Which layouts have really inspired you?

[jcm@gwr]

Well, one layout which has inspired me recently is Dave777's layout for £100.

Totally agree!

[Worsdell forever]

So, layouts that have made me want to go and do some modelling -

 

All North Eastern...

 

Bramblewick - Just the sheer beauty of it.

Walker Marine - Grotty industrial realism, a major reason why my own Fellburn was built.

Lowburn Park - Current layout that does it for me.

[Guest Max Stafford]

Nerston Junction, Pottendorf, Blackgill, Culreoch.

 

Dave.

[Michael Delamar]

Bradwell - Manchester model railway society P4. it featured in the first railway modeller I bought in 1995.

 

Swan street goods. Chris Hewitt, first layout I went to exhibitions operating and I liked it so much I bought it.

 

Biggleswade, loved the video, never got to see it in real life.

[SouthernWay]

Just out of interest guys, I'm trying to produce a model of Eastbourne in the attic. Don't suppose anyway could point me in the right direction of a decent track diagram from say....the 50's/60's??

[Andy Y]

Just out of interest guys, I'm trying to produce a model of Eastbourne in the attic. Don't suppose anyway could point me in the right direction of a decent track diagram from say....the 50's/60's??

 

Hi and Welcome - you'd be best starting a new topic/question here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/25-modelling-questions-help-and-tips/

[Tom J]

'Kyle of Tongue', 'Nether Stowey' and 'Drem' spring to mind, as does 'Copenhagen Fields'. More recently, 'Ring Road'

 

Recently my little lad has developed a fixation with 'Banbury' - and I certainly am finding it a inspirational and challenging benchmark!

[Class 74]

One of my all time favorites is a french/german border layout built by Jean-Michel Hartmann. A very simple N-scale doubletrack oval, no fiddle or hidden yard, just a depot and a station with a couple of sidings.

 

But the best about this wonderful layout is that the tracks are not nailed or glued, he'd just put the tracks on the ballast (!!!), including banking on curves. Perfection! Unfortunately he died somewhat around 1985/86, some probably know him from some beautiful books he released (f.e. Magie du rail).

 

Another master is (or better are) Marcel Darphin and his wife Astrid, a french/swiss 0 gauge layout... If you ever find that book, buy it!!! Highly recommended:

 

http://www.ptitrain.com/librairie-nn/modele-nn/livres/cachindarphin.htm

 

Here is a video on youtube:

 

... and Bradfield Gloucester Square is another fave of mine! Luv to watch the vids on youtube!

 

Cheers

 

Simon

Edited July 16, 2013 by Class 74

[faulcon1]

For me I like indoor and outdoor railways,

 

For the indoor railways,

1. Tetley's Mills - Dave Shakespeare - OO gauge

2. Llandudno Junction - Chris Evans - OO gauge

3. Bala Junction - Keith Willows - OO gauge

 

For the outdoor railways,

1. The Kirtley Branch - Don Neale - O gauge

2. Wakering and Flackwell Heath - Trevor Jones - OO gauge

3. Kirkfield and Warmthorpe - Ian R - OO gauge

 

I always find a railway built by one person much more of an inspiration than a large layout or an enormous exhibition layout although I find elements of those types of railways inspirational.

[HSB]

There have been so many inspirational layouts over the years but two which come immediately to mind are the Virginian and Ohio and Buckingham. Of more recent layouts I particularly like Bradfield Gloucester Square.

[RANGERS]

Every time this thread crops up again, I come up with a completely different list of layouts. There have been so many inspirational layouts which have formulated my thinking over the past 40 or so years, I doubt I could ever produce the definitive list. The Border layouts and early P4 BR blue layouts of Ian Futers were the ones which sprung to mind this morning as I was laying out a couple of points on a board.

[Pacific231G]

There have been so many inspirational layouts over the years but two which come immediately to mind are the Virginian and Ohio and Buckingham. Of more recent layouts I particularly like Bradfield Gloucester Square.

I agree about Bradfield G.S. Having been impressed by the photos and videos here from The Laird (John Elliot) and the articles in MRJ I finally saw it for myself under its new management at the Chiltern Association modeller's day earlier in the summer. It was every bit as good as I'd hoped. It's an excellent layout and inspiring as it is the work of one person. I got similar inspiration from Geoff Ashdown's Tower Pier and that's only 3 metres long including the fiddle yard. 

