Absolutely, it's not often on a model railway you get to see trains disappear from view simply because of the sheer depth of the scenery around it! Thanks for watching 😃
I agree. Far too many modellers cram far too much track in and can never look realistic. I model myself with just a double track mainline with small yard. Trains are helpful out of sight until running through scenery. Modelling modern USA in n-scale with trains around 30’ in length.
Excellent description! Meticulous detail and colour over entire large layout is probably the best I've ever seen. Parts of video could be used as opening scenes for a period movie. Wondered - what SCALE is the layout?
Absolutely agree with you there! I think they refer to it as a working diorama which I can definitely understand as the railway is just a small part of the overall scene. Thanks for watching 😃
It’s because a group of like minded people came together and did a huge amount of raising money to buy a building large enough to make this. No single person or two people could achieve this without the room. Sadly most of us can’t. We can’t only concentrate within a short distance of the railway boundary
Unlike so many layouts I've seen, this one is pastoral and very understated - and painstakingly executed. Absolutely gorgeous to watch those trains moving through a beautiful countryside. Kudos to the folks who created it. It's a masterpiece.
One of the best layouts I've ever seen, no overcrowded railway system, beautifully integrated into the landscape, instead of the landscape integrated into the railway, as you so often see, no need for sound nor smoke or a police box tartise to steel the show, everything speaks for it self. And the attention to detail superb, train compositions are correct, love it, I hope to see it one day for real, I think it will be mind blowing…
Just shows what can be achieved with no real limits on space and all out attention to minute details. More often displays like this tend to have flashy gimmicks everywhere but it's nice that Pendon has stuck to it's original roots to present the quiet English countryside on an epic scale. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy yes no limit of space helps, specially if you want to see an express train in full rake running. Of course you can run a lay out on limited space, but than you are restricted to shunting on a goods yard or factory and still be as fascinating as this big layout, but then one has to respect it's limits. I'm building myself at the moment and try to overcome this, by only the station part inside, and more than 40m track outside, so an express train can be enjoyed with a full rake of coaches So often you see modelers wanted to press in too much in, and I don't know how the most of you think, but I too often saw a police box trartise referring to Dr. Who that it becomes boring. Anyway keep on filming, love to see your videos…
An absolutely lovely model railway. Most modelers try to put as much RR as they can in the room they've created. This layout devotes most of its space to landscape. And the Cotswold theme is as charming as it can be.
Incredible. This is not the typical layout where you cram as much landscape as possible onto the board. The builders had the courage to build "boring" hills and empty spaces. And it look so real, so interesting, so ... I don't know. Awesome
The wide open spaces really do help show the scale of the surrounding countryside in relation to the more built up areas. I suppose on a normal layout this would just be the backscene! Thanks for watching 😃
Thanks, high praise indeed! My thanks go out to the staff at the museum who were very accommodating of me running around with a camera all afternoon. Thanks for watching 😃
Wow, that is spectacular, That Model Railway Guy. The scenes are soooo convincing. As the gentleman below said, "A scene with a railway running through it rather than a railway with a scene around it". Well said, superb layout. Many thanks for posting.
Yes the sheer scale of the thing is what's really impressive. Sometimes modellers will use smaller scales for the trains in the background to make them appear further away but that's not needed here - they really are that far away! Thanks for watching 😃
It looks extremely real. Many many thousands of hours required to build and set up a display like this, in fact many many years. Attention-to-detail is spot-on. I kept thinking this is a real scenery and real Railroad. Thank you for posting.
You're not wrong, the team at the museum have been working on this layout for several decades now! That's real attention to detail 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
Glad you enjoyed the video but just to say this model railway is on display at The Pendon Museum and is available for all to see. I just made the video. Thanks for watching 😃
Yeah model railway's often use much smaller trees than we would see in reality because they would still just be huge. Here though you can get away with having trees at the proper scale/height which allows for the extra detail on them too! Thanks for watching 😃
As someone who doesn't have much patience ( or talent ) for making things this is astoundingly beautiful, I envy the people who have the patience and talent to make such things.
It's definitely a labor of love considering how long the Museum have been working on this scene! I do think there is something to be said for working quickly though, my two most recent layouts were built in around a month and, while they're nowhere near the level of Pendon, I'm still incredibly pleased with how they've turned out. Thanks for watching 😃
Definitely! There are a lot of layouts that look too perfect and sometimes it can spoil the illusion. That certainly isn't the case here though. Thanks for watching 😃
They really have thought about everything haven't they. It feels less like a model and more like a miniature slice of a historical world! Thanks for watching 😃
I took my granddaughter there and she the guide pointed out a cat on the wall --- my granddaughter said about the other cat and fox ---- the lady guide said she been there 20years and never noticed that !!!! It's a testament to being a perfectionist ---- this all done for love ----- Fantastic place - I go quite often just to relax ---- you won't find better I'm sure!!
I'm not surprised they're still discovering new things after all this time! They pointed out a Robin to me in one of the gardens which was miniscule. I tried to get a shot of it but failed miserably 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
When I first visited Pendon some 50 years ago the standard of modelling was a world away from that of even some well-known exhibition layouts. Now, and thanks to the inspiration provided by the museum, the difference has narrowed somewhat. But that element of space, allowing the layout "to breathe" as I believe Tony Wright (Little Bytham) puts it, is still shown to perfection here. And a close inspection of the buildings is so rewarding; the period detail is a joy to my eyes. It's always a treat to visit here.
