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Older Inspirational Layouts


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4 hours ago, t-b-g said:

 

I don't think that Peter Denny ever suggested that the tiny original Leighton Buzzard or Stony Stratford would be what he would have chosen to have when he had space available for something more ambitious.

 

It was more a case of it being possible to have some sort of layout in a tiny space rather than none at all.

 

As soon as he had more space the scope and complexity increased accordingly and even LB ended up considerably expanded.

Fair point.

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1 hour ago, Izzy said:

With apologies to those discussing proper really inspirational layouts here are a few shots of All Saints. The Iron ore hopper worked. Having something like this adds a lot I find to operational interest even if it is crude as was the case here. The top taken off ore tipped in. Then place a wagon underneath and pull a lever to let it fill up. Bring in an empty rake, shunt them, load them, take them out, tip into a tin...and start the cycle all over again. But it adds purpose. I did the same with a later 7mm layout, a sand hopper then. Anyway, for what they are worth.

 

751984640_RMweb04.jpg.08f5ef221824989985fdf299c89ecf5e.jpg

 

1686909766_RMweb05.jpg.33bd3c52fc5e9e574c8196feae66907d.jpg

 

202506609_RMweb06.jpg.73efe27ab3d5fe29644fd6fadd1864b3.jpg

 

1218893702_RMweb07.jpg.db7e48f931d1e6ec18751bdd454a3025.jpg

 

This last one shows how the hinge design can help keep the joint to the minimum visible size. It runs through about them middle of the 1F.

754446548_RMweb08.jpg.d7428a4d193f48c50d9ccda4c247f588.jpg

 

Izzy

 

 

Cracking looking layout! I may have to nick some ideas from that one.

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16 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

Cracking looking layout! I may have to nick some ideas from that one.


Thanks, and please do. Over the years I have sometimes wished I still had it or have thought about recreating it. Although not perfect it did all just seem to come together with it and nothing really needed revising or changing. Unlike my current P4 plank, for just today I started on a small track revision with it, the fourth rebuild it has had......

 

Izzy

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4 hours ago, Izzy said:

With apologies to those discussing proper really inspirational layouts here are a few shots of All Saints

 

 

Thanks Izzy

That looks pretty inspiratonal to me. It might even inspire another crack at the H0m Piano layout (when I've got the current one with a separate fiddle yard into a presentable state!)

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Ever since you mentioned All Saints it has been nagging me that I could remember the layout name  in Model Railways but not the name of the author. I am sure I kept the page when reducing the number of magazines. Today I didn't find the page with the layout plan but I did find a page by Bob Isgar on modelling in S. In the article he mentions his intention to build to build an S scale version of his last layout in P4 called All Saints. This article is dated Moodel Railways August 1987. I am now certain I have an article on the layout whether the P4 or possibly the later S one with a very similar track plan to the one you posted. It is reassuring that my memory isn't playing tricks. I will keep my eye out but I do have rather a lot of pages taken from Magazines of things that interested me.

 

Don

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Yes Don, I am he. Izzy was my nickname at school which I adopted for the web back when that was the norm, a non-de-plume.  I am afraid the S scale version never got built. I got encouraged into S by my then good friend Alan Gibson (of wheels fame etc) who modelled in it and produced many parts but then later decided 7mm was for me. Had a great time with this and the NEEGOG group headed by Martin Long.
 

After a decade long break from modelling to concentrate on other matters I now mainly work in 2FS as you may know, with an unintended lapse back to a small P4 layout called, erm, All Saints East, being exGE in the diesel era. Just a little diversion you understand....

 

regards,

 

Izzy

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28 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Yes Don, I am he. Izzy was my nickname at school which I adopted for the web back when that was the norm, a non-de-plume.  I am afraid the S scale version never got built. I got encouraged into S by my then good friend Alan Gibson (of wheels fame etc) who modelled in it and produced many parts but then later decided 7mm was for me. Had a great time with this and the NEEGOG group headed by Martin Long.
 

After a decade long break from modelling to concentrate on other matters I now mainly work in 2FS as you may know, with an unintended lapse back to a small P4 layout called, erm, All Saints East, being exGE in the diesel era. Just a little diversion you understand....

 

regards,

 

Izzy

Don has saved me the trouble of searching through my old magazines to find your real name - but I'll do that anyway so that I can re-read the article!

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Off at an angle slightly, but I think that several of these very compact "older inspirational layouts" are proving their worth a send time around as inspirations for 0 gauge essays, now that RTR 0 gauge is back in fashion after a 60+ year break.

 

Even part of my own deliberately-seventy-years-out-of-date 0 gauge layout is inspired by something even older, in the form of a series of very compact Gauge 1 displays made by Greenly c1909, and ends up being +/- the same as the 00 RTR "build along with us" layout that is on the go at the moment in Railway Modeller.

 

It just shows that: (a) a good idea never lies down; and, (b) there are only so many good ideas for compact layouts.

 

 

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On 01/12/2019 at 16:41, Pacific231G said:

 

Update

I couldn't find anything in MRC (which doesn't mean they don't exist) but I think the articles you're recalling may be two he wrote for MRN in 1950

A Compact Branch Terminus (Watlington) in August  includes about two pages worth of text, 8 photos and a track plan for a six foot long versionin 4mm/ft scale.

More About the Watlington Branch (Aston Rowant) in September includes about two and a half pages worth of text, five photos and a track plan also for a six foot long layout and  set of simple elevations for the Aston Rowant station building which he says is almost identical with that at  Watlington as is the goods shed. As a bonus there is also a photo of the halt at Bledlow Bridge which looks very similar to the extant halt at   Wainhill.

