Industrial memory…
Three years ago I took this photo on Pont-y-dulais - my OO gauge industrial themed engine shed cameo layout, in some ways the gateway project to every cameo that has followed…
Since then I have built many projects, for myself and others. However I have not revisited that childhood passion for industrial standard gauge. If I am honest, I think the stress of Victory and running a ready to run project quickly depleted my battery, and my general frustration with the gauge and the blind eye we all turn to it within OO meant I jumped in to 1991 and British N gauge with a vengeance.
In the meantime my Canadian modelling has slowly evolved but is still enjoyed. I’ve had a dabble with European modelling on Kohlenbachbrücke (Pont-y-dulais’s successor) and have amassed quite a collection of Irish OO! Nothing has grabbed me quite like this first love, the collection remains in the box, thinned yes, perhaps distilled to the greatest hits? The last project penned for it, ‘Industrial Exchange’, would still be a great exhibition project…
You may ask why I’ve posted this today? Well, whilst testing the latest cameo I ran my maroon Victory and reminded myself of just what a fantastic locomotive it is, how much I enjoyed creating it with Steve. A real adventure, something I was proud of… yet reflective of the cost, and how commercialising a passion took a toll on that interest. All this from watching Francis crawling up and down a 6ft blank canvas.
So, Industrial Exhange requires a gradient. My new project here features one, this feels like a good opportunity to see if the smaller locos, the Barclay and Peckett, can handle a train without slipping…
That sounds more exciting than painting baseboards! Until next time, more soon…
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Nice picture James industrial locos and themes are interesting and the Victory loco was a nice peice of work. Have a good day James.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin. Blue sky here today, dogs walked, second coffee pot on with some North American magazines received in the mail from a good friend in Canada. Today is starting well…
DeleteHi James
ReplyDeleteI really like those photos and also the industrial cameos you have built.
As I was never a train spotter or interested in “mainline” railways these layouts take me back to my early days of photographing industrial and private/shortline rail systems. Something I still do as the opportunity presents.
I suppose I got back into railway modelling in the late 1960’s as a way of seeing what I was visiting (and what I would like to have visited) just by opening the “railway room” door. I spent quite some time attempting to model a steel works operation in 00. However the poor running of the then donor locos (as there was next to nothing RTR) and eventually the gauge/scale issues made me turn to foreign and eventually north American logging and shortlines as my modelling interest.
I realise you are looking at the 1990’s, but to me that is the era of the run down in industry that made me start to look more overseas and visit those operations where the railway was still vitally important.
I can understand also the stress the Victory project must have caused. That it was successful must be some vindication, and as a modeller I ,for one, wish you could s do something again. The quality and detail seem superior to the now RTR industrial prototypes or the market, ironically when the real industries they worked at in many cases no longer exist. Such is nostalgia maybe!!
Best regards
Alan
Thank you Alan. It was rewarding, doing the Victory, but turned it from fun into business… that was the problem. The setting I intended is more 70s than 90s - we’ll see…
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