Absolutely! Where most model railways do their best to distract the eye away from the backscene to baseboard joints or hidden entrances/exits, here the scenery just extends off into the distance in all directions. Thanks for watching 😃
Calling it a model railway doesn't really do it justice and it's the only layout I've seen where the railway carves it's way through the expansive landscape realistically. Thanks for watching 😃
It is well worth a visit. Everything from trees to coaches are hand built from scratch. Last time I went a guy asked me if it had given me any ideas for my layout. I said yes, take a hammer to it and start again.
I have to admit I had a similar reaction to seeing it too. It's somehow both incredibly inspiring and demoralising at the same time 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
Wow, that is awe-inspiring! I love seeing a train moving distant in the background because is actually way in the background. The perspective of having all that land, done so beautifully. Bravo to the craftsman who created all this. Well done!
Yes it's incredibly well thought to get the most out of various viewing points and really does allow the railway to disappear into the scene. Thanks for watching 😃
Magnificent! Solves the problem that most model railways suffer from - which is lack of space. So much more realistic without all the tight curves and shortened trains etc which are a sad necessity for most of our model railways. But this does so much more, the lighting the landscaping - all just perfect.
Even calling it a model railway feels a bit disingenuous at times. It's more like a miniature world that happens to feature a railway. Thanks for watching 😃
Wow, what a stunning landscape, what a difference to the usual cramped scenes we see, I could watch the trains go by all day! Your signalling is spot on, an area often neglected even in the most detailed layouts, it good to see prototypical signalling that funtions too - brilliant
It's a great scene isn't it! The trees do look good especially as they can stretch to the proper scale heights that would often be too much for most model railways. Thanks for watching 😃
Wonderful layout and wonderfully filmed. Enjoyed especially how you took shots of the scenery too, not just the trains. That’s what Pendon is all about, I think. Yes, the trains are lovely, but it is the landscape that truly makes a layout. Cheers and keep up the great work - Alex.
Thanks Alex! Yes as much as this is a model railway channel, with a layout like this it really is the fact that the railway cuts it's way through the surrounding scenery rather than the landscape having been built up around the trains. Thanks for watching 😃
Definitely, there's so much detail the camera doesn't pick up and the sheer size of it doesn't really translate either. The videos definitely don't do it full justice! Thanks for watching 😃
This is simply stunning. What workmanship. Reminds me of an old N gauge layout called Chee Tor that captured the same 'railway in the landscape' feel to that we get here. Anyone else remember that? Thank you for uploading this for us.
I do remember Chee Tor. Built by Manchester MRS members, if i recall correctly. A very fine layout for sure, but Pendon is in a different league. It's a whole museum. Built by a large team over a long time, of course.
I hadn't heard of Chee Tor before but I've just looked it up and it looks great! I'm definitely a big fan of railways running through the landscape too, it's something I attempted to achieve on my own, admittedly much smaller, layout. Thanks for watching 😃
I visited this with my father back in the 1980's and it was brilliant then. The buildings were so painstakingly produced and everything looked so life like, I haven't seen it for over 40 years and it looks just as good now as it did then. If you have never seen it 'in the flesh' its definitely worth a visit.
Yes I would definitely echo that sentiment that you need to see it with your own eyes to really appreciate the work that has gone into it! Thanks for watching 😃
This is just a really amazing model railway with so much attention to detail that it makes you think it is real. I would love to see a cab view video of it travelling through this landscape which some model railway enthusiasts do.
Marvelous! Looks like a wonderful showcase for Thomas the tank engine, the troublesome trucks, Kirby Caboose and of course.....Deeeeeeeeezle, with that oily sound!
Thank you for making a video of this layout and sharing it. There are countless things I found impressive about this layout - from how the building actually look like they're set into the ground and not on top of the ground, to the way the backdrop blends so perfectly into the focal points. The most impressive thing to me though, is how the modeler mimics the real terrain of the Earth by having very a gentle roll ground. That's the one error that is so prevalent on so many model railroads - the modeler seems to think if the ground isn't flat, it has to be a rocky hillside. The contours of 'flat land' are great because where in nature do you find any ground that is flat and level? There's always some rise or depression. This modeler pickup up on that and included it their scenery. Excellent modeling job!
Naturally most modellers don't have this much space to work with so they have to make do by compressing the landscape down. When you do have a large area to work with though it allows the changes in gradients to be much more gradual so that it's almost imperceptible until you take in the whole scene into consideration. Thanks for watching 😃
What you say is true as I've been modeling for over fifty years and know all too well about "selective compression" on layouts. It was my error as I thought it but didn't write it - I was referring to 'larger than home size' layouts such as in railroad clubs and museums.
I consider it a privilege that I was taught many things by Alan Baker who made models for Pendon. It’s an art that has by and large been forgotten as modellers have now gone for such high quality ready made buildings that it’s really become chequebook modelling now. But I still retain the skills and will still carry on in the old ways. You can buy a building but you can’t buy a scene and scenery is an art in itself.
That's awesome Andrew, I imagine that must have been a real masterclass over the years! I would disagree with you that most modellers use ready made buildings though. If anything I think the high price has pushed more people into kit and scratch building their own. I was at an exhibition this weekend and to my knowledge I didn't see a single ready made building on any layout. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy It may be in the last few years since prices rocketed. But previously with Airfix starting the new trend for super detailing models and then Bachman’s entry into the market those few years resulted in large sales of ready made items and modellers recognised that certainly in the area I lived and worked, modelling had to a large extent gone out the window. If covid and rising prices have helped reverse that trend then it had done some good
They've definitely done an incredible job of capturing the atmosphere haven't they! I'd definitely recommend seeing it in person if you can. Thanks for watching 😃
This is a beautiful piece of art. I love the perspective they've made... a lot of thought has clearly gone into where the person is standing looking at it, and making things smaller that are further away. And the railway is almost incidental to the scene - another great thing.
