Vowchurch Slate Quarry in 006.5...

Early this year I shared an idea to build a small micro layout in 006.5, based on Brian Clarke's 'Slate Railway to Churchwater' book, and using the stock I'd designed for the 6point5 range available from Narrow Planet...

This layout, just 50x35cm was built for the ExpoNG Dave Brewer challenge, and I finished in the week leading up to the show. It has been a fun project, and I hope shows the possibility of this scale/gauge combination, the ability to have a complete layout in a much smaller space than 009. Yes you can build small 009 layouts, but not with the sense of space that 'Vowchurch Slate Quarry' manages to achieve. I also built it to demonstrate that track power is still eminently viable in this scale, despite the excitement generated on NGRM by a few modellers using battery power in this scale.

The layout was crafted to include a series of cameo's and uses view blocks and items in the foreground to limit your views across the layout. In the interest of time I have not included an interior in the slate mill, something I may look to rectify in the future.

One side features an adit, weight bridge and entry to the cutting shed, along with a short overgrown siding, shown here with the Ruston Proctor parked up. These buildings were inspired by photos in 'Slate Quarry Album' published by RCL. The grey tractor, an Oxford die cast model, and the empty wagon, are permanent items of scenery. The hill and trees disguise the face the layout is so small, and that the other side is just 15 cm away!

The GWR lorry limits views at the end of the layout, and means you get shots like this between the shed and engine shed, full of atmosphere.

Finally, the small engine shed had to be custom made, and just fits a Taffson Evans and Jenkins locomotive, of which I own a pair. I've left the layout in the safe hands of Steve at Narrow Planet, so I believe it will be on display at Warley in a few weeks if you're interested in seeing it in the flesh. As for the competition? No I didn't win, but it was a lovely show, lots of people stopping to chat and plenty to enthuse about the scale - I hope I did it justice, but any questions about this relatively new scale/gague combination just get in touch.

Although this is a personal model, I do layout commissions, get in touch for your own personal quote, through Facebook, the forums, or the contact page on my blog website.

More soon...