I've had an interest in model railways, on and off, since I was about 16. As I retired a few years ago (albeit at 62) that's a long time. Model railways are not my only interest, indeed during the summer months I normally don't touch the railway preferring instead to be in the garden, travelling around the country, visiting stately homes and walking. Since I retired my son and I have walked the South Downs Way, the Ridgeway, St. Cuthbert’s Way, part of the Two Moors Way and the Norfolk Coast path. More recently add cruising to that. I don't claim to be an expert modeller but I enjoy what I do and it's a nice way to while away a wet afternoon or a winters' evening. Incidentally, I'm not into technicalities of this blogging lark so please excuse any errors.

My interest has long been the GWR, maybe it stemmed from my schooldays when in the last years of SR steam I watched rusty and decrepit N and U classes at Redhill on the Reading line trains and then one day an immaculate Reading Manor appeared, (I think it was either Freshford or Fringford). I can see it now, in lined green on platform 3 with a short train. It was such a contrast to our usual fare.

My current layout is Blagdon, a GWR terminus in Somerset that has been modelled before as it is relatively small and therefore takes up less space. Even so without any compression the layout requires an 8ft by 2ft baseboard; branch line stations took up a great deal more room than many imagine. Much as I'd like to colonise the spare bedroom I'm not sure my wife would approve. I do have a thing about modelling an actual station. I've never quite got my head around creating an accurate model of actual locomotives, coaches and wagons and then putting them into a fictitious location. I respect those that do but I enjoy the research that is required and operating the layout with the same timetable and in the same manner as the original. Some years ago I also began modelling in EM gauge which I think is a good compromise between OO and S4 (or P4).

Because the number of locomotives and rolling stock required is relatively limited I've taken the opportunity to set the layout at different periods. For example I can operate Blagdon as it was in 1902 using the locomotive used in the first few weeks, the wonderfully eccentric 1384. This was a Peter K kit and once painted by Larry Goddard in fully lined GWR green really shows why railways were at the height of elegance in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. I can also model the station in the 1920's, the 1930's and up to 1950 when the goods service ceased (passenger traffic ceased in 1931). The station environs didn't change much but an additional room was added to the station building a few years after opening. The building therefore lost its' symmetry and I think is a good example of the sort of thing that happens in the real world that a modeller of a fictitious station might overlook. I also have to overlook the fact that the trees in the background only grew over the years, when the line opened the hillside at the back of the station was quite bare. However the trees and the embankment form a good visual stop avoiding the problems of merging the foreground into the backscene.

As regards research, this I find very enjoyable and the Oakwood Press book has been very helpful in filling in some of the gaps in my knowledge. There was an article in a very old Model Railway News by Michael Farr that had a plan of the back of the station building, the only clue I could find to the layout of the windows. I also found some colour photos of Wrington in the early 1960's which showed the colour of the stonework facing the platforms. In a black and white photo they could have been any colour (it looks to be red sandstone). I know the station still exists as a private house and I have seen it but felt that I could hardly barge in and ask to take measurements and check the colour of the stonework!

Apart from 1384, for operating Blagdon I have a 517 class 0-4-2T, a Metro tank, three 48xx / 58xx, (two in GWR green, one in early BR livery representing 1950) and a Dean Goods in early BR livery (again representing 1950). I do have a few other locomotives acquired many years ago (I had contemplated modelling New Radnor) and also an ex Cambrian 2-4-0T using the old Gem body kit with a Mainly Trains chassis, the chassis it has to be said better detailed than the body. I bought this simply because I like out of the ordinary, non-standard small locomotives. I have my eye on the kit for Lady Margaret! Currently I am trying to get the Nu Cast GWR steam railmotor running. The old white metal power bogie chassis was jettisoned, perhaps a little too hastily, and I'm now working with an Alan Gibson brass chassis with the non-driving wheels sprung. Trying to fix the Nu Cast white metal cylinders to the Gibson chassis is proving complicated and I've also got to fit the complex valve gear. Why does no one currently make a decent kit of a steam railmotor? One visited Blagdon with the midday round trip all through the 1920's and in their day these were as much a part of the GWR branch line scene as the 48xx in later years. Incidentally, I would encourage anyone to see and ride on the steam railmotor at the GWS at Didcot. It truly is one of the most memorable experiences in railway preservation. You need to remember that 30 or so years ago the range of decent locomotives was limited, we had no Bachman then, the RTR examples were generally poor and in any event focussed mainly on express passenger locomotives so if you wanted a small branch engine you had to resort to a white metal kit.

Three of the locos have Portescap motors (58xx, Metro and 517) whilst most of the others have the Mashima motor / High Level gearbox combination. Unfortunately due to space considerations I can't use the High Level gearbox in 1384 and consequently it doesn't run quite as well as most of the others but it is still far better than it was (thanks to Peter K supplying a new chassis fret). Most locomotives are compensated.

Recently I spent some time looking very carefully at each item of rolling stock and checking for breakages (bits such as buffers do get broken off) and inaccuracies (my knowledge of GWR brake gear for example is better than it was 30 years ago). It’s been very satisfying bringing each item of rolling stock up to the same standard, it’s a fact that our modelling abilities improve over the years but you cannot afford to throw away the earlier examples of your work because they don’t meet the standards of the latest models.

I hope the photo gives some idea of what I’ve tried to achieve. I’m aware that I fail a little on the scenery front but I have developed a few mantras as follows:

1. Grass is green, not bright yellow or brown.
   
2. Old black and white photographs have given the impression that 100 years ago people lived in an age of greys. There was more colour around than people imagine; a bright delivery van for example draws the eye of the viewer.
   
3. Whilst the public (passenger) side of railways was tidier than today, the areas outside the public gaze were not necessarily cleaner. For example in an environment where horses were everywhere the inevitable by-product would be apparent, mine are moulded from Milliput but the proportions may be the reason why the horses on my layout have watering eyes.
   

If people are interested I’ll continue to update on progress to date. This may mean having to rename the blog as under the Blagdon baseboard is a partially completed model of Westbrook and I’m starting to think I need a change.