Return to Coursehorn…

Well I managed one whole post about Butley Creek before my attention moved to another layout, but in fairness this is one I have been working on for some time. 

Coursehorn is the manifestation of a long-held desire to model a Colonel Stephens light railway. It is also in part an homage to one of my favourite layouts, Old Parrock, but with the chocolate box dialled down and muddy puddles taking the fore. It's intended as the successor to my current exhibition layout, Rye Sands, but is really more of a passion project than the result of any pragmatic choice.

The genesis of Coursehorn had parallels with that of Butley Creek - a few inspirational photos, a site visit to Rolvenden, and hey presto, a winning layout idea. I had been toying with schemes for a light railway terminus for months, if not years, but these were always too big and too generic - halcyon summer scenes that lacked that certain je ne sais quoi. 

Come November 2025, and I stumbled back upon a wonderful image from the final days of Frittenden Road. I'd seen this many times before, but through the lens of those dark, bleak surroundings it took on a new resonance. 

Then there was a photo of KESR No3 "Bodiam" approaching Northiam, dwarfed by the silhouetted form of an old oak. I became obsessed with the idea of a winter scene, and this in turn gave me a newfound appreciation for the beauty of winter, and in particular the shapes and forms of bare trees. In the following weeks, I could often be found walking (or even cycling) in the shadow of the KESR, finding myself drawn back time and again.

The layout turned from vague plan to reality in a frenzy of activity, and buildings and baseboard were complete within a few months. However, as the seasons changed I began to lose enthusiasm - I was wholly reliant on the inspiration of winter itself to drive the project forward. In a way, I was fine with that - I saw (and still see) it as a winter project, something to return to later in the year.

In the meantime, I had been promising the layout to exhibition managers, as foot in the door to get back to my favourite shows. I got away with this scot free for some time, but in the recent weeks the first of those invites have taken on concrete form. I still have plenty of time, but it has served as a nudge to get working again; I'm glad, as it's reminded me how I love this layout. 

By the point I stopped work in April, the layout resembled a sort of pinkish snow-scape. 

I don't know why, but the though of masking up the backscene had put me off painting the track or landforms, and led to progress stalling. As is often the case, this was a 5 minute job and once unstuck, progress was rapid. I stormed through the ballasting stage (one of my favourite jobs, if you'll believe it)

The next job was another nemesis of mine - I was keen to model a twin-arm signal, as these were a feature of a number of stations on the KESR. I'll talk more about this in a future blog, but suffice to say it was another one of those "paper tiger" jobs that ends up far easier than expected...

I now stand on the precipice of modelling those aspects that will make the layout "wintery". I have a certain reticence to start putting down static grass, forming trees (bar the practice exercises shown here), or flooding the waterlogged drainage channel. Undertaking these steps away from the comfortable undefined spring/summer period within which most layouts fall is not something I am taking lightly. 

For example, can I use the same materials and techniques to make winter trees as I would summer ones? These test pieces suggest not, finer wire is needed, and a more considered approach.

It's important to me that the colour, texture, and light is spot on, and it is difficult to accurately recall those qualities when its 36 degrees outside... Perhaps I was right about this being a winter project?