MODEL RAILWAYS ON-LINE. Wennin. Constructed by Laurie Clark. Photographed and described by Paul Plowman

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1 Wennin Constructed by Laurie Clark Photographed and described by Paul Plowman

2 2 WENNIN A Great Western branch line in the Dart Valley Constructed by the late Laurie Clark Photographed and described by Paul Plowman Wennin was built by the late Laurie Clark in 1988 while he was living at Eastwood in Sydney. When Laurie moved to Western Australia, it was a case of sell or break it up. Fortunately Wennin has survived and is now owned by a BRMA member who is continuing to improve and extend it. Location The layout represents two Great Western branch lines somewhere in the Dart Valley, which terminate at Wennin. Laurie had a very Goonish sense of humour and the choice of name was a case of Wennin Rome. The main branch, which leads to the traverser is supposed to come from Totnes, while the twig (Laurie s humour!) has no actual destination past the false tunnel mouth at the end of Dartness platform by the River Dart. Baseboards Much was reclaimed from earlier layouts except the baseboards for the section under development on the opposite side of the room, which the new owner has built new. All of the track is level, despite the crafty illusion that this is not so. Track and signalling Track in the main area is K&L, which was sold under the Gibson name when Top: Wennin Station. GW 45xx Class 2-6-2T No.4550 has just run round and is being coupled up to its train. The bay for the Dartness line is in the foreground. Left: The 45xx propels its train over the run round crossover closer to the station building ready for departure to Totnes. Hall Class No.6962 Soughton Hall reverses past Wennin Signal Box in the background.

3 NOVEMBER GW 14xx Class 0-4-2T arrives at Dartness with an auto-train for Wennin. at Dartness Quay. Laurie purchased it. The remaining areas and fiddle yard are SMP. Points were constructed using copper-clad sleepers. Ballast is a blend of local grey material and an imported white. These were mixed into various blends for use according to the area; darker becoming almost black in the station and goods areas. It is fixed with the usual PVA glue-water-detergent mix. A new station is being built in line with Laurie s original concept using C and L individual components, which gives much more realistic turnouts. The signals are mostly from Ratio kits and A small fishing boat on the River Dart is mooring are unworked at present. Points motors are a mixture of H & M and Peco. They are not very reliable and are to be replaced. Most of the points are wire and tube operating off the two way switches via mechanical means. Unlike the point motors, this method is simple, effective and trouble free.

4 4 Above and below: Wennin Locomotive Depot. The engine shed has been built from the Wills kit, which is based on Tetbury in Gloucestershire with a water tank built into the structure over the track. Scenery Laurie has used mainly polyurethane and styrene foam for the scenery. Chicken wire and card strips have been used to fill in the gaps. It is all covered with Chux Superwipes, liberally soaked in plaster. Woodland Scenics have been used to complete the scene. The hedges are the usual strips of pot scourers covered in Woodlands Scenics foliage. The hedgerows are tapered and angled to give a better perspective. Using N gauge cattle and sheep in the far background helps the illusion of depth. Rolling Stock Most of the locomotives and rolling stock are r-t-r models. The layout is operated with a selection of GWR panniers, 14xx tanks, large and small prairies and a Dean Goods. A Hall Class makes an occasional appearance. Couplings are the Sprat and Winkle design. They were originally designed to operate on wire bars fixed to the buffer faces, which would also prevent bufferlocking. Laurie thought these bars looked very poor and instead mounted them under the buffers, with a separate fine brass wire protruding out level with the buffer faces. When painted matt black the wires are almost invisible on locomotives and no additional hooks were required. The future Wennin now has a permanent home. The original section was only half built when Laurie sold the layout. Work is now in progress on completing the second side of the U. Track has been laid using C & L components and the construction of a new station building is well advanced. Conclusion I am grateful to the owner for allowing me to photograph this remarkable model railway and for providing background information to enable me to compile this article. Laurie Clark had an eye for detail but he was able to use a mixture of proprietary models and kits together with hand made items to create a realistic overall picture of a Great Western branch line in Devon The more I look at the photographs the more detail I notice. Laurie was truly a gifted modeller.

5 NOVEMBER Above: GW Hall Class No.6962 Soughton Hall passes Wennin Signal Box as it reverses off shed. Wennin Station. The station building is a much modified Ratio Castle Carey and the goods shed is based on Watlington, using Wills stone and slate sheets.

6 6 Above: GW push-pull pauses at Dartness with a train to Wennin. The GW push-pull departs from Dartness continuing on its way to Wennin.

7 NOVEMBER Above: Wennin Station, GW 45xx Class 2-6-2T waiting to depart for Totnes with a train formed of a 2 coach B set. The auto-train approaches Dartness with the return working from Wennin.