Holmeswell

009 gauge, Mosslanda layout, 55x10cm.

Holmeswell came about thanks to the annual layout challenge over on the Facebook group for the Micro Model Railway Cartel (Home of the 'Micro Model Railway Dispatch') The challenge during 2025 being to build a 'tuning fork' layout: In a nutshell, two parallel spurs, a headshunt and an optional fiddle yard.

As is usual for me whenever these challenges are announced I'll use the rules as a a bit of creative exercise and doodle down a few potential ideas in the old sketchbook just for the fun of it. After all, there's far less cost in putting pen to paper than actually building a layout! 

And that was where it ended for me. Nothing really took my fancy, though a Tywyn Wharf inspired idea was tempting, and if I'm being honest I always thought of a tuning fork as a poor relation of the classic inglenook track plan...

And then April 1st came along.

Ian Holmes, who runs the challenge (and edits the Dispatch), posted a very tongue in cheek April Fools Day video in which they were enthusiastic about how their next layout was going to be built on an Ikea Mosslanda shelf to highest of P4 standards and be themed entirely around... Toby the Tram Engine.

Just by chance I'd finished scratch-building a narrow gauge Toby in 009 just a month prior, and there had been a temptation to try a Mosslanda layout after reading James Hilton's efforts. The idea of a humorous response was too good to turn down!

Prototype inspiration mainly came from the Wisbech & Upwell's depot at Outwell, a location where road, rail and canal all once met, massively simplified and converted to narrow gauge. For this railway, the canal is longer navigable and all freight traffic is transhipped to/from the road at this point. Operationally, it's run in a similar manner to a pre-preservation Tywyn Wharf, with a larger engine shed/station/goods yard just off scene to stage left.

A fun little nod to the Rev. Awdry. I don't remember much of the intricate history from reading his "The Island of Sodor: It's People, History & Railways", but The Toby pub, and the story behind it, is one thing that firmly stuck in the memory. Apologies also to the late Jon T. Kenney for altering one of his illustrations from the Railway Series (The final image from 'Double Header' for those interested)

Two of the most important people in the village, the depot manager and the vicar. Figures are by Monty's Models, the only place I know of that (At the time of writing) supplies a figure of a vicar in a panama hat.

The policeman stops all road traffic during shunting. The lorry is the classic Airfix AEC Matador kit, civilianised and sliced at a jaunty angle to act as a view block. It's more effective than I anticipated.

A moments rest outside the yard office.

The Sentinel takes a turn shunting the wharf.

Road and rail meet. The entrance to the depot is perhaps a little tighter than planned!

Passenger traffic is handled by a sole, sightly anglicised Egger Bahn coach. It makes a good stand in for the G.E.R tramcars.

Shunting the Wharf.

A quiet moment as a goods train heads off down the line to standard gauge interchange.

And finally, with the help of a carefully chosen camera angle, the obligatory encounter!

Overall, despite starting out as a tongue in cheek joke, Holmeswell ended up being a nice continuation on from The Garden Railway, giving me a chance to try out several new things such as building a 'cased' layout and pelmet lighting. Best of all it unintentionally provided me with a new photo plank to showcase new models, something I'd been meaning to get round to for quite a while!

To my surprise, it was very well received when it was finally unveiled as a contest entry, and ended up scoring a very respectable 2nd place in the final vote.

(Link to an article in 'The Micro Model Railway Dispatch' coming soon!)