SAMPSON VALE IN HO9

 Sampson Vale - 20 years on - and a project

A scene at Port Sampson on the original layout built in 2002.  A Chivers quarry Bagnall is ready to leave with a goods train.

This is a project to totally re-build an old HOe layout

"Sampson Vale" was an unassuming HOe/009 layout built for a Chelmsford Exhibition "Narrow-minded Challenge" in 2002.  The rules of the challenge competition stated a micro layout to be built in the size 30" x 20" and to have a French theme.   I didn't want to build a "French" layout as such, so I threw together a Channel Island style layout with three side, three scenes, in three months.  The "MV Oriel" boat at the quayside displayed a French flag.  It was a good excuse to run some of my older Egger stock.  The layout got second place in the public vote at the show, so we were pleased.

The trains travelled around three sides of a "U" shaped track plan from a quayside, out of the port area via a stone arch, and across a bridge spanning a scenic stream, then around a bend into a the islands "capital" - a large village higher up a valley.  

Scene 1 was the Port/quayside scene:

"Port Sampson" showing the dilapidated engine shed, the port waiting room/goods depot and the M.V. Oriel docked at the quayside.  The railcar and trailer are modified Egger-Bahn "Western" coaches.

After passing through an archway, trains enter the port area and pass a Martello Tower.

This was the scene on the end of the layout where a bridge crosses a stream.  A Barclay wing tank is seen rounding the bluff.

The scene on the other side at "Sampson Village".  A modified Jouef Decauville and old Egger-Bahn stock are at the low platform.

Right at the end of the run was a goods siding and shed.  Reflective card was fixed to the end board to give the effect of more buildings in the village.

Plan

The only reason I am mentioning this old layout now is that, after trying to plan (another) O9 micro layout for a possible Group challenge within a defined area, I couldn't fit-in what I wanted to, and ended up several inches short.  The plan was scrapped.  I don't like running micros anyway really, the only small layout I did enjoy running was "Sampson Vale", but that was in 009/HOe scale.  The whole layout was scrapped years ago, with the parts sold-off, mainly because it was ruined (by damp) in storage for a long time, the cheap/quick build made it deteriorate quickly.  

Then, I saw a railcar modification in 009 scale by someone on the internet and thought I would love something similar.  The the idea dawned on me to re-build "Sampson Vale", including a couple of railcars.   

Many of the buildings on the layout were old second-hand kit purchases from sales stalls when I originally built it, now I've made it a challenge to myself to re-purchase the vintage kits, re-make the one or two scratch-built buildings, and obtain a new boat for the quayside scene.  Searches for such buildings ensued via Ebay and model shops.

Some of the kits re-purchased for the task ahead.  Some ready-built - but quite poorly - and needing work.  The station sign board is the only original part of the first layout (so far) found.

I wanted to make the new version slightly larger - 36" x 24" just to add a bit more space, and length to the run, but will try to make it appear as though it is the same fictitious place, perhaps a year or two later in time.

The base board just about complete.

It was impossible to find an image like the original one, so a large watercolour print was bought via Ebay for a backscene image.  This needed to be cut in half horizontally to replicate the scale used on the layout.

Another purchase from Ebay, this wooded boat model was received in terrible condition.  The mast and all the spars were broken and there were cracks in the hull.  Firstly it was difficult to gauge the actual scale of the item.  It was 33cm long and luckily looks just right at the quayside.

A "loophole" tower was made using a crisp tube and stone effect paper as the basis.  15 of these defensive towers were built around Guernsey at the end of the 18th century.

The backscene print has been fixed in this photo, and silvered card added to the end board as per the original layout.

Here, the Loophole Tower has been fixed and some of the ground cover added.

The yellow loco was the first loco bought for the layout.

There was a wall with an archway at the entrance to the port, so I used Wills Coarse Stone sheets to build this like the original.

We used cork bark to build the rocks around the bridge and they were dry brushed with acrylic paint.

The Sampson Vale railway owns some odd items of stock.  Here is a replica of the original railcar and trailer.  It was built using two Egger-Bahn "Western" coaches, the powered vehicle runs on a Kato 11-103 chassis.

Here, the second-hand diesel has been repainted. Also added to the stock is a short American-style coach made from a old second-hand resin kit.  It was in poor condition, so a new chassis, balcony handrails and roof was made for it.