Welcome to my thread about Midsummer End. Having met Callum Sutherland at Stafford in 2015, a number of discussions continued over the months culminating in me helping him operating Apa Park and Apagele layouts at Sevenoaks model show. A second day of helping at the Great Central Railway (North) got me hooked. I wanted an N-gauge layout which would fit in the car and could be taken to exhibitions. Only able to spend one day at the GCRN with Callum I returned home and spent the Sunday working on some MDF and 2x1 in the back garden.
A few hours later and a small 4ft x 1ft board had been produced, albeit without ends. Planning began and I decided on a small GWR branch terminus layout.
After creating a track plan on anyrail to include a short single platform with run-round and a 2 road yard alongside, track laying commenced on the Monday. By the middle of the week the track had been laid, point motors installed, although not wired up, and the start of the overbridge installed. Here is how the layout looked on 9th August, just 7 days after I hard started constructing the baseboards:
By this point Midsummer End had also been entered for it's first show - on the 6th September, yes that was less than a month away! Time to ramp up the pace a little. After working 8.5 hours a day, I came home each evening and got on with tasks. By the 13th August the layout was further along with Platforms fitted and goods yard having progressed and the signal box started.
All the buildings had been purchased and ordered after the decision to start the layout, so progress on these was slowed by awaiting delivery. This however didn't slow down the pace as more and more bits appeared on the layout over the coming days. By the 17th August the left hand side of the layout had come together to almost create the scene. Still lots to do on the right hand side and just 20 days until it's exhibition debut...
The right hand side of the layout came together fairly quickly after this and the woods on the right gave a natural edge to the layout.
With the cattle dock built this part of the layout was really starting to come together.
The delivery of some preiser and noch figures enabled the yard to be populated a little more and this overview of the layout taken on 23 August shows just how much had been achieved in the 21 days taken so far (Yes just 3 weeks from cutting the first wood for the layout!)
With nearly everything completed the week following saw the completion of electrics under the layout and the fitting of more figures and details including yard shunt signals from PD Marsh. By the 30th August the layout was nearing completion with GWR vehicles in place in the goods yard. Plenty of detail included and nearly ready for exhibition.
One problem was how to light the layout if the hall used was dark. It's first exhibition was booked for Bressingham and knowing this wasn't the best location for light, I decided to fit LED strip lights to the top. A bar across the front was fitted and LED strip lights wired in.
The 6th September soon arrived and despite lots of last minute worries about lighting and electrics, and a few last minute details including adding period posters to the fencing, the show time had arrived and the layout was ready. Arriving at 9am the stewards at Bressingham showed me to my table, I was to exhibit in Captain Mainwaring's office, a dark office at Bressingham, and as such the LED lighting came into it's own.
A great show as had and a lot of positive feedback, and just 5 weeks after starting the layout. A few more details where certainly needed, but the various details already added certainly gave people plenty to talk about. With a man walking his dogs in front of the railway cottages causing a lot of people to gasp at the minute detail of the layout.
With experience of the first exhibition behind me I was now set for the second exhibition. More figures ordered from Gaugemaster to increase the detail and things started to get ready for Colchester show. I have had so much positive feedback at Bressingham, online and now at Colchester about the amount of detail, from sheep and the shepherd, to the posters, even the man walking his dogs, it's been fantastic.
One last photo for now shows a Hall class in the platform with wagons in the yard taken while the layout was set up at home between exhibitions.
We have had several invites to other exhibitions in 2016 although so far none have been confirmed for certain, but I'm confident that we will be at a few more in 2016. If you would like the layout to appear at your exhibition please get in touch.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about the one month build of Midsummer End and welcome your comments.
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