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Tweedale - The Story So Far


awoodford

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It's been awhile since I last posted here, but now that the days are getting lighter (and I can see what I'm doing), the modelling juices are beginning to flow again. It's time to stir out of my winter lethargy and get back to the next phase in Tweedale's evolution. First though I thought that a recap and update might be useful for putting everything into context.

 

Tweedale was started in 2014, as a temporary, freelance, low tech bit of fun, with an estimated lifetime of about 2 years. It was intended as a kind of a warm-up exercise (following a period away from the hobby), before embarking on a proper serious mainstream type of layout. However it has proved so successful that 6 years later it still continues to deliver the goods, so to speak. Indeed it has maintained my interest to such an extent that I've now decided to give up all ideas of joining the mainstream in its ongoing quest for ever more detailed photographic realism and prototype fidelity, but instead just eddy around in my own familiar backwater with a completely new and larger version of Tweedale. To that end a good part of the past 6 months has been occupied in idly doodling plans for the new layout. The time has come to start construction.

 

Meanwhile back on the old version (as I now think of it), the story has been one of rationalisation. The most drastic change has been to completely do away with the 'Tweedale Lite' extension. This was dismantled shortly after it's exhibition outing last summer. The modifications that made it workable for the show, such as operating from the rear, made it unsuitable for home use without a lot more work being put back into it. As I was already toying with the idea of a new layout back then, I had no real interest in spending more time on the old. However, on a more positive note, almost everything has been salvaged.

 

Tweedale31-1.jpg.5aba5ec6ac4e432dda01836afd1dfd9e.jpg

 

The track and scenic items will be reused on the new layout, and the diorama-style box in which it was all contained has been taken off my hands by one of my cronies for a new N gauge layout that he is building.

As a consequence the old layout has now reverted to a state it was in about 3 years ago.

 

Tweedale31-2.jpg.552c1fef0d3ca907ec23a475c6840693.jpg

 

It does at least still get operated for half an hour most days, and will no doubt continue to do so until the new layout takes over. Apart from maintenance, it is unlikely any more will be done to the old Tweedale, so I'll leave it there to see out the rest of its days in peace, and concentrate in future blogs on the progress of the new layout.

 

Cheers, Alan.

Edited by awoodford
Restored lost images

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6 Comments


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  • RMweb Gold

“A larger version of Tweedale”  I must admit I can’t wait!  I thoroughly enjoyed your approach to modelling Tweedale and I’m very much looking forward to reading about “Mark 2!”

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Thanks Wenlock. The new layout will follow more or less the same theme, but with longer runs between stations and a different style of presentation. I'll fill in the details in the next blog.

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  • RMweb Gold

I'm shocked! Quite taken aback by seeing the remains of Tweedale lite in the box but I understand your reasoning. Looking forward to the next phase, of course.

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Hi Corbs, thanks for your comment. I did get 2 years of operation out of the extension, but it never really seemed to gel with the rest of the layout. If it wasn't for the commitment to show it at the exhibition it might well have been abandonned earlier.

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A Greater Tweedale eh, sounds very good. Don't worry about the rest of the modelling world,continue to plough your own unique furrow we love it :D.

 

John Bruce.

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