JamFjord

I just remembered that ATD models have a 1930s semi but I checked and unfortunately it doesn't have the bay window. Is the ScaleScenes kit worth a kit bash? https://scalescenes.com/product/t013-1930s-semi-detached-houses/

As part of my submission to BRM for the ‘Great Model Railway Giveaway’ contest, I knew that my first step would be to develop a story for the layout to tell. Although Roy Link's 1978 trackplan is loosely based on Fairford in Gloucestershire, Chris Ford’s version of ‘The Art of Compromise’ suggests a Welsh location, so I wondered whether perhaps there was scope to bring in some kind of industrial theme applicable to rural Mid Wales. As we all know, every railway needs a reason to exist; in many places that reason was freight more so than passengers, and rural Wales was no exception with many small lines built to transport out the products of local industries. ‘The Art of Compromise’ already has a small general goods yard so I started mulling a few potential options. Should the goods facilities become something less generalised and more focused on a specific type of freight? Maybe there's a quarry nearby? Or could the setting be a particularly productive agricultural area? Or a timber yard with a sawmill perhaps? The last proposal really caught my interest, and I remembered that I already have most of the kits I'd need for a small sawmill and light industrial scene based around forestry. After pondering that idea for a while longer, I came up with a fictional scenario as a new theme for the layout, to suit the October 1978 setting I proposed in my previous blog post. The area modelled depicts a small former GWR branch line halt, one of the first stops a few miles along from a main line junction, perhaps somewhere in Powys or Clwyd near the border with England. As a fairly minor route with little passenger traffic, the line was inevitably slated for closure in 1963 as a result of the Beeching cuts, which would have effectively isolated the local saw mill and timber yard from the railway network. And although most of the line did indeed close, a group of local volunteers took inspiration from Talyllyn, Gwili, Middleton and countless other fledgling railway preservation groups at the time, working with the support of the sawmill owners to turn the short line into a combined heritage and industrial light railway. These days, a decade and a half later, the heritage railway keeps a small number of rescued and restored locomotives busy and paid for by hauling timber up to the main line junction's exchange siding throughout the week, then running short trips for tourists and enthusiasts at the weekend. This scenario would allow for a wide range of rolling stock to be employed and could, I think, present some interesting modelling opportunities. It’s a story full of holes, of course, but I’m hoping it strikes the right balance between plausible and fun. Thank you for reading and bye for now.

Excellent rundown, very helpful - cheers! I bought a chassis kit a while ago from High Level Kits to improve my Pug - I wish I'd read this first, it would've saved me a bit of cash. However, I think I might use the old chassis for a kitbash project, so I'll use these tips to improve what I have to work with. Thanks again Great to see the number 19 on the side as well. That loco feels like an old friend at this point, having visited it so many times over the years as a static exhibit at the Ribble Steam Railway. I ordered some custom etched plates from Narrow Planet that arrived recently, so I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the upgrades finished so I can add the plates and get the model looking as close as possible to how I remember the prototype before she went off to East Lancs Railway.

Always interesting to see someone else's process - some nice tips here for me to try out on my next build. Cheers

With house move plans back to square one, and while illness continues to knock us for six in this house, I thought I’d share a bit more of the background for my plans to remodel ‘The Art Of Compromise’ over the next few months. When Chris Ford built the layout, his approach was to set creative limitations to work within; firstly to “use the same 12 inch width, but reorganise the plan of buildings for a better fit.” Fine; I’m ok with that - I’ll be doing quite a bit of reorganising of the buildings myself. The second of Chris’ self-imposed rules was to "where possible, use only modelling items from the 1978-1988 period." Whilst I can appreciate the appeal and integrity of doing so, that particular creative limitation doesn't really resonate with me, so I would adopt something that I hope at least honours the spirit of Chris' initial build; I’ll be setting the layout in October 1978. In addition to the date being a nod to Roy Link’s original plan, it would also allow the layout season to be modelled as autumn, which is something I've wanted to do for a while and a season that doesn't seem to be often represented. This will bring its own challenges, of course; most of the seasonal modelling supplies available seem to be geared towards spring or summer, and of course, the existing back scene that Howard and Phil carefully fitted to the backboard is definitely not set in autumn. Nevertheless, the approach taken by Chris to set creative constraints is an idea I can get behind. I hope that doing so will remove the temptation to keep adding shiny new ideas into the plan, and reduce the chance of ‘scope creep’ stalling my progress with remodelling this layout. Thanks as always for dropping by - cheers and bye for now.

