Layouts or articles in magazines that have inspired you.

[BrushVeteran]

Railway Modeller's Sundown & Sprawling by Mike Cole was one of the early 'modern image' layouts that got my interest in model railways back in the 60's & 70's. Later on in 1983, High Dyke by Roy Jackson, Geoff Kent & John Phillips got me some more inspiration and I built a layout in the loft of my first house in 1987. Since then we have never had it so good from the manufacturers, media and the internet!

[Brian Harrap]

There was a layout that stands out in my childhood memory of RM, not because it was a great prototypical inspired piece but because I thought it was fun (I was a teenager) and had lots of small cameos.

'Under Milk Wood' was the layout (IIRC) and was possibly the work of D Rowe, the station was "Llareggub" and the trackplan was something like a simple inverted figure of 8. What stood out to me was what you could get into such a small space.

LLAREGGUB is meant to be read backwards. B

[awoodford]

By complete chance, I once shared a flat with Alan the builder of 'Horselunges' and made some of the wagons (HM&ST prototypes) and one of the locos for it in a swop for an exquisite M&CR signal box, which i still treasure.

 

Ha, so you must be D. Long time no see. And I still have the loco and wagons.

 

It was nice to see Horselunges mentioned. I built the original layout in EM in the mid 90's, and it went to shows for about 5 years before being sold on. It was later converted to P4 and generally upgraded by new owners, and returned to the the exhibition circuit. I've not heard of it for a few years so I don't know if its still around.

Best Alan.

Edited December 8, 2016 by awoodford

[Dunsignalling]

For me it has to seeing Gordon Gravett's Ditchling Green in Model Railway Journal 25 years ago, a stunning layout and photos in the magazine to do it justice

Also covered by Railway Modeller, including some colour photos, in the March 1982 issue.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Dunsignalling

[Wolseley]

One layout in particular.  As it was a fiddle yard to terminus design, it's not something I would build these days, although I did attempt to build something very similar at the time: Porthleven, a fictitious GWR branch terminus from a mid 1960s Railway Modeller.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

At the risk of thread resurrection, can anyone help me find a layout that may have been by Mac Pyrke, and may have been called Something Victoria or Something Victoria Street... I can recall only a couple of atmospheric pictures of a 2P and probably a 4F sitting at the station throat featuring nice signals and surrounded by typical small town buildings...

 

but I cannot now locate this, as the old brain is probably completely mis-remembering something and the internet doesn't work that way!

[Del]

Millport Victoria?

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/165/entry-368-millport-victoria-lnwr-layout-work-in-progress/

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Thanks Del, but that's not it.  The one I have in my minds eyes would be about 1970-80s vintage...

 

Maddening isn't it?  I knew I should have saved the images...

[Del]

Thanks Del, but that's not it.  The one I have in my minds eyes would be about 1970-80s vintage...

 

Maddening isn't it?  I knew I should have saved the images...

It was originally in RM in about 1984. It's an LNWR terminus though, so the 2P & 4F might not fit.

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Bingo!  In what can only be described as an extraordinary reawakening of some long dormant brain cells, I remembered it was featured on Chris Nevard's flickr site under Model railways from the 1980s.

 

Courtesy of Chris Nevard, here are two photos from the 1984 IMREX at Central Hall of Mac Pyrke's Victoria South.   

 

 

 

Anyway, absolutely 'of the age' but splendidly atmospheric and convincing.  Have always wanted to see more of it than these two excellent and rare photos.  Was it in any magazines?

 

I'm feeling quite pleased with the old brain, I think I shall take it home for a well deserved rest now!

 

And thanks to Chris for permission to reuse his lovely photos.  Time to rescue this classic from obscurity I feel.

Edited February 20, 2018 by Dr Gerbil-Fritters

[w124bob]

From the August 1980 RM. Ashmelton the layout was a pioneer n gauge branch terminus built 10 years earlier by Norman Soloman and refurbished by Peco. It was also one of those rare RM colour articles, sadly I can't find a single online photo and the only track plan is from an American forum and is not an exact copy. If your club has an RM collection dating back that far it's well worth digging out, my copy came via Ebay and was purchased for an entirely different article( Silvertown Tramway). I've switched my plan to OO fitting it nicely onto a 10ft 6inch by 2ft base board , the N dimensions were 54in by 15in so I've compromised the width mainly by loosing an access road and station forecourt but gained a potential forecourt area at the end and allowed for a 20 inch rad exit curve. Motive power and stock will be Dursleyesque, 1F halfcab 41748, 3F tender engine 43465 and an Ivatt 2-6-0 46527(not a Barnwood engine) all numbered from Gloucester Barnwood. Small bonus is 46527 is green so bringing a bit of colour to the line. Hornby supply the ex LMS suburban brake and even a Thompson brake appeared ocassionally.

