‘O’ GAUGE LAYOUT BANKGATE SIDINGS
Scaling up production
Accumulating a shed full of ‘O’ gauge stock left Jon Grant with no choice but to make the leap from ‘OO’. The result is a stunning 7mm debut.
Words: Chris Gadsby
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Photography: Chris Nevard Artwork: Andrew Mackintosh
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What makes this layout great?
There’s a pleasing balance of busyness and calm at ‘Bankgate Sidings’. There are details everywhere and plenty for the viewer to observe, but everything has a purpose, and it doesn’t feel as though anything is forced.
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Almost everybody who used to model in ‘OO’ gauge and has made the transition up a scale says the same thing: that they don’t know how they ever modelled with such small trains! Choosing to make the leap into a new scale is never easy and comes with plenty of questions. Do I sell my old stock to fund the latest build? Will I get as much enjoyment from building something bigger? Do I have the space to do what I want to do? Jon Grant faced all of these questions and more when thinking about making the switch himself, but elected to make that leap.
This is Jon’s first foray into the world of ‘O’ gauge and his reason for moving into the scale is straightforward. His collection was simply getting out of hand.
“A friend of mine was selling some cheap ‘O’ gauge stock and what with retirement, and the eyesight not quite being what it was, I decided to purchase it from him and see what ‘O’ gauge was all about. Well, it was as if somebody had unveiled the potential of a whole new world within modelling! One purchase led to another, which led to another, and another, until having all this stock and nowhere to run it was just getting ridiculous. A layout was needed.”