Wrenton - an N Gauge Model Railway Layout
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- This video of my N gauge layout was made for the 2021 N Gauge Forum Virtual Exhibition. My first attempt to build a layout for over forty years, Wrenton took about five years to build, much of that time spent making the many scratch-built buildings. With a total baseboard size of 9'6" x 3'6" (plus a small hinge-down section at one end) I chose to use much of the space for scenery rather than cramming in too much railway. I think a major advantage of N gauge is the ability to create a realistic setting for the railway. The layout appeared in the December 2018 issue of Railway Modeller with a second article describing my method of constructing buildings in April 2019. My website at www.roger-beckwith.co.uk/mr/ contains more information about the layout.
Most out standing N gauge set and craftsmanship I’ve seen to date. I’m a USA citizen but have a passion for British trains as I grew up just outside of London in the mid fifties with steam embedded still in my memories.
Thanks Nick. I also remember the sight and sound of steam engines in London in the 50s!
I really didnt want this video to end. Absolutely stunning, a beautifully put together film on a jaw dropping layout. Bravo
Glad you enjoyed it!
It’s been said before but I could just sit and watch this layout all day. It’s beautiful to the eye and it takes you back in time to when perhaps things were easier and kinder and a slower pace where people took time, made time.
Thanks Dave!
As a Norfolk Boy and having visited this village many times on my motorbike, I can say it is a fantastic representation - great modeling that captures its character wonderfully.
Thanks Ian.
Stunning. Simply no other word for it - I've spent weeks looking at N gauge layouts on YT, to try and get inspiration for building my own, and yours is far and away the best I've seen. I can't even fathom the amount of work that you've put into this. You can tell it's your pride & joy, and rightly so. Subbed.
Thanks Bil. About five years to build it. The joys of retirement!
First model railway video i have ever watched. I think it is UNBELIEVABLE the skill involved in this sort of thing.. I am a pretty decent machinist and qualified as a welder, so not too useless, but i could never in a million years make something like that...
Thanks John. Well it did take about six years!
You sir are a master modeler and story teller. You have a very melodic voice like Sir David Attenborough which is soothing to listen to. Watching your video is pure magic. I'm so glad I found your channel. Thank you for sharing!
Many thanks David!
I love this layout so much, it's my favourite out of all the videos I have watched recently. The way that the trains (the most important part) are brought front and centre, but then given life by that amazingly realistic little village behind it. There's a lot of terrain without it feeling cluttered, and the balance is kept by having the tunnels at each end so the focus on the trains is just while they are in Wrenton itself. I swear, I would live inside this layout if I could.
Please make more videos when you can. What an oasis of peace and calm this place is.
Many thanks! I'll try to shoot some more videos asap.
“Enjoyed my visit to Wrenton”? I didn’t want to leave!
Many thanks!
Roger, Outstanding work. Animated nostalgia. Your sound recording skills to the fore; Betjeman
would have loved it. Congratulations.
Thanks Henry!
What a stunning layout. I just love it. A true work of art.
Thank you!
A perfect display that doesn't give the appearance of a roundabout but instead of a piece of real railway. The fact that the buildings and the streets have to follow a hilly terrain gives to the whole a superb impression of reality.
Thanks Paolo.
What a pleasant, quiet visit to Wrenton! Thank you!
Pleased you enjoyed it!
Love this. Keep coming back and watching this video. Just think it’s beautiful, probably my age wishing things were like this today.
Thanks Dave. If only we could time travel!
@@rogerdB I think with your beautiful layout, time travel is a distinct possibility. It certainly would be for me.
It was a delight to the eye with this calm and simplicity.
We have H0 AC, but we should have chosen N, so we with our approx. 40 sqm had been given the opportunity to make only one plant in a level without several shadow stations under the plant.
The downside is that so many more details need to be made.
But thanks for the look.
Glad you liked the layout. Good luck with your project.
Wrenton one of the best n gauge layouts I've ever seen.
Many thanks Frank!
Thank you for this little look into that haven of peace and quiet during these turbulent times 💟
Thanks Sandor.
An absolutely exceptional n gauge model railway layout! We fellow modellers can only be awed by such a wonderful rendition of the English countryside. It truly encapsulates the beautiful countryside of East Anglia.
Thanks Robert. Good to know I caught the East Anglian look.
Awesome - the best N gauge layout I have enjoyed by far. I like that you are not constrained by only running "Essex" trains. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Tony. Glad you enjoyed it.
A superb layout. I especially like the undulating elevations in land forms, which so many other modellers overlook. Good show.
Thanks Matthew.
Amazing looking village. Absolutely incredible. Nice to hear you follow rule No 1, and run what you like.
