Return to Tatton Park

About four years ago I posted about a visit to Tatton Park Farm, and the narrow gauge tracks around the farmyard. Having commented about it being an interesting subject for a layout, last year I built that layout - Landswood Park Farm - in a boxfile for the EXPO-NG challenge. While building the layout (and even though I picked a freelance setting and name) I could have used a few more photos to help me out, but living 250 miles away it wasn't practical! Today while visiting family we decided once again it would be a nice afternoon out with the kids, so I took the opportunity of getting some more pics and research. It is of course a bit late for my model, but in case you are interested...

 

This 3-storey building I now know was the mill, and beyond it the boiler-house and engine. The siding running in would presumably been to take grain in and/or flour out, not a traffic I had factored in to my model even though it may well have been the main reason for this short line.

 

A close-up of the track, setts and cobbles, and the simple wagon-turntable. The red door on the building at the top of the hill is some kind of store I think, perhaps that is where the grain was stored, and wagons used to move it down the hill and into the mill?

A check with my size 11's suggests the track gauge to be approximately 2ft. I'm very pleased to say I think I got the size, arrangement, and colouring of my setts and cobbles spot-on on my model.

 

I think I got the building styles captured too.

 

The rear of the mill building, with the chimney marking the position of the engine-house beyond. The track in the first picture seems to run inside the building to the centre/right, probably ending behind the bricked-up archway, although there is no sign of any rails in this courtyard.

Finally the steam interest - the engine, although I suspect the Vax is not original. The Lancashire boiler was in a separate building immediately to the left of this picture, but I couldn't see if it was still in there.

Plenty more inspiration there, and who knows, perhaps another layout based on this farm may one day get built! I'd also say that Tatton Park Farm is well worth a visit if you are in the area, especially with kids.