[bodmin16]

There were many layouts in the Railway Modeller of the late 60s and early 70s, most of which the names I don't remember, including Eastbourne, Buckingham etc etc, that influenced me but probably the layout that had the biggest impact on me was Budston a layout owned by the Basingstoke and North Hants Model Railway Society. I remember seeing it at a show when I was about 12 years old, little did I know at that time I would join the society and actually work on and operate the layout through my teenage years. I was totally in awe of the layout as our home layouts had very little scenery, and Budston was "finescale". By today's standards it would appear very coarse, basic and inaccurate I'm sure, but I thoroughly enjoyed the layout and still have very fond memories of it.

[coachmann]

Thinking a bit more about it, the biggest railway in the land was always the key inspiration.... It was featured in all the magazines regularly too. It was called British Railways.

Edited August 31, 2013 by coachmann

[jrg1]

Reading this thread, I saw references to Vivien Thompson.  I thought Eastbourne was exceptional, and her buildings inspirational.  She dropped out of sight suddenly-anyone know anything about her these days?

I also nominate Grandborough Junction and High Dyke for inspiration.

[Horizontal]

Three layouts. Number three would be either wibbenshaw or tetley mills for northern grot. Number two is jsw new street, just for the constant attension to detail and maintaining constant standards. Number one, I dont even know what its called. Remember seeing a article about making interlocking in a old RM and the author used photos of his own layout, in 7mm with EM1s and proper bullhead raul. Just the pictures of the uncompleated layout made me think woodhead.

Fisher Street - Victoria Bridge! - My old layout from way back in 1985, I'm truly flattered that you chose it as your favourite

 

:-)

Edited December 18, 2013 by Horizontal

[Horizontal]

Having just read the post in this topic a lot of people seem to be inspired by the same layouts. I hope this shows these are excellent layouts not just modellers jumping on the band wagon.I can only think of one layout that really inspired me not that other layouts have given me food for thought on modelling, presentation, atmosphere etc. My inspiration was Sundown and Sprawling by Mike Cole. Mike wrote a few articles in the late 1960s about his layout and its stock. Here was a modeller scratchbuilding diesel locomotives, the same locomotives I was trainspotting. If Mike could make a diesel locomotive maybe one day I could. Well I did but don't have to anymore as all the classes I have wanted have been or will be produced

Yes, Sundown & Sprawling was an inspiration for me as well - Someone who scratchbuilt Diesel locos when few RTR examples were available - I'm also truly flattered that my old Layout, Fisher Street - Victoria Bridge has been mentioned on these pages!

 

So what has inspired me over the years then? - Well No.3 for me was IRON MOULD LANE, by the Bristol East MRC. This inspired my exhibition layout 'Rhydwyn Fawr Steel' - No.2 was City Road LT, a London Underground layout by Tim Stevens - Finally No.1 for me was the LONDON, BRISTOL, & SOUTH WALES RAILWAY by John Jay (RM Aug 69, Sep 70, Jul 73). A 4mm scale Early BR(WR) railway with a four-track mainline section - A wonderful concept, with such prototypical features as Sonning and High Wycombe Cuttings, Severn Tunnel (English Portal) modelled, with other locations being brought to mind such as Paddington, Kensal Green, Reading, Bristol (Old Brunelian Terminus), Patchway, Cardiff, Fishguard, and Landore MPD being represented - I would really like to know if any further articles on this layout were ever published!

:-)

Edited January 15, 2014 by Horizontal

[andyrids]

Hello Guys, Sorry my first post and a little bit off topic maybe, for that I appologise, The layout that inspired me the most was Lockside by Ian Futters (mentioned in this thread also) and hence the reason why I am posting I have searched high and low for a track plan of Lockside but can not find one or even enough pictures to piece together what the the track plan might be... I first seen it when I was just a teen in RM and also at the Newcastle Railway exhibition back in late 80's early 90's ? ... of course my copy of RM with it in is long gone and now I find myself with some spare time and would love to recreate that layout, I would be most gratefull if anyone could even give me rough scetch of the track plan in order to set me away on this please... again I appologise if this is in the wrong thread... Thanks guys :-)

[chris p bacon]

For me ultimately it has to be the 12" to the foot one that is the real inspiration. but on topic there wasn't one single layout that made me think "I'd have that at home" until I saw Biggleswade (at Biggleswade), until then I had seen cameos and parts of layouts that I liked and fancied recreating, but not a complete layout.

Biggleswade changed that, I saw that you could recreate a location well known (to me) extremely accurately,with prototypical operation and make it look and run well in 00.

 

But

Then I found RMWeb and on here there is so much more, Peterborough North, If I can come somewhere near the stock and look that Gilbert is achieving then I'll be happy, same goes for Eastwood Town Gordon is a bit Stop/start like me but when he starts he produces some superb looking track and environs, I find his progress is inspirational.

