Chilcompton Tunnel: The Somerset & Dorset Railway in OO - Stunning British Model Railway Layout
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- Опубліковано 2 лис 2023
- During RailEx Taunton 2023 I had the opportunity to take-in one of Britain's finest model railways - Chilcompton Tunnel - Stephen Jones and his team's stunning recreation of this much photographed location on the legendary Somerset & Dorset Railway in OO.
The layout is a scale replica of the 1-in-55 climb between Midsomer Norton South and Chilcompton, with the iconic twin bore tunnel meticulously recreated in OO. The scene is a showcase for trains in the landscape - with visitors able to take in the models as they pass through the rolling Somerset hills.
Filmed in the style of the legendary railway photographer Ivo Peters, we see just a small selection of over 20 prototypical train formations as they tackle the challenging gradients of the Mendip Hills edited with real sound. Sounds are provided by a number of prototypical and similar locomotives from my collection, captured at various Gala and Preserved Railways over the past few years.
Trains as featured:
0:18 - Fowler 4F Class 0-6-0, No.44447 pilots West Country Class 4-6-2, No.34091 'Weymouth' on a South bound express.
1:18 - Stanier 8F 2-8-0, No.48773 heads North with a Pigeon Special, whilst GWR interloper Collett 2251 Class 0-6-0, No.3210 emerges from Chilcompton Tunnel with the stopping service to Templecombe.
2:44 - Fowler 4F Class 0-6-0, No. 44331 makes a powered accent of the Mendip hills on a stopping goods.
3:28 - S&DJR 7F Class 2-8-0, No.53806 makes a spirited getaway from Chilcompton with a rake of empties bound for Radstock.
4:18 - BR Std 9F 2-10-0, No.92220 'Evening Star' heads South with the 'Pines Express', as BR Std 5MT 4-6-0, No.73082 coasts toward Bath with a fertilizer train.
Hope you enjoy!
![Baths Two Tunnels Tour [Somerset and Dorset Railway]](/img/n.gif)
It is a beautiful model and a lovely video.
Cheers
An absolutely brilliant recreation of an iconic railway line. The attention to detail, filming and sound has really encapsulated the time and place of the SDJR. This is museum quality modelling at its best. Well done Callum.
Glad you enjoyed it! Truly is a stunning layout and the inspiration behind Lyncombe Vale.
Lovely
Cheers
Beautifully modelled and edited. Thank heavens we have something like this to take us back to the swansong years of the S&D.
The inclusion of Ivo Peters is inspired!
Thank you, Callum.
Cheers Mark! Glad you enjoyed the edit. Really pleased with how it turned out. The sound certainly brings all the wonderful modelling to life.
Superb
Thank you! Cheers!
great video. beautiful trains and scenes :)
Really is a stunning bit of modelling. Glad you enjoyed it
What a stunning layout! They Really captured the feel and atmosphere with all the cameos. And sfx brings it to life.
Glad you enjoyed the edit! Truly is a stunning layout
Beautiful layout. The video filter you used to give it a oldie style, almost black and white feel was also quite nice.
Cheers! Truly is a stunning layout! Was trying to replicate illusion of the same early colour film used by Ivo Peters to record the line. Quite pleased with the results
Hi Callum, what a brilliant film 🎉 as close as we'll get to the real thing. Well done 👍
Cheers Mike! Truly is a stunning layout (and very much the inspiration behind Lyncombe Vale). Certainly has been great to bring it alive with sound
The combination of old style film effect together with authentic sound has made this video an exceptional one. You must have spent hours of editing. Thanks Callum!
Cheers Mike. Yes, took a few hours per clip. Really pleased with the results though. Hopefully one day I'll be able to recreate this on Lyncombe Vale
Wow, the effort and work put into this is worth it. Congratulations. Love it!
Wonderful..... That's awesome... I think i saw Donald Beale on that 9F...
