Andrew Young
Member
Having been an occasional lurker on Western Thunder for some time, thought it about time I raised my head above the parapet and produced some of my work, now that I’ve made sufficient progress to warrant an appearance!
My modelling can be very much described as sporadic, with great bursts and then great bouts of procrastination. This has led to two layouts stalling, the second being a ‘grand plan’ attic filler. This coinciding with having a young family has resulted in a change of direction and some more regular progress in tackling a small cameo layout with clear boundaries. Maybe that chap Rice talked sense after all. The initial inspiration to create something quick and small was in part inspired by my daughter (she’s 4 1/2 currently) really enjoying and engaging in a small micro layout at Burton in 2022 with thoughts quickly turning to doing something similar myself as a quick start (well quick-ish) project. Previous layouts have stumbled through poor wood working and track laying skills on my part. This project uses a laser cut baseboard kit and ready to plonk track to negate these issues and get something running quicker (see previous comments about sporadic / glacial progress, once I have something running to play trains with I intend trying my hand at track laying again.
The last couple of months has seen my modelling mojo consistently at its best for some time with good prospects for the next few months too. The losing of two friends of mine well before their time in the first half of the year has increased a sense of ‘get on with it’ within my psyche.
‘Wheal Ponder’ is my 7mm narrow gauge china clay layout inspired very much by the late Iain Rice’s ‘Trerice’ layout. When ‘Trerice’
was published in MRJ it was one of those layouts which makes you sit up and take notice, my copy is both well thumbed and sits by my modelling desk currently for inspiration. The scenic area is 4ft by 2ft with a 2ft 6in long fiddle yard using cassettes.
![E0320E24-971A-4BE2-9C1C-4E6CA7CE3C93.jpeg E0320E24-971A-4BE2-9C1C-4E6CA7CE3C93.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195793-8116c6178f79e974d174c8eac55eedc3.jpg)
I’ve been a part of group layouts before but never built one on my own until now despite converting to 7mm narrow gauge modelling as a teenager thirty years ago having been converted as a disciple to the Gospel of Gravett with his ‘Llandydref’ layout first seen in my Dad’s Modeller.
The layout runs and I’ve made some serious progress on the buildings. There are still some more to build before I go into a voyage of the unknown to me into the rest of the scenic modelling. Have just finished the main clay dry buildings which feels like a major milestone for this layout.
![1596CCBA-A335-477E-9F74-F7AB371B85B7.jpeg 1596CCBA-A335-477E-9F74-F7AB371B85B7.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195794-c4925aeef282bc850d23f24f05a0afe1.jpg)
![9B64E0D9-2850-4527-807F-F1FB4C398190.jpeg 9B64E0D9-2850-4527-807F-F1FB4C398190.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195795-38b3bb1db7b90379d9eef525de0a2d09.jpg)
![79CA4B05-45B6-48A3-9F18-59134020FE6A.jpeg 79CA4B05-45B6-48A3-9F18-59134020FE6A.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195796-aa99997c6178e7ea9e4d595de7e1ac36.jpg)
Whilst the layout is intended to be a home for my trio of Fletcher Jennings tanks.
![21EE3D70-C4EB-4793-9317-09E76A0FED80.jpeg 21EE3D70-C4EB-4793-9317-09E76A0FED80.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195797-e34339fc527964083a6c7e45e34a8e1e.jpg)
There’s no shortage of locos to run… (my main modelling effort before being buildings and locos for our group layout).
![EF5F4EB3-37F8-4952-B6E4-C8E6E38D859D.jpeg EF5F4EB3-37F8-4952-B6E4-C8E6E38D859D.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195798-442edacb914df30e732be24e41838939.jpg)
Rather than repeat here a large amount of what has been written before, I have a blog where most of my ramblings are published. I started the blog due to being a member of three different modelling forums (with the main narrow gauge modelling one requiring photos to be hosted on a third party website) plus there are two 7mm narrow gauge modelling groups on Facepest which I’m a member of so it made sense to keep things in one place and share from there. It also meant that I can go off on a tangent and it still to be appropriate to post.
The initial musings about the layout are here:
Method In The Madness
And here:
Wheal Ponder - A Cornish Cameo.