 

I know I lean towards Eastern region but it's what I grew up with.

[gismorail]

Inspiring? Well thought inspiring at least:

 

Bevleys, by the Lowery's, perhaps a bit too 'clean', but for simple sweeping lines difficult to beat in the period.

 

Arcadia, the original EM layout, not the later 'O' gauge version. It definitely inspired me to tackle EM.

 

Harford Street, OO perhaps but North London post-war grot just as I remember it!

I gather that the sweeping lines were not just on the layout !!!

[Pacific231G]

 

Another master is (or better are) Marcel Darphin and his wife Astrid, a french/swiss 0 gauge layout... If you ever find that book, buy it!!! Highly recommended:

 

http://www.ptitrain.com/librairie-nn/modele-nn/livres/cachindarphin.htm

 

Here is a video on youtube:

 

... and Bradfield Gloucester Square is another fave of mine! Luv to watch the vids on youtube!

 

Cheers

 

Simon

I've got the book and it's excellent- really inspiring. It was published by Loco Revue and though apparently out of print does turn up on e-bay etc. A lot of the buildings and Parisian street scenes from Royville were gifted by Astrid and Marcel to the Rambolitrain model railway museum in Rambouilet roughly half way between Paris and Chartres. it's well worth a visit and making a diversion for and the museum is also walking distance from the railway station with a frequent suburban service from Paris Montparnasse. 

[KTM]

This topic has generated a lot of interest.

 

For me, there are three that stand out.

 

1. From the 70s - a Shelf layout called 'Howley Town'. This featured in RM over about 3 issues (April-June??) in 1976 and I was really taken by the realism within the narrow boards (about 10.5" in OO gauge, equating to my 18" in O). I want to include simialr items such as the station canopy in my layout 37 years on!

2. The Minories track plan has inspired many layouts and represents intensive operation is a small space, which I want to include in my layout.

3. Bradfield. I've read the description, seen the pics and the video. What a fantastic layout! If I can capture just some of the realistic train movements in my layout, I'll be well happy!

 

Jon

[Rivercider]

Hello Guys, Sorry my first post and a little bit off topic maybe, for that I appologise, The layout that inspired me the most was Lockside by Ian Futters (mentioned in this thread also) and hence the reason why I am posting I have searched high and low for a track plan of Lockside but can not find one or even enough pictures to piece together what the the track plan might be... I first seen it when I was just a teen in RM and also at the Newcastle Railway exhibition back in late 80's early 90's ? ... of course my copy of RM with it in is long gone and now I find myself with some spare time and would love to recreate that layout, I would be most gratefull if anyone could even give me rough scetch of the track plan in order to set me away on this please... again I appologise if this is in the wrong thread... Thanks guys :-)

Welcome to the forum, Andy.

Your query may well have got lost in a long running thread like this one.

Perhaps introduce yourself in the New Members section, or raise the question in the Layout and Track Design section.

 

I assume the layout you are thinking of is the 4mm Lochside by Ian Futers, which was featured in the August and September 1980 Railway Modeller,

I think he did a later 7mm Loch Side layout as well?

 

cheers 

[bluebottle]

Hello Guys, Sorry my first post and a little bit off topic maybe, for that I appologise, The layout that inspired me the most was Lockside by Ian Futters (mentioned in this thread also) and hence the reason why I am posting I have searched high and low for a track plan of Lockside but can not find one or even enough pictures to piece together what the the track plan might be... I first seen it when I was just a teen in RM and also at the Newcastle Railway exhibition back in late 80's early 90's ? ... of course my copy of RM with it in is long gone and now I find myself with some spare time and would love to recreate that layout, I would be most gratefull if anyone could even give me rough scetch of the track plan in order to set me away on this please... again I appologise if this is in the wrong thread... Thanks guys :-)

 

Treat yourself to a copy of Ian Futers' "Modelling Scotland's Railways" - Lochside's in there. If you're feeling really generous, buy his "Scottish Railway Projects" at the same time. Enough inspiration in those two books to help you make good use of your spare time!

[andyrids]

Welcome to the forum, Andy.

Your query may well have got lost in a long running thread like this one.

Perhaps introduce yourself in the New Members section, or raise the question in the Layout and Track Design section.

 

I assume the layout you are thinking of is the 4mm Lochside by Ian Futers, which was featured in the August and September 1980 Railway Modeller,

I think he did a later 7mm Loch Side layout as well?

 

cheers 

Hi, Thank you for the reply, yes that was the one though the 7mm version... I assume they were probably much the same though... 1980 sounds about right also.