It's been a while since my last entry. Things have been busy. The layout has now appeared in last October's edition of Model Rail, and the two-parter in the N Gauge Journal has just finished. However, the layout looks set to be appearing in Hornby magazine later next year. In the meantime the layout has been up and running, and I have some more photos to share for those that are interested. So here we go. Harrow & Wealdstone. two 304s pass on the Slow Lines, while a Cravens 105 DMU sits in
Just a bit of a heads up. My layout will be featuring in the next issue (240-October) of Model Rail magazine. Should be out around 15 September. Just finished a quick look at the proof article and it gives a fairly balanced overview with what could be fitted in over five pages.
Andy.
Down the years there has been, and still is, a number of gaps in the availability of Rolling Stock in N Gauge. Fortunately things have been improving of late, but when I began to model the West Coast Main Line nearly twenty years ago it was a case of improvisation and making use of items then available. One of my first projects was the Mark 2 Pullmans for the Manchester and Liverpool Pullman services. There had been a plentiful supply of early Farish Coaches at the time, those that had the windo
About twenty years ago I was faced with the problem of how to try and model the West Coast Main Line in N, but with only the Farish 87, and the Lima 86 available? The only solution was to try and fill the gaps by scratch building all the missing items. This had started as a project to run them on the exhibition layout 'Kings Park'. The first three attempts were at class 85s built round some secondhand Fleischmann continental AC locos. However these were a bit overscale in width, topping out at a
Part of the Control set up. One of five panels, this one looking after Harrow. When I began my West Coast project I wanted to use Track occupation and four aspect signals. Fortunately, about twenty five years ago I had run a large scale experiment with N Gauge in the garden. (Railway Modeller April/August 1995). This consisted of about a run of 250 feet out and back. To keep an eye on things I installed track circuiting throughout and automatic four aspect signals. At this time I bought a lot
Two 501 sets coast into Harrow on a Euston to Watford local service. A Kenny O to Perth Motorail passes on the Down Fast. On the Slow Lines two eight car 310s pass each other.
304 meets 310 at the south end of Watford. These units were constructed using old style Farish coaches which had the removable window strips. These had been taken out. In the case of the 310 the window section was replaced by solid plasticard. Windows were marked out and then drilled out and filed to shape. In the cas
My quest to build some Underground stock started off as a gimmick, one un-motorised set between some match wagons being hauled round by a 47. It didn't stay a gimmick for long when the set was motorised by a couple of Arnold N Kof shunting locos, made into a simple chassis.
A once timeless scene, a 1938 Tube set sits in the Up 'New Line' Platform at Harrow, about to set off for Elephant & Castle. By carefully looking at the front of the set you might see that it has Northern Line type D
Have just about finished a 10 year project, although a few minor things need completing, the layout is now in its fully functioning state.
A length of about thirty feet in N Gauge has allowed me to attempt full size stations. Hopefully the station frontage is recognisable (without reading the station name). A class 310 calls on a local from Bletchley to Euston.
To the south of the station the actual area has had to be modified from reality, as with only 30 inches of width I had to scal
