Holmeswell - In Publication!

Just over a week back Holmeswell graced the pages of the spring issue of The Micro Model Railway Dispatch, effectively providing a nice bookend for my entry into last year's Christmas Challenge. You can find the article, and others, HERE.

Truthfully, I don't think this is my best writing, but I think that can be attributed to forcing a deadline upon myself and being full of cold and flu whilst writing. However Ian has done a fantastic job putting this together, and I'm still impressed with how good this layout looks in photographs. I can't help noticing that much like 'The Garden Railway', Holmeswell seems to have taken up residence as the final article in the issue. Is this becoming my unintentional home in the Dispatch? (I jest, Ian!)

And if the above slice of The Dispatch has wetted your appetite, all the back issues are also available to read for free HERE. 

Déjà vu

 We've been here before, haven't we?

Once again I'm attempting the smallest possible and practical (for me) continuous loop layout in 009. Some readers may remember I quickly grew disheartened with my last attempt, Corri-Llyn, from 2024 which used the same Chris Ford inspired building structures (Bar church and bridge). 

This time though I've taken the slightly safer option of making a copy of a layout, with some slight scenic twists to make it my own rather than an exact duplicate. One micro layout I've always liked the look of is the "Second First" layout built by James Hilton and his son, It's a perfect example of fitting several small scenes on a layout without it looking cluttered. So after the realisation that the Welsh 009 buildings meant that a good chunk of the scenic work was already finished the above layout materialised, at 38x46cm it's roughly twice the size of the original whilst still being fairly compact!. The goods store is a nice addition for some variety, whilst the tin tabernacle is very much a bit of indulgence after realising that I've never actually built one 'as is', they've always been bashed about. The only major structure left to make is a small locomotive shed for the station area.

Already I'm having a lot of fun with this layout. I decided to give Duncan a good run as he hasn't been able to since his rebuild. Surprisingly, given the uneven weight distribution of the original GEM kit and the short wheelbase Arnold 0-4-0 chassis on setrack points, he glides along almost like a sewing machine! 

I have a strong suspicion he might end up calling this railway home if this performance keeps up.

Bridging the Gap

 As a continuation from last time, the bashed about bridge has a home:

The result of a scrap sheet of 12mm MDF saved from the skip at work and roughly 30 minutes with a jigsaw. For a first attempt at fitting a bridge into a cut out section of baseboard, it all went together first time. My measurement calculations and ability to cut wood on the mark must be improving!

The rest of the baseboard? Oh, that will have to wait till next time...