I don't think there is any forced perspective with things towards the back of the scene being smaller - it really is just that massive! Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy I'm sure they at least put the smaller trees at the back of the layout. I wondered if they'd done the buildings similarly, but can accept that it's just massive. :)
@@BordersJambo Oh maybe they do then. It didn't occur to me to ask if that was the case when I was there as you can view the layout from almost every side so I'm not really sure what would be considered the back anyway 😅
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy OK, I'm on my third watch of this, and I think I'm understanding what you mean now. I never really grasped the scale of it to begin with, but when you said you can view it from any side, I realised how big it actually must be in real life. So I take back my comment about forced perspective! It's real perspective. And no less impressive.
I've only ever visited the village once, and called in at the museum while I was there, in 2006. At that time photography of any sort was prohibited in there, which was a pity. A great layout, and you've captured the essence very well.
They've definitely changed the rules since then - I imagine they're aware of the power of social media these days. Visitors posting their own photos gets the word out there entices others to come along too. Thanks for watching 😃
Hi TMG, good afternoon; It's really marvellous with incredible details, in fact one should look more than once this video! I have been there a few years ago and enjoyed watching every minute during my visit; Thanks a lot for sharing this video 👍👍 Season greetings from a small village in the middle of the Netherlands, cheers and stay healthy, Wim 🚂
I'm still not entirely sure my video does the real thing justice! 😅 It is definitely something that is worth seeing with your own eyes I think so I can see why you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for watching 👍
This layout is in a class by itself... decades of exquisite modeling of railway stock, buildings and scenery. And as a museum it will last forever. It is so painful when layouts are discarded because they've lost their home. I watch every video I can find on this museum.
It's brilliant isn't it and great that they still have a dedicated team there to continue on the legacy and look after the layouts at the museum. Thanks for watching 😃
That would definitely be the dream - although you'd need a lot of time and space. Even with a team of people working on it, Pendon is still being worked on. Thanks for watching 🤩
Oh my goodness! Pendon! What an amazing place! I only went once about 25 years ago and it was astonishing, so I can only imagine it is even better now. Incredible to think parts of this layout have been with us longer than most of the population 😂 Cheers mate 🍀👍🍻
It really is incredible! Everywhere you look you can see the huge amount of work that has gone into over the years from the very hardworking team. Thanks for watching 😃
Yep, the Pendon website and TH-cam channel is linked to in the description for anyone who wants more info on their incredible work. Thanks for watching 😃
So we’ll done! The depth! Wow Looking across the fields with the tunnel is so realistic! Hats off to the designers! I would love to have a chance to see- very impressive!
Fantastic layout! The first scene for example, looks like a still from drone footage, it’s so realistic. Green grass looks great, but the yellow dried grass ads to the realism even more imho. If it were my layout, I’d play country sounds like tweety birds, sheep and cow sounds.
Yes, dried grass is something I'm also doing on my own layout. The base layer is a nice colourful green but a layer of more dead/patchy looking grass is added over the top to give that dried out Summer appearance which works really well. I definitely like the idea of incorporating ambient sound too - again this is something else I'm exploring for my own layout. Thanks for watching 😃
I have the book, Cottage Modelling For Pendon, by Chris Pilton, a superb book, and the details in these buildings is unreal. All of the buildings you see are copies of original structures, some now long gone, and most of them are made with extended card footings, and they are set into the landscape, rather than just stuck on top, just the same as a real life building. It's also nice to see a railway within a landscape, rather than miles of unrealistic track, fantastic.
Amazing, yes they were very keen to point out the interiors to me while I was there, even though it was difficult to capture on camera. They actually have a separate display where they show some of the "test interiors" they've made which individually probably have more detail than every layout I've made combined 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
WOW This is more like it. This is it. Wonderful, you follow the train through the landscape and under the bridge over the hill. As the detail to the village and thatch houses, Simply wonderful. I could imagine myself in some of that scenery. Many thanks
My pleasure, as much as I think it has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated, there is something nice in just being able to sit back and watch the trains pass by. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy absolutely! We have gentleman down here who is a voice and theatre actor. Besides his own apartment that he lives in, he bought another one across the hall and he literally filled all the rooms aside from the toilet and kitchen with his model railway. If you have the willingness and time one day, you can see his layout on my channel (Called "On Track with James & Jade". Specifically, its in Episode 4 ). We found we have to go back there to capture some more shots one day as one cannot get everything it seems 😅
I know that space is always at a premium, but the expansive nature of this layout makes it my favourite. The escapism into the countryside is easy to feel here.
Taking away those normal space constraints is what makes this layout so special in my opinion. You don't have to have all the scenic features right up close to the railway, you can spread them out over the landscape as they would be in reality which creates for a much more natural scene. Thanks for watching 😃
I saw Pendon in the late '70s, do they still show the goods train halting and re starting but first "setting back" and then prototypically "picking off" one three link coupled truck at a time, brilliant
I don't think so, at least I didn't see that while I was there. I believe they try to rotate out the locos and rolling stock every year to create some variety for those that visit multiple times. Thanks for watching 😃
They've certainly nailed the scenery. The ROW easement is convincingly aligned to fit within the landscape. For me this is what it's all about. If I had something like this at home all the complexity would be in the staging and you'd only ever see 2 or 3 trains an hour. For me if I wanted to see lots of trains I'd build a layout around a section of suburban route and slot freight trains in around the suburban timetable. I do like yards too, the more complex the better and that would be where the action is. Big drags would roll past, the double main line skirting the yard then into staging. Everyone likes different things from the hobby - I certainly get and appreciate that, I just want to recreate reality in miniature including rubbish, filth and graffiti and trains that run like they do in the prototype - so not that frequently and many times a random train you weren't expecting. The anticipation is a big part of what I like as is authentic detail.