Thank you. I'm never 100% sure what year it is these days 😵🤦‍♂️

Latest issue arrived through the post box a couple of days ago and I've been enjoying the lot of it, but the Sherton Abbas in particular caught my eye - I love a bit of Edwardian railway action. Yet another reason to make sure I make it to York this year. It's going to be, as I believe the kids say, a "banger".

I'm really enjoying this discussion - hopefully it continues here on RMweb and also encourages some participants to join MERG. For those like me not on Facebook, here's the video on YouTube - an interesting watch. Very much of its time, but it was worth reminding myself that this was broadcast over 60 years ago! This really is a fascinating idea, Andrew - I'm glad I caught the E101 chat on Monday and I'll be following progress on the automation of this layout with great interest. Coming up with a system that will be adaptable or configurable to any layout is quite the challenge to take on. I'm with Huw in that a lot of this is beyond me at present, but automation is definitely something I'd like to start experimenting with at some point. In the meantime, though, I probably have enough on my plate bringing my own layout plans to fruition in time for Doncaster next Feb... I'll be using MERG tech to help me do that, but not pushing the envelope like yourself.

Well, that certainly didn't disappoint! I'm very excited to see how this idea comes together. Also, I'm happy to see that at least two of the three layouts given away will heavily feature MERG hardware, as I've already committed to use MERG kits to control operations on 'The Art Of Compromise' (although nothing as sophisticated as what Andrew has in mind!) - but this degree of automation is a very interesting proposition to me. I'd already pondered the idea of whether it would be possible to automate a shunting puzzle, but I'm happy to leave the actual job of putting that into practice to Andrew. Also great to hear that this competition has inspired others entrants to forge ahead with their layouts too.

Congratulations to whoever won! This is almost as exciting as seeing what the winner comes up with - Maiman Sidings is built on a standard-sized baseboard that anyone can order, no woodworking skills needed, and the track is laid to a fairly standard configuration that is known to work and serves a purpose. It's a foundation that is easily replicable yet still leaves limitless scope to tailor the scenery and scenario. If this competition inspires just one additional person to use that foundation to create a new layout that brings them (and others) some enjoyment, that's pretty exciting in my opinion.

Thanks Keith, I suppose that layout idea you moved on from will always still be there for you - maybe you'll come back to it in a few years and the time will be right to build it? From reading up on 'The Art Of Compromise' that seems to be what happened to Chris Ford. My advantage is that I don't need to start from scratch, so if there are any aspects of the build that are causing me to stall, there's still a physical layout to apply the other ideas to. By the way, that great advice I received was from James Hilton, who's modelling work I already had a lot of respect for and who has been very generous with his advice and support since we got chatting at a couple of shows and via his blog over the past few months. I've found his Paxton Road blog incredibly helpful; it seems to be a bottomless treasure trove of tips and techniques (sorry, got a bit carried away with the alliteration there). Anyway, his and a few other blogs (OTCM, Chris Nevard and Phil Parker come to mind) have been a big help.