Many thanks!
Simply wonderful, the grass banking and houses are so realisitic.....
Thanks David.
One of the finest N Gauge layouts I've seen. The realism of the buildings and the subtle and highly accurate declination of the topography would be commendable in any scale but in 2mm I think it's even more so. I applaud your efforts sir - an enjoyable video with good narration and pleasant music. Thank you!
Many thanks Adam!
This is definitely far and away one of the best layout tour videos out there. I really enjoyed my visit to Wrenton. The production value is superb, and WOW, the small details are amazing. The street signs, for crying out loud. And here I am happy if my trains even manage to make it around the track once on my layout.
Many thanks!
How absolutely magnificent!! The level of detail in the model is incredible, it looks so real. Fantastic work, well done!
Thank you very much!
At the beginning, I thought it's a real town. Amazing quality of buildings and gardens, and beautiful trains. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you very much!
I grew up in Cornish Hall End, and went to primary school at Finchingfield, so I spotted the buildings from the thumbnail in the forum someone linked this in before I ever clicked the link! I'm amazed at how much detail you've got in at 2mm to the foot.
Now, here's the rub. Did you know that Finchingfield could really have had a railway line through it? In 1896 when what became the Elsenham to Thaxted line was proposed, it was hoped to run it through Hawkspur Green and Great Bardfield via Finchingfield and join up with the Colne Valley Railway! Though the "buckjumper" tank engines might not fit with Rule 1...
NIce place to grow up, Adrian! I visited many times as a kid (1950s and 60s) but never lived there. And yes, I did know about the possible line. I wonder how long it would have lasted - probably not even until Beeching.
Real Craftsmanship and fascinating to watch. Would love to see the Fiddle Yard.
Thanks Gordon. Check out the 'Behind the Scenes' video at th-cam.com/video/sIDIvrw0tiM/w-d-xo.html
I live about 15 minutes from finchingfield and can easily say you’ve captured the feel of the village very well. Your station has a nice resemblance to the old Clare railway station - the goods shed and crane gave me this impression. Nice to see what can be achieved in N gauge in a small space when compared to OO
Thanks for that! Clare is, if memory serves, the same design as the one I used. Long time since I was last there. Those 1865 GER stations were built in similar styles but three different sizes and Wrenton's is based on the largest one. I think Clare is, too.
Easily one of the most beautifully modelled N Gauge layouts I’ve ever seen. Subscribed.
Many thanks!
Absolutely magnificent, the detail superb considering the scale. The layout is positively charming and I do remember villages like this one.
I had to watch it twice as I found myself transported( no pun intended) back in time. The narration was top notch. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Stephen, glad you enjoyed it.
What a wonderful piece of story telling! Thank you Roger for sharing your obvious passion and inspiring me with your hard work and the fruits of your labour.
Thanks Mark, happy modelling!
I common with many, I'm sure, I spend a lot of time looking at model railway layouts and I would have to say that this is probably my favourite. You have done a wonderful job constructing a little bit of England. Absolutely brilliant.
Many thanks Timothy. Glad you like the layout.
Your layout is an absolute delight, I wish I could see it in person, and I wish I could get your guidance on putting together my own fictional railroad town
Thanks Camron. You might find something on my web site that helps - www.roger-beckwith.co.uk/mr/
I'm Speechless, absolutely one of if not the best N Gauge layout.
Many thanks! Glad you like it.
Very injoyable, and spoken in an slow manner which adds to the most delightful village. More please
Thanks Jonathan. Will do more when I recover from my 'supercold' - you wouldn't want to hear my croaky voice at present!
I'm not a model train person, as in i don't build or keep them, but i am always amazed at what those who do pursue this hobby can do to take the sense of a period in time and compress it into something everyone can enjoy.
Sedate and friendly where people know their neighbours and stop to talk to them, a place that's safe, Wrenton is a place I wish was real.
Thanks Raven. We can but dream...!
What can I say that hasn't been said? I'm going to share this with my wife. She loves dioramas and I love models. Brilliant!
Thanks Ken. Hope she enjoys it!
The scenery and buildings are incredible.
Congratulations
Thanks Paul.
You Brits really know how to do classy model train videos. Great music.😊
Thanks David. I'll tell the composer!
The thing with Model Railroading is, its all about the trains. The Scenery just brings it together allowing for a story to be told about the trains and the industries in question. N scale lets you do all of that, and more, in half the size you would get with HO. So you can fit a nice little layout in a corner of your apartment, where you would take up a lot more of that corner with HO. Or, if you have a lot of space to dedicate to a layout, you would get a LOT more trains, bigger, longer trains with more cars and more industries for them. Then you would've gotten if you had done the same in HO scale. This is why N is the best scale to model in as it gives you more in less space and you don't lose out on a lot of detail due to the scale in question.
