Breaking Eggs.

Well, they say you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs and it appears that model railways are no exception.

Following on from the experiences gained with Wheal Ponder, the plan for Abermelyn Mk 3 is becoming firmer in my mind.

When my late friend Neil Blair ripped up the track and started again, I thought he was mad. However, it completely reinvigorated his modelling and the result was ‘Elsbridge’, a layout that is fun to operate and gave its builder a much greater sense of satisfaction.

This week, I took the mortal remains of Abermelyn Mk 1 to the tip. My carpentry and track laying skills were such that the layout suffered frequent derailments. Stripped of useful parts, the timber has been sent to the recycling centre.

Abermelyn Mk 2 received the benefits of laser cut baseboard kits and Peco set track points and ran far better. But the track design leaves a lot to be desired. It is too crowded, the layout is too long for what I want now having been intended to be put across the doorway to the other half of our attic- the need to deal with a large wasps nest in the other half of the attic a couple of summers back made me realise that keeping a clear access way was important. And secondly, an L shaped layout 16ft by 19ft needs very lengthy controller leads and plenty of shoe leather!

At one time, I had ideas and plans for about a dozen layouts. Reducing those down to one or two feasible projects is the way to getting on with some modelling and building something runnable that will stand the test of time! With the thought that fewer distractions and potential tangents to go off on, I’ve been having a bit of a tidy up and clear out in my attic den. Streamlining my ideas and finally donning some blinkers.

This will require Abermelyn Mk 2 to be altered considerably, but will be all the better for it.

With no deadlines, I’ve got a clear view of what I need to do and am getting on with it. Whilst this might result in very few, occasional blog posts in the coming weeks, rest assured, that when I have something to show for my efforts and the results of my vision being turned into plywood and track, then I will provide an update.