So, as predicted in a previous post, this blog has been pretty quiet for a couple of weeks - unfortunately not entirely due to working on this layout in the background, as everyone in this family seems to have been struck down with some perpetually annoying virus over the past fortnight, in addition to which we've finally had some progress on us moving house, which sparked a panic about the amount of clearing out we need to do before that happens! So, with that in mind, now is not the ideal time to be building baseboards or casework, so some of the preliminary work on renewing this layout probably needs to wait for a little while (but hopefully not too long!) Neverthless, as a friend helpfully pointed out, there's nothing to stop me building something - anything - to be added to the layout later on. Good shout. So while stuck in woodwork limbo that's what I'll do. The research has been continuing, of course, and more books have arrived to help with that. One idea I'm quite keen on is to add a small industrial-style engine shed for the privately-owned shunter. I'm not 100% sure there's space yet, so anything that can fit will need to be based on a very, very compact prototype. Lots of examples to consider as I got all four volumes of 'Industrial Railway Locomotive Sheds' by Adrian Booth. My plan for the layout includes some additional buidlings, and I picked up BRM & Metcalfe's Small Cottage kit at Doncaster, and inspired by Phil's article 'How to transform a simple card kit cottage', I'm going to attempt something similar but appropriate to the location. I'm also considering whether to scratch-build a small chapel in a similar style, based loosely on Rug Chapel and Eglwys Llanbadrig. I'll also be needing more models of trees on the layout, so I've been out taking naked photos of their real-life counterparts. Purely for reasons of anatomical correctness, you understand.

Yan, thanks - link and additional context both very helpful! Incidentally it's the second mention of Prototype Models' kits I've read this week; I'm starting to feel like I've missed out as the company seems to be long gone.

For anyone who's checking in with this thread, but may have missed the announcement on the BRM forum, @Phil Parker has announced the layout project to be given away to someone at the Ally Pally show. Purely in terms of the monetary value of the parts used, it's already a decent prize, and it looks like it has loads of potential even in the current exhibitable state. Laser cut baseboards and the 'Really Useful' brand 77 litre plastic box they fit into, low-relief warehouses from JS Models, and a really nice exhibition-ready pelmet and lid. Plus all the other goodies as seen in the video. As yet, nobody has commented confirming that they have entered. I don't know if anyone has entered, but based on the previous round having fewer than 20 entries, I'm guessing whoever decides to enter this won't have much competition. There's no announcement on World of Railways this time (that I can see anyway), and the YouTube video is unlisted - just the above post on RMweb. Good luck to whoever enters - you'll probably have a good chance of winning.

I can't tell you for sure, as I didn't build the layout, but here's a photo from James' blog that shows one of the knobs that is attached to the rod - if you zoom in you can see it a bit better. https://paxton-road.blogspot.com/2020/06/pont-y-dulais-shed-progress.html They just look to be glued to the end of the rod, and having operated the layout (it's now owned by my mum) that does indeed 'feel' like the case. As to where you get them, no idea - they could well be handmade from wood? I don't think it would be too difficult to repurpose something of a suitable size by drilling an appropriately sized hole with a pin vise that you can glue onto the end of the rod - maybe something like this? Dolls house 3mm wooden door knobs Dolls house 4mm wooden door knobs Dolls house suppliers have all sorts of interesting (out of scale) bits and bobs that can be repurposed. Hope that helps a little - good luck with putting this together and I'd love to see whatever solution you end up using :)

With Ally Pally just around the corner, I've been holding off from asking on here about the GMRG Part 2 layout - it's taken a lot of willpower, I can tell ya! This is already a lovely layout to take on as a project, loads and loads of potential. Probably the perfect layout to give away at Ally Pally too with that virtually indestructible plastic box, as the winner could maybe even take that away on the train replacement bus. I won't be entering of course (for obvious reasons), but I'm looking forward to seeing what whoever wins this plans to do. Good luck to everyone chucking their proverbial hat in the ring. Also, well done to the BRM team on the oscar-winning production values

OK, I love this. There aren't enough layouts with airfields in them, as far as I'm concerned, and Leuchars is an interesting prototype - should give you plenty of opportunities to model unusual loads and locos with surprising visitors (depending on era). It sounds like you'll be busy but I'd very much like to see how this develops, so please follow up if you get chance. EDIT: just curious, I think there's a Judith Edge kit of the North British BR 2/1, and it might even be one of the kits available in 7mm - were you planning to build one of those? If so, I'd love to see the result.