We have to remember that Pendon Museum is a visitor attraction which relies on the public coming to see the layouts. If they only ran two trains an hour I think people would get a bit bored. The operations are kept simple because again, most people just want to see a train whizz past, and it needs to run faultlessly day in and day out. I imagine they run to a sped-up timetable in some way though, so that an entire day is condensed down into half an hour. Thanks for watching 👍
I think it's a bit of both to be honest. There are other large layouts but they don't have the same depth with the realism and level of detail given the same attention throughout. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy I guess that there's a (understandable) temptation on a small layout to cram everything in, on a MASSIVE layout you have more space; but there's still tremendous skill in producing something so real, including the "weathering", and on a big layout there's much more to do. Stick a tiny camera on the loco, and I could watch the view all day.
Some of the trains did stop but I was usually at the other end of the layout when that happened. There are quite a lot of freight or express passenger trains though. Thanks for watching 😃
Hi Nick, the scene is based on the real life location of the Vale Of White Horse in Oxfordshire with most of the structures being actual buildings. I believe the first building made for the layout was actually a Pub - priorities! 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
Check out my video of the other incredible layout at Pendon Museum here: th-cam.com/video/ZJ1p7anVpG8/w-d-xo.html
Where is this lovely beautiful model railway.? Its a must see .? Thank you.
This is beautiful. A scene with a railway running through it rather than a railway with a scene round it.
Absolutely, it's not often on a model railway you get to see trains disappear from view simply because of the sheer depth of the scenery around it! Thanks for watching 😃
I agree. Far too many modellers cram far too much track in and can never look realistic. I model myself with just a double track mainline with small yard. Trains are helpful out of sight until running through scenery. Modelling modern USA in n-scale with trains around 30’ in length.
Excellent description! Meticulous detail and colour over entire large layout is probably the best I've ever seen. Parts of video could be used as opening scenes for a period movie. Wondered - what SCALE is the layout?
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy😅
@hostarepairman EM Gauge OO scale. That's 4mm to 1ft and Gauge 18.83mm
There comes a point where it’s not just a model railway anymore. It’s a whole miniature world. Absolutely brilliant!
Absolutely agree with you there! I think they refer to it as a working diorama which I can definitely understand as the railway is just a small part of the overall scene. Thanks for watching 😃
Fabulous! I have never seen a model railroad like this before. Completely changes my understanding of layouts for model trains. Genius!
It’s because a group of like minded people came together and did a huge amount of raising money to buy a building large enough to make this. No single person or two people could achieve this without the room. Sadly most of us can’t. We can’t only concentrate within a short distance of the railway boundary
Unlike so many layouts I've seen, this one is pastoral and very understated - and painstakingly executed. Absolutely gorgeous to watch those trains moving through a beautiful countryside. Kudos to the folks who created it. It's a masterpiece.
Yeah, the large open fields really help show off the scale of the scene - especially in comparison to the more populated areas. Thanks for watching 😃
One of the best layouts I've ever seen, no overcrowded railway system, beautifully integrated into the landscape, instead of the landscape integrated into the railway, as you so often see, no need for sound nor smoke or a police box tartise to steel the show, everything speaks for it self.
And the attention to detail superb, train compositions are correct, love it, I hope to see it one day for real, I think it will be mind blowing…
Just shows what can be achieved with no real limits on space and all out attention to minute details. More often displays like this tend to have flashy gimmicks everywhere but it's nice that Pendon has stuck to it's original roots to present the quiet English countryside on an epic scale. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy yes no limit of space helps, specially if you want to see an express train in full rake running. Of course you can run a lay out on limited space, but than you are restricted to shunting on a goods yard or factory and still be as fascinating as this big layout, but then one has to respect it's limits.
I'm building myself at the moment and try to overcome this, by only the station part inside, and more than 40m track outside, so an express train can be enjoyed with a full rake of coaches
So often you see modelers wanted to press in too much in, and I don't know how the most of you think, but I too often saw a police box trartise referring to Dr. Who that it becomes boring.
Anyway keep on filming, love to see your videos…
An absolutely lovely model railway. Most modelers try to put as much RR as they can in the room they've created. This layout devotes most of its space to landscape. And the Cotswold theme is as charming as it can be.
Absolutely, they've really gone for the "railway running through the landscape" theme and taken it to a whole new level! Thanks for watching 😃
Incredible. This is not the typical layout where you cram as much landscape as possible onto the board. The builders had the courage to build "boring" hills and empty spaces. And it look so real, so interesting, so ... I don't know. Awesome
The wide open spaces really do help show the scale of the surrounding countryside in relation to the more built up areas. I suppose on a normal layout this would just be the backscene! Thanks for watching 😃
This is probably the best video of Pendon I have seen,well done!
Thanks, high praise indeed! My thanks go out to the staff at the museum who were very accommodating of me running around with a camera all afternoon. Thanks for watching 😃
Wow, that is spectacular, That Model Railway Guy. The scenes are soooo convincing. As the gentleman below said, "A scene with a railway running through it rather than a railway with a scene around it". Well said, superb layout. Many thanks for posting.
Yes the sheer scale of the thing is what's really impressive. Sometimes modellers will use smaller scales for the trains in the background to make them appear further away but that's not needed here - they really are that far away! Thanks for watching 😃
Dear God! I have never seen such realism in a model railway. Incredible!
It's incredible isn't it! Thanks for watching 😃
It looks extremely real. Many many thousands of hours required to build and set up a display like this, in fact many many years. Attention-to-detail is spot-on. I kept thinking this is a real scenery and real Railroad. Thank you for posting.
