Paxton Road 2 (N scale part 11)…

Paxton Road 2, the dreaded sequel, what is it and how does it fit on the N scale journey? The story is best told in a slightly haphazard manner so hence we start with pure nostalgia. My spotters book from 1990, the first issue of Rail magazine I ever purchased (and more importantly Model Rail) and a Dapol N gauge Class 26…

Heady mix of nostalgia here with my 1990 spotting book and a repurchase of my first Rail magazine, along with a Dapol Railfreight Class 26! Where will this lead…

Hopefully the connection between the past and present are obvious here… I’ve long wanted to model a Scottish railway setting, and for even longer wanted a model of the Class 26. For every time I went out looking at trains in my youth, as I took that little bible in and out of my anorak I was presented with both Scotland and 26, and in one of my favourite liveries to boot! 

Those childhood dreams never became a reality, even in my rebirth to OO 12 years ago but it doesn’t take much encouragement for them to resurface. I remember seeing the Dapol 26 released and some wonderful photos and comments about how good the model was and that stuck. My recent purchase of the Grafar 31 (for the longer term project) nudged me towards a second look at the 26, and with a chance EBay purchase of the relevant Rail magazine all the ducks were lined up…

These days people don’t seem to ask why the blog is called Paxton Road, when in reality it is my modelling workbench! That said, some loyal readers may well recall the very early days here and RMweb3s demise that led to me creating this independent blog. Back then Paxton Road was the name I had coined for my OO scale ‘modern image’ (2000s) plank based upon a what if branch to an MOD depot on the line between Didcot and Southampton. Fast forward 12 years and the next logical step on my N scale journey is some sort of layout. After the debate on this post recently I decided to put my money where my mouth was and so the approach here is a miniaturised cameo, a chance to test the water with scale, materials, colours, textures on all elements of the model. What to call this caricature, this flight of fancy? Paxton Road resurfaced…

A range of inspiration, from various books in my library,

A parallel distraction and probable contributing factor to this whole diversion was a chance purchase (it was £12 in the Ffestiniog shop) of Paul Shannon’s ‘British Railway Infrastructure since 1970’. The scenes portrayed inside it’s pages reminded me of a railway of my youth and of my early dreams of a larger layout and from there I dug into reference works in my extensive railway library. Nostalgia drew me back to the first MRJ compendium and it’s Bucolic Silo, and the second too, with Bob Barlow’s evocative description of some of the emotional connection to the Inkerman Street project. I just kept coming back to cement, and Speedlink…

Note book sketches, quick and dirty but the pen moves as quickly as my mind and captures things as they come to me rather than the iPad which is a more considered thoughtful approach.

Rather than fire up the iPad the notebook was close to hand and soon thoughts turned to a small cameo scene and how to construct a portable, self contained layout that would use the finescale bullhead track and DG magnetic couplings. My usual cameo style box, but with a sector plate supported on a telescopic slide and both track and lighting controlled off a 12v DC transformer. All small builds on existing proven ideas and things I’d wanted to try for a while, packaged in a small size (about 50cm long, 20cm deep) whilst progressing the N scale journey too, perfect.

The completed box with lighting, ready for the next stage. 26 on a stretch of track hooked up for testing.

Short work was made of the carpentry (if you can call my efforts with a jigsaw that) making use of smaller off cuts of 6mm and 9mm MDF and some old shelf bottoms in hardboard but with a white coating the results speak for themselves. A din socket for the Gaugemaster W is back bottom right, powered by a 12v supply through a 2.1mm socket top back right which also feeds the LED self adhesive strip stuck to the back of the front pelmet. The lid just lifts off with a gaffer tape hinge along the back edge, allowing easy access for the scenic stages. Magnets for uncoupling are held in small plastic trays to allow them to easily slide back and forth out of the way. 

The promise. The white rectangle hides a magnet in a box, the slot the easy way to route the actuator rod to the front edge.

The results feel really promising. Despite no further work beyond removing its couplings, the 26 and cement wagons feel at home in the space and the physical size of the cameo feels comfortable. The ‘up close’ viewing and operation I like will work, the detail of the models and their eventual weathered finish will also stand close scrutiny in this presentation, at least I hope the finish I achieve will! 

Although I’ve not shown the finished plan, you may remember this is how Pont-y-dulais started, just a few pen sketches and inspirational photos. Here a road overbridge, I think, will be a cliché on purpose on the left. A tall cement silo will feature back right, various huts and undergrowth elsewhere with an air of neglect in the yard. Between the two sidings an area of hard standing will allow me to also practice road surfaces in the scale and an excuse for any other type of wagons I fancy on the front siding. Paxton Road 2 is no where and everywhere in particular. Prototypical yet freelance, a caricature yet believable I hope my little slice of Scotland (Wales, or England) will teach me a lot about the scale and techniques that may work in this smaller size. It will be fun however that plays out!

As I start this journey in earnest I’d love to hear your views, your nostalgia driven projects or what you’re up to, leave a comment and join the conversation. Until next time, more soon…