Good evening,

Tonight we are looking at another great layout from the Southampton Model show in January, this time we will be featuring P4 gauge layout called Flintcombe.

The layout represents the end of a fictional spur running to the south west from the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Sturminster Newton. Thomas Hardy’s novel “Tess of the D’Urbevilles” provides the name and location, but the layout portrays the picture as it might have been in the late 1930s when the S&DJR was being run jointly by the LMS and Southern Railways. The scenic aspects attempt to represent the chalk terrain of the supposed location and the main railway buildings have been based on a variety of S&DJR examples.

Trackwork is a mixture of scratch-built (ply sleepers and rivets with C&L cosmetic chairs) and C&L flexible lengths. THe signals have been constructed largely from MSE components. Control of trains leaving the fiddle yard lis with the operators behind the scenic section of the layout, while trains moving to the fiddle yard are controlled by the fiddle yard operator.

I am sure you will agree it’s a brilliant looking layout and as always with me its the little scenes on the layout that get my attention. The hunting group on the bridge with the dogs waiting at the gates looks brilliant and allows the viewer to take some rather unique and memorable shoots.

As always thanks for reading