You're not wrong, the team at the museum have been working on this layout for several decades now! That's real attention to detail 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
One awesome layout! My compliments sir
Glad you enjoyed the video but just to say this model railway is on display at The Pendon Museum and is available for all to see. I just made the video. Thanks for watching 😃
I love the trees in this layout. They’re the best and most realistic I’ve seen.
Yeah model railway's often use much smaller trees than we would see in reality because they would still just be huge. Here though you can get away with having trees at the proper scale/height which allows for the extra detail on them too! Thanks for watching 😃
Who ever created this absolute master piece "Your work on this planet is complete "
Many thanks
tones1957 (New Zealand)
I think they might disagree with you there - they've still got lots of work they want to add to the layout 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
Exquisite! The "wide open spaces" adds amazing realism that you rarely see in model railroading. The scenery, detailing and weathering is wonderful.
Yes even just the sheer height of the nearby hills makes you realise how compressed our own layouts often are. Thanks for watching 😃
As someone who doesn't have much patience ( or talent ) for making things this is astoundingly beautiful, I envy the people who have the patience and talent to make such things.
It's definitely a labor of love considering how long the Museum have been working on this scene!
I do think there is something to be said for working quickly though, my two most recent layouts were built in around a month and, while they're nowhere near the level of Pendon, I'm still incredibly pleased with how they've turned out. Thanks for watching 😃
The fact that the landscape isn’t picture perfect ,is what makes this landscape look so real !
Brilliant workmanship
💯
Definitely! There are a lot of layouts that look too perfect and sometimes it can spoil the illusion. That certainly isn't the case here though. Thanks for watching 😃
Design , colour , lighting , perspective , this one has it all ! You could almost step into it ...........................
They really have thought about everything haven't they. It feels less like a model and more like a miniature slice of a historical world! Thanks for watching 😃
Wowsers! Great modelling of trains, railway and countryside, and the most realistic curves and points I've ever seen. Simply wonderful!
Yes it's nice to see big long sweeping curves like this on a layout! Thanks for watching 😃
I took my granddaughter there and she the guide pointed out a cat on the wall --- my granddaughter said about the other cat and fox ---- the lady guide said she been there 20years and never noticed that !!!! It's a testament to being a perfectionist ---- this all done for love ----- Fantastic place - I go quite often just to relax ---- you won't find better I'm sure!!
I'm not surprised they're still discovering new things after all this time! They pointed out a Robin to me in one of the gardens which was miniscule. I tried to get a shot of it but failed miserably 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
When I first visited Pendon some 50 years ago the standard of modelling was a world away from that of even some well-known exhibition layouts. Now, and thanks to the inspiration provided by the museum, the difference has narrowed somewhat. But that element of space, allowing the layout "to breathe" as I believe Tony Wright (Little Bytham) puts it, is still shown to perfection here. And a close inspection of the buildings is so rewarding; the period detail is a joy to my eyes. It's always a treat to visit here.
Absolutely! Where most model railways do their best to distract the eye away from the backscene to baseboard joints or hidden entrances/exits, here the scenery just extends off into the distance in all directions. Thanks for watching 😃
That’s amazing. If I hadn’t read the tittle I would have sworn you were sat on a hillside somewhere filming!!
Calling it a model railway doesn't really do it justice and it's the only layout I've seen where the railway carves it's way through the expansive landscape realistically. Thanks for watching 😃
My God, the attention to detail is so phenomenal. Single pics could be passed off as real. Best layout of all time.
Yeah they've really put in a lot of work to make it feel as realistic as possible! Thanks for watching 😃
It is well worth a visit. Everything from trees to coaches are hand built from scratch. Last time I went a guy asked me if it had given me any ideas for my layout. I said yes, take a hammer to it and start again.
I have to admit I had a similar reaction to seeing it too. It's somehow both incredibly inspiring and demoralising at the same time 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
Absolutely loving the 'depth' and detail of the scene. Really make s the railway pop out and a pleasure to watch.
Yeah it's incredible to watch trains disappear "into" the scene rather than through a hole in the wall! Thanks for watching 😃
I like that they included the 1-horsepower shunting loco. The detail down to the tack!
Yes I liked that little detail too! A shame it didn't move though, I don't think they're trying hard enough personally 😂 Thanks for watching 👍
Wow, that is awe-inspiring! I love seeing a train moving distant in the background because is actually way in the background. The perspective of having all that land, done so beautifully. Bravo to the craftsman who created all this. Well done!
Yes it's incredibly well thought to get the most out of various viewing points and really does allow the railway to disappear into the scene. Thanks for watching 😃
That’s the best I’ve ever seen. Realistic speed and nothing coming to a bone-crunching halt.
Yeah the locos run really nicely, which is especially impressive considering they're all handbuilt! Thanks for watching 😃
Magnificent! Solves the problem that most model railways suffer from - which is lack of space. So much more realistic without all the tight curves and shortened trains etc which are a sad necessity for most of our model railways. But this does so much more, the lighting the landscaping - all just perfect.
Yes wouldn't it be nice if we all had a dedicated large building to house our layouts in 😁 Thanks for watching 👍
A completely different concept of a model railway. Wonderful!
Even calling it a model railway feels a bit disingenuous at times. It's more like a miniature world that happens to feature a railway. Thanks for watching 😃
Thank you for sharing this amazing railway ! Really wonderful !
My pleasure, thank you for watching 😃
Wow, what a stunning landscape, what a difference to the usual cramped scenes we see, I could watch the trains go by all day!
Your signalling is spot on, an area often neglected even in the most detailed layouts, it good to see prototypical signalling that funtions too - brilliant
Yes the team at the museum were keen to point out to me that all the signalling was correct with working semaphores. Thanks for watching 😃
Absolutely gorgeous layout. Everything looks so well.
