Older Inspirational Layouts

[PaulRhB]

39 minutes ago, Re6/6 said:

Then came Ken Payne's 'Castle Coombe with Tyling' which really did it!

Interesting to see that as I visited Ken’s ‘last great project’ in O gauge and that bears a striking similarity to it. I guess Ken found his ideal plan and just kept tweaking it. It was quite something to stand in the stone shed and watch an express rattle through from the garden and then round into the station. 

[RJS1977]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

Interesting to see that as I visited Ken’s ‘last great project’ in O gauge and that bears a striking similarity to it. I guess Ken found his ideal plan and just kept tweaking it. It was quite something to stand in the stone shed and watch an express rattle through from the garden and then round into the station. 

 

Which in turn was another of my "inspirational" classic layouts.

 

Prior to TLGP, Ken had a four-track largely outdoor layout (until it was attacked by cows!), which was a different concept, I suspect largely to avoid complicated pointwork and electrics out of doors.

[Donw]

I spent many happy hours with Ken while a train lapped round. Ken like to watch them run. For myself I prefer more operational interest. I never visited Buckingham but I did visit Kendal David Jenkinson's last layout which had real operational interest.

 

Don

[locomad2]

Might have already been covered so please excuse us, however recently, thanks to a local community group faccbook  site (public), some more photos of a permanent Llandudno model railway in the 1960's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do remember it well, especially the hump Marshaling yards in the bottom picture which inspired me to construct similar one on current layout and maybe a Hornby Dublo one in 3 rail. Reason I've picked HD cause quite simply tension lock coupling won't work.

[Barry O]

So a few from my memory banks.  

 

Mike Cook.. Sinnington.. an EM layout of part of Mike's history.

 

Mike Edge..  Wigan Wall Gate (I still have some of the buildings which can be used on my layout at home.

 

Dave Peacey.. Highworth and Hannington

 

The North Gwent Railway Modellers (aka the Viet Gwent) various ex GWR and ex LNWR layouts of real locations.

 

Ian Futers.. Scotsgap but he did do others.

 

Nick Easton.. Windermere in LNWR days

 

Ken Nelson.. Various parts of the Derwent Valley Light Railway (again part of his family history)

 

Leeds MRS.. Brent (GWR in O gauge).

 

 

Baz

 

[hicksan]

On 20/02/2014 at 12:50, Pacific231G said:

I don't think my efforts are ever likely to inspire anyone but my first adult layout- an H0 North American switching layout-  was definitely inspired by the 0 scale Wyandotte Transfer. 

Does anyone have any pics or trackplan of Wyandotte Transfer? Built by Paul Stapleton, Alan Day and Steve Dennison. It featured in the Encyclopedia of Model Railways, published 1979, but with only 3 photos. Apparently it measured 6.5m x 0.5m on five baseboards as an O gauge industrial switching layout. Was it ever written up properly and published in any of the journals? I saw it once at an exhibition, in Ealing Town Hall around 1978, as a boy - and found it quite inspiring.

[Nearholmer]

I’m pretty sure that Paul Stapleton is a member on here, so if you give it’s a topic of its own, he might spot it. I have a dim recollection that it featured in one magazine or another, possibly one of the less widely circulated ones.

 

I remember seeing it at a Twickenham club show, but the track plan …… ??

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Nearholmer

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m pretty sure that Paul Stapleton is a member on here, so if you give it’s a topic of its own, he might spot it. I have a dim recollection that it featured in one magazine or another, possibly one of the less widely circulated ones.

 

I remember seeing it at a Twickenham club show, but the track plan …… ??

 

 

 

 

@TEAMYAKIMA?

Edited February 15, 2023 by St Enodoc

[TEAMYAKIMA]

20 hours ago, hicksan said:

Does anyone have any pics or trackplan of Wyandotte Transfer? Built by Paul Stapleton, Alan Day and Steve Dennison. It featured in the Encyclopedia of Model Railways, published 1979, but with only 3 photos. Apparently it measured 6.5m x 0.5m on five baseboards as an O gauge industrial switching layout. Was it ever written up properly and published in any of the journals? I saw it once at an exhibition, in Ealing Town Hall around 1978, as a boy - and found it quite inspiring.

 

20 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m pretty sure that Paul Stapleton is a member on here, so if you give it’s a topic of its own, he might spot it. I have a dim recollection that it featured in one magazine or another, possibly one of the less widely circulated ones. I remember seeing it at a Twickenham club show, but the track plan …… ??

 

Wow! Fame at last - I can die a happy man!

 

Yes, I had been a purely GWR OO steam modeller - first exhibition layout was inspired by Ashburton - and then I went to work at VICTORS model shop and got introduced to American modelling.

 

Steve Dennison also worked at Victors at the time and so did Alan Day on a part-time basis. VICTORS imported the ATLAS O gauge range and the quality was amazing for the price and so we decided to build an American O gauge layout together and BTW we were all members of Twickenham club.

 

Here are a couple of snaps I've found of the layout at the BRISTOL show in 1986

 

 

 

The tall building is the Miracle Chair Company factory and it's slogan is proudly displayed on the side - "IF IT'S A GOOD CHAIR - IT'S A MIRACLE"   - not original, but it made some people smile.

 

 

That's Alan Day operating.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by TEAMYAKIMA

[Nearholmer]

Excellent bit of time travel!

A punning business slogan is vital on such a layout.

