A popular layout back on YMRC

Do you have any overview photos of the whole layout you could share?

While looking through the files for the chicken photo above I found this which shows well over half of the total layout at an early stage.  Not a great picture but it gives some idea of the situation between house and fence and with the original roof which I later had to replace.  The roof panels shown here were old, lichen-covered and worn; every windy day they moved due to being screwed rather than bolted down.  They crumbled around the screws and eventually were held down with little more than gravity.  On the right the arrangement along the fence can be seen; more panels above the actual fence-line and the boards I fitted  (which were later painted sky-blue) in front of the fence itself.  I fitted a waterproof membrane between fence and panels some of which can be seen where the blue plastic wraps around the still-exposed fence posts.  These were later boxed in with more blue-painted woodwork.  


 

[user=1753]Gwiwer[/user] wrote:

Do you have any overview photos of the whole layout you could share?

While looking through the files for the chicken photo above I found this which shows well over half of the total layout at an early stage.

 

Thanks Rick, perfect, it all makes sense now.

The house appears to be one of the type common here in the 1970-80s; built in almost the same brick as ours. Standard dimensions in those days were 12m or 16m x 8m so I can visualise how the layout would sit along the long side, that's a great space to have and you've used it well. After all it could have been filled with plants, hanging baskets and the like, a criminal offence if you can build a model railway layout instead.

I can see a side fence and neighbour's house in the distance, so it appears you've used your back fence as the enclosure. If so, that makes it a large block even for those times as the 16m of house would be using almost all of a standard block's 18m width. Rather unusual configuration for Melbourne sub-divisions unless in a cul-de-sac or close. In fact there's one block directly behind ours, 2-3m wider than usual because of the positioning.

Sadly, it's the sort of layout I can only dream about  :sad:






   

Rather unusual configuration for Melbourne sub-divisions unless in a cul-de-sac or close

Nail hit on head.  We were at the top of a court (cul-de-sac, close, tear-drop according to area) on an irregular block which was much narrower at the road frontage than at the back.  It was in fact five-sided meaning we had five neighbours rather than the more usual three (one either side and one over the back) albeit one of those neighbours only shared 1m of boundary with us.  

 The house was built in 1972 and was originally L-shaped but had been extended into a square long before we bought it.  

I can't remember the exact size of it now but it was almost the largest block of the ten in the court; only our immediate neighbour the other side of the railway fence had more land but not very much more.  Some blocks were a lot smaller.  

[user=1753]Gwiwer[/user] wrote:

Rather unusual configuration for Melbourne sub-divisions unless in a cul-de-sac or close

Nail hit on head.  We were at the top of a court (cul-de-sac, close, tear-drop according to area) on an irregular block which was much narrower at the road frontage than at the back.  It was in fact five-sided meaning we had five neighbours rather than the more usual three (one either side and one over the back) albeit one of those neighbours only shared 1m of boundary with us.  

The house was built in 1972 and was originally L-shaped but had been extended into a square long before we bought it.  

I can't remember the exact size of it now but it was almost the largest block of the ten in the court; only our immediate neighbour the other side of the railway fence had more land but not very much more.  Some blocks were a lot smaller.  

When not busy modelling or gardening, I run a Private Detective Agency  :cool:

Penhayle Bay never made it into any of the magazines.  Yet.  It might appear later this year or next but nothing is certain at this stage.  What I can say is that copy has been submitted along with photos.  

What I can also say is that almost four years after the layout closed and was broken up I finally have the long-threatened and sometimes-requested book  under way.  The style will be a blend of personal history and modelling which will convey the passion which went into the build and which was (and remains) apparent to many visitors.  There is still a significant following on the Facebook page and occasional posts to the various forums.  

Again there is no timeline for its appearance but it is intended that I self-publish and print on demand via internet sales.  

I would hold a small stock for those without internet access and - assuming such things become possible once again - to sell when I exhibit / demonstrate weathering using the viaduct from the layout as the centrepiece of my stand.

Hi Rick,Thank you so much for allowing us to include Penhayle Bay in Rail Modeller Australia Magazine which is available for free download now. www.railmodelleraustralia.com

All the best,
Robyn

Penhayle Bay never made it into any of the magazines. Yet. It might appear later this year or next but nothing is certain at this stage. What I can say is that copy has been submitted along with photos. 