The tree modelling particularly stands out for me.
All the best,
Ian
It's a great scene isn't it! The trees do look good especially as they can stretch to the proper scale heights that would often be too much for most model railways. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy no problème, my pleasure 👍🏼
Wonderful layout and wonderfully filmed. Enjoyed especially how you took shots of the scenery too, not just the trains. That’s what Pendon is all about, I think. Yes, the trains are lovely, but it is the landscape that truly makes a layout.
Cheers and keep up the great work - Alex.
Thanks Alex! Yes as much as this is a model railway channel, with a layout like this it really is the fact that the railway cuts it's way through the surrounding scenery rather than the landscape having been built up around the trains. Thanks for watching 😃
Excelente trabajo. Superlativos para esta maqueta excepcional. Felicitaciones
I must go back again when I am in the area. As good as this looks on video, in real life it's even more stunning.
Definitely, there's so much detail the camera doesn't pick up and the sheer size of it doesn't really translate either. The videos definitely don't do it full justice! Thanks for watching 😃
Wow , that was almost as fun as the real thing , I love it .
Really glad you enjoyed it Ken! Thanks for watching 😃
Absolutely superb modelling and camerawork. Oh, an the music is perfect as well!
Thanks John, really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😃
Just Stunning!! Someone has a massive amount of talent. It's so real, it's scary!!
Not just one person, there's a whole team at the museum who have been working on this display for decades! Thanks for watching 😃
BEAUTIFUL! MOST REALISTIC set up I've ever seen.
It's phenomenal isn't it! The height and depth of the surrounding hills really helps with that realism! Thanks for watching 😃
This is an amazing layout. It really captures the grandeur of the country side.
It really does! it gives you a sense of space that you just don't tend to get with other model railways. Thanks for watching 😃
This is simply stunning. What workmanship. Reminds me of an old N gauge layout called Chee Tor that captured the same 'railway in the landscape' feel to that we get here. Anyone else remember that? Thank you for uploading this for us.
I do remember Chee Tor. Built by Manchester MRS members, if i recall correctly. A very fine layout for sure, but Pendon is in a different league. It's a whole museum. Built by a large team over a long time, of course.
I hadn't heard of Chee Tor before but I've just looked it up and it looks great! I'm definitely a big fan of railways running through the landscape too, it's something I attempted to achieve on my own, admittedly much smaller, layout. Thanks for watching 😃
I visited this with my father back in the 1980's and it was brilliant then. The buildings were so painstakingly produced and everything looked so life like, I haven't seen it for over 40 years and it looks just as good now as it did then. If you have never seen it 'in the flesh' its definitely worth a visit.
Yes I would definitely echo that sentiment that you need to see it with your own eyes to really appreciate the work that has gone into it! Thanks for watching 😃
Time to go visit it again. I usually go each year if I can.
Wow! Such attention to detail and proportion. That is some professional modeling there. and nicely made video very pleasing music.
It's incredible isn't it! Glad you enjoyed the video Paul, thanks for watching 😃
This is just a really amazing model railway with so much attention to detail that it makes you think it is real. I would love to see a cab view video of it travelling through this landscape which some model railway enthusiasts do.
I believe Pendon Museum have done exactly that! Check the description for a link to their own channel. Thanks for watching 😃
Marvelous! Looks like a wonderful showcase for Thomas the tank engine, the troublesome trucks, Kirby Caboose and of course.....Deeeeeeeeezle, with that oily sound!
I think those at the museum would beg to differ with you there but nice try 😂 Thanks for watching 👍
What an utter beauty. I am actually carried away into that time and place. Masterpiece!
It's a real work of art isn't it - it almost feels rude to call it a model railway or a diorama! Thanks for watching 😃
Thank you for making a video of this layout and sharing it.
There are countless things I found impressive about this layout - from how the building actually look like they're set into the ground and not on top of the ground, to the way the backdrop blends so perfectly into the focal points.
The most impressive thing to me though, is how the modeler mimics the real terrain of the Earth by having very a gentle roll ground. That's the one error that is so prevalent on so many model railroads - the modeler seems to think if the ground isn't flat, it has to be a rocky hillside. The contours of 'flat land' are great because where in nature do you find any ground that is flat and level? There's always some rise or depression. This modeler pickup up on that and included it their scenery. Excellent modeling job!
Naturally most modellers don't have this much space to work with so they have to make do by compressing the landscape down. When you do have a large area to work with though it allows the changes in gradients to be much more gradual so that it's almost imperceptible until you take in the whole scene into consideration. Thanks for watching 😃
What you say is true as I've been modeling for over fifty years and know all too well about "selective compression" on layouts.
It was my error as I thought it but didn't write it - I was referring to 'larger than home size' layouts such as in railroad clubs and museums.
I consider it a privilege that I was taught many things by Alan Baker who made models for Pendon. It’s an art that has by and large been forgotten as modellers have now gone for such high quality ready made buildings that it’s really become chequebook modelling now. But I still retain the skills and will still carry on in the old ways. You can buy a building but you can’t buy a scene and scenery is an art in itself.
That's awesome Andrew, I imagine that must have been a real masterclass over the years!
I would disagree with you that most modellers use ready made buildings though. If anything I think the high price has pushed more people into kit and scratch building their own. I was at an exhibition this weekend and to my knowledge I didn't see a single ready made building on any layout. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy
It may be in the last few years since prices rocketed. But previously with Airfix starting the new trend for super detailing models and then Bachman’s entry into the market those few years resulted in large sales of ready made items and modellers recognised that certainly in the area I lived and worked, modelling had to a large extent gone out the window. If covid and rising prices have helped reverse that trend then it had done some good
So cool love model trains his looks so real
This is amazing, even through a video I feel drawn into the world that this represents.