 

I built a Maine waterfront scene, heavily inspired by Belfast on the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR, an area where poultry breeding (along with growing Christmas trees and potatoes) was a big thing. That had a big grain store with the slogan “Our business is chickenfeed”.

[New Haven Neil]

Thanks for responding @TEAMYAKIMA.  The Miracle Chair Company also featured on our G 'Scale' layout, thanks to Mike Scott, a gent much missed.

 

[Gilbert]

49 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Thanks for responding @TEAMYAKIMA.  The Miracle Chair Company also featured on our G 'Scale' layout, thanks to Mike Scott, a gent much missed.

 

Mike and I had mutual friends and he was incredibly kind and helpful when I was starting back in US HO...

[Gilbert]

20 hours ago, hicksan said:

Does anyone have any pics or trackplan of Wyandotte Transfer? Built by Paul Stapleton, Alan Day and Steve Dennison. It featured in the Encyclopedia of Model Railways, published 1979, but with only 3 photos. Apparently it measured 6.5m x 0.5m on five baseboards as an O gauge industrial switching layout. Was it ever written up properly and published in any of the journals? I saw it once at an exhibition, in Ealing Town Hall around 1978, as a boy - and found it quite inspiring.

Did it feature in a GOG book on small layouts?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

2 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

Did it feature in a GOG book on small layouts?

Not as far as I remember - I think it was only in that M&S book Encyclopedia of Model Railways. The editor approached VICTORS asking if we knew any suitable American layouts that he could feature in the book and I thought, "Why not mine?"

[Gilbert]

30 minutes ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

Not as far as I remember - I think it was only in that M&S book Encyclopedia of Model Railways. The editor approached VICTORS asking if we knew any suitable American layouts that he could feature in the book and I thought, "Why not mine?"

Its certainly a layout I remember!

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, Gilbert said:

Mike and I had mutual friends and he was incredibly kind and helpful when I was starting back in US HO...

 

He was a good friend, and oh what a character he was! We were both operating crew on the late Jack Southern's layout, and I did shows with him too, operation his many switching layouts - won best operation at Glasgow IIRC.  I often think about him.

[Donw]

8 hours ago, Gilbert said:

Did it feature in a GOG book on small layouts?

 

You may be thinking of the Nidd Creek and Platelyville which Ken Sheale put in for the yorkshire crummies in the first small layouts. Which also mentioned  mike Vincent's Black Canyon.  There was another US 0 gauge layout in the second but annoyingly I forget the details. Annoyingly because I put an article on it in the Gazette. My memory is not what it used to be. 

 

Don

[Sitham Yard]

34 minutes ago, Donw said:

 

You may be thinking of the Nidd Creek and Platelyville which Ken Sheale put in for the yorkshire crummies in the first small layouts. Which also mentioned  mike Vincent's Black Canyon.  There was another US 0 gauge layout in the second but annoyingly I forget the details. Annoyingly because I put an article on it in the Gazette. My memory is not what it used to be. 

 

Don

Looked it up - Kingsbury Terminal Railroad by Marshal Vine.

Andrew

[doctor quinn]

22 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

Not as far as I remember - I think it was only in that M&S book Encyclopedia of Model Railways. The editor approached VICTORS asking if we knew any suitable American layouts that he could feature in the book and I thought, "Why not mine?"

That's where I saw it!

 

[D-A-T]

I don’t know if this is the right place but does anyone know what happened to the late Iain Rice’s layouts? I do hope they have been preserved and, hopefully, will attend future exhibitions. A fitting memorial if they do I think. 

[Jol Wilkinson]

9 hours ago, D-A-T said:

I don’t know if this is the right place but does anyone know what happened to the late Iain Rice’s layouts? I do hope they have been preserved and, hopefully, will attend future exhibitions. A fitting memorial if they do I think. 

See the latest post on this topic on the S4 Society Forum.

 

https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=8327&p=96188#p96188

[Gilbert]

I know one of his layouts is being actively conserved....this turned up at a Missenden weekend..and is due to return this Spring IIRC.

Chris Hopper

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by Gilbert

[papagolfjuliet]

Two early 80s layouts whose names escape me: the massive LNER layout of the Church Gresley MRC, and a OO9 layout with a moorland setting which used live sphagnum moss as its main scenic material.

[DLT]

1 hour ago, papagolfjuliet said:

Two early 80s layouts whose names escape me: the massive LNER layout of the Church Gresley MRC, and a OO9 layout with a moorland setting which used live sphagnum moss as its main scenic material.

Would the EM layout have been "Winton"?

 

The narrow gauge layout is most likely Gwynant Valley (and the later Llugwy Valley) which used live moss.  Built by the late Malcolm Savage, it was 5.5mm scale, running on 12mm gauge track.  Malcom was very much the "leading light" in this scale, there is a page and several galleries devoted to him on the 5.5mm Association website here:  Malcolm Savage archive  and obituary/tribute to Malcolm here:  Malcolm Savage Tribute

The live moss used to represent Welsh upland vegetation was very effective, and it caused lots of amusement when he "watered" it during an exhibition!

 

Thanks for the memory, I'm off to look through that archive.

Dave.T

Edited February 24, 2023 by DLT

[Martync]

16 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

See the latest post on this topic on the S4 Society Forum.

 

https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=8327&p=96188#p96188

If these layouts are going to be at Uckfield I shall certainly be coming to see them!! Have only seen Trerice before......

Martyn