alexross42

A stunning layout on many levels - quite literally! The viaduct looks absolutely spot on, reminds me of a combination of Coombe and Forder viaducts nr. Saltash, Cornwall (apologies if I've missed that this was modeled on a real viaduct?).

Intro/Overview I don't think I'll ever fully understand why after an absence of 25+ years from model railways I decided to take up the hobby again when our first child was a mere 5 months old. To say a lot in this hobby has changed is nothing short of an understatement - the learning curve has been very steep. From the outset I told myself this would be a fairly slow-paced and long-term project, something that having a small baby definitely ensures! Some weeks there's barely any spare time to dedicate to the layout, so patience is a must as is learning to grab any minutes available here and there in which to do something whether it be gluing part of a card kit, filing the end of rail or just standing and musing over the track plan! What started as a shelf layout that was intended to be a diorama more than anything else has soon evolved into a 10ft DCC layout designed with future expansion possibilities (following a house move) in mind! St. Penleo St. Penleo is a fictional coastal mainline terminus located in the far West Country, set in the late 1980s in the midst of the BR blue/sectorisation transition. It is by no means an original setup however it's definitely one that appeals to me most and that I have strong familiarity with. The station consists of two main line platforms, a third bay platform for the branch and a small loco fueling area / maintenance depot that is connected to a freight only branch (predominantly china clay) that runs in past the bay platform and joins the up main line. Just past the end of the main platforms the branch line deviates from the main line and there are sidings for rolling stock which are intended to serve as the main line should the future expansion happen... Traction & Rolling Stock Motive power is a mix of loco-hauled MK1/MK2 sets partially based on the 1980's class 50 Plymouth-Penzance stopper services (although with a little artistic licence on the NSE liveries/flashes), a blue/grey class 101 DMU for the branch and a Railfreight Distribution sector class 37 with ECC wagons for the freight line. Trackplan Images To give a flavour of what the layout's about..... I've recently taken my first steps into the world of weathering... I'm quite pleased with the initial results - I owe thanks to a friend who's heavily into model tank kits and recommended the Tamiya weathering kits - so far I think they do the job pretty well! Next major projects are track weathering and ballasting (and covering up the unsightly wallpaper backdrop!). Thanks for looking!

Wow that is fast! I wondered the same and casually enquired about the nature of the delay (wondering if perhaps it was payment clearing related) but was told they'd had a slight delay in their processes but that even so it shouldn't have taken this long to pick the order....maybe it was accidentally overlooked?

Had confirmation of dispatch of my package yesterday less than 2.5 hours after placing the order - incredible! Meanwhile with another large and well known supplier I'm still waiting for my order to be picked 5 days after placing it, despite querying it's status with them twice....

This is a great looking layout and one I shall follow with particular interest as it happens to be my hometown - the brickwork on the viaduct looks spot on!

It's been really interesting to follow the development of this layout - it looks great! Loving the selection of 50's too Would you mind telling me where you sourced the palm trees for your platforms from? They look spot on with what you'd find on the platforms of Penzance, Lostwithiel etc and so places it in the West Country really effectively - I'm keen to get some for my layout! Thanks

Just wanted to add to the collective voice of praise...used Track-Shack for the first time over the weekend as just making my first moves back into model railways after leaving the hobby some 25 years ago.... Ordered a wealth of Peco 100 track on Sunday afternoon, it was dispatched on Monday and at my door in Cornwall before 0900 Tuesday! It's this sort of service that really adds value to the customer experience and will mark you out from your competitors (in a good way!)