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.

Friday, 9 January 2026

Track Laying Part 12

 Good progress this morning having laid 15, yes 15 pieces of track to the other end baseboard in 2½hrs!

2 drop wires soldered on the bottom of the rails on one piece of track

I twist the insulation as I remove it to twist the wires

This gives a far better result than removing the insulation the twisting the wires

The end of the wire tinned so it will pass through the hole easier

2nd end baseboard track laying completed

Drop wires on the underside, each one adjacent to a panel pin

Closeup of some of the drop wires and panel pins

This Statfold Barn Mica B meat van arrived this morning, I already have one but I am going to convert it into the banana van in the next photo

The banana van as photographed at Statfold Barn on one of our visits there

This afternoon I soldered the last 18 drop wires onto the track on the central baseboard, this now completes all the track laying on all 3 baseboards, apart from gluing the track down, but I am leaving this for a while, just in cast I need to do any changes, which I don't anticipate but you never know. 😊

The last 18 drop wires cut to length

You have to be pretty brave to solder wires on to rails this close to plastic sleepers! To have to do it 78 times doesn't make it any easier

The central and last of the 3 baseboards now has all its track laid, this completes the track laying

Keith
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