Edited February 21, 2018 by w124bob

[Rugd1022]

From the August 1980 RM. Ashmelton the layout was a pioneer n gauge branch terminus built 10 years earlier by Norman Soloman and refurbished by Peco. It was also one of those rare RM colour articles, sadly I can't find a single online photo and the only track plan is from an American forum and is not an exact copy. If your club has an RM collection dating back that far it's well worth digging out, my copy came via Ebay and was purchased for an entirely different article( Silvertown Tramway). I've switched my plan to OO fitting it nicely onto a 10ft 6inch by 2ft base board , the N dimensions were 54in by 15in so I've compromised the width mainly by loosing an access road and station forecourt but gained a potential forecourt area at the end and allowed for a 20 inch rad exit curve. Motive power and stock will be Dursleyesque, 1F halfcab 41748, 3F tender engine 43465 and an Ivatt 2-6-0 46527(not a Barnwood engine) all numbered from Gloucester Barnwood. Small bonus is 46527 is green so bringing a bit of colour to the line. Hornby supply the ex LMS suburban brake and even a Thompson brake appeared ocassionally.

 

I remember that very well, still got that issue knocking about somewhere. I remember gazing at those colour photos endlessly, taking in the details and atmosphere.

 

1980 was a good year for RM, plenty of good articles and layouts, including Chiltern Green and Lochside.

[hakancarlivar]

Hello, I am interested in the layout of Ashdon and Midport but cannot find it.  Only the layout itself - not the article. If someone could send it to me (hakan.hessel@gmail.com) or put a copy here it would be good. Do not think there should be any copyright problem as it is only the layout probably owed by the builder.  Or just sketch it for me.

Håkan

[johndon]

34 minutes ago, hakancarlivar said:

Hello, I am interested in the layout of Ashdon and Midport but cannot find it.  Only the layout itself - not the article. If someone could send it to me (hakan.hessel@gmail.com) or put a copy here it would be good. Do not think there should be any copyright problem as it is only the layout probably owed by the builder.  Or just sketch it for me.

Håkan

 

I note that you asked this question on the Scalefour forum last week where you have had multiple replies, were none of them of any use?

 

John

[Neil]

35 minutes ago, hakancarlivar said:

Hello, I am interested in the layout of Ashdon and Midport but cannot find it.  Only the layout itself - not the article. If someone could send it to me (hakan.hessel@gmail.com) or put a copy here it would be good. Do not think there should be any copyright problem as it is only the layout probably owed by the builder.  Or just sketch it for me.

Håkan

 

I'm afraid I can't help with plans of the layout as I haven't kept copies of the relevant articles but I seem to remember that it went through several incarnations. One may even have been in O gauge.

[ROSSPOP]

1 hour ago, hakancarlivar said:

Hello, I am interested in the layout of Ashdon and Midport but cannot find it.  Only the layout itself - not the article. If someone could send it to me (hakan.hessel@gmail.com) or put a copy here it would be good. Do not think there should be any copyright problem as it is only the layout probably owed by the builder.  Or just sketch it for me.

Håkan

 

Ahh!   The work of Ken Ashberry.

 

Made in many iterations the last being in O Gauge.

 

Courtesy of The Railway Modeller. September 1982. Vol 33. Number 383; pages 312 -319

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

On 20/02/2018 at 16:01, Dr Gerbil-Fritters said:

Bingo!  In what can only be described as an extraordinary reawakening of some long dormant brain cells, I remembered it was featured on Chris Nevard's flickr site under Model railways from the 1980s.

 

Courtesy of Chris Nevard, here are two photos from the 1984 IMREX at Central Hall of Mac Pyrke's Victoria South.   

 

 

 

Anyway, absolutely 'of the age' but splendidly atmospheric and convincing.  Have always wanted to see more of it than these two excellent and rare photos.  Was it in any magazines?

 

I'm feeling quite pleased with the old brain, I think I shall take it home for a well deserved rest now!

 

And thanks to Chris for permission to reuse his lovely photos.  Time to rescue this classic from obscurity I feel.

 

Almost 10 years now since Chris posted about Mac Pyrke's Victoria South and I haven't seen anything more of it.  Looks like this is one classic that has slipped through the net...

 

Unless, of course, somebody out there knows otherwise!

[kevinlms]

6 hours ago, Neil said:

 

I'm afraid I can't help with plans of the layout as I haven't kept copies of the relevant articles but I seem to remember that it went through several incarnations. One may even have been in O gauge.

The 7mm version appeared as RotM in 1992 January

[njee20]

Somewhat continuing the resurrection, but getting back on topic, whilst I really enjoyed Bolden Junction (and cherished the scratch built mk3 DVT I was bought from it), Acton Mainline, St Denys and others here mentioned, it was “Littlewood” which absolutely captivated me when it was in RM over two issues in 1998. 11 year old me obsessed over it for hours on end and I sketched so many track plans trying to borrow elements of it in my more modest space. Funny really, having drifted away from modelling and returned in the last 10 years, I’ve re-read the text, hosted on Richard Deas’s website with a decent video, and whilst I still love the size and ‘busyness’ of the layout it underwhelms me now in other areas. Perhaps a bit unfair given it’s now moved on and therefore somewhat ‘frozen in time’, but still.  
 

Ironically as that 11 year old poring over it I was actually a OO gauge modeller, although when I returned it was only ever going to be N gauge, so perhaps it did have a greater impact than I realised!

Edited March 22, 2021 by njee20