They've definitely done an incredible job of capturing the atmosphere haven't they! I'd definitely recommend seeing it in person if you can. Thanks for watching 😃
This is a beautiful piece of art. I love the perspective they've made... a lot of thought has clearly gone into where the person is standing looking at it, and making things smaller that are further away. And the railway is almost incidental to the scene - another great thing.
I don't think there is any forced perspective with things towards the back of the scene being smaller - it really is just that massive! Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy I'm sure they at least put the smaller trees at the back of the layout. I wondered if they'd done the buildings similarly, but can accept that it's just massive. :)
@@BordersJambo Oh maybe they do then. It didn't occur to me to ask if that was the case when I was there as you can view the layout from almost every side so I'm not really sure what would be considered the back anyway 😅
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy OK, I'm on my third watch of this, and I think I'm understanding what you mean now. I never really grasped the scale of it to begin with, but when you said you can view it from any side, I realised how big it actually must be in real life. So I take back my comment about forced perspective! It's real perspective. And no less impressive.
That's awesome! The layout looks really great 👍
It certainly is! Thanks for watching 😃
I've only ever visited the village once, and called in at the museum while I was there, in 2006. At that time photography of any sort was prohibited in there, which was a pity. A great layout, and you've captured the essence very well.
They've definitely changed the rules since then - I imagine they're aware of the power of social media these days. Visitors posting their own photos gets the word out there entices others to come along too. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy Thanks for the reply,
Awesome ! What a vision Guy Williams had.
This is just awesome! Cheers from Australia.
Thanks Jim, really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😃
I must confess I don’t know an awful lot about model railways,but this looks fantastic.
The great thing is you don't need to be an expert to appreciate the results! Thanks for watching 😃
Absolute stunnng. Best wishes.
so beautiful to watch and so calming, love the music too.
Glad you enjoyed it Frank, thanks for watching 😃
Absolutely *beautifully* designed and crafted!
It's incredible isn't it, a real window back into the past! Thanks for watching 😃
Hi TMG, good afternoon;
It's really marvellous with incredible details, in fact one should look more than once this video!
I have been there a few years ago and enjoyed watching every minute during my visit;
Thanks a lot for sharing this video 👍👍
Season greetings from a small village in the middle of the Netherlands,
cheers and stay healthy,
Wim 🚂
I'm still not entirely sure my video does the real thing justice! 😅 It is definitely something that is worth seeing with your own eyes I think so I can see why you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for watching 👍
Wow - colouring behind village and overall is so natural...simply magic !
Yeah they've really paid attention to everything. Thanks for watching 😃
Very good, lovely to watch.
Been there a couple of times. Its just the most exquisite model railway. The attention to detail, authenticity, is just incredible.
Can't disagree with you there! It really is stunning and the sheer amount of detail across the huge landscape is incredible. Thanks for watching 😃
Fantastic scenery and setting
It’s incredible to look at isn’t it! Thanks for watching 👍
Incredible railway, great job!
This layout is in a class by itself... decades of exquisite modeling of railway stock, buildings and scenery. And as a museum it will last forever. It is so painful when layouts are discarded because they've lost their home. I watch every video I can find on this museum.
It's brilliant isn't it and great that they still have a dedicated team there to continue on the legacy and look after the layouts at the museum. Thanks for watching 😃
This is pure art. Verjüngung davon. Danke.
Those large landscapes makes it beautiful scenery!
Yes really give you a proper sense of scale when you can see full scale hills like this! Thanks for watching 😃
I live in Kent,the chalk hills are absolute perfection,as is everything......just wow ....😮
They've certainly really taken their time to make sure everything looks and feels right! Thanks for watching 😃
This is what I dream of making one day… Definitely a new standard set for creating a believable world
That would definitely be the dream - although you'd need a lot of time and space. Even with a team of people working on it, Pendon is still being worked on. Thanks for watching 🤩
A perfectly captured miniature world.
I definitely have to agree with you there Nicholas! Thanks for watching 😃
Totally incredible! Simply stunning.👏🎉😀
It's such an incredible example of finescale modelling isn't it! Thanks for watching 😃
a pleasure to watch thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching 😃
Oh my goodness! Pendon! What an amazing place! I only went once about 25 years ago and it was astonishing, so I can only imagine it is even better now. Incredible to think parts of this layout have been with us longer than most of the population 😂
Cheers mate 🍀👍🍻
It really is incredible! Everywhere you look you can see the huge amount of work that has gone into over the years from the very hardworking team. Thanks for watching 😃
It is a representation of the Vale of the White Horse near where I used t live. Used to go there often and was a friend of Pendon.
Yep, the Pendon website and TH-cam channel is linked to in the description for anyone who wants more info on their incredible work. Thanks for watching 😃
So we’ll done! The depth! Wow Looking across the fields with the tunnel is so realistic! Hats off to the designers! I would love to have a chance to see- very impressive!
It's even better in person, I would definitely say my video doesn't come anywhere close to doing it justice! Thanks for watching 😃
Fantastic looking rail way.
Fantastic layout! The first scene for example, looks like a still from drone footage, it’s so realistic. Green grass looks great, but the yellow dried grass ads to the realism even more imho. If it were my layout, I’d play country sounds like tweety birds, sheep and cow sounds.
Yes, dried grass is something I'm also doing on my own layout. The base layer is a nice colourful green but a layer of more dead/patchy looking grass is added over the top to give that dried out Summer appearance which works really well. I definitely like the idea of incorporating ambient sound too - again this is something else I'm exploring for my own layout. Thanks for watching 😃
I have the book, Cottage Modelling For Pendon, by Chris Pilton, a superb book, and the details in these buildings is unreal.
