Farnham 37th Model Railway Expo.

Visited this expo. today with my son who has unexpectedly re-discovered an interest in 'n' gauge railway modelling. He had a layout as a child (built by dad but never completely finished). Now an adult it is the history of our local light railway - the Basingstoke to Alton (deceased) that inspired his renewed interest and a model of Cliddesden is being considered. So, a visit to the show was in order to see what could be achieved in 'n' gauge.

And what an eye opener it was. The standard and detail of modelling on show across all gauges was exceptional and in 'n' gauge the owners had achieved a level of modelled detail that I thought was impractical. The photo here is of Totnes (GWR) a layout just 3m x 1.7m where the railway snakes through a landscape of great depth both length and width. A railway with depth is the real advantage of 'n' gauge over the larger scales for small spaces and it seems detail need not be compromised. I'm showing Totnes because it was the largest but even the smaller 'n' layouts such as Wansbeck Road and Framsden exhibited fine detailing.

Trackwork Part 7 - Postscript

The upper track is the Down Main fitted with flat bottom rail. It is Peco code 75 with sleepers spaced out and weathered as described in this posting series.

The lower track is a passing loop/siding fitted with bullhead rail. It is made from C&L 3 bolt chairs on EM Society plywood sleepers.

The work involved in enhancing track work like this is very time consuming. I still have about 14 feet of track to prepare and replace on this side of the layout alone. Aesthetically it is a vast improvement on r.t.r track but, for the lone modeller with limited time or patience it is probably best suited to small/micro layouts. I am in two minds about doing the same exercise on the other side of the layout, which has about 36 feet of track work. Only time will tell.

To Part 1

LSWR Water Tower - Salisbury

The tank of the Salisbury water tower was the basis for the tank that I made for my Crewkerne water tower model, being identical style as far as I can determine.

The Salisbury tank is an extremely rare survivor from the LSWR that can still be seen today. This particularly style (with embossed elongated roundel on each panel segment) appeared at several stations along the main line, sometimes with extended height and with or without a curved or pitched roof. (The Salisbury tank originally had a pitched roof).

Salisbury LSWR water tower is believed to have been erected in 1868 and has been unused since the 1960s. It is located in an inaccessible place next to the main line yet prominently visible from nearby public places; a car park to the south and housing estate to the north.

At the end of 2010 the Swanage Railway Trust obtained permission to dismantle the tower and re-erect it on the preserved Swanage Railway. Recently they have secured funding for the works. Sometime within the next couple of years it will be gone from Salisbury. So, if you want to see it at its original location and snap a photograph then visit now.

To The Model