Model railway projects started during the pandemic are two-a-penny by now, but this one did have the virtue of actually being finished within the nominal timeframe. It started with a donation to the West Lancashire Light Railway of some nine items of 16mm rolling stock, two fence sections, a signal, a pair of small signs and a station halt building. They all looked scratch-built, nicely weathered and included a mean-looking snow plough. Such an item has limited use in Southport and environs, and I didn’t want to just use them as additional stock on existing layouts. Or to put it another way, the need for a brand new layout was becoming satisfyingly clear.

 

After some thought the concept of a shunting puzzle stirred the imagination. Examples of this genre typically consist of a short stretch of main line and a couple of sidings. Various items of rolling stock are placed randomly on the layout and a locomotive is allocated the task of arranging them in order, also chosen at random. Completing the operation quickly and efficiently is the puzzle to be solved. It helps if the loco is readily controllable and is fitted with reliable couplings that can be readily secured and released without undue fiddling. Most layouts of this type are built in the smaller scales, but I saw no reason why a 16mm version could not work.

 

Some careful calculation of model lengths, clearances and track geometry suggested that such a layout was feasible using a pair of 4ft boards, each 2ft wide. My preferred supplier for such items is Grainge and Hodder, who supply flat-pack laser-cut plywood baseboards. When glued together they are strong and light, which is just what you need to build on. An order was placed, and in due course it arrived. With the benefit of experience, assembly was straightforward and I quickly had a blank canvas ready to work on. As is often the case, reality quickly set in and it all suddenly looked a bit tight on space. Laying the track, a mixture of used lengths and some new turnouts, proceeded with some trepidation, but after some jiggling-about an acceptable design was found. As well as the main line and sidings I added another siding piece not connected to the rest of the track, to park the snowplough and a pair of small trucks. Ballast was cat litter, glued with diluted PVA, chosen because of its low cost and availability with the grocery order.

 

With the station building being no more than a shelter for passengers, it seemed that most of the scenery should be based on goods traffic. A raid on the communal buildings store produced a goods shed, a stores office and a permanent way office, also a lamp room and a WC, all from the Pendle Valley stable. Most of these were deployed on the left side of the layout, around the sidings, with much of the right side being left open as road access around the station. The surface was laid with sand and black paint to simulate tarmac, and two vehicles added, one a Bedford lorry from Pdf Models and the other a Mostyn Seven pick-up from 3D Wayne, both printed kits. Their loads I made with my own printer, a dozen or so grain sacks and a pair of unrestored veteran cars, one complete as-built and one in pieces. Most of the figures were from the Pendle Valley Busy Bodies range.

 

The rest of the ground area was covered either in sand, to simulate light-coloured soil, or paving, some printed and some cast from plaster in a Jigstones mould. The layout was essentially complete, and just needed an end to lockdown to test in a working environment, most likely a running day at West Lancs. The motive power is likely to be one or more of my Slomo-equipped Roundhouse live steam engines, the flywheels facilitating the controlled slow running necessary on such a small layout.

 

As to the name, that was pre-determined by the sign on the station halt. Pendlebury is a suburb of Manchester, whilst Pendlebury Fold is (according to Google Maps) a short and somewhat nondescript road giving access for a ready-mix concrete depot to the A58 near Bolton. Neither seem to be rail-connected, so the previous owner was presumably employing some modeller’s licence, otherwise known as I’ll do what I like, if it’s all the same to you. Or even if it isn’t. I am not inclined to argue.

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