NOV 20 Sandy Shores

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Factfile
Layout name: Sandy Shores
Scale/gauge: 4mm:1ft scale / 009 gauge
Size: 4’ x 2’ 2” (on a single board)
Era/region: British Rail 1980s
Location: Fictitious
Layout type: Fiddleyard to sidings

With my previous layouts all being based on a real location, for this one, I really wanted to create my dream scenario; where a narrow gauge railway trundles through beautiful sand dunes, alongside a lighthouse and a converted railway carriage that I call home.

This completely fictitious place would be somewhere on the South Coast, and the atmosphere would best be described as delightful sun-bleached tattiness! The kind of place where nothing is done with any sense of urgency!

There are a fair few quirks on this layout, not least the unique board shape, which was chosen not just for aesthetics, but also because it was the smallest possible footprint that could fit in everything I wanted to try; while still remaining a fully operational layout.

The layouts fictitious history is far too long to be included here; but it is supposed that the line was built to aid construction of the lighthouse in 1852. Over the next century, it just about survives under several ownerships; including a period of use by the military who thankfully kept the line and rolling stock in good condition. At the time the layout is set (early 1950s), the railway survived predominantly as a tourist line, yet still gets used heavily for general freight and for beefing up sea defences due to its remote location and poor access by land. Much like many fledgling tourist lines, this one is in the capable hands of a group of committed enthusiasts and volunteers; ensuring the lines’ survival as a top tourist attraction.

As I mentioned earlier, 'Sandy Shores' has quite a few intentional quirks. Aside from the position of the lighthouse, the track layout is also pretty unusual. Not only is there no passing loop with which to run-around trains, but the station platform completely blocks the only line in and out.

Breaking established norms of layout design isn’t always done to achieve a unique aesthetic (as per the lighthouse); by replacing the run-around loop with a straight crossing, the operational complexity has artificially been increased. What's the benefit of this? Well, it makes for a more interesting layout to run, which, given its small size, can only be a good thing. Due to the strategic location of isolating sections (i.e. at the end of the headshunt trestle), a goods train can still be present on the same line as a passenger train; despite this being a DC layout. The crossing over of the locomotive shed headshunt onto the siding headshunt means that it becomes a puzzle at times.

Quite often, I find myself having to pause shunting so that I can get a locomotive out of the shed, which means that although the whole thing is not wired up for multiple locomotive running, it’s still easy to get a variety of movements and multiple locomotives on the layout at the same time. Watching people trying to work out what will move next is quite entertaining in itself! The crossover was my first attempt at scratch-built track; and with a bit of initial fettling, I’m pleased to say that the first attempt worked!

'Sandy Shores' sits on a homemade trolley (on wheels) which folds flat for transportation. It also includes a collapsible shelf; useful for holding all those cups of tea and cakes inevitably consumed at exhibitions! The hinged legs of the trolley are held stable when in use with a simple notched crossbeam. The backscene is a single piece of hardboard which simply lifts out, and the lighting rig is made up of three parts; the supports (three-hinged 'L'- shaped bits of softwood strengthened with metal brackets) that simply sit tightly into holes in the baseboard, the pelmet (which slots into the ends of each support), and finally the LED strips, that have a “natural white” glow of 4000k for a more realistic colour. These lie upside-down in mini-trunking on top of the supports.

An exhibition layout does need to look presentable, but it doesn't need to (nor should it) be anything outrageous, as even a simple curtain to hide the layout legs and a smartly-painted neutral fascia will do much to improve perceptions. Two things I always encourage are tall backscenes, and a wellbalanced LED lighting rig with a pelmet. Apart from anything else, it will show off your work in the best light (literally!); especially when it comes to taking photos. What a human eye ignores, the camera lens will certainly not! There’s also much to be said for designing a simple woodwork system that can be collapsed or taken apart; not least the boards, layout legs, the backscene, and the lighting rig.

The layout has been so well received that I intend to keep it on the exhibition circuit for years to come. And as for future plans? Well, as they say, “a layout is never finished”; and that is certainly true of 'Sandy Shores'. While I don’t intend to ever extend it, there are still plenty of things to improve upon or finish; the lighthouse, wagon loads, water effects, and detailing to name a few!

A particular bit of advice that helped me is this: only model what you see in the real world, not what you think your see, nor what others have done! On a practical level, simple things like using the same sets of colours across the layout will also help to tie everything together. Getting creative with methods is also something I would encourage; things like rusty corrugated iron sheets are particularly fun to try and replicate since they weather in different ways. It's also a good excuse to cause a bit of destruction with a wire brush attachment on the end of a Dremel! For this, I use South Eastern Finecast corrugated sheets over a Plastikard frame; predominantly because their thin nature is both more realistic than other options, and easier to work with

This layout has forced me to experiment; and even making mistakes has made for a valuable learning experience. A huge thanks go out to all those modellers (you know who you are), particularly on NGRM-online and RMweb, who helped me get to this stage by giving me invaluable advice over the years, and of course “the domestic authorities” who have put up with my model-making mess around the house! 

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