Bodmin Town

Layout built by Brian Spencer.

Childhood holidays in the West Country sealed my railway interest for life and later holidays there in the period 1990 to 2010, sowed a Cornwall inspired start in railway modelling. A ‘might have been’ terminus at Mevagissey inspired by the Pentawen Tramway and extended in stages around a bedroom forsaken by grown-up children was contemplated. However, visiting St Austell inspired a much more ambitious ‘might have been’ junction station layout that largely filled a 12 foot square room, was begun in 2007. This classic ‘modellers’ mistake’ led my hobby to become no. 1 on my ‘bucket list’ to finish, but finished it was by 2022 after 15 years! Arthritis and a fall on the stairs exposed me to demands from wife and 3 daughters to bring the layout downstairs, but it could not fit! So I ‘bit the bullet’ and set to future-proof my hobby by selling both the layout (less my cherished scenics) and ¾ of my rolling stock.

A small terminus to hidden sidings layout was planned for our sitting room atop my now disused desk and inspired by a compact, multi-entry, O-gauge layout by club member David Lloyd. The location was encouraged by reading the history of the Bodmin and Wadegridge Railway.

Aided by scenic sections recovered and modified from my previous layout, it has taken just over 2 years to complete. Track work is Peco OO scale bullhead laid on 3mm cork covered with self-adhesive film to stop PVA glue/water mix for ballasting, soaking into and hardening the cork. Points are wire in tube with slider switches to operate and change frog polarity. A single transformer and Modelex DC controller on common return suffices and sections are isolated by slider switches on the front of the baseboards, which have piano hinged lids with lighting. Signals are Dapol, powered by a 9V battery and operated by bell-push buttons. Back scenes are a montage of old photos taken in Cornwall and a few at Beamish over 3 decades.

Rolling stock is a mixture of BR (W & S), some scratch/kit-built up to 35 years old and more recent additions (as my eyesight diminished), R-T-R with added detail. Locos are ex-GWR 44xx, 45xx 4575, 2-6-2Ts, 57xx, 1361 and 1366 0-6-0Ts, plus ex-LSWR O2, M7 0-4-4Ts and 2-4-0 WT. Coaches are ex LSWR gate stock and ex-GWR autos for push-pull trains plus ex-SR Maunsell and ex-GWR ‘B’ set for others. Freight stock includes 21 scratch/kit parts built china clay wagons over 25 years old and ex-GWR opens and vans and BR mineral opens plus detailed and weathered R-T-R vans and brake-vans.

Station Buildings