or four to five weeks is usual.
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County Donegal Railway
‘PHOENIX’ Shunting Tractor |
Phoenix |
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County Donegal Railway
Naysmith Wilson Class 5 2-6-4T |
CDR Class 5 2-6-4T |
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Lough Swilly
Hudswell Clarke 4-8-0 |
Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway Hudswell Clark 4-8-0 |
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Clogher Valley
Sharp Stewart 0-4-2T |
Sharpe Stewart Tram Loco |
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Cavan & Leitrim
Robert Stephenson 4-4-0T |
Cavan & Leitrim Robert Stephenson 4-4-0T |
Railcars
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County Donegal
No 4 (4 wheel rigid) |
CDR Railbus #4 |
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County Donegal
No.10 (articulated) ex-Clogher Valley |
CDR Railbus #7+8 |
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County Donegal
No. 12 or 14 (articulated) |
CDR Railbus #10 |
Rolling Stock
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County Donegal
Oldbury Coaches (3 pack) consisting of: |
CDR Coaches |
The note below was in with the OOn3 instructions. I have reproduced it for historic reasons as it has the old address for Backwoods Miniatures and it refers to Eileen’s Emporium when it was in Leeds and run by Eileen. Neither business is still with us.
Finances & Access
Well as someone asked I’d better make a statement. My blog is separate to my business shop site and it has room to host any instructions I am offered. The intention is that they are freely available for interested parties to download. There is no intention to charge.
Longer term it might be prudent to have it hosted by one of the modelling societies but as the kits cover many scales which? Whilst it needs driving I’ll keep it here and see what evolves.
Contributing
I’ve put all the instructions I have online and have added contributions from others. How comprehensive this becomes is up to you as it now relies on more contributions to grow.
If you have a scanner then please scan any instructions you may have as PDF files and e-mail them to me at paul <at> ngtrains <dot> com
If you have some you don’t need anymore you could mail them to 
If you have some, don’t have a scanner, but want to keep them get in touch and lets see if we can sort some means to get them done arranged
FOOTNOTE – its become apparent that some scans are too large for e-mail. In that case use something like WE Transfer to send them
