Older Inspirational Layouts

[uax6]

Spent the last  three-quarters of an hour thinking about layouts, and other than Franks Lutton, I recently came across Gavin Wilson's Highland Railway layout in an MRC. Very clever use of space and lovely modelling of the pre-grouping era. He was one of the few that even had a full Royal Train.

 

Andy g

[Barry O]

Is it not a measure of the improvement in standard and range of the RTR market that the standard of a lot of the layouts we look back upon as inspirational are now within the reach of an "average" modeller, providing his pocket is deep enough? That is not to denigrate those layouts, for their time they were truely inspirational, and sometimes a bit dispiriting when we realised we could not do as well.

I wonder which "present day" layouts our successors will look back upon in 50 years time.

The layouts which have inspired me are at a standard which still couldn't be totally achieved using RTR - they still inspire and they still make me want to do better.

 

We are lucky that we can achieve higher standards with RTR but how would you do a Bramblewick or Wyndlesham Cove or Cwmafon - or the Liverpool Overhead Railway on Heruclaneum?

It may answer why we are seeing some "sameness" in layouts

[Sheffield]

I did take care to say a lot rather than all layouts that inspired us, but some of the inspirational layouts did so by their overall effect, rather than indiviual details. They showed us how we could produce layouts that seemed "real railways" with a plausible and realistic theme, with good operation. For me it was sometimes the overall effect that some of the past masters achieved that inspired. 

[Donw]

Andy

I am not sure which of the 'Luttons' you are refering to at 8ft sq. In his article on the last one it is described as 12ft6in by 8ft 6in. To include two stations and an industrial spur plus a continous run and a fiddle yard in 0 gauge in that space is amazing.

Don

[uax6]

Andy

I am not sure which of the 'Luttons' you are refering to at 8ft sq. In his article on the last one it is described as 12ft6in by 8ft 6in. To include two stations and an industrial spur plus a continous run and a fiddle yard in 0 gauge in that space is amazing.

Don

It was the last one, and my 10 year old selfs memory must be playing tricks! I remember the fact that with four of us in the operating well (Lutton needed a driver and signalman, Kenbrennon Castle required one and there was Frank to do the rest) it was 'cosy' I was lucky enough to do all three jobs, the most difficult being at Kenbrennon Castle, as you had to do all the work yourself. The most exciting thing on the layout was the gentle slope that lifted the branch from Lutton to KC. in a space of about 18" the line climbed 6"! I don't recall any issues with it either!

 

Funny, it must have been 20-25 years ago since I last saw it (I saw the room while it was being dismantled, and it still saddens me) and I can still clearly remember most details. It was the first place where I had seen a yellow dod, and the coupling system was 'interesting' (i've never worked out excatley what it was called, and bit like sprat and winkle, but completely different!

 

The signalmen were expected to fill out a TRB sheet, and when i came here I was surprised to find that the TRB's are exactly the same (just with NR at the top!).

 

What I would give to have another evening at the controls.

 

Andy G

[clecklewyke]

Sincere apologies, I got it wrong, relying on my fading memory rather than research.

 

It was Ken York, not Malcolm Cross, who committed suicide - see MRJ 20, which had an obituary.

 

Ian

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Whatever was I thinking - clean forgot about Allen McClelland's Virginian and Ohio, Tony Koester's Allegheny Midland and David Barrow's Cat Mountain and Santa Fe.

 

All magical layouts from the 70s and 80s that when I discovered them in the early 1990s completely captured my imagination.  I think I've lost something of the magic, now that I've gone all prototypically deranged and 'moved on' from proto-freelancing...

[RJS1977]

And I've just remembered one back in the early 80s - it was an N gauge layout with all manner of unusual (at least for then!) space fillers including a football ground, a stately home and a bowling green.

[Donw]

Frank coupling was the Jorgen Sturup  described in the Jun 1961 Model Railway News and the GoG gazette July 1968.

 

Don

[Stringfingerling]

Bevleys is the one I think you mean - there was also the tiny Bevett.

 

Dave and Bev Lowery's LNWR layout - I forget the name!

i would also remind people of Abermynach by Jurgen Mehnhert (I think thatl's how you spell it!).  This was a german model of a welsh branch line featured in RM in 1983, very atmospheric; it still inspires me today.

 

Definitely Bredon, as referred to a few posts ago.

 

Inkerman Street from MRJ early days.

 

Tanygrisiau as seen at the MRJ exhibition in 1990.  Wonderful! Possibly the best I've ever seen.

 

Hursley from MRJ no 40.  Astonishing.

 

Corris by Peter Kazer

 

Ditchling Green by Gordon Gravett - and his Welsh narrow gauge layout that i can't remember the name of.

