Mark Tatlow wrote:At Missenden over the weekend, one of the visitors brought the mill buildings/complex as a restoration project.
The buildings themselves still captured the character of the original layout really quite well and any damage was, i felt, not a problem - indeed it was not visible at all and given that the buildings were deliberately decrepit additional damage simply became part of the patina of age!
What was clear though was the baseboards were constructed in a somewhat "rustic" style (cue abuse from Paul Willis.........) and I am not altogether surprised there has been some disintegration!
I meant to ask how much else of the layout he might have had. I did pick up that it will be relaid to EM, so the stock was presumably not part of the new proposal.
I also popped into the "Modelling buildings" tutorial room (led by Jerry Clifford, with some superb examples of 2FS modelling on show) and was pleased to find one of Iain's creations.
Mark is not quite right in what he saw. I was also told that the original East Suffolk Light Railway had literally "fallen apart", although apparently the monumental maltings building still exists. By chance, it had been returned to Bob Barlow for some light repairs to wear and tear before Bob's untimely death, and so had been found in his workshop.I didn't quite catch where it is now.
The layout part that was brought along to be worked on during the weekend is part of Iain's "Butley Mills" confection. You may remember that this was a representation of a 1950s East Anglian "twig off a branch" line ending at an old flour mill with a modern extension to it. The whole looks just as good today as it did when it featured in various magazines - notably MRJ - and as a worked example in various of Iain's later books.
It has indeed been relaid with EM track, or at least this bit, as a start. The other work being done at Missenden was building backs to the buildings, as the intention is that it is now viewed more in the round. The baseboards have also been rebuilt/strengthened, as they were indeed built in a somewhat unusual and haphazard manner. I think that engineering underpinnings are not one of Iain's stronger points!
The couple of photos below show just how lovely a layout it still is, and how much it captures the atmosphere of Suffolk in the middle of the 20th century, at a time of change in many traditions. I believe that the layout's owner will be back to do the Missenden Summer School, so you could always book on that to see it in the flesh...
Missenden Mar 22 (1).JPG
Missenden Mar 22 (2).JPG
Cheers
Paul