markneilp14 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Hi I am a new member to Rmweb and I thought i would say hello and show you one of my three IOW layouts namely Merstone. Merstone was featured in the April edition of the Railway modeller magazine. The location is roughly speaking in the middle of the island about 4 miles due south of Newport. The junction at Merstone was the midway point between Newport and Sandown on the former Isle of Wight Central railway route. There was also a branch to Ventnor west that headed due south from Merstone. When i first exhibited the layout in 2016 one of my fellow operators asked about making a module of Ventnor West to be added to the layout so we could have a junction layout with a branch terminus. The article on Ventnor West was featured int eh Feb issue of RM. Since the completion of the Ventnor west extension i am now working on a model of St Lawrence station which was a small request halt. As yet the full version with all 3 layouts has not been out yet but Merstone has been exhibited with Ventnor West or St Lawrence on a few occasions. Hope you like the photos. Mark 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Seen this out and about a few times, the variety of rolling stock and the quality of the model always pleases they eye. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 Thank you glad you like it Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Alex TM Posted May 17, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 17, 2019 Hi Mark, Saw this in the RM, and was impressed. I think what struck me most was how all the different stock seemed to look the part irrespective of era. Regards, Alex. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vectispete Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Very good work Mark I am building Merstone in EM gauge but it is more of a stay at home layout - still in it's embryonic stage other than coach stock and locos which are nearly complete. Did you estimate the station building dimensions? I have not come across either drawings or decent 'side on' photographs of the building as yet. St Lawrence would be good to model. Simple halt but plenty of scenery depth to make it look a nice middle station between your Ventnor West and Merstone stations. I do like your No. 32 Bonchurch in Malachite livery. I have only ever seen one other model in this livery and that was built by Chris Kedgeley, alas no longer with us, but interestingly I believe he too was modelling Merstone. I never got to see any photos of it though. Did that small bridge where the Land Rover has driven under actually exist on the real location? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Welcome Mark, good to see you on this forum, as you are the present owner of 'Bembridge', I've mentioned it a few times here in the past, but wont hurt from a few more mentions now and again 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi chaps. Alex TM thank you fo rthe comments about the stock and the scenery al blending in so well. Vectispete i am happy to give you some information if you want on the buildings etc. Please feel free to drop me a line. St Lawrence is going to be exhibited in June along with Merstone at the Great Central Railway on 14-16th June. Do come along and say hello. Bike2steam, Hello Paul. Bembridge is set for a revival this summer with some TLC to be given and general tidy up before its first outing in 4 years tot eh Warley show in November. Mark 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vectispete Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Hi Mark i have sent you a pm. i will try and get to see St Lawrence in June and am certainly going to NEC November so look forward too to seeing the revamped Bembridge. Do you have any photos of St Lawrence’s work in progress? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted May 22, 2019 Author Share Posted May 22, 2019 If you look on the link below to the layouts Facebook page you can see the work on St Lawrence thus far Mark https://www.facebook.com/groups/2174554029455311/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vectispete Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 I'm afraid I don't do facebook. I'm sure I will come across the layout at some point. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted May 22, 2019 Author Share Posted May 22, 2019 Where are you located I’m doing a few shows this year. Next one is June 14-16 at the great central railway then July 27/28 Newcastle upon Tyne and tolworth in November Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vectispete Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I am wonderfully close to the IOW - not!. West Midlands Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 (edited) Bloody hell Mark, Newcastle U/T, that's a fair ol' distance from Alton, but Tolworth is a good show normally, Bembridge has been there before, along with nearby Epsom, and Leatherhead. Edited May 23, 2019 by bike2steam 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 On 23/05/2019 at 08:22, bike2steam said: Bloody hell Mark, Newcastle U/T, that's a fair ol' distance from Alton, but Tolworth is a good show normally, Bembridge has been there before, along with nearby Epsom, and Leatherhead. Why aye man!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 It was good to see Merstone both at the Great Central and RailEx NE. Thank you to Mark for taking the time to speak to our party at North Shields, and for showing us some of the excellent locos ... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Another thumbs up for Merstone from me, having seen it (and met Mark) at Railex NE last weekend. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobJC Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 What a magic looking layout. Really captures the appearance of the original, although Mr A B McLeod would have kittens at the sight of such "big" engines on his railway. I visited the site many times and tramped over the hump that is all that remains of the platform. I put together a pastiche of the station many many years ago on a 6 x 4 board(!) using peco and Hornby setrack with Ventnor West over the "fiddle yard" at the back. I ran a couple of O2s and a Terrier with Ratio midland coaches painted green and a handful of mainline (palitoy) goods wagons but the poor little terrier couldn't get up the bank and the O2s kept falling off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willsheldrake Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Hi Mark, great layout, just wondering where you got the 4 wheel coaches and transfers as I'm looking into having some IOW coaches Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 On 22/10/2019 at 01:05, willsheldrake said: Hi Mark, great layout, just wondering where you got the 4 wheel coaches and transfers as I'm looking into having some IOW coaches Thanks Hi By the 4 wheelers i presume you mean the stroudley coaches. They are the resin kits from Smallbrook studios. The transfers are from the HMRS transfer packs. The other 4 wheelers that i have are the LCDR push pull sets whach are the brass kits form the now defunct D&S kits. I have also recently been working on a set of 5 Oldburys which are entirely 3D printed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markneilp14 Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 As we are now drawing to a close for 2019 model railway shows, the attention turns to the test set up of the Merstone, St Lawrence and Ventnor West layout on Sunday 27th October plus the two shows in November at Tolworth (with Merstone, St Lawrence and Ventnor West layout) and Warley with Bembridge. Some of the team are setting up the whole of the big Merstone, St Lawrence and Ventnor West layout (44 foot long) this Sunday 27th October 2019 at the AMRG’s club rooms to basically have a play with the layout and work out the best routine to run the whole layout so that we have no “dead spots” (be they operational or electrical) on the layout. At the moment I have worked it out that we need 4 operators at any one time they are; Newport Fiddle yard, Merstone Station, Sandown Fiddleyard and Ventnor West. Hopefully we will have the operating methods down to a T on Sunday. At the end of the month Bembridge is going to Warley which is by far and away a much simpler layout and a lot less walking involved. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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