Ettinsmoor: A now-defunct 4mm British Rys. layout

[Paul S.]

Below are photos of my long-defunct but much beloved British 4mm layout "Ettinsmoor," a British Railways branch set in Cumbria in the 1950s.

[Michael Whiteman]

I'm glad I had the chance to see this Paul before you tore it down. It had some beautiful scenery as I recall and brought back a lot of memories of my last trip to England in '83.

[Paul S.]

I'm glad I had the chance to see this Paul before you tore it down. It had some beautiful scenery as I recall and brought back a lot of memories of my last trip to England in '83.

Thanks, Michael! I still have almost all my 4mm equipment and have considered converting it to EM gauge.

[Jaz avalley]

I love steam engine, the quiet green and lush countryside, the stone walls to keep the sheep in check, I never really saw steam engines in use in real life, but you can still go past country side just like it, utter lovely

[Paul S.]

Thank you, Jaz avalley. I may actually build another 4mm layout. Depends on space and time, but I have rejoined the EM Gauge Society.

[Allen]

Repeat after me Paul:
Tuxedos, Long Hoods forward, Look ahead Look South!, Saluda Grade..... repeat.

[Michael Whiteman]

Having known Paul for a long time, just like myself, he gets restless after a few years in the same scale. But I think for both of us this time period seems to be stretching out more as we get older. Or maybe it's because the price dollar wise of starting over keeps going up.

[Russ C]

Very nice layout Paul!
Does EM gauge mean all scratchbuilt track? And bullhead or flatbottom rail?

I've noticed lately that the scale increases as vision decreases.....It's a sign of something....lol

[Paul S.]

Very nice layout Paul!
Does EM gauge mean all scratchbuilt track? And bullhead or flatbottom rail?

I've noticed lately that the scale increases as vision decreases.....It's a sign of something....lol

Thank you, Russ!

There are bullhead rail B7 turnout kits for EM gauge, as well as bullhead rail flex track.

Most of the conversion effort entails modifying steam locomotives with brass etching and axle kits, because most diesels and rolling stock wheelsets just need tweaking from 16.5 mm to EM's 18.2 mm gauge (P4 standard is 18.83 mm; I can easily live with the missing 0.63 mm difference).

The rub is that not all steam locomotives have conversion kits. The Ivatt 2MT shown in the first photo does not, but I might be able to do a one-off by adapting another kit.

[Russ C]

Ok, good that you have turnouts and track available, saves a lot of time. Likewise having conversion kits.

GWR was always my favourite. 14xx and auto coach, 57xx on a branch line goods....
Or maybe a small tourist 'preserved' railway with whatever attracts my eye.

[Paul S.]

Allen, I hear ya! Nothing's happening yet to the Slate Fork.

Michael Whiteman, yeah, the Slate Fork is nearing its eighth anniversary and my eyeballs are getting older. But for me to do anything meaningful in British 4mm would require a space that could accommodate curves of at least 26" minimum radius, just based on previous experience.

[Paul S.]

Ok, good that you have turnouts and track available, saves a lot of time. Likewise having conversion kits.

GWR was always my favourite. 14xx and auto coach, 57xx on a branch line goods....
Or maybe a small tourist 'preserved' railway with whatever attracts my eye.

GWR is my second distant favorite after the LMS/BR, Russ C. One of my favorite British modellers is a GWR fan and does incredible work: https://luggvalleyrailway.wordpress.com/

He too likes a 14xx and 57xx (or 74xx) and not much else on his layouts, which are often branchlines set in eastern Wales/western England.

[Russ C]

I think that's where I got my love of small engines and wagons from.
I have/had (haven't seen it since 2016 -the house fire) a book 'GWR branch line termini' A great book.

That's a great looking layout. Excellent modeling work.

[Paul S.]

I think that's where I got my love of small engines and wagons from.
I have/had (haven't seen it since 2016 -the house fire) a book 'GWR branch line termini' A great book.

That's a great looking layout. Excellent modeling work.

Thank you very much, Russ. Yes, I miss Ettinsmoor. ...

[Paul S.]

I think that's where I got my love of small engines and wagons from.
I have/had (haven't seen it since 2016 -the house fire) a book 'GWR branch line termini' A great book.

Yep, the quintessential British 0-6-0, solo or with a tender, wandering down a rural branchline witha few wagons or coaches in tow, evokes something nostalgic in me that begs to be expressed in modeling. ...

I do believe there will be a Ettinsmoor redux.