Quite possibly ;)
I’m only into the hobby 5 years (Late Developer 😜) and I didn’t even know what the SDJR was until I saw your vids, then I researched the History and I was Fascinated - You’ve Really Managed to Bring it Back to life - Awesome 🙌🏻🙌🏻✨
Glad you enjoyed it. Really is a superb line to model
Beautifully made model
Certainly is a superb layout
What an amazing layout.Inspiring to watch,so thank you for posting.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Superb video, the sound synchronisation was spot on.
Cheers! Glad you think so. Took a few hours per clip to get them best matched
I visited this exact section of the S&D only the other weekend. Fascinating to see what the onslaught of time has done. Absolutely incredible piece of railway modelling!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thus section of line has recently been purchased by the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton, so never know, might see trains again on it once more
@@SDJR7F88 Wow I didn't know that!
Thank you. This was fantastic! From America with admiration.
Glad you enjoyed it!
My Mother was born and raised in a house that had been built by her Father's company, Colbourne Builders, on the Wells Road, Chilcompton. Spent at least a week there every year in the late '50's, early '60s by way of a holiday :-)
My Grandfather used to be a regular in the Redan Inn :-)
I tried to trainspot in the same way I used to at Plymouth North Road Station 🤔🤔🤔 but there simply weren't any trains 😉
Would of loved to of seen trains come out of the tunnels. After recent news from the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton that might be a possibility once more
Incredible work of art! A Constable compared to my house painting!😂😂
Certainly is a stunning bit of modelling.
Superb video of stunning S&D trains in an iconic S&D scene - and all in miniature! Thanks so much for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! Really is a superb layout!
I liked the inclusion of Ivo Peters car
He's about somewhere
brilliant video... loved the effect of an old reel of footage... what a fab layout
Glad you enjoyed it! Certainly is an excellent bit of modelling
Excellent Callum, it captures the real place so well.
Glad you enjoyed the edit. Really is a superb layout, well worth seeing when on the circuit again
Superb model and very realistic. Nice to watch the trains go by.
Indeed. This layout was certainly behind my Lyncombe Vale layout - hopefully one day I'll finally get around to laying track on it
Very good effects - Just like the real thing Callum 😉🚂🚂🚂
Glad you enjoyed it! Certainly can't beat the sound of the real thing
I really enjoyed watching this video with model trains running. Cheers Josh
Glad you enjoyed it
There is a heritage railway at Midsomer Norton, just a mile beyond the far side of the tunnel. Genuine S&D track! Much further south a narrow gauge line has been laid on the trackbed, and at Shillingstone the station has been restored to the S&D image.
Indeed, visit both regularly :)
Oh my! Our favourite S&D man Ivo Peters lives on hehe 😉. Fantastic filming and editing, Callum. Just felt like Ivo was behind his trusty 8mm/16mm video camera with this presentation. Bravo, young man, bravo indeed! This is definitely taking my mind off my terrible leg and foot nerve pain at the moment. I’ve been in excruciating pain everyday since August. My brother just asked me what I want for Christmas the other day and I should’ve said a new leg lol 😝, but I said money for my miniature train which is equally important too hehe 😉.
Thanks for sharing, Callum.
Regards, Caleb
Cheers mate! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope the leg gets better soon
Excelent. Quality in every detail. Very nice video. Thanks.
Cheers
Almost . . . . at 3:** that 4F had a lethal gap in the cab fall-plate . . .
I thought that merchant navy was going to jump the tracks! Great video!
OO or EM? The trackwork in bullhead is so good, I cannot tell from oblique shots.
It’s OO. I think It used SMP (form one of Steve Jones’s team!!!).
Amazing. Shame the real S&D wasn't that busy, else they wouldn't have been able to close it.
Busy summer Saturday services. Though, I believe the challenging route and bottle neck from Midford into Bath itself also played a part in its demise.
There was quite heavy coal traffic
Sixty years ago, Mac Pyrke was producing an S&D layout to high standards (for the time) using the limited stock that was available back then. "Railway Modeller" covered it a few times.
Believe I've seen some of those articles the mag.
I met Mac in 1991, at MRC Easter exhibition. @@SDJR7F88
Lovely layout, very nicely made. Great film too.
One thing, that Spamcan in the opening shot doesn’t inspire confidence!
Cheers and keep up the great work - Alex.
