Minding the generation gap
Lockdown brought father and son Richard and Ollie Keep together to build their first proper layout.
Words: Chris Gadsby
‘Sandford East’ is a threegeneration family affair, with
Richard’s dad visiting regularly to help.
His extensive knowledge of the real railway guided Richard and Ollie with the finer details of railway modelling, such as the most appropriate locations for signals and speed restriction signs.
Photography: Chris Nevard Artwork: Andrew Macintosh
“What makes this layout great?"
Richard and Ollie have got their key point spot on here: no lines parallel to the edge of the baseboard. It makes ‘Sandford East’ look so much more realistic. Combine that with the dirty, gritty nature of the 1980s diesels and they are on to a winner."
Life comes at you fast. One minute you are holding your newborn in your arms for the first time and seemingly the next they are off to university. Almost every parent wishes at some point that they could have spent more time with their child, but the pressures on young people today to fill their time with extra-curricular activities to bolster their CV means parents spend just as much time as a taxi service as they do at home. Monday dance, Tuesday football, Wednesday swimming, Thursday band, Friday Scouts, and at the weekend football again. It can be exhausting. So when the Government told us all we would have to stay at home in March 2020 you could forgive some parents for raising a little smile. That is, once they had recovered from the shock of having their children screaming into the laptop trying to be heard on the Zoom call.