LONGMORN | OO | LAYOUT
FACTFILE
NAME: Longmorn
SCALE/GAUGE: 4mm:1ft/16.5mm/OO
SIZE: 12ft × 5ft
ERA/REGION: 1960s/Northern Scotland
LAYOUT TYPE: Continuous run
Yes, I know that displaying a model railway is only an illusion, but it doesn't mean that the original atmosphere cannot be created with careful planning and a great deal of research.
In 2019, Hornby's model 0-4-0 shunter came with a match truck, which had electrical pick-ups plugged into the locomotive with a tiny 2-pin plug to give power continuity at cross-overs.
The Ruston 48DS and its predecessor, the 44/48 series, were among the smallest and cheapest standard gauge locomotives ever produced and, as such, were ideal for confined yards and intermittent use, especially when fitted with exhaust conditioners and flame traps, to be used safely inside buildings and even in mines. Ruston offered several build options, so it was often said that no two locos were ever the same.
At the end of the 2019 Elgin Modelfair, I brought together (mainly from the Elgin Model Railway Club) some of the best and most experienced railway enthusiasts and modellers in the North of Scotland and asked them to help me create a layout for this little diesel loco to run on.
Star of the show
No sooner had we got started when COVID came on the scene with its ‘Lockdown’ restrictions – which in many ways was a blessing in disguise, because being stuck at home gave some of the modellers more than enough time to construct their contribution to this overall layout, many models taking up to a year before they were ready to be fitted in place.
While all this was being taken on board by the modellers, my contribution was to create a reasonable representation of the actual loco in action
