From test track to Pendale

[broadoak]

Many years ago I built with my brother in law’s assistance an American switching layout. It was 12 feet long and 18 inches wide made in three sections for ease of transport. We exhibited the layout called Colonel’s Crossing for about five years. It featured in the Continental Modeller in the 1992 October Issue sadly I don’t have any pictures of the complete layout as they were taken by Peco themselves.
I have always had an interest in British outline locomotives, to be honest I like anything that runs on flanged wheels, but had nowhere to run them so I built a small un-sceniced test track.
I bought simply anything purely because I liked it or occasionally because it was on offer. After a while we moved to a bigger house and I stopped exhibiting Colonel’s Crossing and dismantled the layout but kept part of it. The house move had a spare bedroom about 15 feet long and 8 feet wide. I was able to join another small switching layout to the terminus part of Colonel’s Crossing using a joining section that you had to duck under to get to the operating section in the middle. The test track was extended to about 10 feet long and gave me somewhere to run my British stock.
At this stage I did a bit of scenery, added a few buildings called it Willin Ford and took a few photos of the few bits of British stock I had.







Peter M

[broadoak]

At the time theses photographs were taken I was engaged in working on my American switching layout and exhibiting Two Sister’s Farm. I also wanted somewhere to run my British outline models as well.







Peter M

[bulleidboy]

All looks very good - look forward to seeing more.

[broadoak]

Thanks BB, I've just noticed I've posted the same picture twice. Put it down to a senior moment on my part.

Regards Peter M

[bulleidboy]

We all have them

[broadoak]

The test track isvery narrow so scenery was very limited but gave a background for the trains I ran. It was also an area where I tried out different scenic technicises, some which didn’t work.
Here a few steam outline models going about their daily work.
I will post some photos of my diesels next as the period I model is from the early 1950’s to the early BR blue period.









Peter M

[Walkingthedog]

Looks pretty good to me.

[broadoak]

Many thanks WTD.
It is rather odd but it looks better now looking back than it did at the time.

Regards Peter M

[broadoak]

A selection of diesels I liked at work at what was called Willen Ford. Like my steam locos I much prefer small diesel but do make the odd exception.











Peter M

[broadoak]

In those far off days I didn’t have many diesels but later bought more. By then of course changes had been made to the scenic side of the then unnamed test track.









Peter M