Carne

CARNE - 1997 

(8th layout)

So far, all my exhibiting of layouts had been done with friends from the Norfolk 009 Group.  But as my wife has always helped with the scenery on my layouts I wondered if I could persuade her to help me run our own layout at exhibitions.  Not very enthusiastic about the idea at first, she gave it a go at Bressingham in September 1998 and has been assisting me ever since.  The layout we built together was "Carne".

"Carne" was a terminus to fiddle yard layout.  Trains would leave the fiddle yard from cassettes and run round three side of a 7ft x 3ft layout (on three boards) via Chapel End halt, passed a lake, over a bridge and into Carne Station.  The engines would be turned on a turntable and run round before departing with the next passenger train or shunting loaded wagons to the sheep market.

Turnouts were controlled by under baseboard wire-in-tube, and for the first time, we used a Trax Controls Chuffer Module for loco sound.  I mounted the speaker underneath the station area and had an instant uncoupling device provided by the speaker magnet!  Cut-up calendar pictures were used to enhance the back scene, and this is the first layout where I used extensive weathering for the track, buildings, rock faces and road vehicles.

Carne was inspired by the early narrow gauge preservation era and I tried to set the scene in the early 1960's.  The strapped-for-cash railway company ran the sheep trains, but all other trains were run by a preservation company who were loaned some locomotives.  They rented the engine shed for it's base and to restore some withdrawn coaches, and put all their efforts into attracting day trippers and preserving the line from the small town of Whitemoor four miles away.

A colour article about the layout appeared in the "Railway Modeller" in May 2000.

Here are some photos: click on image to enlarge

Loco "No.4" a Kerr Stuart "Tattoo" running on a Bachmann 0-4-0 chassis with added pony wheels, runs onto the turntable.  It was made in a coffee jar lid and was operated by gears turned by a crank handle at the rear of the layout.  

No.14 "Llew", a modified Jouef Decauville, near the water tower.  The old goods shed behind is boarded-up and rotting away.

Some of Carne village with a sheep train, and Bagnall "Leader", to be shunted across the road into the sheep market.

No.4 propels the wagons into the sheep market.

The volunteers coach, fully fitted out, the old engine shed and in the background, the sheep market.

"Leader" and Corris clerestory coach going over the bridge running over the stream from Ting-Tang pool.

"Llew" and two four-wheelers (Nine Lines kits) running around Ting-Tang pool.

Bagnall "Ludo" at Chapel End halt with the same coaching stock.

No.4 and sheep wagons running over the un-gated level crossing at Chapel End.

The quiet country lane leading from Chapel End.

Train cassette in the triangular fiddle yard.  The locos had different, and shorter cassettes, so locos could be turned.  Power to the cassette used Scalextric braids.

Photo of "Carne" at it's first exhibition at Bressingham in Sept. 1998

"Carne" plan.

"Carne" was exhibited 30 times and including 009 Society Open Days and ExpoNG.