ginger j Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 One thing that is noticeable in our hobby is that many layouts are in a fictional town located in a real county or 'area' of the country. But, if one has already gone to the bother of creating a personality for the fictitious town, why not take it a step further and create a whole county to locate the layout in? Authors have been doing it for years (some more well known examples include Midsomer and Wessex). However, relatively few model railways seem to have followed this path-is there any particular reason why? It offers complete freedom and could be served by and of the Big Four, depending on location of the county. This is the route I am taking for my layout in the planning stage, located in the county of Morshire; home to Morshire National buses and the original home of the London Northern Southern & Central Railway (LNSCR) and latterly the BR Central Region. Over to you... GJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Smeeton Posted April 27, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 27, 2014 Borsetshire has been before and done to death on the Archers, But why stop at a county, when the entire independent Republic of Cleckhuddersfax is out there waiting to be rendered in4mm or even 2mm scale. Regards Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted April 27, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 27, 2014 Then there's the Island of Sodor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Of course, it was done in 12"/ft scale in 1974. Avon anyone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Wessex is fictional? Tens of thousands of people living in the south west of the UK, not to mention The Wessex Society, would beg to differ. It was a recognised kingdom between the 5th and 10th centuries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Then there's the Island of Sodor.Which does exist. It's an island in Scotland. The reason that Awdry chose it is that the Anglican diocese is called "Sodor and Man". Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Of course, it was done in 12"/ft scale in 1974. Avon anyone? "Bath and North East Somerset" now I believe, but still just as fictional. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted April 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 28, 2014 Many of the North Sea banks off the east coast were islands at one time, some as late as Roman times and even later. If you look at sea charts they would have made quite an archipelago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 In the South-Eastern midlands it is quite possible that county names such as a Saxon 'Nor(th)sex', or Anglian 'Midfolk' and 'Westfolk' might equally have resulted from the settlement pattern. Counties such as Hitchland (compare to Rutland), Bu(ntin)gfordshire, Lutonshire, Verlamshire, Watfordshire are all eminent possibilities had the chips fallen slightly differently, and there are many more such possibilities. Why one location (typically on a major route / river crossing / defensible / long settled) was favoured over all others similar in the locality to become the county identifier is not a clear and logical process. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 One thing that is noticeable in our hobby is that many layouts are in a fictional town located in a real county or 'area' of the country. But, if one has already gone to the bother of creating a personality for the fictitious town, why not take it a step further and create a whole county to locate the layout in?... Perhaps because choosing a fictional town in a real county or area gives you a basis for much of your modelling. For example, believable landscape, geology, soils, architectural styles, etc. Even so, the name of the county impinges little on anything to do with the railway, so why invent an imaginary one? Unless perhaps you wish to model the county town with its county hall or, as you mention, a fictitious bus company. Personally, I prefer to model real locations, though I admit to inventing the imaginary bi-lingual republic of Nirgendwo/Nessun Luogo for my H0/H0e layout. I even needed to significantly change existing national boundaries to situate it where Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland 'meet'. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friar Tuck Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 How about the "Rough Riding" of Yorkshire? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Although that would have been the 'Rough Farthing' if the N, S and W divisions were treated as still present. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poggy1165 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I remember years ago there was an O Gauge layout entitled South Riding. It was essentially a very impressive urban terminus in a shed, with a long return loop outside. I believe the engines included an A3 a V2 and even a A4, and because of the urban setting they didn't look out of place, though the space utilised was small and I think trains were 3 or 4 coaches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted April 28, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 28, 2014 Featured in Railway Modeller, August 1960. I remembered it earlier, as that was one of the first mags I had (and still have). The terminus station was Granchester Central. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Fantastic thread this! I've just Wikied to find out that I can utilise obsolete counties Teviotdale, Tweeddale and Ettrick Forest. (At the northern end, Millerhill would be in the Shire of Haddington). Each of which has been used in one form or another to administer or subdue the populace down the centuries, sufficient to support my Borders fiction. By the same token I might even coin Liddesdale as a viable sister county, to glower across the river at Cumberland. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Well, RM once featured a layout based in Lyonesse - the mythical land of King Arthur to the west of Land's End. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Wasn't called Scilly Great Western was it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 No, I think it was called "Lyonesse" (ISTR). Otherwise it would be very Scilly indeed, and I would expect most of the stock to have come from shopping online at Tresco's. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Similarly I’ve been thinking of a layout based in the UK but with the loading gauge of the USA... Think about it.... big GE diesels carrying names like “Santa Fe and Great Western” (or "Norfolk Southern and Southern” or "CSXGE“) hauling huge mile long double-stacks of containers..... Hopefully a pipe dream.... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I think in a mid/late 90s continental modeller I have gathering dust is an N layout of a small made up European country. If I remember right, it was on the borders of Austria, Germany, and the Czech republic so featured international trains from a variety of European countries plus it's own fictional domestic stock. Seemed a good idea to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Similarly I’ve been thinking of a layout based in the UK but with the loading gauge of the USA... Think about it.... big GE diesels carrying names like “Santa Fe and Great Western” (or "Norfolk Southern and Southern” or "CSXGE“) hauling huge mile long double-stacks of containers..... Hopefully a pipe dream.... Best, Pete. Well "Great Northern" would be suitable for both, and Ireland as an added bonus - even the added incentive of a couple of Tågab (Swedish) locos thrown in for good measure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Sadly long since mislaid but after privatisation when in theory anyone with enough money could run their own trains, I repainted a cheap Lima Deltic in pink with yellow spots, with "Blobby Rail" on the side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Similarly I’ve been thinking of a layout based in the UK but with the loading gauge of the USA... Think about it.... big GE diesels carrying names like “Santa Fe and Great Western” (or "Norfolk Southern and Southern” or "CSXGE“) hauling huge mile long double-stacks of containers..... Hopefully a pipe dream.... Best, Pete. I've seen a picture of a model truck from the "Northern &Soufolk" company, the fleet livery was black with white titles! There are the possibilities of many historic counties, i.e. Kesteven or the Soke of Peterborough, or you could use the locations of many Bishops palaces for the Shires - i.e. Newarkshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Lots of people don't think Rutland exists any more... but it definitely does, even has its own radio station http://www.rutlandradio.co.uk/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.