It seems the Looe Branch is a hot topic around here at the moment. I now know why, having had a lovely ride last month, getting tantalisingly close to Coombe Junction, only for it to dissapear into the mist leaving the train with no choice but to reverse and set off to Looe. Maybe one day I will reach this semi-mythical destination ...

Anyway, enough of my Coombe/Brigadoon analogy....

Inspired by the layouts among the blogs, and beyond, based on the line, I was wondering about a different take on the subject, modelling Coombe in the near (ish) future.

Here is the scenario, let me know what you reckon!

With road traffic creating havoc in the resort of Looe, it has been decided that an enhancement to the rail link to the town is needed. Tourists need to be encouraged to leave their cars in nearby Liskeard, and to travel by train to Looe in greater numbers. A park and ride station is built alongside the Moorswater industrial area, allowing passengers access to the line without having to drive through Liskeard itself. The shuttle service now operates directly from Moorswater to Looe, increasing service frequency as there is now no need to reverse.

So what becomes of Coombe Junction? Well, there are still a great number of passengers who use the Looe branch as the final leg of a longer main line journey, so of course the Liskeard-Coombe link (the pink line on the map) has to be retained. In normal service, this shuttle is operated using a small railcar, feeding a two car DMU on the Moorswater-Coombe link.

So, far from ending the story of the little used Coombe, it would revitalise it, it would be a bustling junction, supporting two high frequency services.

I think this would be an excellent basis for a little 2mm scale micro layout! Of course at the back of my mind I'm thinking of realistic applications for my little Kato- based Class 139....

....come to think if it, it might make sense in real life....