British goods yard built 1985

[47137]

Here are three photos of a small layout I built in 1985. I called it a "diorama" at the time, I had to wait until the Internet arrived to learn about "micro layouts'. Dimensions were about 48 x 15 inches.

 

The idea was to portray a small goods yard, accessed from the rest of the network by a connection through a road over bridge. Track work was SMP 00 gauge bullhead, with two of their plastic-based points - the track always worked well and looked good too. The road bridge was scratch built from card, with Superquick brick paper. The backscene by Brian Sheriff would have been quite a new product at the time, I think of it as the first ready-made alternative to the Peco ones. I added to the backscene with watercolours and the additions blended in nicely. The factory was an HO kit, and the model always looked best with the smallest 4mm locos and stock I could find.

 

I think the main thing this reminds me is how some of the "good" model railway products have survived thirty years and are still just as usable today.

 

I sold the layout at a general household auction in Shrewsbury in 1995 - this is a bit of a long shot, but if a subsequent owner ever took some better photos of it, it would be great to see them uploaded here!

 

- Richard.