For US, N scale is 1:160th
for UK N scale is 1:150th however both do run on the same track, just the difference in scale sizes makes that track represent the difference in gauges.
Thanks John. N is certainly the best choice for creating a landscape for the trains to run through. And in the case of Wrenton the village was planned and started before the railway.
Truly stunning squire, one of the best layouts I have seen.
Many thanks!
A truly superb layout and a very well produced video to go with it; wonderful! Thanks for posting your efforts.
Thanks very much!
iT'S A STUNNING LAYOUT. For the non-specialist, I think the odd intrusive item to give scale would be a good idea. Just to show how small N gauge is.
Thanks Colin. I prefer not to show any 12" to the foot items as I think they take away any chance of believing that this is a real world. Perhaps the latest offering, a look at the fiddle yard, gives some sense of the scale.
Being a Yank, an N Scale guy and a camera geek I can truly appreciate what you have done. From the structures to the, depth of field to the audio mixing just an epic work.
Thanks Sandy. Shot with an iPad which gives the good depth of field, lights bounced off the ceiling, and audio was my job years ago.
@@rogerdB You must have been very good at your former career in audio. P.S. there was a large Caterpillar equipment dealer in Pennsylvania that I worked with Beckwith Machinery.
Roger, what a stunning layout and you can tell your passion a mile away.
Thanks Stephen!
Absolutely breathtaking. This is amazing artistry, thank you very much for sharing it with us.
Many thanks Robert!
Stunning layout! Great job.
Thanks Ronny!
Being from close to Finchingfield, the layout is very recognizable. Superb attention to detail!
Many thanks!
What a superb layout,, lovely detail and a nice look back at times past
Many thanks Colin.
Very impressive work - beautifully done, Roger
Many thanks Huw.
i'm super late to the party here but this railroad is gorgeous and this video was extremely relaxing.
Thanks, and all latecomers are welcome!
Layouts of this standard are rapidly becoming an important part of our social history. Stunning.
Thanks Stephen.
Fantastic layout, incredibly realistic. I have subscribed and I am looking forward to seeing more on this beautiful model railway!
Thanks, will do!
This is by far the most beautiful layout I have seen in any scale. Congratulations.
Thanks Adrian, glad you like the layout!
There is something so wonderfully serene and calming with this video. All of it. It makes me impatient to start my own layout and even want to do two at once!
Glad you enjoyed the video. And good luck with your project(s)!
Beautifully detailed, TY so much for sharing.
Thanks Timothy.
Absolute stunning and delightful video. Superb layout.
Thanks very much Mark.
Incredible layout, so realistic. The buildings and street scenes are like fine art, brilliant layout.
Thanks for the comments! It took about five years.
Simply Stunning. What an inspiration and a lovely soothing video to watch. Really enjoyed that. Thank you.
Thanks Gavin, glad you liked it.
A really beautiful model, and very well put together video. Very enjoyable! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Mark.
Outstanding! The Layout, the Village and of course the way this video is made! I enjoyed every second. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Roger this is stunning! really showing what you can achieve with N gauge, lovely lovely stuff, thank you for taking the time to create this video :)
All the best
Matt :)
Thanks Matt.
Beautiful layout. Incredible detail.
Thanks Peter.
Unbelievable, what a beautiful little villagestreet you have made! There is real dedication in this. The model railway as a whole is an absolute feast for the eyes. The local goods tracks provide just that little bit of interesting variety. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an incredible layout. The scenics are amazing.
Many thanks Derek.
Absolutely superb - the village is quite enchanting and SO East Anglia, and your eclectic mix of trains a delight.
Many thanks!
Wow. What a fabulous layout. One of the best I have ever seen.
Thank you!
Thank you Roger, what a lovely and relaxing video highlighting your layout and English country life. Well done, amazing scratch buildings.
Thanks James.
Thank you. Beautiful layout. I feel as if I have vacationed in Wrenton and now I want to return and ride a bike through the town and watch the trains come and go. I hope there is a small cafe where I can get a scone and a cup of tea.
Thanks Danny. You'll find a Tea Room appears about 45 seconds into the video!!
Excellent, well done, a very realistic depiction, as memories come back to mind of such scenes from those days.
Thanks Mervyn.
Wonderful layout and even better story telling!! (smile) I've always loved the British Trains of this era. As others have said....I could have watched all day.
Thanks Steven, glad you enjoyed it.
This is fantastic, one of the best I have seen. The photos on your website are outstanding and ultra realistic.
Many thanks Ed!