[glo41f]

What an interesting topic! It has resurrected many memories for me. I remember blowing a weeks pocket money on the 100th issue Railway Modeller which had Mr Penfold's layout in. Up to that time I did not know such magazines existed. I know my mum was none too impressed that I had spent it all on this!

 

My list would have to be the Original Borchester (and its replacement), the original Wallsea which I spent hours watching at Central Hall when it was first exhibited there. In fact I went back to the show for the next three days to watch it and got to know the builder very well. Chee Tor must also be in the list though I never saw it in the flesh so to speak. I was also greatly taken with the Berrow Branch and Charford and one of Ken Payne's 4mm efforts which was a main line station. These layouts inspired me to try harder and I am still trying!

 

The true test for me is realistic operation and not necessarily the scenery and track.

 

I have to say that there are not many "modern" layouts that hit the spot for me these days.

 

Regards

 

Martin Long

[New Haven Neil]

Ah, the Berrow Branch, yes!  I recall seeing it (or part of it?) at a show when Mac was quite an elderly gent, and a gent he was.  I'm sure it was a once only sort of appearance, but I fail to recall which show it was....  Lovely chap, he was really nice to me when I had a word with him, I suppose it must have been 30 years ago? He inspired me to model the S&D for many years until the running abilities of US stock took me away!

 

Talking of which, there's been very little mention of non-UK modelling so far - Cliff (Young's ?) D&RGW I recall seeing.  How about South Shields MRS's 78th Street Yard as seen in Continental Modeller, if I may permit myself some nepotism?  My old club, but not a layout I was involved with. 

[Pacific231G]

Ah, the Berrow Branch, yes!  I recall seeing it (or part of it?) at a show when Mac was quite an elderly gent, and a gent he was.  I'm sure it was a once only sort of appearance, but I fail to recall which show it was....  Lovely chap, he was really nice to me when I had a word with him, I suppose it must have been 30 years ago? He inspired me to model the S&D for many years until the running abilities of US stock took me away!

 

Talking of which, there's been very little mention of non-UK modelling so far - Cliff (Young's ?) D&RGW I recall seeing.  How about South Shields MRS's 78th Street Yard as seen in Continental Modeller, if I may permit myself some nepotism?  My old club, but not a layout I was involved with. 

Please sir. I mentioned Cliff Young's D&RGW on the 30th. Was it the original version or the later one that you saw?

I never saw Berrow in the flesh but I always liked it and it's one of about half a dozen layouts for which I've got all the articles in a folder - The sub terminus at East Brent hiding the fiddle yard seemed an excellent idea and its final form would make a good little layout on its own. One of the things that both Mac Pyrke and John Charman (Charford) did was to run these relatively simple layouts to a proper timetable which made them far more interesting.

 

Sadly, on Tuesday we said goodbye to Andy Hart the builder of Achaux,  one of the other layouts I mentioned as having inspired me, who died unexpectedly a few days after that post. He is greatly missed.  There are tributes to Andy on http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67842-andy-hart-sncf-society/

Edited February 21, 2013 by Pacific231G

[Pete 75C]

For me it was Ian Futers' Lochside - probably circa 1980. This and Ian's many other layouts fostered a lifelong love of blue diesels and end to end layouts although I've never modelled a Scottish prototype or "might have been". I remember seeing Lochside in RM and actually writing a letter of appreciation via the Editor. Ian kindly replied a few weeks later. Big regret that I've never seen anything of his on the exhibition circuit - I should have made more effort. Pete.

 

Edited February 21, 2013 by Pete_S

[New Haven Neil]

Please sir. I mentioned Cliff Young's D&RGW on the 30th. Was it the original version or the later one that you saw?

I never saw Berrow in the flesh but I always liked it and it's one of about half a dozen layouts for which I've got all the articles in a folder - The sub terminus at East Brent hiding the fiddle yard seemed an excellent idea and its final form would make a good little layout on its own. One of the things that both Mac Pyrke and John Charman (Charford) did was to run these relatively simple layouts to a proper timetable which made them far more interesting.

 

Sadly, on Tuesday we said goodbye to Andy Hart the builder of Achaux,  one of the other layouts I mentioned as having inspired me, who died unexpectedly a few days after that post. He is greatly missed.  There are tributes to Andy on http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67842-andy-hart-sncf-society/

 

That was what I meant, sorry, that I had seen it mentioned earlier in the thread!  I couldn't be bothered to trawl back to see who had mentioned it, my laziness intruding!

 

I think I have both RM's with his layout in, it planted a seed to this then teenager about US modelling, and then a club member invited me to see his Southern (USA) layout...and there we go!  That same person now has a multi layer Norfolk Southern layout which is superb, I was part of the operating crew before I emigrated.  Jack Southern (there's a clue!), take a bow.

[New Haven Neil]

Addendum about the Berrow Branch - it was 'Berrow and Penholme' I saw at the show.  It's in RM for December '78.