 

Thanks for that, it must be the articles in MRN I recall. Really regret parting with the stack of MRN's I'd collected (a full run ftom 1950 to the end).:(

Bob.

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Many years back someone, and I've no idea who, built a very good model of Aston Rowant.

 

It was possibly the first truly fine scale compact layout that I saw close-up at an exhibition, and for all its extreme simplicity I found it very engaging ........ not much happening, modelled very accurately indeed!

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On 28/01/2013 at 10:08, marc smith said:

Over the years, I've seen many layouts from which I draw some inspiration
and I agree with so many of the names mentioned above....

For me, the most inpirational layouts are in different scales, and for differing reasons;

 

Llanstr was a revelation - although I couldn't at that time, think of a design to apply the concept to my era

 

Ruyton Road was the layout that attracted me to micro and small layouts
I'm a layout builder, not a layout buyer - BUT I had to acquire this layout, when I learned it was going into a shed for storage
minus its' buildings!

And Gordon & Maggie Gravetts' Ditchling Green proved to me that O gauge needn't occupy a tennis court
It's still my all-time fave O gauge layout, I think - as Braunstone Gate doesn't really fit into the heading "older"

And let's face it, we all have to thank John Ahern for showing the way....

Nice thread :)

Marc

 

 

Edit: Oh, and Neil Rushby's "Shell Island" is up there too

 

Hi Marc, I know I've dragged this post up from the past but I did a search on Ruyton Road, a layout that I find really inspiring. I've found a couple of videos but there doesn't seem to be many pics of it anywhere. Do you still have the layout and how is it now? 

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On 02/12/2019 at 21:24, Nearholmer said:

Many years back someone, and I've no idea who, built a very good model of Aston Rowant.

 

It was possibly the first truly fine scale compact layout that I saw close-up at an exhibition, and for all its extreme simplicity I found it very engaging ........ not much happening, modelled very accurately indeed!

There was an "Aston Rowant" built by Mick Scarrow and John Pearce in H0 scale, featured under "Layouts" at: http://www.british-ho.com/

I am fortunate enough to own it's sister layout, "Watlington", built by the same pairing, I must add.

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Interesting.

 

That might be it. I have no recollection which scale/gauge combination it used, beyond the fact that it was “about 4mm/ft”, by which I mean no 0, S, TT, or N.

 

How old is the one you own? I am fairly certain the one I saw was before c1980.

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6 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Ruyton Road was a new one on me, but it is a welcome addition to the thread!

 

Have you found the you tube clips? It's a wonderfully micro layout with a light railway theme. Very inspirational!

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8 hours ago, Allegheny1600 said:

There was an "Aston Rowant" built by Mick Scarrow and John Pearce in H0 scale, featured under "Layouts" at: http://www.british-ho.com/

I am fortunate enough to own it's sister layout, "Watlington", built by the same pairing, I must add.

Do you know what happened to their model of Chinnor? 

BTW I never knew that Watlington was worked by S160s but I suppose there was a war on :mocking_mini:

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Ruyton Road was in MRJ 75 and 170. I saw it a couple of times and it was a brilliant capture of a Colonel Stevens type light railway. If it’s still with Marc it’s in good hands.

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13 hours ago, PMP said:

Ruyton Road was in MRJ 75 and 170. I saw it a couple of times and it was a brilliant capture of a Colonel Stevens type light railway. If it’s still with Marc it’s in good hands.

 

Marc's still got it as far as I know. I think the main stumbling block was that the points are built to be operated from the rear, whereas Marc would rather stand in front of the layout and he hadn't quite figured out how to fix that without risk of damaging the layout. It would have gone in a skip if Marc hadn't acquired it.

 

Unfortunately Smithy's been seduced by the world of rock and roll performance; can't see what the attraction is myself.

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47 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Marc's still got it as far as I know. I think the main stumbling block was that the points are built to be operated from the rear, whereas Marc would rather stand in front of the layout and he hadn't quite figured out how to fix that without risk of damaging the layout. It would have gone in a skip if Marc hadn't acquired it.

 

Unfortunately Smithy's been seduced by the world of rock and roll performance; can't see what the attraction is myself.

 

If he has room to move the layout forward enough to allow Tortoise point motors to be fitted. Solder a small piece of tube  across the operating arm of the turnout. Mount the tortoise so the operating arm of the tortoise runs through the tube and as the Tortoise operates the turnout operating arm is moved forwards and back. 

Don

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On 13/12/2019 at 06:01, sb67 said:

 

Hi Marc, I know I've dragged this post up from the past but I did a search on Ruyton Road, a layout that I find really inspiring. I've found a couple of videos but there doesn't seem to be many pics of it anywhere. Do you still have the layout and how is it now? 

HI sb67,

Yes, it's a really inspiring layout. In fact, it's one of a couple which led me down the path of minimum space / micro layouts

And yes, I still have it. As @Barry Ten says, I acquired it in order to stop it going to the skip.
It needs a new fiddle yard, but the layout is still in pretty good condition overall.
Sadly, I just don't have time to do anything with it at present. I am glad I saved it though - as it's such a classic

If anyone is interested in it, and promises to look after it / restore it (and doesn't expect it for free.... and for me to deliver it to them for free!) they are welcome to PM me
Again, I would stress that it needs to go to a home where it will be looked after (the last owner was threatening to strip the station building and road overbridge from it)

If only I had time to work on it, it would be up & running again... but time is not something I have much of, due to work / life / family / ill parents.... and of course, Rock & Roll ;)
Oi, Barry Ten... who are you calling "Smithy"? :) 

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