TIM JOHNSON takes us on an entertaining flight of fancy to explain how this trio of ‘O’ gauge micro layouts came about – and how they work together to create a believable scene.
MANUFACTURING CO
IN THE AREA bounded by the loop of the Netherton Canasit WindmilEnd and Darby End. Between the two, at least in 1818, lay the supposedly pristine acres of Withymoor MilFarm. Described as having rich arable land, complete with attractive farmhouse and outbuildings, the whole 27 acres was put up for auction, the tenant being one David Walker. What he thought about the agent’s description is anyone’s guess as, in reality, it was somewhat short of the truth.
For a start, the canaran through the property, complete with a coawharf and railroad. To the north were the collieries of Lord Dudley and Major St Pauwhile to the west were the belching smoking stacks of the Attwood Family’s furnaces and the Reely Grate Manufacturing Company. The big attraction though was the fact that beneath the land lay an 11-yard thick seam of coal. How anyone could say it was rich arable land I can’t imagine, having been polluted with many years of sooty deposits! After the sale, the buildings were soon demolished, replaced by enlargement…
