An ode to Shell Island: Ynyslas…
Shell Island, two words that to the railway modeller evoke memories of Neil Rusby’s classic minimalist micro layout (and to anyone else a busy campsite on the coast between Barmouth and Harlech). Neil’s artistry is some of the best and the character and composition of his layout is truly wonderful…
Looking at old maps (the National Library of Scotland’s records are wonderful for the casual research of old railways) shows that the small station at Ynyslas had a few sidings as well as a passing loop. This could form the basis of a small layout, equally a trip around Google Earth shows a few structures right down in the dunes, perhaps too another setting?
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| 25034 "CASTELL ABERYSTWYTH / ABERYSTWYTH CASTLE" stands at Ynyslas with the two Ballast Wagons that were kept at either Machynlleth or Aberystwwth for local use. Steven Clements photo (https://flic.kr/p/2i6icB6) |
In the past I’ve discussed with my good friend Chris railway modelling as art. If we consider that true, then the old saying ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ comes to mind. I’ve long considered aping some of Neil’s compositional success more directly in my own layouts. Yes, the idea of open space and expanse, a muted consistent palette, careful use of texture already link our work, perhaps I could simply copy Shell Island?
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| Shell Island article from August 2003, Railway Modeller. |
On BBC iPlayer at present is a wonderfully aesthetic crime drama set in Aberystwyth, ‘Hinterland’. In the first series, episode 4, the mother of a missing child lives alongside the railway and river at Ynyslas. Flat, open, almost desolate,seascape in one direction, mountains the other… it struck me that this mix of river with road and rail bridge, level crossing and small yard might make a possible home for an ‘ode to Shell Island’?
Digging further turns up the fascinating story of the short lived Ministry of Supply rocket testing site in the dunes, and the enticing false story, the parallel world where a short siding served a MOD firing range into the 1970s. Flickr then comes up trumps with the opening image, a 25 and two wagons standing on the main at Ynyslas and the die is cast.
Sketches deliberately devoid of scale, a scheme like this can work with the space you have available… the scale becoming a personal choice yet determining how closely cropped the false history becomes. For me, my own ‘ode’ is firmly planted in N scale, the lure of attempting some of these scenic features, the sand dunes, the bridges, the mud flats, all fresh challenge for this artists hand. Equally, I could see the plans work in 0, heck even mix the two ideas together, perhaps the line into the dunes is 009 narrow gauge and interchanges with the 00 mainline?
Which leaves only the question, what is stopping me? Nothing. That leaves one final question, will DI Mathias and DI Rhys feature on my layout? Perhaps.
Until next time, more soon…
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An impotant part of Shell Islands visual success is how much of the layout is devoid of railway. That is a brave choice when fitting a scheme into a small space.
ReplyDeleteDo you not see the parallels in Paxton Road, or others of mine? Where the balance is careful not to over crowd a scene with track?
DeleteMy thoughts on Ynyslas were to use N to allow for the same balance.
How the feeling of space is created is not just the lack of ‘railway’ but also the palette of colour, the texture balance and the backscene.
Yes, and the balance is important. The opther aspect of Shell Island is the ability to view it from different angles. Another classic example was Roy Links very small Crowsnest layout, the one that was about a foot square.
DeleteI tried this on East Works and it wasn’t as successful as I had hoped, I found the lack of a backscene on two sides left the viewer a little lost…
DeleteI did wonder about building a small square layout in a box with fold down sides, so you could open as many as you wanted, or even different ones, to get different views of the same scene.
I've wondered about using some of the nrew generation of powerful small magnets
DeleteI was recently captivated by a video of a 37 double-headed timber train passing through Borth and Ynyslas (https://youtu.be/bziPK6wkjXg) - what really grabbed me was the flat open expanse that allowed the train to be filmed into the distance, enclosed between the sea and the mountains. It almost reminded me of views of Canada or Alaska. I'd like to visit the Borth/Ynyslas area for research, but I'm also mulling the idea that areas around Morecambe Bay might give a similar sense of desolation (and it's a lot closer at hand). I was trying to think of a way to capture that impression of wild desolation within a micro layout, eventually putting it aside as probably impossible. However, you might be onto something here...
ReplyDeleteIf you consider a micro layout as just a crop of a larger scene then wild desolation is still possible, just in a small space. The trick would be absolute minimisation in terms of supporting ‘structures’, as a small layout is all about balance and in this case it’s also about ‘open-mess’. In the summer Borth would be a lovely place to visit, it is in the winter months that the greys and browns of the marsh and heath combine with the grey blue of the sea and sky to create a wonderful muted palette on which to build our day dreams. Just as DI Rhys’s red parka jacket provides a spot of colour in the landscape, so to our train locomotive with its yellow ends…
DeleteI wonder if that approach might work particularly well with TT120?
DeleteWhy would we play with TT:120 when we already have British Finescale bull-head track in N?
DeleteIt is that thing about certain scales working well for certain prototypes in certain spaces
DeleteI’d argue that until you can get bullhead track in TT then it’s just for main lines and trainsets! To me it isn’t big enough over N to justify a whole sale change. I think that modern N is massively under-rated, but I guess that’s obvious from the recent journey I’ve been on with my N gauge projects…
DeleteI agree with you about 2mm, it might be the way my Tanat Valley modelling goes. TT for me will be a solution for specific situations - fianlly building Minories being one of them so I can get that 70s/80s BR blue stuff out of my sytem. How can you be nostalgic for something you remeber being awful? ;-)
DeleteBe wary of copying a layout. I did the same many years ago and although I was pleased with the end result, it has never quite gelled with me. Not sure why.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth I too think Shell Island is great and I even tracked down a copy of the Railway Modeller magazine to find out more about it. There are some 'ideas' from it I may copy, but not sure about the whole layout.
I reckon your own plans are equally as good as, if not better. And orginal. I think Shell Island echoes your take on spaciousness, which might be why you like it.