MELCOMBE MAGNA
Factfile
Layout name: Melcombe Magna
Scale/Gauge: 1:43.5 scale / 32mm gauge / O
Size: 21ft 6in x 11ft plus outdoor section
Era/Region: 1955-60 (W)R/(S)R/ Mid-Dorset
Layout type: Fiddleyard to terminus
A map of Dorset will not reveal the town of Melcombe Magna, as it only exists in model form. There, in my imagination, you may find traces of the abandoned medieval village of Melcombe Horsey, close by Melcombe Bingham, deep in the hills to the north east of Dorchester. This area is the setting for my 7mm:1ft scale model railway, and being born and bred within sight and sound of the S&D, naturally, this was my first choice.
The layout is a development of the ‘Leinthall Earls’ plan by Iain Rice in his book Light Railway Layout and is housed in an outbuilding measuring approximately 21ft 6in x 11ft.
