Incredibly, it's 12 months to the day since I posted the first pictures of Stourpayne Marshall on rmweb. As elaborated on at the time, this isn't a new layout, but an identity-swap for my existing GWR-based layout King's Hintock. Using various dodges, King's Hintock can be swapped over to an S&D station (and back again if needed) in about twenty minutes. In the course of the transformation, the station building moves from one side of the tracks to the other, the goods shed is relocated, and the sidings are somewhat truncated.

Although still fictitious, Stourpayne Marshall is much more rooted in reality than King's Hintock, as it has a clearly defined location, rather than just somewhere in the West Country. Set on the double track section of the S&D a few miles south of Blandford, its name is a cunning amalgam of the two halts Stourpaine and Durweston (just north of Blandford) and Charlton Marshall (just south). The spelling of Stourpayne rather than Stourpaine is in keeping with fictitious locations on previous layouts, honoring a family name of Payne. The station building and signal box are from the Bachmann models of Shillingstone. The goods shed is from the same range but I've set to see a photo or drawing of the supposed structure at Shillingstone. However, with some added details and weathering it looks in keeping.

The main function of the model was to scratch a long-standing itch to model the S&D, owing to family connections, and I've very much enjoyed the journey so far. Other than the scenic side of the layout, much of the work so far has been directed to recreating specific locos that ran on the line, drawing on the many books and articles which the S&D has attracted. A  certain amount of modeller's license has been applied with regard to period accuracy, however, as the layout's remit is very much about having fun and not being too bothered that this engine couldn't have run with that one, and so on. A case in point is this Fowler 2P which is correctly numbered for an S&D example, but which is carrying early "British Railways" lettering on the tender, which was gone by the mid-50s and so wouldn't have been seen in conjunction with Maunsell coaches in Southern Region green, as hitched behind the equally out-of-period lined maroon GUV below:

A similarly lax attitude is taken with regard to Bulleid pacifics, in both original and rebuilt condition.

Having at least some focus has been enjoyable, nonetheless, and it also applies to the two long-distance passenger trains which operate on the layout. No longer are they just any old trains, but one is the northbound Pines Express, and the other the Cleethorpes-Exmouth service. Although very little effort has been made to model accurate formations, at least the trains have a definite identity and a sense of where they are going and coming from. The same applies to the various stopping services which operate on the layout.

Even after a year, there's still much to do. Late last year I started drawing up lists of which Bulleid pacfics would be suitable as renaming candidates for my existing locos, but it's only in the last couple of weeks that I've actually ordered the plates. Having a few S&D stalwarts among the roster will, it's hoped, further cement the line's sense of place. In the meantime, work on the passenger trains continues with a much-needed catering car soon to be added to the Exmouth service.

In addition, although it could equally well apply to the GWR-version of the layout, slow progress has been made on the scenic treatment for the branch junction, which has been looking very unfinished since the major work a few years ago. I must admit, once the electrical side of it was done, and the branch could function as an additional off-scene destination, I was quite happy just to

enjoy the extra operational possibilities without worrying about how it looked.

However, I've vowed that I won't start some major work on the other side of the layout until this area is largely finished, so progress has at last been made over the summer. There's still work to do but it's mostly of the pleasant kind rather than anything too messy.

The junction is quite a bucolic sort of place and I look forward to adding greenery around the river banks, before pouring the water. I could have squeezed in another building or two here but I tried to resist the urge, as it's one the parts of the layout where things aren't too busy and I think it would be good to keep it that way.

In addition, there's also been some slow progress on adding some period S&D stock to the layout, for pre-grouping or early Big Four operations. Thanks to Jerry Clifford, I was finally able to complete the decals on this passenger luggage van:

There is still much more to be done not just with this vehicle, but with the seven other S&D passenger carriages still to be finished! However, hopefully it will be a inducement to further progress.

Perhaps the obvious thing to ask at the end of this is, when will the layout revert to GWR mode? The truth is that I'm in surprisingly little hurry. There is still much more to be done from an S&D standpoint, and from an aesthetic standpoint, there's something about the current arrangement of the station which actually looks a little more balanced than before. Oddly, it actually works better with the shorter siding - not just from a visual point of view, but also operationally. Having a long siding just meant that it got clogged up with goods vehicles, whereas now some discipline has to be applied and the result is all the better for it.  Having the branch operational, too, allows for a steady flow of traffic on and off the scenic part of the layout. So, for now, the layout is very much remaining as Stourpayne Marshall.

Thanks for reading, and following over the last year.