All of the buildings you see are copies of original structures, some now long gone, and most of them are made with extended card footings, and they are set into the landscape, rather than just stuck on top, just the same as a real life building.
It's also nice to see a railway within a landscape, rather than miles of unrealistic track, fantastic.
Amazing, yes they were very keen to point out the interiors to me while I was there, even though it was difficult to capture on camera. They actually have a separate display where they show some of the "test interiors" they've made which individually probably have more detail than every layout I've made combined 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
Finally, a well planned layout. Love the use of BIG STEAM, and no diesel..
Considering it's set in the 1930's I certainly wouldn't expect to see to see any diesel locomotives running through the Vale 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy the more reason to enjoy this layout..
WOW This is more like it. This is it. Wonderful, you follow the train through the landscape and under the bridge over the hill. As the detail to the village and thatch houses, Simply wonderful. I could imagine myself in some of that scenery. Many thanks
It's not often on a model railway you can watch a train actually disappear into the scenery properly! Thanks for watching 😃
Thank you so much for showing us these layouts! Being in South Africa, it is almost impossible to get up there to see them!
My pleasure, as much as I think it has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated, there is something nice in just being able to sit back and watch the trains pass by. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy absolutely! We have gentleman down here who is a voice and theatre actor. Besides his own apartment that he lives in, he bought another one across the hall and he literally filled all the rooms aside from the toilet and kitchen with his model railway. If you have the willingness and time one day, you can see his layout on my channel (Called "On Track with James & Jade". Specifically, its in Episode 4 ). We found we have to go back there to capture some more shots one day as one cannot get everything it seems 😅
That is amazing. Beautiful work. Thanks for uploading.
It’s incredible isn’t it! My pleasure, thanks for watching 😃
I know that space is always at a premium, but the expansive nature of this layout makes it my favourite. The escapism into the countryside is easy to feel here.
Taking away those normal space constraints is what makes this layout so special in my opinion. You don't have to have all the scenic features right up close to the railway, you can spread them out over the landscape as they would be in reality which creates for a much more natural scene. Thanks for watching 😃
I saw Pendon in the late '70s, do they still show the goods train halting and re starting but first "setting back" and then prototypically "picking off" one three link coupled truck at a time, brilliant
I don't think so, at least I didn't see that while I was there. I believe they try to rotate out the locos and rolling stock every year to create some variety for those that visit multiple times. Thanks for watching 😃
Just spectacular!
Amazing Layout and nice assortment of trains passing through it. Love this video.❤
It's such a great scene isn't it! Always nice to see trains passing through the landscape like this. Thanks for watching 😃
What a splendid layout. Thanks for sharing 😀
My pleasure Ian, thanks for watching 😃
They've certainly nailed the scenery. The ROW easement is convincingly aligned to fit within the landscape. For me this is what it's all about. If I had something like this at home all the complexity would be in the staging and you'd only ever see 2 or 3 trains an hour. For me if I wanted to see lots of trains I'd build a layout around a section of suburban route and slot freight trains in around the suburban timetable.
I do like yards too, the more complex the better and that would be where the action is. Big drags would roll past, the double main line skirting the yard then into staging. Everyone likes different things from the hobby - I certainly get and appreciate that, I just want to recreate reality in miniature including rubbish, filth and graffiti and trains that run like they do in the prototype - so not that frequently and many times a random train you weren't expecting. The anticipation is a big part of what I like as is authentic detail.
We have to remember that Pendon Museum is a visitor attraction which relies on the public coming to see the layouts. If they only ran two trains an hour I think people would get a bit bored. The operations are kept simple because again, most people just want to see a train whizz past, and it needs to run faultlessly day in and day out.
I imagine they run to a sped-up timetable in some way though, so that an entire day is condensed down into half an hour. Thanks for watching 👍
Total genius, love it.
Glad you enjoyed it Andy, thanks for watching 😃
What a layout!!!
It's incredible isn't it! Thanks for watching 😃
Great layout love the added thatched roofs on some of the house's. Thank you for sharing.
GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖
Thanks Lois, believe it or not they use human hair for the thatched roofs! Thanks for watching 😃
Just.. wonderful. That last song is beautiful as well. Who?
Glad you enjoyed the video and all the music is written by me! Thanks for watching 😃
It's not the size of it that's most impressive, it's the realism.
I think it's a bit of both to be honest. There are other large layouts but they don't have the same depth with the realism and level of detail given the same attention throughout. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy I guess that there's a (understandable) temptation on a small layout to cram everything in, on a MASSIVE layout you have more space; but there's still tremendous skill in producing something so real, including the "weathering", and on a big layout there's much more to do. Stick a tiny camera on the loco, and I could watch the view all day.
Incredible!
It's amazing isn't it. I still can't get over the size of it! Thanks for watching 😃
Amazingly beautiful ! Just wonder why all trains keep racing by and never come to a stop in the station.
Some of the trains did stop but I was usually at the other end of the layout when that happened. There are quite a lot of freight or express passenger trains though. Thanks for watching 😃
Love it , Bravo
Wow, if that was a real place I would want to spend a vacation there and watch the trains go by.
Was there also a pub in the town?
Hi Nick, the scene is based on the real life location of the Vale Of White Horse in Oxfordshire with most of the structures being actual buildings. I believe the first building made for the layout was actually a Pub - priorities! 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy
OK I'm there!
Gonna have a Guiness or 2!
Amazing layout! Simply beautiful!
It's fantastic isn't it! Thanks for watching 😃