[Graham456]

Allied Marine - Who'd have thought that industrial grot could look so attractive?

 

Allan Wright's Cheviotdale - Fine(ish) scale in a small space and achievable on a modest budget.

 

Don Neale's LMS garden layout - From the days when "garden railway" meant scale length main line trains rather than whimsical narrow-gauge (not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

Allied Marine yes this was inspirational to me back in ,was it 1978/9 I still have the mags with it in, salted away but it's a while since I last read it,but I can picture it in my mind clear enough. I still have the fleet of centre models kits I built as I tried to build my own version, but I never did get hold of a faller brewery kit to use as the basis of the industral grot for the scene setting

[MartinWales]

Addendum about the Berrow Branch - it was 'Berrow and Penholme' I saw at the show.  It's in RM for December '78.

Penholme also appeared in MR Sept '82

[MartinWales]

Ditchling Green by Gordon Gravett - and his Welsh narrow gauge layout that i can't remember the name of.

You're referring to Llandydref-appeared in RM May '86

[Stringfingerling]

 You're referring to Llandydref-appeared in RM May '86

Thank you for that! The images of the layout from the RM still inspire me even though they are memories, now i've lost the magazine.  I always loved the Welsh Narrow Gauge railways since first encountering the Tallylyn as a child but Gordon Gravett seems to have the knack of distilling full strength atmosphere into his models.

Googling Llandydref led me to Lynbridge as well. Henry Holdsworth I think was the creator?  This was a Lynton and Barnstaple inspired model - large scale - very memorable.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Stringfingerling

[New Haven Neil]

Oh Lynbridge,yes!  He also made a non L&B model of a Hunslet WD 4-6-0 for the layout IIRC.

[MartinWales]

Lynbridge appeared in RM July 1983 

[Stringfingerling]

I have to mention Mike Cook's Ashburton and his Kingswear as well as Steve (Carter's ?) Kingsbridge from about 1981.  I read the articles till the magazines fell apart.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Stringfingerling

[Oldddudders]

I have deliberately ignored this thread until now, confident that a read-through would include an awful lot of Good Things, and I wasn't wrong! I think most of my inspirations have been covered already, but I'll name them, all the same.

 

David Lloyd's Augher Valley - an Irish NG layout that had a quite magic aura despite being incomplete, and the imaginative accompanying text was very much a part of that. He must have been quite young when he built it, as when he died rather suddenly in the late '80s (?) he was still only 50-ish.

 

Vivien Thompson's Eastbourne - Pre-Grouping LBSCR, largely scratchbuilt. As my fave old company this was always going to be enjoyed, but her abilities were substantial, so it was terribly impressive. Her subsquent book on structure modelling was purchased, and Deb had a go at a few bits of building, but other influences intervened. Neverthless, I was gutted when Deb came home from some BRB junket about architecture in the late '80s to say she'd seen some model buildings, suggested they looked like Mrs Thompson's work - and was promptly introduced to the lady!

 

G.R.Hannan's County Donegal - even before Augher valley, RM had given me a taste for Irish NG through a couple of articles by this chap, who had little cameos that inspired, like the lovers sitting in the shelter - "lost in love's young dream" I think he said. He also sowed the seeds of my lifelong fascination with diesel railcars.

 

Someone mentioned  Miller & Philo "then trading as Miller Models Ltd" in 1959. I haven't seen that article since then - but was there a quote something like "on which a fine 'Scot' looked decidedly pinched for room"? That is how influential such articles can be - convincing me then and now that space is everything for a successful model to look "right".

[burgundy]

I have deliberately ignored this thread until now, confident that a read-through would include an awful lot of Good Things, and I wasn't wrong! I think most of my inspirations have been covered already, but I'll name them, all the same.

 

Vivien Thompson's Eastbourne - Pre-Grouping LBSCR, largely scratchbuilt. As my fave old company this was always going to be enjoyed, but her abilities were substantial, so it was terribly impressive. Her subsquent book on structure modelling was purchased, and Deb had a go at a few bits of building, but other influences intervened. Neverthless, I was gutted when Deb came home from some BRB junket about architecture in the late '80s to say she'd seen some model buildings, suggested they looked like Mrs Thompson's work - and was promptly introduced to the lady!

 

Eastbourne was the first pure "Brighton" layout that I ever remember seeing in the Railway Modeller and it made a huge impression. I think it had the same effect on Peter Jessop, who produced "Selsey on Sea", and Clive Cobley, who produced "Siddlesham", which appeared as a combined layout at a very early Expo EM held at St Katherines Dock. A side effect was the formation of the Brighton Circle, which has been catalyst and information source for a fair number of the Brighton layouts that have been built since then. It has also brought together skills and resources that make modelling the Brighton a much more straightforward proposition than it was when Vivien Thompson built Eastbourne.

Best wishes

Eric