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How to eat an elephant


Mikkel

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Question: How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: One bite at a time

 

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"The Farthing layouts" are a series of OO micro-layouts that depict small sections of the same overall junction station. The period is Edwardian, although I occasionally have heretic out-of-period operating sessions. The layouts are operationally independent of each other, ie they are not connected or modular. In this way, I can explore my interest in larger stations in a very limited space. In other words, I'm eating an elephant one bite at a time!

 

The station of Farthing is located on the GWR line between Newbury and Westbury, and serves as the junction for the fictional "North & South Railway" line from Swindon to Salisbury, now part of the GWR system. It is also the starting point of the local branch to Overbourne.

 

 

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Map showing Farthing and the old North & South Railway, now absorbed by the GWR

 

Edited by Mikkel

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Guest jim s-w

Posted

This is an interesting idea. How come you dont want to see the whole station?

 

Cheers

 

Jim

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  • RMweb Gold

Jim, originally because I lived in a small flat and didn't have the room for more than a micro. Now I do have the room, but find that it works psychologically better for me to focus on small individual sections - that way I can focus and don't loose faith in the idea (I'm a slow modeller). Some time ago I did get tempted to build a large new layout, but eventually gave up and returned to this idea.

 

Edit 10 years on: Back in a flat again :lol:

Edited by Mikkel
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Mikkel

Posted (edited)

Thanks Mookie. The location is well spotted, although if I remember correctly I was thinking of a location a bit East of Patney and Chirton. The main idea was to justify a junction station where a line from Swindon to Salisbury crossed the Berks & Hants. This was inspired by Newbury in particular. The North & South Junction Rwy (N&SJR) was inspired by the D&NSR.

 

I sometimes wish I had located Farthing on the south coast (as per the original ambition of the D&NSR) as I could then have a terminus. That would have made it a lot easier to model the main platforms in a limited space!

 

Maybe some further history "work" is needed. This map by Geof Sheppard on Wikipedia (which it seems I'm allowed to share here) is quite interesting and could help pinpoint the exact location of Farthing:

 

image.png.fce04c807a972b234788c7eac7b5a6b9.png

 

Map by Geof Sheppard. Caption: A map showing cut-off routes opened by the Great Western Railway 1900 to 1906 to shorten routes from London to the south west of England. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stert_and_Westbury_Railway

 

Edited by Mikkel
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Mikkel

You idea follows the projected Salisbury to Berk & Hants route which the GW produced a diagram for it joined the line near Woodbrough just West of Pewsey. A map was shown in the Rails across the Plain book. 

It followed the river Avon all the way north with a junction facing east at Woodbrough.

Mike

 

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Mikkel

Posted (edited)

Many thanks Mike, I hadn't heard about that plan. The Rails across the Plain book looks interesting, it is hereby on the shopping list.

 

So Woodbrough might have become a more important station than I suppose it was. Although this period postcard is rather nice with good facilities: 

 

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ph4AAOSwAHtaO9g6/s-l1600.jpg

 

Edited by Mikkel
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