From when my Parents gave me my first train set for a Christmas present as a child, I have had an interest in model railways. I originally started in "OO" gauge, but have also built in "N" and "O" gauge. The last layout I built was my exhibition layout "Holmehurst" which was in "O" gauge, and I exhibited it around the country. Photos of it can be seen by following this link.

I inherited some "OO9" rolling stock from my late father, including a loco I built from a white metal kit for him, and ever since living on our working narrowboat Hadar I have been thinking about building a "OO9" layout.

For those who do not know, "OO9" is "OO" scale, which is 4mm to 1ft, but the track and rolling stock are narrow gauge, equivalent to 2ft gauge in real life. Modelling-wise this means that I can used standard "OO" scale buildings, people, scenery etc. of which there is a far greater range of ready built items and kits to choose from, but it has the advantage that the reduced size of the track and rolling stock means that curves can be tighter than for standard gauge, without losing a realistic look within a restricted layout size.

I had thought about building a layout in our garden alongside our mooring at the Saltisford Canal Centre, but after much thought decided that this would not be practical. However I built a small layout (now dismantled) which sat on the shelf above the display cabinet, in our saloon, which houses my "O" gauge rolling stock. Having finished it, my wife Jo suggested that when we stop selling coal I could build a layout in the hold. As we stopped selling coal at the end of 2016.

This is a full record of the building of the original layout, and having moved into a flat in Warwick and sold our narrowboat, this will now cover the building of the New Hadarford in our flat.

Please feel free to leave comments, I am always interested in suggestions or questions.

Thursday, 18 December 2025

Track Laying

 Having spent most of the last 2 months working on the half-relief terrace and having struggled with fitting the curtains 3 days ago, I thought I would have a change.

First I checked if I could position the track behind the half-relief builds on the edge of the baseboard to give me more space in front.

I have started to work on the track by fitting brass screws at the baseboard joints where track crosses from one baseboard to the next, the rails will be soldered to these screws to hold the rails firmly in place.

Unfortunately due to bad planning some of the baseboard screws are in the way of where I wish to place the rail securing screws, this is one of them

This is where the other two were, annoying, screws already removed

Single screw moved to a new location

The pair moved to new locations

Someone has turned the sun off today so I am having to resort to using lighting

4 brass screws fitted at this baseboard joint, unfortunately one of them I have had to move away from the edge of the baseboard due to the hole from the original baseboard screw which I could not reuse

At the other end I have been able to use the original hole for the baseboard screw for one of the new screws

8 screws at the front of one end fitted

Last 8 screws fitted at the other end

I must admit this part of track laying I was dreading, but it helped I did it before on the old layout,
but was still daunting all the same. I had been seriously considering just gluing the track down, and have ummed and arghed between the 2 methods over this week, I finally decided today to do it this way. 

Keith
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