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.

Monday, 23 February 2026

Tunnel Portal

 This pack of N gauge single track bridge sides and retaining walls arrived this morning which I have converted one of them into the new tunnel portal. I have made one of the sides higher as well as making the retaining walls higher, and glued the retaining walls to the bridge side. See captions for details. 😊

The pack arrived this morning

The two sides and 2 of the retaining walls

I cut off the lower end of the side because they protrude out and they are different stonework

I then cut off more of the lower ends of the other side to give the one side the required height

Cut off pieces glued onto the bottom of the side

I then cut off the lower edge of a pair of retaining walls to increase the height of the unaltered ones

Side and retaining walls completed

The retaining walls are now glued to the side to create the new tunnel portal

Keith

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