Really is stunning! Hopefully it will be on the circuit again at some point (I believe it's going to have anew fiddle yard made for it). Na, the Spamcan is all good. Most heavy passenger trains required double heading over the route.
Double-heading was normal there, bit its gait was somewhat unsteady . . . @@SDJR7F88
Ivo Peters had his camera out.
He certainly does
@@SDJR7F88 and Sir John Betjemin was on the 1210 from Sturminster Newton to Burnham on Sea
The only thing I know about the SDJR is that part of it is now a heritage railway - I believe it’s called the East Somerset Railway.
No that is part of the former GWR from Witham to Cheddar. They crossed in Shepton Mallet.
The S&D at Midsomer Norton is an operational heritage railway and the Shillingstone railway project that is not operational yet and as an early member called Mark Meyts has been very vocal about on Facebook has said that the Shillingstone railway has a corrupt leadership the chairman sold an 08 diesel loco which was given to the railway as a legacy it was replaced with an underpowered industrial diesel shunter. The chairman and deputies have planned to sell off the trackbed which went towards Sturminster Newton. The chairman should be voted out.
The fact it looks bigger than oo gauge says it all
Really is a stunning layout
Lovely to see such quality modelling on this special railway. Looking forward to seeing a banker soon! Just one query, the trains going right to left would have cut off steam down the 1 in 50.
Yes, correct. However, the crew for the 7F on the up coal train we're getting away from Chilcopton and saw the camera, so left if open for a bit of a display ;)
The Somerset and Dorset at midsomer norton has plans to extend to chilcompton which includes restoring the tunnel and reopening the line between Midsomer Norton and Chilcompton. Do the platforms and station buildings still exist at Chilcompton? The Midsomer railway has bought some of the trackbed towards Chilcompton. Further tracklaying will soon commence. The biggest hurdle is excavating the infilled cutting which will be expensive. The society has bought a 9f 92207 morning star which will be restored over the next ten years. They have a operational steam sentinel shunter and up to recently had a six wheeled tank loco which had been hired from the Llangollen railway.
Indeed. Sadly I believe the platforms at Chilcompton have been built on. Digging out the cutting will certainly be some undertaking
@@SDJR7F88 that is sad the platforms at Chilcompton have been built on is the trackbed between the platforms free of development a replica station could be built further up the line
Excellent layout but some of the locos and stock need attention to the wheelsets to stop what would be volient lurching in 12 inches to the foot scale which would need them to probably be sent to works.
Many thanks. Glad you enjoyed it
Brilliant but did I see a train without a tail lamp meaning it is incomplete!
Oh no!!!! Disaster...
I will take responsibility for that. It fell off the last vehicle - it was on when it entered the tunnel - (from one of Steve Jones’s modelling team!!!).
By the way, is this your layout? If so, well done for running iconic trains through an iconic landscape!!
It's not, fully details in the video description
Superb detailed modelling, BUT the track looks like it should have a 5mph speed restriction! Trains are weaving and wobbling about alarmingly.
Hi. I think you find this might be a scale thing, making it look worse than what it is.
Actually, the scaling reduces the effect - at full size some of the wobbles would be a foot or so! With a simple double track like this it's vital to lay the track first and to exacting standards to give a smooth motion. Of course, though, it is stunning modelling - I've never seen a coot modelled in 4mm before! A layout full of beautiful work and detailing.
Great layout, please don't use the jittery camera filter again though. It gave me motion sickness and I could only watch a minute or so of the video before I had to stop.
Dear Callum , why do you not speak and not appear in your Videos nowadays ? you used to ? Strange
Hi Gary, finding the time to create videos due to work and other commitments has been difficult lately, and I've been slowly winding things down.
In all honesty, I never really liked appearing on camera; videos like layout updates were always a chore to film - often requiring scripts - that, combined with the fact the layout has not progressed since the last one two years ago means there has been no need to do such a video.
In the end, along with other negatives, I feel the presser has gotten to much and I decided to take a step back from things. However, my modelling venture can be seen in the pages Railway Modeller magazine each month.
Hope this explains things