Thanks both, excellent suggestions! @Nick C - this is really interesting as a prototype, I know the line's twists and turns quite well as there's a cab ride video Exeter to Okehampton that often put on in the background while I'm working. However, I didn't realise I has the history it does, so I'll be looking into that one. I'm pretty sure I can take some ideas from there and incorporate them. @2mmMark - I love this suggestion! I had been toying with the idea of modelling the 'fiddle yard' as an exchange siding (not exactly sure how that's going to work yet... or if) with a BR 08 shunting wagons to and from the industrial siding (maybe?). However, your suggestion is a slant I hadn't thought of - thanks for that. Oh, and I'll definitely be reading through the Shwt thread, it's loaded and ready to go on after I finish writing this. EDIT: err, yeah - wow! Shwt is going to be a big source of inspiration, I reckon. Thanks again, Mark. Cheers, thanks again everyone - I appreciate all the ideas, suggestions and tips 👍

Mike has what sounds very much like the solution. I haven't done this myself (yet) but James Hilton briefly touches on wire/rod point control in the thread about his Pont-y-Dulais layout - brass rod and styrene tubes, with little pull knobs mounted in the view frame. Simple and effective. I have a fuzzy recollection that there's more detail on his blog, but here's a link to the thread:

If we're going to start questioning the credibility of made-up maps and invented geographical locations, we could be at risk of tearing a hole in the space-time continuum and causing RMweb to implode. You're not wrong, though...

Thank you, Jimbo, much appreciated. I'll have another look at the issue. I was aware that Roy C Link was inspired by the Fairford branch, I'd assumed the terminus.

This is peak whimsy and I absolutely love it.

Having just sat down for a good read of this topic, I'm happy to hear this and looking forward to catching the layouts out and about somewhere. I for one would be very, very interested to hear more about this. The stakes are high. It sounds similar to a task I have ahead of me also, and frankly I'm quietly crapping myself about it.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the help and ideas. @Nearholmer really good points, I had imagined the line would be a joint venture between the heritage volunteers and the industrial operation. I was led by the example at Preston Docks, where I believe the Ribble Steam Railway created Ribble Rail Ltd to provide a service shunting the bitumen tankers from the exchange sidings where Colas drop them off, over the bridge to the refinery. However, the heritage operation being tenants would make sense. In truth I'm not even sure who actually owns the track and infrastructure that Ribble Rail uses, could even be Preston council, I think they owned the docks when it was a proper port. Regarding the signalling, I need to have a think about that - I'd been working under the assumption that I needed to keep it all in place (or redo it), with it being a former British Railways line. But as you point out, that's a choice. And something a bit more "light railway" could be fun. Oh, and I've been wanting to visit the Appleby Frodingham Railway for ages, based on the map alone in looks slightly bonkers and well worth a visit. Your description just bumped it up my list. @steve1 - cheers, very inspiring - I took on the project knowing it would be a significant amount of work, so I'm fully prepared to put in the effort. @Din cheers, I've actually had Oakwood's 'Burry Port & Gwendreath Valley Railway' book in my shopping list for a bit, I should probably track down a copy, sounds like I could get some very appropriate inspiration from that example. Thank you! @Hando some excellent ideas there - thank you! I've already started investigating Tanat, Golden Valley and Mawddwy/Van/Kerry, thanks to some book suggestions from @James Hilton. Great to get a second recommendation of those lines, I think I need to dive deep on them now the books have arrived (today). Those other lines you suggested all sound promising too - more rabbit holes to dive into. Kerry is of more than minor interest to me - the timber industry in the area and the connection with the tramway piqued my interest, but I definitely don't have space to model an operation that size in the space I have available (one foot by six). I am drawn to it, though, and I think there could be something from the Kerry line I could bring to this layout. That caught my attention - the station on the layout was originally named 'Y Fan' by Chris Ford. I realise it means 'The Place', but still...

Thanks @Nearholmer, that's good intel, much appreciated. I was thinking about replacing the signal box with a ground frame. Perhaps even that is overkill... The back story I'm considering is that the line was closed to passengers, but continued to serve the industrial siding(s), although it's now a very small heritage railway, with the industry traffic supplementing income (perhaps similar to the Middleton or Ribble Steam Railways). In that scenario, would they have been likely to removed signals etc? Having recently visited the Carnforth depot, there's a lot of infrastructure that just sits there deteriorating - apparently it's not worth removing it (or doing so is prohibited where they are listed/protected). However, I'm guessing some has been removed where it made financial sense.