Garsdale Road

[Mickey]

Does anyone remember a layout called Garsdale Road it was pictured on the front cover of Railway Modeller magazine circa 1970 which also had an inside feature and pictures of the layout, to my then teenage mind it was a very good layout indeed, it was based on the long'ish southern approach to Garsdale station on the Settle & Carlisle line and also included the Midland Railway signal box and Midland Railway station at Garsdale and was set in the B.R. era of the 1960s. Garsdale Road station the layout and it's double platforms were situated on a long sweeping curve that commenced at the southern end of the station and continued through the station and beyond the north end of the platform ends and under a tall stone arch bridge that spanned the railway at that point on the layout (although it wasn't there in real life) that lead into a fiddle yard.

Does anyone know whatever happened to the layout after 1970?.

Mickey

[john coffin]

did it not have something to do with Bill Steel, Bob Essery and even David Jenkinson in their attempts to move toward proper working large scale P4 layouts, and promoting the MR as a good modelling subject instead of only GWR holiday lines?

Paul

[Darryl Tooley]

'Garsdale Road' was David Jenkinson's EM gauge layout, later incorporated into his 'Little Long Drag' project, which was abandoned long before it was finished. The whole story is told at some length in his book 'Historical Railway Modelling'.

I suspect Mr Coffin is thinking of 'Heckmondwike'.

D

[Mickey]

To be honest Paul i'm not really up on railway modelling & layouts but that Garsdale Road layout kinda captured my imagination back then (46 years ago!) and I dare say since 1970 there has been several hundred or probably several thousand really good layouts built that were probably better than the Garsdale Road layout, I was just curious to know if any of the railway modeller guy's on the forum remember that Garsdale Road layout from that era?.

Mickey

[Mickey]

Ok Darryl obviously some of you guy's do remember the Garsdale Road layout and funny it's nice to know that it is still remembered by people all these years later, thanks.

Mickey

[Mickey]

The Garsdale Road layout was featured on the front cover and inside the April 1970 edition of Railway Modeller.

Mickey

[2512silverfox]

I have particular memories of Garsdale Road from the period. It was built by the then Squadron Ldr Jenkinson D and was also exhibited at the MRC Exhibition at Central Hall in 1970 and there is a photo of David and myself operating the layout in 'Modelling Historic Railways'.

In addition to David and myself, Bob Essery also took part in some operating sessions, and indeed on one occasion borrowed a Crampton from Mike Sharman on a neighbouring layout which was substituted in the fiddle yard for the normal loco for the Thames Clyde Express. David had a good sense of humour but it was lacking when that train appeared from the tunnel! Incidentally the layout also featured a model of a photographer on the large fictitious over bridge which was supposed to be Eric Treacy, at that time a minor bishop.

The intention was to include the layout in the Little Long Drag but David then changed to 7mm and the stock etc was sold.

Nick Campling

[drmditch]

Garsdale Road (which I only ever saw in magazine articles) was one of the inspirational railways of my early modelling years.

News of progress on the 'Little Long Drag', and then the 7mm 'Kendal Lines' as reported in Railway Modeler was always eagerly awaited.

I hope that enough published material is still available to inspire younger people.

[Atlantic 3279]

I Bob Essery also took part in some operating sessions, and indeed on one occasion borrowed a Crampton from Mike Sharman on a neighbouring layout which was substituted in the fiddle yard for the normal loco for the Thames Clyde Express.
Nick Campling

It must have been a very well set-up Crampton that could haul the Thames-Clyde Express!

[Mickey]

It's good to know that some of you guy's still remember the Garsdale Road layout and even operated it like yourself Nick and yes it also captured my imagination as well drmditch more so because I was interested back in the late 1960s (and still am) in the Settle & Carlisle road I even remember thinking of riding the old Thames Clyde Express from st.Pancras to Carlisle which would have been in a rake of B.R.Mk1s and a class 45 'Peak' in 1970 but unfortunetely it never came about.

Happy memories...

Mickey

[60526]

What about slightly longer memories, I got more seriously into railway modelling from seeing DJ's Marthwaite in a 68 Railway Modeller and then seeing the layout at either the central or horticultural hall in London.

[ianwales]

Hi

Garsdale Road was David Jenkinson's layout, it was based on Dent with the addition of a cattle dock, David called it Garsdale road after the coal road over the fells because he was already thinking of a branch line down Dentdale for his little long drag layout and surmised the closest station on the branch would serve Dent and so the main line station would have a different name, he also invented a tunnel to disappear the trains into the fiddle yard which he called Kirtley Fell Tunnel since the real tunnel at Rise Hill was much further on. The Layout featured in the April 1970 Modeller with another article in the May 1970 issue on the stock and operation with a further article appearing in the Model Railway Constructor, although I have that article I can't date it. Hope this is of some help

Ian