Foxdale

What you see in the photo might look like a big machine cutting a piece of plywood. What it really is, is the birth of a new model railway.

After years of prevarication, we've started work on the long promised Isle of Man layout. I'm not quite sure how this happened, one day my Dad fancied making some track and I needed to persuade him away from a main line station. For a while now I've been wondering about picking Foxdale as a prototype and when we sat down and did a little research, it seemed to fit the bill.

Firstly, there mustn't be too many coaches. I hate building them and the kits cost a fortune. Luckily there is "The Foxdale Coach". One vehicle, even I can enjoy making that. Apart from this, trains on the Manx Northern were short - no Douglas style 12 vehicle trains with a loc on each end.

Next, there is shunting. Wagons go in and out of the mines over the most interesting track formation on the island.

It's not a pretty station, surrounded as it is by spoil tips, but then we like industrial settings. Anyway, if we bend history a little and model it in the very early 1960's, plenty of vegetation will be present. It's not too much of a stretch anyway as the last train ran in 1961 as far as I can tell and the track lasted another 10 year.

So, that's a new project (note I didn't say THE). It should be a quickie but no doubt progress will be in fits and starts. I don't know when it will be finished but we'll probably book it into a show or two before its ready and then have to rush to get things done.

So far we have a 5ft by 2ft baseboard. And half a plan.

Anyway, for those who don't know the prototype, visit this website.