Not 24 hours later here is the result :)


Robyn many thanks for allowing me the privilege of gracing your pages.   It has been a long time coming and a good many friends and followers have asked when (not if, always when) the layout would be featured in the magazines.  I am sure the wait will have been worthwhile for them.  It certainly gives me great satisfaction.  

Today marks four years since Penhayle Bay closed.  It marks something of much greater significance in the UK but aside from that I have been encouraged by the ongoing interest and support for the layout, the number of new people still following on its Facebook page and the fact that it is sometimes cited as a "go to" project for how to "do" model railways.  

 Here is a selection of images from ten years ago - in 2011 - when it was very much a going concern and I had recently begun to teach myself the weathering techniques which subsequently saw me invited to give demonstrations and workshops at numerous exhibitions.  

The much-requested book of Penhayle Bay is in preparation with the intention that it be ready late this year.  

Always good to see the little bit of Cornwall in Australia. So glad I got to see it in the flesh, not once but twice!

[user=19]Marty[/user] wrote:

Always good to see the little bit of Cornwall in Australia. So glad I got to see it in the flesh, not once but twice!

One of the few, Marty, as I reckon only around 100 people ever saw it in the flesh.  Most of those who visited lived closer and were able to come more often.  I still have some contact with members of the Blackburn Thread Hijack Group and with Peter Mantle, of Llanbourne fame, who lived closer than most to Penhayle Bay.  


Once this ruddivirus is behind us and the exhibition circuit reopens I hope to have the viaduct scene out and about once again as the centrepiece of my weathering demonstrations.  It's size attracts attention to the stand, it now has a "totem" type Penhayle Bay sign - something the layout never had but was wanted - and is a good place to pose weathered items for display purposes.  

Five years ago tonight, 17th April 2017, the last trains ran on the Penhayle Bay Railway.  
 
Many of us have missed those days.  Although relatively few people saw the layout in the flesh due to its location in Australia it became very well known through the various internet platforms such as RMweb, Facebook and others.  I am still asked questions about it, the techniques and products used, how I achieved some of the visual effects seen (many of which were actually quirks of the natural outdoor daylight) and whether it can still be visited.  Sadly the last has not been possible for those five years although parts survive in Australia and the UK.  
 
It remains my intention to self-publish a book which is currently part-written but which has been overtaken by other projects and has, like most of the world, been delayed by the Covid-19 situation.  At least it was eventually featured in a magazine albeit a small-circulation Australian publication but also available online.  
 
If future circumstances permit then there can definitely be a "Mk2" version built though probably not the full 34-metre version as it was.  
 
I remain very humbled by the accolades, interest and frequent references so long after the final train departed from that little cliff-side station above the harbour lights.  It broke rules I didn't know were considered rules: the station was built on a reverse-curve, it was DC throughout and relied on point-blade contact for power continuity despite being 34 metres around, having a large fiddle yard, two branches and two lift-out sections, and it was outside.  Covered, yes, but still at the whim of everything the weather could throw at it from torrential rain and hail to searing heat and dust.  Almost everything survived very much beyond what I expected and way beyond manufacturer's design limits.  
 
So for those who enjoyed and followed as it was built, developed and operated almost daily, for those who have never until now even heard of it but happen to look in to the "New Content" out of interest, and for old times' sake here is that very last train once more.  And a link to a gallery where many of the better images amassed over the years can be viewed and enjoyed once again.  
 
Penhayle Bay : 2005 - 2017  https://gwiwer.smugmug.com/ModelRailway-1/n-tqbnb

Penhayle Bay - The End - gwiwer

Hi Rick,

The video link worked but not this one:

Penhayle Bay : 2005 - 2017  https://gwiwer.smugmug.com/ModelRailway-1/n-tqbnb

I just get a blank screen headed Model Railway.
Also your home page just lists 2 Galleries not including the Model Railway

Colin

[user=2170]Colin W[/user] wrote:

Hi Rick,

The video link worked but not this one:

Penhayle Bay : 2005 - 2017  https://gwiwer.smugmug.com/ModelRailway-1/n-tqbnb

I just get a blank screen headed Model Railway.
Also your home page just lists 2 Galleries not including the Model Railway

Colin

Try this one. It should work on the original link. The settings are “open to anyone with the link”

https://gwiwer.smugmug.com/ModelRailway-1/Penhayle-Bay/n-P8Dkh