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. One 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, 24 September 2026

Gardening Day this Afternoon

 Gardening day this afternoon, creating a wood area and completing the last 2 cottage gardens.

Working out where the trees 🌳 will go to make the woods, they are not glued in place as I have to grass the area first.

3 plant pots at the white thatched cottage

Corner flowerbed in the garden of the middle cottage

Same cottage, flowerbed bordering the railway track

Fruit bushes and cabbages in the last cottage

Runner beans and cauliflowers in the veg patch of the righthand cottage

The complete right-hand cottage garden

All the cottage gardens now completed

Gas cylinder storage cabinet glued behind the Railway Inn

Table/bench unit glued in the garden of the middle thatched cottage

Playing about with the position of a rockery and garden furniture, but not glued in place

Keith

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