A really stunning railway and beautiful scenes of the village. Certainly one of the most amazing layouts I have seen before.
Many thanks Ednam.
Beautiful layout. Brilliant. Well done!!!
Thanks Dave.
What a stunning layout you have created, this is definitely a true testament to what is achievable in a relatively small space with N gauge. Fantastic! 👍
Many thanks!
It’s been a good while ago since I dabbled with OO or N but still take a keen interest in videos on TH-cam , this video is delightful, a pleasant trip back in time, a joy to watch, so informative, birds singing in the background, I have subbed and liked, thank you
Thanks Michael. Glad you enjoyed the video!
VERY lovely piece indeed...beautifully landscaped and the Permanent Way is really well engineered!! LOVE IT!
Thanks Anthony.
What a wonderful layout. I'm starting my first layout and this gives me so much more confidence and inspiration. Thanks for taking your time in showing this to us.
Thanks Emmet. Good luck with your project!
Progressing nicely.Well done.
Thanks Peter.
Genuinely one of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen to date. Great stuff!
Many thanks Joshua. Glad you enjoyed it.
Well done Mr Beckwith, what a stunning layout you have. I was researching n gauge trains as my sons and I are looking to get into the hobby. You sir have sealed the deal. I just hope someday we get somewhere close to what you’ve achieved.
Thank you and good luck with building a layout!
I enjoyed this video very much and found it relaxing but extremely entertaining. Your narration of the every day activity really brought the village to life. Thank you for sharing your creation
Many thanks D J, glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful, interesting model and equally interesting and very well made video. A pleasure to watch.
Thanks John, glad you enjoyed it.
Wonderful layout and video! I love the N scale, and the British railway, it's so characteristic.
Regards from Italy. Michele
Thanks Michele!
I am extremely impressed with the level of detail you achieved on your layout. You did a fantastic job. I could watch your videos all day. Nicely done sir!
Thanks David.
Wow! All you need is lots of time and lots of talent. You sir have a talent, you have built an amazing layout. The details are wonderful. I especially like the buildings.
Thanks Alan! I've always seen it as a village with trains rather than the other way round; with the buildings as the main feature.
A very nice looking Castle but the City of London is stunning the layout is one of the best i'v seen and love the village layout and detail
Many thanks Andy.
Loved this, thanks Roger
Thank you too!
What a setting! Simply perfect!!! And considering the size that's an incredible creation. Greetings from Italy.
Thanks Davide.
Modellers spend the majorty of their time and effort on scenery, and it makes me so cross when layout videos just follow the trains around and the glimpses of the scenery you see are incidental to the trains in the foreground. This, I think, is how it should be done: a balance between looking at track plans and operations, but mainly focussed on the scenery and those little cameos that many modellers put in the scenery to create particular points of interest. This is a brilliant video, Roger, thank you so much.
Thanks Jim, glad you liked the balance of scenery and trains.
One of the best layouts that I’ve ever seen and to achieve it in N gauge is a real feat
Many thanks Luke.
For me to watch this beautiful model is sooo satisfying. The beautiful village with the nice hill, the church wow. And the selection of the rolling stock is amazing!
Thanks Reimond. Pleased you enjoyed it!
A wonderul model railway in every respect and superbly filmed with an excellent commentray and background music. PERFECTION! Congrtulaions and many thanks.
Many thanks Michael.
Superb craftsmanship but the video really blew me away. I felt like I was a part of this captivating scene. Narration was spot on and really added a wonderful element to the video. I just loved it. Great job and thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much Robert.
What an amazing layout, one of the most beautiful I have seen and so much detail in N. The video was excellent. Thanks for posting
Many thanks!
Truly Inspirational , Excellent work.
Thanks Steven.
Hi Roger, we lived in Essex for about 15 years before leaving UK for New Zealand and you have captured the village beautifully. Have subscribed and look forward to more excellent videos from you. Good Luck for the New Year
Thanks Andrew. Hope it brought back some memories!
Having lived in north Essex, and spent much time in the Colne Valley area in particular, you've captured the feel and atmosphere of the county beautifully. A wonderful layout that made me feel homesick it's that good.
I think having some connection to an area makes it easier to model. I've never lived there but my grandfather was born in Finchingfield so I guess it's in the blood!
What an absolutely delightful layout; it perfectly captures the English countryside so dear to me. The buildings are just superb; I know how difficult N gauge is as I model this myself, and yours are masterfully done. Another hit is that the scenes and the scape are perfectly finished, no flaws nor loose bits; this is nicely rounded off. With permission I’ll borrow some ideas for my own layout.
Thanks for sharing these series; be safe and I send my best from sunny Spain. 🇪🇸
Many thanks. And borrow away!