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Bagborough West

Description based on material supplied by the layout owner

Bagborough West  
Nick Salzman TT gauge 3mm scale

The 7 foot Broad gauge of the Great Western Railway lasted from its opening in 1838 until its removal in May 1892. This is a fictitious terminus of a branch of the Bristol and Exeter Railway in Somerset. Lord Bodger, the local landowner and entrepreneur put up the vast majority of the money needed to build this line in order to have his own access to the railway. He had his own private saloon and took his horse and carriage with him when he travelled. He may be found around the station in his distinctive top hat.

This layout has been built as an exercise in modelling the Broad Gauge in 3mm scale. The track and wheel standards are the same as those used for the 3mm society fine scale but to a gauge of 21mm. All the stock is hand-built with some modification of standard gauge kits. The track is constructed using Broad Gauge Society 4mm scale bridge rail soldered to copperclad sleeper strip. The railway buildings are models of Broad Gauge prototypes. The station building is from Watchet on the West Somerset line, the goods shed is from Henley-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire, and the engine shed is based on a picture of the original one from Watchet.

I hope that I have portrayed the spirit and flavour of the Victorian railway era as epitomised by the 7 foot Broad gauge of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

 




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