With the latest progress posted here (with a fair amount of drivel in between):
The Clay Dry
Hope this proves of interest and will post more when progress is made.
Andrew
My modelling can be very much described as sporadic, with great bursts and then great bouts of procrastination. This has led to two layouts stalling, the second being a ‘grand plan’ attic filler. This coinciding with having a young family has resulted in a change of direction and some more regular progress in tackling a small cameo layout with clear boundaries. Maybe that chap Rice talked sense after all. The initial inspiration to create something quick and small was in part inspired by my daughter (she’s 4 1/2 currently) really enjoying and engaging in a small micro layout at Burton in 2022 with thoughts quickly turning to doing something similar myself as a quick start (well quick-ish) project. Previous layouts have stumbled through poor wood working and track laying skills on my part. This project uses a laser cut baseboard kit and ready to plonk track to negate these issues and get something running quicker (see previous comments about sporadic / glacial progress, once I have something running to play trains with I intend trying my hand at track laying again.
The last couple of months has seen my modelling mojo consistently at its best for some time with good prospects for the next few months too. The losing of two friends of mine well before their time in the first half of the year has increased a sense of ‘get on with it’ within my psyche.
‘Wheal Ponder’ is my 7mm narrow gauge china clay layout inspired very much by the late Iain Rice’s ‘Trerice’ layout. When ‘Trerice’
was published in MRJ it was one of those layouts which makes you sit up and take notice, my copy is both well thumbed and sits by my modelling desk currently for inspiration. The scenic area is 4ft by 2ft with a 2ft 6in long fiddle yard using cassettes.
![E0320E24-971A-4BE2-9C1C-4E6CA7CE3C93.jpeg E0320E24-971A-4BE2-9C1C-4E6CA7CE3C93.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195793-8116c6178f79e974d174c8eac55eedc3.jpg)
I’ve been a part of group layouts before but never built one on my own until now despite converting to 7mm narrow gauge modelling as a teenager thirty years ago having been converted as a disciple to the Gospel of Gravett with his ‘Llandydref’ layout first seen in my Dad’s Modeller.
The layout runs and I’ve made some serious progress on the buildings. There are still some more to build before I go into a voyage of the unknown to me into the rest of the scenic modelling. Have just finished the main clay dry buildings which feels like a major milestone for this layout.
![1596CCBA-A335-477E-9F74-F7AB371B85B7.jpeg 1596CCBA-A335-477E-9F74-F7AB371B85B7.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195794-c4925aeef282bc850d23f24f05a0afe1.jpg)
![9B64E0D9-2850-4527-807F-F1FB4C398190.jpeg 9B64E0D9-2850-4527-807F-F1FB4C398190.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195795-38b3bb1db7b90379d9eef525de0a2d09.jpg)
![79CA4B05-45B6-48A3-9F18-59134020FE6A.jpeg 79CA4B05-45B6-48A3-9F18-59134020FE6A.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195796-aa99997c6178e7ea9e4d595de7e1ac36.jpg)
Whilst the layout is intended to be a home for my trio of Fletcher Jennings tanks.
![21EE3D70-C4EB-4793-9317-09E76A0FED80.jpeg 21EE3D70-C4EB-4793-9317-09E76A0FED80.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195797-e34339fc527964083a6c7e45e34a8e1e.jpg)
There’s no shortage of locos to run… (my main modelling effort before being buildings and locos for our group layout).
![EF5F4EB3-37F8-4952-B6E4-C8E6E38D859D.jpeg EF5F4EB3-37F8-4952-B6E4-C8E6E38D859D.jpeg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/195/195798-442edacb914df30e732be24e41838939.jpg)
Rather than repeat here a large amount of what has been written before, I have a blog where most of my ramblings are published. I started the blog due to being a member of three different modelling forums (with the main narrow gauge modelling one requiring photos to be hosted on a third party website) plus there are two 7mm narrow gauge modelling groups on Facepest which I’m a member of so it made sense to keep things in one place and share from there. It also meant that I can go off on a tangent and it still to be appropriate to post.
The initial musings about the layout are here:
Method In The Madness
And here:
Wheal Ponder - A Cornish Cameo.
With the latest progress posted here (with a fair amount of drivel in between):
The Clay Dry
Hope this proves of interest and will post more when progress is made.
Andrew