Scale / Gauge	4mm Scale, OO Finescale
Location / Era	Welsh Cambrian / Late 1950’s
Owner	Wirral Finescale Modellers

The layout was purchased from the very well known professional modeller, Geoff Taylor. The group have extended the layout and have done much work to turn it into a large, continuous run.

The following description was provided by Geoff Taylor.

Penmaenpool station is closely based on the real station that closed in 1964 and everything is in the right place. The platforms are a little bit shorter than the real ones, due to the usual lack of space most of us have for our model railways. However, it functions exactly as the real one would have done and it is probably the most scenic of all the layout sections with its buildings, river and steep sided mountainside behind.

The trackwork is all hand-built with individual chairs and sleepers. The pointwork was constructed by my late friend John Bailey and he suggested that I make the plain track in the same way, which would mean that I had to construct all the plain track with the individual chairs as well. I hadn’t done anything like this before, so it was a challenge. First of all, the design of the track was drawn out on Templot software and then printed off full size. This plan was glued to the baseboard and then the sleepers were cut and glued on to the plan. One rail was attached to the sleepers and by using gauges, the other rail was then attached. It was a long and sometimes tedious job, especially when some of the chairs were put on the wrong way round! I soon learnt my lesson with that and double checked as I went along. I have to say that the track looks superb and I’m glad that it was done this way.

I have to say that I’m well pleased with the finished layout of Penmaenpool. It was the last part to be constructed, but the first to be finished. My laser machine came in very handy for the many parts of the platforms and the bridge with huts. By the way, that is a 4mm version of me on the George Hotel balcony.

Penmaenpool was featured in the July and August 2016 issues of British Railway Magazine.